[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2196-2200]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMEMORATING DAVE HOPPE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today marks the last day in Congress of 
one of the most remarkable people I have had the pleasure of meeting in 
my entire life, one of the most decent, clearly one of the most 
outstanding individuals, and that is Dave Hoppe, who will be leaving 
Congress to go on to some other line of work after today.
  We all got to know Dave as chief of staff of Senator Lott. He has 
labored in the vineyards of the Senate and the House for 27 years. 
Without ego, without a desire to go out and seek public office, like 
many of us have done, Dave Hoppe devoted himself to improving America 
and to advancing the causes in which he believed by working through 
elected officials.
  Dave is originally from Wisconsin. He graduated from Notre Dame in 
1973. By the way, his birthplace was Baraboo, Wisconsin, which also 
happens to be the place where the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey 
circus began.
  Dave came to Washington after graduating from Notre Dame to have an 
impact on his country. As he ends his public service today, there is no 
question that he has had an enormous impact on the lives of all 
Americans through his work both in the House and the Senate.
  There was a fascinating article in USA Today back in 1997 about the 
impact Dave had on the reauthorization of the IDEA legislation that 
year. He had a particular interest in it because his son, Gregory, 
suffers from a disability. Dave, raising that son and living with the 
disability his son had, had a particular awareness of how to adapt that 
legislation to the needs of not only his son but a lot of other 
youngsters who found themselves in the same dilemma.
  This is a quote from Dave in the article:

       Every night when I came home and every morning when I got 
     up, I saw who it could help.

  He was talking about the IDEA reauthorization.
  Referring to his son:

       I know his horizons are not unlimited, but I want them to 
     be as great as they can be.

  What a marvelous way to put Dave's hopes and aspirations for his son. 
Dave and his wife, Karen, met in a carpool 21 years ago as conservative 
idealists. He worked for the House Republican study committee and she 
for the Heritage Foundation. They were engaged 3 weeks after their 
first date and married December 30th, 1976--a truly remarkable family.
  I expect others might want to include this USA Today article, but it 
is so interesting and so important I ask unanimous consent it be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    [From USA Today, June 27, 1997]

                     A Law That Transcends Politics

                           (By Richard Wolf)

       Washington.--Six-year-old Gregory Hoppe climbs up on the 
     bench installed for him in his father's office and peers out 
     on the nation's capital.
       But this isn't just any office. It's for the chief of staff 
     to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, perhaps the USA's most 
     powerful Republican.
       And Gregory isn't just any child. The framed Senate roll-
     call vote that hangs over his bench attests to that. Still 
     two weeks shy of his 7th birthday, Gregory already has played 
     a quiet but crucial role in overhauling the law that guides 
     special-education policy for 5.6 million disabled children in 
     America's public schools.
       His father, David Hoppe, was the one who worked out the 
     final agreement between Congress and the Clinton 
     administration last month. But Gregory, born with Down 
     syndrome, was the new law's guiding light.
       Call it Gregory's Law.
       ``You had somebody who brought a deep life experience to 
     the whole process,'' says Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind. ``It's a 
     piece of legislation with a lot of heart in it.''
       The roles played by David and Gregory Hoppe demonstrate the 
     powerful influence of private lives in public policy. Their 
     impact on the nation's special-education law is emblematic of 
     how elected and even non-elected officials work behind the 
     scenes here, using personal experiences to set the 
     legislative agenda and guide the political process.
       And David Hoppe's role was significant for another reason: 
     at a time of public dismay over how Washington works--or 
     doesn't--in the glare of partisan politics and harsh 
     publicity, he became the rare individual to emerge heralded 
     by all sides.
       ``This was a fair, decent, caring soul who was not going to 
     sell anybody down the river,'' says Robert Silverstein, the 
     Senate's top Democratic expert on disability issues.
       But without Gregory's disability and his dad's doggedness, 
     President Clinton and Congress still might be embroiled in 
     emotional debate over the Individuals with Disabilities 
     Education Act (IDEA), signed into law earlier this month.
       For two years, the bill had been caught between two 
     seemingly immovable forces: Leaders of the Republican 
     revolution, who wanted to help schools cut costs and curtail 
     classroom disruptions caused by disabled students, and 
     advocates for the disabled, who wanted expanded educational 
     opportunities.
       It took a deeply religious, conservative Republican and a 
     highly motivated advocate for the disabled to bring the two 
     sides together. David Hoppe was both of those. And Gregory 
     was his inspiration.
       ``Every night when I came home and every morning when I got 
     up, I saw who it could help,'' Hoppe says of his son. ``I 
     know his horizons are not unlimited, but I want them to be as 
     great as they can be.''
       Says Paul Marchand, director of The Arc, which represents 
     the mentally retarded: ``He might have been thinking, 
     `Everything that I do here may someday affect my child, and 
     if not my child, hundreds of thousands like him.'''


                  a strong family that weathers crisis

       David and Karen Hoppe met in a car pool 21 years ago as 
     conservative idealists. He worked for the House Republican 
     Study Committee, she for the Heritage Foundation think tank. 
     They were engaged three weeks after their first date and 
     married Dec. 30, 1976. He would go on to work for a future 
     vice presidential nominee, Jack Kemp; she would go on to work 
     for a future vice president, Dan Quayle.
       David rose through the Capitol Hill ranks, but Karen quit 
     when their first child, Katie, was born in 1981. Geoffrey 
     arrived two years later. The Hoppes--David is 45, Karen, 44--
     are devoted parents to both ``big kids,'' as they call them 
     now. But it was Gregory's arrival in 1990 that gave the 
     suburban Burke, VA., couple a whole new outlook on life.
       The night before Gregory's birth, the Hoppes happened to 
     pick up a copy of a Sesame Street parents guide featuring a 
     story on Down syndrome. ``I remember sitting on the edge of 
     the bed and saying, `I hope we don't have to deal with 
     anything like this,' ``Karen Hoppe says. They had forgone 
     pre-natal testing that could have determined Gregory's 
     disability, caused by an extra chromosome, because they do 
     not believe in abortion.
       The next night, the Sesame Street story came to life. ``He 
     was four minutes old,'' she recalls. ``They came and told me 
     right away that they thought he had Down syndrome.''
       Those first few minutes in Fairfax Hospital are etched in 
     the Hoppes' minds. With doctors buzzing around Gregory, the 
     couple made hasty plans to baptize him, in case he died. But 
     Gregory was tough; he overcame many of the complications that 
     accompany Down syndrome births.
       Karen reacted emotionally, but her husband was then what he 
     has been ever since--a rock. ``I got one tear out of David,'' 
     she says, ``and that was it.''
       Sen. Coats, Hoppe's boss at the time, recalls getting the 
     call from the hospital concerning Gregory's obvious 
     disability. ``I think the birth of Gregory was one of those 
     defining, life-changing experiences that open people's eyes 
     to a whole other world,'' he says. ``I don't think unless you 
     experience that, you can fully identify with that world.''
       Today, the pain of that first realization is overwhelmed by 
     two other emotions common to families of disabled children--
     exhaustion and achievement. The physical and mental 
     challenges can seem never-ending. Gregory didn't walk until 
     age 2\1/2\, didn't run until last summer, and only now is 
     learning to jump. Typical of children with Down syndrome, his 
     cognitive and language skills are significantly delayed.
       But just as distinctive is his unconditional love for his 
     family. While his father helps run the country, Gregory rules 
     the roost at home. He's a ham, singing and dancing to his 
     favorite videos. Ask a question, and he taps his temple as if 
     deep in thought. He speaks in two- and three-word bursts 
     packed with meaning: ``Throw the ball!'' ``My turn!'' And the 
     ever-welcome, ``Thank you, Mommy.''
       Says Karen, ``I wouldn't have missed this for the world.''


                   personal lives, professional lives

       For David Hoppe, plunging into the middle of a two-year-old 
     battle over the IDEA law was a deeply personal crusade that 
     made use of his education, experience, philosophy, Catholic 
     faith and fatherhood.
       The law was first enacted in 1975 to guarantee disabled 
     students equal access to public schools, no matter how 
     profound their afflictions.
       Over the past 20 years, the number of students classified 
     as disabled has soared to 12.4% of the public-school 
     population of 44.7 million, including those with behavioral 
     and emotional problems. About 70% of them are taught in 
     regular classrooms, alongside non-disabled kids.

[[Page 2197]]

       The costs are high: more than $32 billion, only $4 billion 
     of which comes from the federal government.
       Since taking control of Congress in 1995, Republicans had 
     tried to change the law, motivated partly by anecdotes about 
     students with disabilities causing harm to others. One 
     teacher in West Virginia wound up in an emergency room; 
     another in North Carolina broke an arm.
       But during the 104th Congress, a deal proved elusive. Not 
     even Bob Dole, a disability-rights advocate and master deal-
     maker, could do it. On his final day as Senate GOP leader 
     before resigning to run for president last June, Dole 
     implored his colleagues to pass an IDEA bill.
       ``Some issues transcend politics, foster a bipartisan 
     spirit and result in legislation that makes a real and 
     lasting difference,'' Dole said on the Senate floor. 
     ``Disability has always been one of those issues.'' But not 
     in 1996.
       Enter David Hoppe. Already one of the busiest staffers on 
     Capitol Hill as Lott's top deputy, he saw the chance to break 
     the logjam over a law that will guide his son's education 
     into the next century and ``give kids born 20 years from now 
     even more opportunities than Greg has.''
       Hoppe came with a rare advantage: knowledge of how to write 
     laws, drawn from 21 years on Capitol Hill, and knowledge of 
     how to help the disabled, drawn from nearly seven years as 
     Gregory's dad.
       ``I was uniquely placed. I was a conservative, and I had a 
     child with a disability,'' he says. ``I looked at everything 
     . . . through a parent's eye: `Let's put Greg in this 
     situation.'''
       That was easy. In many cases, Gregory already had been 
     there.
       ``I was at the meeting where Gregory was given his label,'' 
     Hoppe recalls, with a rare, small show of emotion. That was 
     in 1995, when Gregory was 4 and aging out of preschool. He 
     was labeled ``MR,'' for mild retardation. His father, who 
     knew it was coming, still took the official designation hard. 
     ``This is a landmark,'' he says, ``and I knew it was.''
       Hoppe's familiarity with the world of the disabled helped 
     turn theoretical debates into practical ones.
       ``He made people think about the long-term and child-
     specific implications of the policies,'' says Katherine Beh 
     Neas, senior government relations specialist at the National 
     Easter Seals Society.
       Occasionally during the closed-door negotiations and open 
     town meetings he organized, Hoppe would mention the 
     bureaucratic hoops he and Karen had to jump through to get 
     services for their son. Several times, he interrupted 
     meetings to take calls from his family--at least once from 
     Gregory, who wondered when Dad was coming home.
       ``The perspective of a parent (with a disabled child) would 
     have been completely missing'' without Hoppe, says Rep. 
     Matthew Martinez, D-Calif.
       Adds Bruce Hunter, director of public affairs for the 
     American Association of School Administrators: ``Nobody could 
     say to him the way they could say to other Republicans, `Oh, 
     you guys just don't care.'''


                  understanding differing perspectives

       What Hoppe found as he waded into the legislative thicket 
     were school administrators who feared soaring costs, 
     educators who feared for their safety and advocates for the 
     disabled who feared losing hard-won rights. ``It was fairly 
     obvious how emotionally charged the issue was,'' he says. 
     ``You're dealing with vulnerable people.''
       The flash point was discipline. Teachers, principals and 
     school administrators wanted more flexibility to punish 
     disabled students in much the same way they did others, even 
     if it meant segregating them or stopping their education. 
     Advocates for the disabled refused to go along.
       Hoppe did not play the Gregory card to sway the 
     negotiations.
       ``I'm sure that everybody in that room knew that David had 
     a disabled kid,'' says Judith Heumann, the Education 
     Department's assistant secretary of special education and 
     rehabilitative services. ``But he didn't wear it on his 
     sleeve.''
       Where he wore it was on his computer. When other parents of 
     disabled children first came to Lott's office last fall to 
     voice their concerns, they had no idea of his personal 
     interest. Then they noticed the image of Gregory on his 
     computer screen.
       ``I looked over and saw on the screen his little one,'' 
     recounts Madeleine Will, mother of a 25-year-old son with 
     Down syndrome and a disability activist. She figured she was 
     imagining things. ``I thought, I'm overtired here and 
     distraught, but . . . I'm seeing the face of a child with 
     Down syndrome on that computer.''
       Despite his advocacy on behalf of Gregory's interests, 
     Hoppe never forgot the interests of his other children. 
     Katie, 16, and Geoff, 13, attend public schools in Virginia 
     and know well the other side of the disability coin, when 
     students with behavioral problems disrupt classes or won't 
     leave them alone. They think disabled students should be 
     disciplined--but not blamed for all that goes wrong.
       ``I just don't see the point of people complaining that all 
     disabilities ruin class,'' says Geoff. Adds Katie: ``The more 
     we integrate these kids, the more accepting and understanding 
     people will become with them.''
       Out of this stew of colliding interests emerges David 
     Hoppe's philosophy: ``I believe in limited government,'' he 
     says. ``But I think government is there to protect rights and 
     opportunities.''
       The IDEA law attempts to do that. The overhaul makes it 
     easier for schools to discipline disabled students, but 
     doesn't let states cut off their education. The law also 
     upgrades teacher training, gives parents a greater role and 
     improves planning and mediation.
       Everyone had to compromise.
       ``We kind of held our noses and supported it,'' says Sally 
     McConnell of the National Association of Elementary School 
     Principals, which wanted the measure to go farther. But, she 
     adds, ``Emotions run high on this issue, and I think he did a 
     really good job.''
       Ironically, Gregory won't use all his rights. Despite the 
     law's goal of educating disabled children in the least 
     restrictive setting, the Hoppes aren't seeking full inclusion 
     just yet.
       Beginning this fall, Gregory will be in a self-contained 
     first-grade class for academic subjects with other mildly 
     retarded kids. He will be mainstreamed a half-hour each 
     morning and also for art, music and gym. Demanding inclusion 
     when it might not be best for their child isn't what the law 
     intends, they say.
       Their hopes for Gregory are high. ``I want him to be able 
     to live by himself, to have a job that he likes, to be able 
     to go to that job by himself, to sit and have conversations 
     with people who work where he works . . . to have him 
     involved with his church,'' Hoppe says. ``My big dreams for 
     him are things that seem very normal.''
       But his value won't be defined by his achievements. Says 
     Karen Hoppe: ``Greg is a worthwhile individual right now, 
     just the way he is.''


                      Celebrating a success story

       Gregory Hoppe was heard about but not seen until the Senate 
     voted 98-1 on May 14 to send the bill to President Clinton. 
     Then it was time for this coming-out party.
        From his vantage point in the vice president's office off 
     the Senate floor while the votes were being cast, Thomas 
     Hehir, director of the federal Office of Special Education 
     Programs, looked outside and saw a child with Down syndrome 
     walking into the Capitol with his mother.
       Only after the vote, when Hehir joined a celebration in 
     Hoppe's office featuring chocolate-chip cookies made by Karen 
     and Gregory, did he figure out who that special child was.
       ``To me, it was kind of symbolic,'' Hehir recalls thinking 
     at the time.
       Three weeks later, the Hoppe family was in the audience on 
     the White House's South Lawn to watch President Clinton sign 
     the bill into law.
       At Secretary of Education Richard Riley's suggestion, 
     Clinton invited Hoppe up to the front; he brought Gregory. 
     Photographs show the two of them just behind Clinton, amid 
     the usual assortment of politicians. ``Staffers never get in 
     those kinds of photographs,'' marvels Erik Smulson, an aide 
     to Sen. James Jeffords, R-Vt., who worked on the new law.
       In this case, however, even the lawmakers say it was 
     justified. ``He was the hero of the ultimate passage of the 
     bill,'' says Sen. William Frist, R-Tenn. ``He was uniquely 
     placed, uniquely committed.''
       Hoppe sums it up as a dad: ``I think I did something good 
     for Greg.''


             Laws get passed when the politics is personal

       Major changes in policy have come about because lawmakers 
     were affected personally.
       Take the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, among the 
     most far-reaching civil rights laws. Former congressman Tony 
     Coelho, a California Democrat, says it was easy to win 
     converts.
       ``I didn't have any trouble,'' recalls Coelho, whose 
     epilepsy made him a leading advocate. People ``were already 
     on board because of personal experiences.''
       The same was true last year when three senators with family 
     stories of mental illness--Pete Domenici, R-N.M., Alan 
     Simpson, R-Wyo., and Paul Wellstone, D-Minn.--tried to 
     improve mental health insurance coverage.
       The personal touch can be key in turning legislation into 
     law, personal cause into public crusade:
       Vice President Gore has used his sister's death from lung 
     cancer to push for tobacco regulation.
       Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., whose sister is mentally 
     retarded and whose son lost a leg to cancer, has been a 
     leader in health and disability issues.
       Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, voted against increasing highway 
     speed limits after his 22-year-old daughter died in a car 
     crash.
       Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., sponsored an alcohol labeling 
     bill after losing his daughter, 22, to a drunk driver.
       ``All of us are touched by different circumstances.'' says 
     Kennedy. ``It heightens your sensitivity and your awareness 
     of the issue and how it impacts people.''
  Mr. McCONNELL. We will miss Dave Hoppe. Senators come and go. Members

[[Page 2198]]

of the staff come and go. Frankly, about most of us, I expect it will 
be said we did not in the end have footprints that lasted very long. 
But having watched Dave Hoppe and his extraordinary accomplishments 
over the years I have known him, I would say he has made an enormous 
difference in the life of the Senate and in the life of our Nation.
  So, Dave, we wish you well and hope we continue to see you in the 
future in whatever capacity you may choose to serve. You are the best, 
the most kind, decent, honorable person many of us ever had the chance 
to meet.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I would like to say thank you to the 
distinguished assistant majority leader for his comments about my good 
friend and our loyal servant over so many years, both in the House and 
in the Senate, in the person of Dave Hoppe. The Senator from Kentucky 
has had a chance to watch him in our leadership meetings, to hear him 
and work with him, and get to know him as a human being. He is quite a 
guy.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record 
a resume of Dave Hoppe's accomplishments. It is a very interesting 
record of not only achievement, but sacrifice for his country as well.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                            John David Hoppe

       Professional experience: Chief of Staff Senate Republican 
     Leader, Trent Lott (R-MS) June 2001-Present; Chief of Staff 
     Senate Majority Leader, Trent Lott (R-MS) June 1996-2001; 
     Staff Director Senate Majority Whip, Trent Lott (R-MS) 
     January 1995-June 1996; Staff Director Republican Conference 
     Secretary, Trent Lott (R-MS); January 1993-December 1994; 
     Administrative Assistant, Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) January 
     1989-December 1992; Vice President, Government Relations, 
     Heritage Foundation, September 1988-December 1988; 
     Administrative Assistant, Honorable Jack Kemp, October 1984-
     June 1987; Administrative Assistant, House Republican Whit, 
     Trent Lott (R-MS) January 1981-October 1984; Republican 
     Platform Committee Assistant to Chairman Trent Lott, January 
     1984-August 1984; Executive Director, House Republican 
     Research Committee, January 1979-December 1980; Republican 
     Platform Committee Assistant to Vice Chairman Trent Lott, 
     January 1980-July 1980; Consultant, Hoppe & Associates 
     (political research firm specializing in tax issues), 
     September 1978-November 1978; Contracted by National 
     Republican Congressional Committee to provide special tax 
     research package to over 50-targeted candidates; and Energy & 
     Environmental Specialist, House Republican Study Committee, 
     January 1976-August 1978.
       Education: The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced 
     International Studies, Washington, DC (1973-1976)--Masters 
     degree, International Relations (May 1976); The Bologna 
     Center, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International 
     Studies, Bologna, Italy (1973-1974)--Certificate; University 
     of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana (1969-1973)--BA., 
     Government, Cum Laude (Concentration in International 
     Relations); and University Laval, Quebec City, Canada (July-
     August 1975)--Masters course work for foreign language 
     requirement.

  Mr. LOTT. Also, I want to call attention to a 1997 USA Today article 
on Dave Hoppe which correctly called Dave the critical architect behind 
getting the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities in 
Education (IDEA) Act passed in 1997. The article recounts how much that 
act meant personally to Dave and his family, and particularly to his 
youngest son, who will benefit from this law in large part because he 
was also an inspiration for it. Gregory Hoppe is a special person, and 
the USA Today article, which Senator McConnell has already asked to be 
printed into the Record, recounts Gregory and Dave's and their family's 
remarkable story.
  First, let me just comment on some interesting facts about Dave. 
While Dave Hoppe has worked for me off and on for over 27 years in the 
House and the Senate, he is not from Mississippi as you might expect. 
No, he is from Baraboo, WI, which happens to be the birthplace of the 
Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus and we have never let Dave 
forget that over the years.
  He is a graduate of Notre Dame, class of 1973, which has made for 
some interesting kidding over the years about athletics, football, 
basketball, and bragging rights. But that is just the beginning of his 
impressive resume. He went on to study at the Johns Hopkins School of 
Advanced International Studies and received a master's degree in 
International Relations. As part of the Johns Hopkins Program in 
Advanced International Studies Dave spent the better part of a year in 
Italy. He also did foreign language course-
work in Quebec City, Canada, under the auspices of the University of 
Laval.
  Over his almost three decades in Washington, Dave has served several 
different Congressmen, Senators, and organizations, going way back to 
when he first came to Washington. From 1976 to 1978 he worked for the 
Republican Study Committee in the House of Representatives. He 
actually, for a while, had his own firm doing political research called 
Hoppe & Associates. Then he started his public service career in 
Washington that has covered an amazing number of professional 
experiences.
  He returned to Capitol Hill in 1979 as the executive director of the 
House Republican Research Committee. Later he moved up to be 
administrative assistant to the Republican whip in the House when I had 
the pleasure of serving in that position. He also worked for me as the 
director of the Republican Platform Committee efforts in 1984 when I 
was chairman of the Platform Committee. In 1984 he went to work in the 
office of Congressman Jack Kemp as the chief of staff and of course was 
involved in his Presidential campaign in 1988. Dave then joined the 
Heritage Foundation where he served as a vice president. And then went 
to work in the Senate as the chief of staff for Senator Dan Coats of 
Indiana. In 1994, I was able to tempt him away from Senator Coats to 
work for me again as the chief of staff in my position as the Senate 
majority whip, then as the majority leader, and finally as the 
Republican leader.
  In all, this outstanding individual and person has devoted 27 years 
to Congress and the American people.
  Now, admittedly with some degree of trepidation I suspect, Dave is 
going out into the private sector--the real world--to provide for his 
two oldest children who are presently attending Notre Dame and for 
Gregory who I mentioned earlier. Anyone would be a little anxious about 
not knowing exactly what their new role will entail--and after the 
financial sacrifices over 27 years he probably will not know what to do 
with the extra money he will be earning in the private sector.
  But I predict, as in everything else in his life, Dave will be more 
than successful, he will be superb at whatever endeavor he takes up 
next.
  Far too often here, Senators take long, deep bows for our great 
public policy achievements and forget all the people who helped us get 
to that point: Our wives--in the case of Dave Hoppe, a wonderful lady 
named Karen--our families and mothers and fathers who helped raise us; 
our constituents who put us on their shoulders and turned an ugly frog 
into a prince; the elevator operators, the pages, the floor staff; and 
our personal staffs who work long and hard, helping write the speeches, 
helping draft the amendments, helping us regain our composure when we 
get a little out of control. Then, when they do move on, we forget to 
say just a simple thank you and to remind them that they made a 
difference in the course of history and in the course of America--in 
many cases, just as surely as any Senator ever did.
  Dave Hoppe certainly can rest assured that he has made a great 
difference in this Government, in the Congress, the House, the Senate, 
in politics, in the study of government, and in America. But the best 
thing about Dave Hoppe is he believes strongly in his principles, his 
ideals, and his faith--in fact, that is how he met his wife Karen. They 
were carpooling, and as they were going to work, they found they shared 
a lot of common values and views of government and life. Three weeks 
later, they were engaged, and then married, and have had three 
wonderful children over the years.
  So, yes, the best thing about Dave Hoppe is not his educational 
background, not his expertise, not his

[[Page 2199]]

knowledge of the Senate, not all the things he has worked on--the best 
thing about Dave is the kind of human being he is. He is a man who 
cares deeply about his family and his country, and he has sacrificed 
mightily to help make a difference for his family and for the people of 
America.
  I just wanted to take a few minutes, as Dave enters his last day or 
two in the Senate, to express my appreciation for his dedicated service 
and for all he has done, and to wish him great success in the future. 
But especially, I thank Karen and Katie, Geoffrey, and Gregory for 
sharing him with me and the country, and for the work they have done to 
help their father do the tireless work Dave has done in turn to make 
this nation a better place for all of us. I am delighted to have had an 
opportunity to ensure his efforts over the past three decades are 
properly recognized before he turns this page and enters the next 
chapter of his life.
  Mr. REID. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. LOTT. I will be glad to yield to Senator Reid.
  Mr. REID. I was in my office and heard the Senator begin his remarks. 
I came here as quickly as I could to tell Senator Lott, the 
distinguished Senator from Mississippi, what a tremendous person Dave 
Hoppe is and has been.
  I believe in making deals. I say that in a positive sense. 
Legislation is the art of compromise. You have to build a consensus and 
make deals. That is not a negative term. And David Hoppe was wonderful 
to work with.
  I say to the Senator from Mississippi, for the things we were able to 
accomplish in the Senate, we always had to go to Dave Hoppe. He was the 
go-to guy. I say to the Senator from Mississippi, he had really good 
judgment and showed a lot of wisdom by hiring Dave Hoppe. He not only 
served the people of the State of Mississippi and this institution but 
the country.
  I commend the Senator from Mississippi for coming to the floor and 
acknowledging another fine public servant. Washington has a lot of 
people who do good work. But Dave Hoppe is one who does work that is at 
the top of the list.
  Mr. LOTT. I thank the Senator from Nevada for his comments. He is 
right. At those countless meetings we had in the back of the Chamber, 
the center aisle, the cloakroom, or in our offices, Dave Hoppe was 
always there, committed to his philosophy and principles, but always 
equally committed to getting results for the Senate and for the nation.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, others have spoken of their impressions and 
reflections on Dave Hoppe today, and I would like to take a moment to 
add my thoughts.
  While our constituents rely on us as their voice and advocate here in 
Washington, we rely on our staff to be our voice and advocate. Under 
our guidance our staff investigate and learn about the many issues that 
confront us; they work with a wide variety of people in all branches of 
the government; they give us their best counsel and advice; and they 
help us perform a myriad of tasks that are vital to ensuring the 
institution of the Senate works well and effectively, and that we give 
our best on behalf of the people we serve. Our staffs amplify our work 
with our colleagues, our counterparts in the House, the executive 
branch, and our constituents.
  For over a decade now, Dave has worked for all Senate Republicans in 
a variety of positions, in our conference secretary's office, the 
majority whip's office, and, for the past 6 years, as chief of staff in 
the Republican leader's office. This specialized role isn't for the 
faint of heart, and requires a unique blend of skills and attributes.
  Dave's commitment, dedication, and hard work have generated quiet 
appreciation and deep respect from many different Members in the Senate 
and House over the years. His ability to faithfully and tirelessly 
represent our shared Republican ideas and ideals, working with all 
members of our conference to knit them together, is impressive. From 
the most major issues of war or impeachment, to the most mundane of 
haggling out unanimous consent agreements, his involvement and advice 
and leadership on countless issues over his tenure has served all of us 
well.
  While unflinching in his core beliefs and principles, his willingness 
to work with the Democratic counterparts is also noteworthy, for in the 
Senate, so often it is partnership, not partisanship, that ensures we 
make progress on behalf of the American people. For example, across the 
aisle, across the rotunda, and across various ideologies, he took a 
major leadership role in improving one of the flagship Federal programs 
for disable children. With round-the-clock work, good humor, and grace, 
he spearheaded a nearly unanimous Congress to make a program with 
worthy goals much more effective and consequential in the lives of 
parents and children around the country.
  Through all challenges and controversies, though, what strikes me as 
admirable about Dave is his deep and authentic humility. Informed by 
his faith and essential humanity, Dave has never expressed a sense of 
entitlement or arrogance. He has never sought a limelight. He is quick 
to share credit, and always willing to take responsibility. Throughout 
his 27 years on Capital Hill, over and over again, his example his 
inspired not just fellow staffers, but House and Senate Members as 
well.
  We have all profited from Dave's work here in Congress. His public 
service is in the finest tradition expected by our Founding Fathers. 
The Senate is a better place for his time here, and I wish him and his 
family well as he moves to new opportunities.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I wanted to take a moment to pay my 
respects to Dave Hoppe, whose last day in the Senate is today. Dave has 
been a friend and counselor to many of us in the Senate, and we will 
miss him.
  It would be fair to say that Dave Hoppe has been the consummate 
Senate staffer. While a strong partisan, he has always been fair. He is 
decent. He is respectful and considerate of everyone with whom he comes 
in contact, and of the institution as a whole. He understands and 
practices the comity that is invaluable in the Senate.
  When I look back on the service of Dave Hoppe, I see him as the still 
center of the maelstrom. While the chaos that is, on occasion, the 
Senate swirled and howled around him, he was calm; his voice never 
hurried, never rose. His counsel was sound, very sound; sometimes 
tinged with humor, good humor; never malicious or mean spirited. Always 
timely, always mindful of the institution, always aware of the 
possibilities and the consequences of its actions.
  David knows that the Senate, immutable as it is, will go on even 
though he is no longer a part of its daily operations. However, those 
of us who have worked with him, and will continue to work with him, 
know the imprint he has left on the institution, the national policies 
he has helped shape, and the example he has set for all in the Senate 
to follow.
  I join my colleagues in recognizing Dave Hoppe for his achievements 
and contributions to the Senate, and sending my best wishes to him and 
his family as they begin the next chapter of a remarkable life.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I have had the good fortune of knowing and 
working with Dave Hoppe for the last 9 years. He has been a vital part 
of this institution and he will be sorely missed. I first had the 
opportunity to know him as chief of staff for Senator Dan Coats. 
Senator Coats unfortunately lost Dave when Dave moved over to be chief 
of staff for Senator Lott's Republican conference secretary's office, 
then his majority whip office and then his majority leader's office.
  I had the opportunity to work closely with Dave on an issue that we 
both feel passionately about: special education. After 2 years of 
failed negotiations, Dave Hoppe almost single-handedly

[[Page 2200]]

managed to get this critical legislation authorized. The manner in 
which Dave approached this reauthorization and his ultimate success 
provides a wonderful example on why Dave was so successful in the 
Senate. He managed to bring Republicans and Democrats together by 
working in a straightforward, open, and honest manner which allowed 
Members to feel confident that their concerns were being thoroughly 
considered. Dave has served in both the majority and the minority--
always representing his boss effectively, while also working to ensure 
that the Senate accomplished its work.
  Dave is esteemed in the Senate for more than the passion and 
principles he brought to bear on issues. He is respected first and 
foremost for his character as a person and as a leader.
  This is an institution that is built on trust. Dave is a person whose 
word is his bond. He has been so effective as the leader's chief of 
staff for precisely that reason. Members on both sides of the aisle 
always knew they could depend on the promises that he gave and relied 
on his word without reservation.
  It is also remarkable that he wielded such enormous influence without 
any trace of pretension or pride. He was accessible to members and 
staff alike, serving with grace, good humor and sound counsel.
  I will personally miss Dave. He ranks among those men and women of 
honor who have shaped the best qualities of the Senate. He made it a 
better institution through his service and his character, and we owe 
him our gratitude.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may speak 
for up to 20 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________