[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 23976-23978]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTES TO RETIRING SENATORS


                              Zell Miller

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I wish to make a couple of comments 
regarding the departure of one of our colleagues, Senator Zell Miller. 
I have had the pleasure of working with Senator Miller for the last 
several years and I think the world of him. He comes from a great line 
of fantastic Senators from the great State of Georgia.
  When I was first elected, I served with Senator Sam Nunn and Senator 
Mack Mattingly. Both were very good friends. Both were outstanding 
Senators. Senator Paul Coverdell, a very good, close friend of mine, 
served in the Senate for a little over a term and, unfortunately, had a 
very sudden illness and passed away. Zell Miller was appointed to take 
his place.
  I remember thinking at the time that Paul Coverdell was a great loss 
to the Senate. I believe that today. He had a great future in the 
Senate. He was actually elected to the Senate leadership, which was 
very unusual for his first term in the Senate. Paul Coverdell was one 
of my closest friends. I really did mourn his loss.
  I did not know his replacement appointed at that time, Zell Miller, 
but I got to know him very quickly. I grew to know him, respect him, 
and admire him as a patriot and as a Senator. He did a fantastic job in 
service not only to his state of Georgia but, frankly, to this country. 
He made a valued, positive, and considerable impact on the Senate and, 
frankly, on our country. I will talk about that for a second.

[[Page 23977]]

  I remember he was a real leader in passing the Homeland Security 
legislation. That was very tough legislation. It passed by a very 
narrow margin. We did that in his first year in the Senate.
  He supported efforts to enact tax reform. I was chairman of the 
Committee on the Budget in 2003, and we passed a budget, frankly, by 
one vote. Zell Miller's vote helped make it happen. We had about 80 
something amendments to the budget during consideration of the budget 
process. Zell Miller was with me on every one. He cosponsored the 
budget. He was my principal cosponsor of that budget.
  That budget enabled us to pass the tax relief we did later that year, 
the economic tax reform bill of 2003. That bill made a lot of changes, 
I might add, a lot of positive changes, that would not have passed had 
it not been for Zell Miller. He cosponsored that bill with me. I was 
honored the President asked me to sponsor it, and I was honored to ask 
Zell Miller if he would cosponsor it with me, and he did.
  We defeated a lot of amendments designed to gut the legislation, and 
we passed the budget. Again, we passed it with the Vice President 
breaking the tie. It would not have passed without Zell Miller's 
leadership, without his sponsoring the legislation.
  What did that legislation do? It made a difference on every American 
taxpayer in this country. That legislation allowed us to have a $1,000 
tax credit per child. That legislation allowed us to expand and provide 
marriage penalty relief. For a couple making $58,000, marriage penalty 
relief boiled down to about $905. That passed because Zell Miller stood 
with us on that legislation.
  It also allowed us to reduce the capital gains tax rate from 20 
percent to 15 percent. It allowed us to say that we would not double 
tax corporate dividends, at least not as punitively as we did before. 
We reduced the corporate tax on dividends. Actually, the bill we passed 
in the Senate had zero double taxation. The bill that came out of 
conference was 15 percent, instead of the ordinary rates. That is a big 
and positive change because this country, unfortunately, taxed 
distributions from corporations higher than any other country. We are 
tied with Japan at a net effective tax rate of 70 percent.
  Why would corporations distribute earnings to their owners if the 
Government would get 70 percent? Many did not. They would accumulate 
earnings, hide the money, or do something different with them. We 
passed that legislation, and now people are paying dividends.
  Microsoft announced a multibillion-dollar distribution because of 
that legislation. We tax it now at the individual rate, 15 percent. 
When we started marking up that legislation, the Dow Jones was at 
7,700. Today it is over 10,500. That legislation made a difference. 
That legislation passed because Zell Miller stood with us on the floor 
to pass that legislation.
  It is not too often you can actually say you passed legislation that 
made a real and positive impact. There are over two million jobs that 
have been created in the last 14 months as a result of that 
legislation. I believe the President signed it in June of 2003. It has 
been almost a year and a half now, and a couple of million jobs have 
been created since we passed that legislation. The economy is moving. 
Revenues are coming into the Government. The deficit is $100 billion 
less than estimated previously, 9 months ago, because, there is 
economic revival. We do have new jobs being created. There are positive 
signs. A lot of that happened because of the courage and conviction of 
the Senator from Georgia.
  I said Paul Coverdell was my friend. He has certainly been missed in 
this Senate, and that is a fact. I will also say that Zell Miller is my 
very dear friend and he will be missed in the Senate. He only served 
for a few years in the Senate, but he had a great impact, a very 
positive impact, not only on taxpayers, and the country but to our body 
politic, the body of the country. As a patriot, a former marine, former 
mayor, former State senator, former Lieutenant Governor, and as a 
former Governor, he had enormous impact.
  He was a speaker at the Republican National Convention. I told him 
his speech wasn't so much that of a Democrat or Republican; his speech 
was that of a patriot who was speaking out strong because he believed 
strongly in this country. You could see it. You could sense it. You 
could believe it.
  I am very proud to have Zell Miller as my friend. He and his wife 
Shirley have been a blessing to this body and a blessing to this 
country. I thank God for the fact I had the opportunity to serve with 
him and the fact that he served in this body. I think our country is 
much better for it, and I wish him every good wish in the years ahead.
  I yield the floor, and 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. NICKLES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                        Ben Nighthorse Campbell

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I wish to make a couple of comments 
regarding my very good friend, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who is retiring 
with me at the end of this session. Senator Campbell is a unique 
Senator. All Senators are unique, but he is especially unique. He is a 
very special Senator, the only Native American presently serving in the 
Senate and he is chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee.
  He has a very distinguished career. He was in the Air Force. He 
served in Korea. He served in the State legislature. He served in the 
House of Representatives. I believe he was elected in 1986. He was 
elected to the Senate as a Democrat in 1992, 12 years ago. He was 
reelected in 1998. In March of 1995, he had the courage and the 
conviction to change parties. That is not easily done. He did it and I 
greatly respect him and admire him for that, but also for his service 
to our country.
  He is a jewelry designer.
  I have had the pleasure of knowing Ben Nighthorse Campbell and his 
wife, Linda, fairly well for the last 12 years. I have great respect 
for him. He has passed a lot of legislation. A lot of people are not 
aware of that. Many of his bills have become law. In many cases, he is 
a quiet legislator. He is effective and he gets things done.
  He is on the Appropriations Committee. He has had his fingerprints on 
a lot of legislation. He is chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee. 
That committee considers a multitude of issues. Some of us kind of 
moved around and made way for him to become chairman of that committee. 
We thought it was very special to have a Native American become 
chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee for the first time.
  He is unique from the standpoint that he rides a Harley. He has a 
great love for the West.
  I think he has made a valuable, important contribution to this body, 
the Senate.
  He has represented his State of Colorado very well. Colorado has had 
some great Senators. Bill Armstrong was one of my favorite Senators and 
one of my mentors. Wayne Allard is another outstanding Senator from 
Colorado. Ben Nighthorse Campbell certainly falls in that role of being 
an outstanding Senator. I think he and Linda both will be missed in 
this body, the Senate.
  I congratulate him and Linda for their many years of service going 
all the way back to the military, to the State legislature, to serving 
in the House of Representatives, and now 12 years in the Senate. He has 
given a lot of public service to this country, and given it well. He 
has served well. As the Bible says, ``Well done thou good and faithful 
servant''. He has certainly done that. He has made the State of 
Colorado very proud and, frankly, the country very proud. The Senate is 
better off for his service. I congratulate him for his service.
  The Senate will miss the services and the laughter of Ben Nighthorse 
Campbell. I compliment him for his service.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

[[Page 23978]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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