[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 173 (Thursday, October 31, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING KAY HAGAN

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I stand here today to mourn the loss of 
Kay Hagan. Kay was a warm, kind person with a wonderful sense of humor, 
and she was an inspiring public servant. I feel fortunate to have been 
her friend and colleague here in the U.S. Senate. I am deeply saddened 
to be among the many who will miss her profoundly.
  Kay knew from a young age that her destiny was in politics, starting 
when she worked here as an intern. She often recalled operating the 
Senate elevators in the 1970s. She would watch the Nation's leaders and 
influencers pass by, including her maternal uncle, then-Senator Lawton 
Chiles from Florida. She would dream of riding those elevators herself 
as an elected official.
  Kay worked incredibly hard to achieve that dream. She earned her BA 
degree from Florida State University and her JD from Wake Forest 
University School of Law. Before Kay began her political career, she 
worked in financial services and became a vice president of North 
Carolina National Bank, which is now part of Bank of America.
  In 1998, she was elected to the North Carolina State Senate, where 
her talent in setting the State's budget and her devotion to her 
constituents earned her a spot among North Carolina's ``Ten Most 
Effective Senators'' 3 years in a row. Then, in 2008, she became a U.S. 
Senator in a historic election. Kay was North Carolina's second female 
Senator ever and its first Democratic female senator.
  From the moment Kay arrived in the Senate, she concerned herself with 
how to use her platform to clear the way for other people, especially 
other women, to achieve their ambitions. The very first bill she 
cosponsored was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which created a 
fairer system for filing claims of pay discrimination. She also worked 
with Senator Schumer to open the Senate swimming pool to female 
Senators for the first time.
  Where Kay saw injustice and where she saw indignity, she saw 
opportunities to make the world a better place. She was committed to 
fighting for anyone who needed her help. She was a fierce advocate for 
servicemembers, veterans, and military families. Both her father and 
brother served in the U.S. Navy. She also spent much of her Senate 
career campaigning to improve education, financial literacy, and job 
training for underserved communities. She rallied people to these 
causes--not with strong-arming or with steamrolling but with cleverness 
and compassion and coalition-building.
  Kay was the type of legislator who dug into issues that made a real 
difference in people's lives, even if they weren't necessarily 
headline-grabbing. I had the honor of working alongside Kay in the 
Senate Small Business Committee for 4 years, and I watched her 
tirelessly create economic opportunity for North Carolinians and all 
Americans. The programs and policies we spearheaded there may not have 
made front page news, but Kay knew she was making a difference for 
entrepreneurship opportunities in our country.
  The only thing to rival Kay's dedication to her constituents was her 
dedication to her family. Kay was endlessly devoted to her husband Chip 
and their three children, Tilden, Jeanette, and Carrie, and all of her 
loved ones.
  Her brother-in-law, Henry Hagan, is a fellow Baltimorean, and he has 
told me over the years how Kay truly was the Sun around which the 
entire family orbited. She was a source of gravity and life for them, 
as she was for so many people who were lucky enough to know her.
  May her gravity continue to ground us, and may her light continue to 
warm and guide us. I wish all of Kay's family and friends comfort 
during this difficult time.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.

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