[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17930]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          TRIBUTE TO JOE DINI

 Mr. BRYAN. Mr President, the Speaker of the House of the 
Nevada State Assembly is one of Nevada's treasures and he happens to be 
a very close personal friend of mine.
  I have been privileged to know Joe Dini since I first served with him 
in the state assembly during the 1969 legislative session and I 
continue to value his friendship.
  Joe Dini was born and raised in the small town of Yerington, NV, he 
attended the University of Nevada and returned to the community of his 
birth to work along side his father in the family business.
  In 1966 he was elected to the Nevada State Assembly, the first of his 
17 terms; a record unrivaled since our state entered the union in 1864.
  As a legislator, he has become the legislature's leading authority on 
western water issues. He served on the Western States Water Council and 
chaired the Water Policy Committee of the Council of State Governments-
West.
  In 1973, he was selected by his colleagues to serve a Speaker Pro 
Tempore and the following session, in 1975, as Majority Leader.
  During his long and distinguished tenure, the State of Nevada has 
undergone dramatic changes. The state's population has increased by 
more than five fold. Nevada has become more urban and most of the 
state's population growth has been in Southern Nevada which now 
accounts for two-thirds of the state's population.
  Not only is Joe Dini the longest serving member of the Assembly, but 
he has also been elected by his peers as the Speaker of the Nevada 
State Assembly an unprecedented eight times. Another record 
unparalleled in our state's history.
  This extraordinary accomplishment is even more remarkable when one 
considers that rural Nevada, Joe Dini's political base, today 
represents just 15 percent of the state's over all population. He is a 
Nevada treasure, the likes of which we will surely not see again.
  Now in the twilight of his career of public service, he is being 
showered with the honors and recognition he so richly deserves.
  As with so many of us who have pursued a life of public service, 
Joe's family, his wife and his children have sacrificed much to make 
his service possible. Nevadans owe a debt of gratitude to Joe Dini's 
family as well.
  I am pleased to join with Joe's many friends in paying my respect, to 
my friend--the much loved and respected, and Pizen Switch's number one 
citizen, Joe Dini.

                          ____________________