[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 26395-26396]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   IN HONOR OF SENATOR GRACE L. DRAKE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2000

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I honor Ohio State Senator Grace L. 
Drake. As senator she held a most distinguished political career, 
marked by numerous accomplishments and awards. Today, as her 17 years 
of service to the Ohio State Legislature is coming to a close, I offer 
my recognition and admiration for her exalted work.
  Appointed to the office of State senator in May 1984, Senator Drake 
was re-elected handily in November of the same year. She has served on 
numerous committees throughout her tenure. Most recently, she served as 
chair of the Senate Health Committee since 1989, and as a member of the 
committees on Rules, Reference, and Ways and Means.
  Widely recognized as one of Ohio's outstanding legislators, she has 
introduced over 146 pieces of legislation, passing over 60 of them. 
This remains a record unmatched by any current member of the Ohio 
General Assembly. Recognizing Senator Drake's hard work and dedication 
to the people of Ohio, Ohio Governors, and Senate Presidents have 
rewarded her with key State appointments to the powerful State 
Controlling Board, chairman of the Retirement Study Committee, and the 
first chairman of the Women's Policy and Research Commission, among 
numerous others.

[[Page 26396]]

Senator Drake has also served as chairman of the Senate Economic 
Development and Small Business Committee, and has used her knowledge of 
Ohio's economy to hold economic development seminars in Cuyahoga and 
Medina Counties. Credited with stimulating economic growth in Northeast 
Ohio, she was recently appointed to serve on the Ohio Development 
Financing Advisory Council.
  Senator Drake has played key roles in forming and building three 
major statewide organizations, namely, the Ohio Dairy Strategic 
Planning Task Force, to address the needs of the Ohio Dairy industry; 
the Ohio Higher Education Business Council, in cooperation with the 
Ohio Board of Regents and all of Ohio's public and private 
universities; and the Ohio Farmland Preservation Task Force, which 
addresses the issues of farmland loss and the need for preservation.
  Due to all of Senator Drake's commitment, she has been the recipient 
of many awards and honors. The United Conservatives of Ohio chose her 
to receive the Watchdog of the Treasury Award four times, for her 
commitment to keeping the costs of government down. She has also been 
awarded three Outstanding Legislator of the Year Awards from the Ohio 
Speech and Hearing Association. In 1955, she was inducted into the Ohio 
Women's Hall of Fame, the first State senator to be granted this honor. 
In 1997, Senator Drake received the Ohio State Bar Association's 
Distinguished Service Award. Most recently, she has been awarded an 
honorary doctorate in public administration by Cleveland State 
University and an honorary masters degree in anesthesiology from Case 
Western Reserve University.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my fellow colleagues join me in recognizing 
the dedication and distinguished law-making career of Senator Grace L. 
Drake. The General Assembly, as well as the people of Ohio, are losing 
a unique legislator who understood the value of public service. Let us 
commend her on 17 years as an Ohio State Senator.

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