[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 201 (Thursday, December 20, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO HEIDI HEITKAMP

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. Preident, you wouldn't guess it, but North Dakota and 
Vermont are more alike than they are different. Both depend on 
agriculture and small businesses to support rural communities. 
Likewise, Senator Heitkamp and I are not all that different: We are 
both natives of our States, and we both are committed to working across 
the aisle to get things done.
  Before running for the Senate, Senator Heitkamp served as North 
Dakota's attorney general, where she worked to keep communities safe, 
much as I did as State's attorney in Vermont before I first ran for the 
Senate. One of her biggest achievements as State attorney general was 
forcing the tobacco industry to tell the public the truth about the 
health risks of smoking, and securing a settlement of $336 million in 
damages for North Dakota taxpayers.
  Senator Heitkamp was a strong cosponsor of the Violence Against Women 
Reauthorization Act of 2013. We worked together closely to include 
provisions to protect Native American victims of domestic violence, 
human trafficking, and sexual assault. These protections were sorely 
needed, and it was an honor to fight with her for their inclusion. She 
also introduced and helped usher into law the Alyce Spotted Bear and 
Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act, which works to 
ensure that Native children and families have access to critical 
economic and educational resources.
  North Dakota, like Vermont, struggles with affordable housing and a 
rural housing shortage. As a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs, Senator Heitkamp worked to help families 
achieve stable housing. She sought housing finance reform and relief 
for community banks and credit unions, giving more rural families 
access to the economic tools they need to thrive.
  Senator Heitkamp and I have served together on the Senate Committee 
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, working most recently to pass 
a comprehensive and bipartisan farm bill to support the hard work of 
our farmers, who are the backbone of our rural communities, and to 
address nutrition and food insecurity challenges across the country and 
abroad. Senator Heitkamp has been committed to ensuring we invest in 
our rural infrastructure and business development, and North Dakota is 
stronger for that.
  Senator Heidi Heitkamp has been a tireless champion for the people of 
North Dakota for longer than just her term in the Senate, and although 
I will miss her, I know she will continue to serve her State in other 
ways for years to come. Marcelle and I wish her and Darwin the very 
best.

                          ____________________