[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S165-S166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                       REMEMBERING SCOTT LaBARRE

 Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life and career 
of my dear friend Scott LaBarre on the sad occasion of his death after 
a battle with cancer. Scott passed away surrounded by his family on 
Saturday, December 10, 2022.
  From his days as a college student until a few months before his 
death, Scott, who went blind as a youth, fought tirelessly for the 
rights of blind people and other people with disabilities.
  Born and raised in Minnesota, Scott attended the Colorado Center for 
the Blind, a world-renowned rehabilitation training program for blind 
people, and ultimately established his law practice and his family in 
the Denver area.
  His legal work focused in the areas of employment law, disability 
rights, and international copyright policy. He held several leadership 
positions within the American Bar Association and the National 
Federation of the Blind--NFB--most recently as NFB's general counsel.
  He served as chair of the board of the Colorado Center for the Blind, 
led the National Association of Blind Lawyers, and helped establish and 
guide the Jacobus tenBroek Law Symposium, the premier conference for 
practitioners and students of disability law.
  His impact will continue to ripple across the world because of his 
leadership in securing the Marrakesh Treaty, an international agreement 
permitting the cross-border sharing of books in Braille and other 
accessible formats, which was ratified by this body.
  Scott conducted all of his work with confidence, humor, and a joyful 
spirit. Going forward, I will miss his presence in the halls of the 
Senate when the National Federation of the Blind visits Washington each 
year, as well as my many other interactions with him.
  I am sure that many of you also encountered Scott, and I know you 
will join me in lifting up his wife Anahit and their children, Alex and 
Carter, as they cope with this devastating loss.

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  I take comfort in the knowledge that Scott leaves a legacy 
encompassing not only his many accomplishments, but his impact on the 
hundreds of blind people whom he personally mentored and the millions 
who will benefit from his efforts for generations to come.

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