[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 76 (Thursday, May 2, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3321-S3322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 673--HONORING THE LIFE OF DAVID HAMPTON PRYOR, FORMER 
            UNITED STATES SENATOR FOR THE STATE OF ARKANSAS

  Mr. BOOZMAN (for himself, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Schumer, Mr. McConnell, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
Booker, Mr. Braun, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Brown, Mr. Budd, Ms. Butler, Ms. 
Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cassidy, 
Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Cramer, Mr. 
Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ernst, Mr. 
Fetterman, Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. 
Hagerty, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. 
Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, 
Mr. Kennedy, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lee, Mr. Lujan, 
Ms. Lummis, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Menendez, Mr. 
Merkley, Mr. Moran, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, 
Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Paul, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Ricketts, 
Mr. Risch, Mr. Romney, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, 
Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Scott of South 
Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Sinema, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. 
Sullivan, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Van 
Hollen, Mr. Vance, Mr. Warner, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. 
Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 673

       Whereas David H. Pryor--
       (1) was born in Camden, Arkansas, in 1934; and
       (2) graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1957 and 
     the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1964;
       Whereas David H. Pryor learned as a young man the value and 
     importance of public service through his family's role in 
     public life, inspiring him to dedicate his life to public 
     service;
       Whereas, after graduating from the University of Arkansas, 
     David H. Pryor returned to Camden, Arkansas, with his wife, 
     Barbara Jean Lunsford, where they started and edited a weekly 
     newspaper, ``The Ouachita Citizen'', which served as a 
     counter-voice to the segregationist policies of Governor 
     Orval Faubus;
       Whereas David H. Pryor was elected to the Arkansas House of 
     Representatives in 1960 at the age of 26, where he continued 
     his opposition to the Faubus machine and served until 1966;
       Whereas, in 1966, David H. Pryor was elected to the United 
     States House of Representatives, where he represented the 
     Fourth District of Arkansas until 1973;
       Whereas, in 1974, David H. Pryor was elected the thirty-
     ninth Governor of Arkansas, was reelected in 1976, and served 
     through 1978;
       Whereas David H. Pryor was elected to the United States 
     Senate in 1978 and served three terms until his retirement in 
     1997;
       Whereas, as Governor of Arkansas, David H. Pryor championed 
     positive initiatives and reforms for Arkansas, including--
       (1) successfully calling for a convention to reform 
     Arkansas's Constitution;
       (2) creating the Department of Arkansas Natural and 
     Cultural Heritage, now known as the Division of Arkansas 
     Heritage, which promotes Arkansas's natural and cultural 
     heritage;
       (3) leading Arkansas through an economic recession during 
     the 1970s without cutting State services or raising taxes; 
     and
       (4) appointing a large number of African Americans and 
     women to high-profile boards and commissions;
       Whereas, during David H. Pryor's tenure as United States 
     Senator for Arkansas, he--
       (1) served as Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on 
     Aging and the White House Conference on Aging, where he 
     focused on prescription drug pricing and major reforms to 
     elder care;
       (2) served on the Committee on Finance of the Senate, where 
     he--
          (A) authored the landmark Omnibus Taxpayer Bill of 
     Rights (Public Law 100-647), which was enacted into law in 
     1988; and
          (B) focused on ensuring that tax dollars were spent in a 
     prudent manner and taxpayers were treated fairly and not 
     harassed by the Internal Revenue Service;
       (3) was elected to and served as Secretary of the Senate 
     Democratic Caucus; and
       (4) worked as an important liaison between the United 
     States Senate and the administration of President Bill 
     Clinton;
       Whereas, after retiring from the United States Senate, 
     David H. Pryor became the Fulbright Distinguished Fellow of 
     Law and Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas and 
     later the Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard 
     University's John F. Kennedy School of Government;
       Whereas David H. Pryor also donated unused campaign funds 
     to the University of Arkansas to support the University's 
     efforts to preserve historical documents, which resulted in 
     the creation of the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Oral 
     and Visual History;
       Whereas, in 2004, David H. Pryor was named inaugural dean 
     of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public 
     Service;
       Whereas David H. Pryor was appointed interim chairman of 
     the State Democratic Party following the death of Bill 
     Gwatney in 2008 and was appointed to the University of 
     Arkansas Board of Trustees by Governor Mike Beebe in 2009;

[[Page S3322]]

       Whereas, in 2008, David H. Pryor published his 
     autobiography, ``A Pryor Commitment'';
       Whereas David H. Pryor served on the Board of Directors for 
     the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from 2006 to 2014 and 
     received the corporation's Lifetime Achievement Award in 
     2019;
       Whereas David H. Pryor left an extraordinary legacy for the 
     people of Arkansas and the United States and was a 
     distinguished public servant and true statesmen who served 
     with dedication and honor, living by his motto ``Arkansas 
     Comes First'';
       Whereas David H. Pryor exemplified the values of 
     bipartisanship, collaboration, and empathy, consistently 
     working to find common ground and advance positive 
     initiatives; and
       Whereas David H. Pryor is survived by his wife, Barbara 
     Jean Pryor, his three sons and their wives, David, Jr. and 
     Judith Pryor, Mark and Joi Pryor, and Scott and Diane Pryor, 
     his four grandchildren, Hampton, Adams, Porter, and Devin, 
     his great-grandchild, Raven, and his two sisters, Cornelia 
     Lindsey of Camden, Arkansas, and Elinor Pryor of Little Rock, 
     Arkansas: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep 
     regret the announcement of the death of David H. Pryor, 
     former Member of the Senate;
       (2) the Senate directs the Secretary of the Senate--
       (A) to communicate this resolution to the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (B) to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the 
     family of David H. Pryor; and
       (3) when the Senate adjourns today, it stands adjourned as 
     a further mark of respect to the memory of the late David H. 
     Pryor.

                          ____________________