[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 22741-22742]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  RETIREMENT OF SENATOR FRED THOMPSON

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute and recognize 
the

[[Page 22742]]

accomplishments of a colleague who will be retiring at the end of this 
term. Senator Fred Thompson has represented Tennessee in the Senate for 
8 years. During his tenure, he has been an important advocate for a 
wide range of legislative reform activities.
  Throughout his Senate career, Senator Thompson has fought for 
protecting our national security, making government more efficient, and 
improving programs that are important to America's families, such as 
Social Security and Medicare. Senator Thompson has also been nationally 
recognized for his expertise in international affairs as was evidenced 
by his recent nomination to the prestigious Council on Foreign 
Relations.
  As the ranking member of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, Fred 
Thompson held more than a dozen hearings on important national security 
issues, including missile defense technology and the proliferation of 
weapons of mass destruction. As a result of his efforts, Senator 
Thompson played a key role in bringing the issue of weapons 
proliferation to the forefront of the national agenda.
  In addition, Fred Thompson has been the leader in many efforts to 
reform and improve government. He has strongly supported proposals to 
streamline the regulatory process and to ensure the cost-effectiveness 
and benefit of regulatory programs. As the primary author of the 
Government Information Security Act, he also championed efforts to 
enhance the security of government computer systems and to strengthen 
privacy protection on Federal Web sites.
  Finally, as his colleague on the Finance Committee, I had the 
opportunity to work with Fred to address the challenges facing Social 
Security and Medicare. Among the efforts we jointly supported, a 
primary concern we have shared is improving the long-term solvency of 
these important social programs. As a Finance Committee member, as well 
as in the other roles he has served, Senator Thompson's work has been 
thoughtful, and our Nation is a better place because of his efforts.
  Most of all, I will miss Senator Thompson's unfailing good humor. We 
shared many laughs as we bantered back and forth about his future in 
film and television. I will really miss his sense of humor and basic 
decency.
  Mr. President, for these and many other reasons, I have been honored 
to serve with Fred Thompson. I would like to join my colleagues in 
wishing the Senator and his family the best in the future and in paying 
tribute to his contributions to the Senate and our Nation. I wish him 
well.

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