[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 4073-4074]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RETIREMENT OF LANE EVANS

  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today, along with my colleague from 
Illinois, in a bittersweet moment. One of our dearest friends from 
Illinois, Congressman Lane Evans, announced today that he will not be 
seeking reelection next term.
  Since the day he arrived in Congress more than two decades ago, Lane 
Evans has been a tireless advocate for the heroes with whom he served 
and the countless other veterans who bravely defended this country. 
When Vietnam vets were falling ill from Agent Orange exposure, he led 
the effort to pass Agent Orange compensation. Just recently, he led the 
fight to make sure the children of veterans exposed to Agent Orange who 
were born with spina bifida would be taken care of as well.
  He was one of the first in Congress to speak out about some of the 
health problems facing Persian Gulf war veterans and has fought for 
benefits for them ever since.
  He fought to expand benefits to women veterans. He worked to help 
those veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, and also 
worked to make sure there is a roof over the heads of the thousands of 
homeless veterans in our country today.
  Lane Evans has fought these battles for more than 20 years, and even 
in the face of his own debilitating disease, Parkinson's, he has had 
the courage to keep fighting. Today, veterans across America have this 
man to thank for reminding America of its duty to take care of those 
who have risked their lives to defend ours. Today, we all thank Lane 
Evans for his courage in reminding us of this. His voice is going to be 
missed in this town, but I am sure it will continue to be heard 
wherever there are veterans who need help or vulnerable people across 
America who are looking for a hand up, not a handout.
  Just a personal note: I don't know many people who are more 
courageous than Lane Evans, who has worked tirelessly, despite 
extraordinarily challenging physical ailments. He is one of the most 
gracious, best humored, and hardest working people that I have ever 
seen.
  I remember when I first started my own campaign for the Senate, he 
took me around on a tour of his district. By the end of the day I was 
worn out because he was indefatigable in terms of his efforts. I 
consider him not only a dear friend, but I think it is fair to say that 
had he not supported me early in my election campaign I would not be 
here today. So I think this is an enormous loss for the Congress, but I 
know all of us will continue to draw inspiration from Lane Evans, and I 
am glad that he will continue to be my friend for many years to come.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, only a little over an hour ago, Lane Evans 
announced he would not seek reelection in November to the U.S. House of 
Representatives. I understand his decision. It is a loss for his 
district, for our State, and for America. From the Quad Cities to 
Quincy, Springfield, Decatur, Carlinville, and towns in between, Lane 
Evans is deeply respected and his service will be deeply missed.
  For over 20 years, Lane Evans has stood as a beacon of hope and has 
been a strong voice in his Illinois congressional district.
  There are two kinds of courage in this world. There is physical 
courage, which is rare. Then there is even a rarer commodity, moral 
courage. Once in a great while you find someone who has both. Lane 
Evans is that person.
  He grew up in Rock Island, IL, the son of a union firefighter. He 
joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, served during the 
Vietnam era from 1969 to 1971. After the Marines, Lane went to college, 
then to Georgetown Law School. He was elected to Congress in a famous 
upset election in 1982.
  For nearly a quarter of a century, the U.S. House of Representatives 
had Lane Evans, former marine, as a Member of its body. He closed his 
announcement today the way he closed many letters, with the vow: Semper 
Fi. Semper Fi, those Latin words that mean ``always faithful.'' Lane 
Evans was always faithful--first to his fellow veterans. I can't think 
of another colleague in the House or Senate who worked harder for 
veterans, whether it was the Vietnam era Veterans Congressional Caucus 
which he chaired, his work with Senator Tom Daschle on Agent Orange, 
his dogged efforts to find out what was behind Gulf War Syndrome, 
helping homeless veterans, helping veterans find jobs, expanding VA 
home loans, trying to find health benefits for veterans with post-
traumatic stress disorder, and, of course, working with the vets at the 
Rock Island Arsenal.
  Like others who served his country in uniform, Lane Evans was a man 
of peace. He worked to ban landmines which maim and kill thousands. He 
hung a portrait of John Lennon in his office, he said, because he 
thought John Lennon was often a better reminder than many people he met 
in Congress of the hopes of working-class young people for peace and 
freedom.
  What a champion for America's workers. After the Berlin Wall fell and 
the Cold War ended, Lane Evans said we could not abandon workers at 
places such as the Rock Island Arsenal, men and women who helped to win 
the Cold War. He fought for fair trade. He saw what happened in 
Galesburg when Maytag closed, costing 1,600 jobs. He fought to make 
sure America's workers were never left behind. And what a fighter for 
family farmers and for the environment, for the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge. He was cochairman of the Alcohol Fuels Caucus. He has 
been a leader in proethanol battles.
  But, you know, he was a battler starting early in his career. As a 
lawyer he didn't take the easy way out to make a lot of money. He was a 
legal aid lawyer. He fought for people who had no voice in the 
courtroom, and he came to Congress to make sure everyone had a voice in 
his congressional district. I have no doubt Lane would have been 
reelected again if he had chosen to run in November. Now he is fighting 
a different kind of battle.
  Nearly 8 years ago, Lane came out publicly and announced that he had 
Parkinson's disease. It was a cruel blow. It turns out that I was with 
him when he discovered it. We were in a Labor Day parade in Galesburg. 
He was waving and he said he couldn't feel some of the fingers in his 
hand. He sensed something was wrong. It took a while for the diagnosis 
to come out. For a man that young to be diagnosed with Parkinson's is 
unusual. Publicly he announced his disease and started fighting--for 
stem cell research and for medical help for those who suffer from 
diseases just like his.
  During his last race, in 2004, he told audiences: I may be slow, but 
I still know which way to go. Living with Parkinson's made him a better 
Congressman because, ``I can understand what families are going 
through.'' Time and again, Lane Evans showed extraordinary courage, not 
just as a politician but as a human being.
  His determination to serve his district pushed him to work harder, 
even as the burden of Parkinson's became heavier. His dignity and 
perseverance in the face of this relentless and cruel disease is an 
inspiration to every one of us who counts Lane Evans as a friend. In 
his statement today, Lane Evans said:

       I appreciate the support of people I never met before who 
     would ask how I was doing and tell me to keep up the good 
     fight.

  The truth is, Lane Evans, his whole adult life, has been involved in 
a series

[[Page 4074]]

of good fights. Politicians come and go in the Halls of Congress, but 
this soft-spoken son of Illinois will leave his mark as a man truly 
committed to securing the American dream for everyone in our Nation.
  Thank heavens for Lane Evans.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Voinovich). The Senator from Maine.

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