[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 21259]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                ON THE RETIREMENT OF SENATOR CONNIE MACK

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the distinguished Senator from Florida, 
Connie Mack, has decided to retire from the Senate after serving two 
successful terms. This Senator from the Sunshine State has served his 
people and his country well.
  Following graduation from the University of Florida with a Bachelor 
of Arts degree in Marketing, the young Senator-to-be began a successful 
sixteen-year career as a community banker. Quickly emerging as a local 
civic leader in Cape Coral, FL, he fought to ensure access to vital 
health care services in his community by leading the effort to build a 
local hospital.
  Heeding the call of greater professional challenge, Connie Mack 
entered the political arena when he won election to the U.S. House of 
Representatives in 1982, a position he would occupy for the next six 
years. As a member of the House, he was recognized by U.S. News and 
World Report as one of the Nation's most effective ``rising political 
stars.'' His sincere dedication to public service and love for the art 
and the process of legislating further propelled him to seek and win a 
seat in the United States Senate.
  It is obvious that his Florida constituents understand and appreciate 
the degree of skill, dedication, and integrity that Senator Mack has 
brought to his work. And, as Republican Conference Chairman and third-
ranking member of the Senate Republican leadership, it is obvious that 
his Republican colleagues have understood and valued those qualities in 
Senator Mack as well.
  In 1994, Senator Mack had the distinguished honor of being the first 
Republican in Florida history to be reelected to the U.S. Senate. He 
received 70 percent of the vote, more than any other Republican Senate 
candidate in the nation. In that same year, Senator Mack was named by 
Campaigns and Elections magazine as one of the 20 most popular elected 
officials in America.
  Mr. President, no Senator has fought more vigorously to protect and 
preserve the jewel-green waters, the soft, white beaches, and the 
inland springs that comprise the immense natural beauty of the 
marvelous peninsula he so effectively represents. He has been an ardent 
supporter of restoring the natural history and the fragile ecosystem of 
the Florida Everglades, a true national treasure. Most recently, 
Senator Mack played a large role in the recent Senate passage of the 
largest environmental restoration project in history--a $7.8 billion 
effort to rescue the Florida Everglades from years of environmental 
degradation.
  Senator Mack has been driven by his personal commitment to doing all 
that he can to provide a better, healthier life for all Americans and 
people of the world. He has worked long hours, and with great 
determination, in an effort to see that Federal dollars are wisely used 
to combat breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, and 
Alzheimer's disease. The junior Senator from Florida has long realized 
the importance of providing researchers with the tools necessary to 
continue the tremendous advances being made in biomedical research.
  In the Senate, Connie Mack has been a true champion of the fight 
against cancer. He impressively co-chairs the Senate Cancer Coalition 
with Senator Diane Feinstein to heighten awareness of cancer research, 
early detection programs, improving cancer prevention, and exploring 
various innovative cancer treatment options. Senator Mack and his wife 
Priscilla, have both escaped the clutches of cancer, and have led the 
charge to ensure that all Americans take to heart the message that 
early detection of cancer saves lives. The Senator and his wife have 
received numerous honors and awards in their crusade against cancer, 
such as the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship Ribbon of Hope 
Award in 1998 and the National Coalition for Cancer Research Lifetime 
Achievement Award in 1999.
  Drawing upon his experience as a community banker, Senator Mack 
played a key role in defining the framework of landmark legislation in 
the Senate to modernize our nation's banking laws and offer more 
convenience for consumers. I supported this legislation. It has helped 
to shape the financial industry, enabling more efficient and 
appropriate responses to the burgeoning demands of an aggressive global 
marketplace.
  And so, Mr. President, as he prepares to leave the Senate, I offer my 
sincere gratitude to Senator Connie Mack for his professionalism, for 
his friendship, for his leadership, for his candor, and for his many 
years of dedicated service to our Nation.
  Always a gentleman, and that means a lot in this body and in life, he 
brought to this Senate floor and to his committee work some of the best 
that Florida has to offer this Nation--a willingness to work hard, to 
make tough and principled decisions, and to seek common ground in order 
to serve the common good. It is these notable qualities which will be 
so sorely missed.
  I wish my distinguished colleague from the Sunshine State well.
  Next week I will have something to say about other colleagues who are 
retiring and about whom I have yet to state a farewell message.
  I yield the floor.

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