[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 27155]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   RETIREMENT OF SENATOR WILLIAM ROTH

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues in bidding 
good wishes and God speed to Senator William Roth, the distinguished 
senior senator of Delaware. I have served with Senator Roth for most of 
my career on the Governmental Affairs Committee. For a significant 
period of that time, Senator Roth chaired that committee and its 
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
  Senator Roth proved an able and dedicated advocate of government 
reform, guiding our committee through oversight hearings and 
investigations into how our Federal programs were or were not working. 
He also spearheaded a number of key efforts--many of which were 
successful--to change our laws to reduce opportunities for waste, fraud 
and abuse.
  When I sat in my seat on the dais of the Governmental Affairs 
Committee, I often heard Senator Roth argue passionately and 
convincingly for the enhancement of the M, or management 
responsibilities, in OMB, the Office of Management and Budget. As much 
as anyone in this body, Senator Roth truly cared about the efficiency 
and effectiveness of government programs. He has my deep respect and 
the gratitude of all of us for his efforts in this area.
  In addition, Senator Roth distinguished himself as a gentleman in a 
chamber that has sometimes lost its gentlemanly manner. Senator Roth 
could be tough, there's no doubt about that, on issues about which he 
cared, as well he should be, but he was always civil.
  We will miss his gentlemanly ways and his guiding hand on the 
important but not-always-so-visible issues of government management. I 
wish him well and hope he enjoys an active but less hectic life which 
he so clearly deserves.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a man I have 
worked with my entire Senate career: Senator Bill Roth. He is a true 
friend and gentleman, as well as a superb legislator whose 
contributions to the nation are many.
  Senator Roth will likely be best remembered as the co-author of the 
famous Kemp-Roth tax cuts, initiated during President Reagan's tenure 
and for the Roth IRAs which have made it possible for millions around 
the country to invest taxable income that can be withdrawn tax-free in 
their retirement.
  Senator Roth has represented Delaware for 29 years, making him the 
longest serving Senator in our ``First State's'' storied history.
  Senator Roth is a decorated veteran of World War II, and began his 
Congressional service in 1966. He has served his country for almost 40 
years. We all are indebted to him for his remarkable service.
  I wish Senator Roth and his wife, Jane, well and hope that they will 
cherish the years to come in the same way they have those that have 
past.
  Bill Roth's gentlemanly nature, his quietness and his humility were 
his hallmarks and strength.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, when this Congress finishes its work it 
will also mark the end of a particularly distinguished 30-year career 
in this body. I rise to pay tribute to my chairman on the Finance 
Committee and my friend, Bill Roth.
  No Senator could hope to serve under a more thoughtful and 
considerate Chairman than those of us on the Finance Committee have 
experienced over the last five years. Bill is a true gentleman who 
works as hard as any Senator I know to make sure that issues under his 
control have the broadest possible consensus. He has consistently 
reached out to members on our side of the aisle in order to make law in 
a way that honors the Senate's best traditions.
  Like Bill, I represent a small state. He knows, as I know, what a 
special responsibility that is. People in a small state expect to have 
a personal relationship with their Senators, and I know from the times 
I have taken short vacations in his beautiful state the deep affection 
Bill inspires all over Delaware.
  I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to work so closely with 
him on the important tax, health, and trade issues we deal with in the 
Finance Committee. Bill has a natural appreciation for the strong roles 
agriculture and tourism play in the economy of my state of North Dakota 
because they are such important components of Delaware's economy as 
well. He knows instinctively the value of looking for common ground.
  Even as he leaves the Senate, however, one thing will set Bill apart. 
Many Senators are well known among the public at large, but very few 
have their names become household words. Senator Roth earned his 
membership in that tiny elite. Bill's deep commitment to retirement 
security and savings led directly to the establishment of the Roth IRA, 
a retirement savings vehicle that will give savers decades from now a 
reason to be grateful to our beloved colleague from Delaware.
  When we consider the departure of Senator Roth in conjunction with 
the simultaneous retirement of the Senator from New York, the Committee 
on Finance is losing more than half a century of institutional memory 
and experience. That is a loss not only for our committee, but for the 
country as well.


  We wish Bill Roth all the best as he leaves us, but he will be 
greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues in the Senate.

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