[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 206 (Thursday, December 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5999]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. Van Hollen):
  S. 3544. A bill to designate the visitor and education center at Fort 
McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine as the ``Paul S. Sarbanes 
Visitor and Education Center'' ; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I am pleased to join Senator Van Hollen 
in introducing legislation to honor my friend and former colleague, the 
late Senator Paul S. Sarbanes, for his ceaseless efforts to preserve 
Fort McHenry in Baltimore, MD. Senator Sarbanes worked tirelessly to 
honor the site and elevate the history of the War of 1812 in the 
national consciousness throughout his career. This legislation 
acknowledges his long-term advocacy for the preservation of the site 
and the improvement of the visitor experience by designating the 
visitor and education center the Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor and Education 
Center.
  I first got to know Senator Sarbanes when he first ran for public 
office in 1966. We both were elected to the Maryland General Assembly 
that year, and we became good friends. Delegate Sarbanes at that point 
made a name for himself on the House Judiciary Committee in the 
Maryland General Assembly and was a rising star from his first day in 
the Maryland General Assembly. He shortly thereafter ran for the U.S. 
House of Representatives, where he served three terms with a very 
distinguished record. His service in the House occurred during the 
Watergate scandal. Representative Sarbanes was on the Judiciary 
Committee and was given the responsibility of the first Article of 
Impeachment against President Nixon. That article dealt with 
obstruction of justice. It was the key article against President Nixon 
on impeachment, and it is very telling that a relatively young and 
junior Member of the House of Representatives was entrusted with 
pursuing and presenting it. It was because of his work ethic, his 
commitment to scholarship, and his understanding of legal issues that 
he was entrusted with such an awesome responsibility.
  Paul Sarbanes then served five terms in the U.S. Senate, the longest 
term for any Senator in Maryland's history, which Senator Barbara 
Mikulski ties 10 years later. Paul Sarbanes was known as a Senator's 
Senator for his integrity and for his principled commitment to public 
service. He was a Rhodes Scholar who chose to serve the public rather 
than using his skills in the private sector for his own personal gain. 
His entire life was devoted to public service. What a legacy he has 
left us by his incredible public service. In 2002, the Enron scandal 
hit America, and Senator Sarbanes, then chairing the Banking Committee, 
teamed up with House Financial Services Committee Chair Michael Oxley 
ass the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. Then-President George W. Bush 
called the Sarbanes-Oxley bill ``the most far-reaching reforms of 
American business practices since the time of Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt.'' From Watergate to Enron and beyond, Paul Sarbanes stepped 
into the breach and he delivered on behalf of the American people. It 
is a fitting tribute to name the Visitor Center at Fort McHenry 
National Monument and Historic Shrine after a true American hero: Paul 
S. Sarbanes.
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