[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21406]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO SENATOR MEL MARTINEZ

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to speak about my friend and 
colleague, Mel Martinez, who is leaving the Senate this week.
  Senator Martinez has a story unlike that of any of us who serve in 
this body. He came to this country from Cuba without his parents at age 
15 as part of a humanitarian effort. And as the first Cuban-American 
Senator, he has always maintained a thoughtful and unique perspective 
on Cuba policy, one that I have always enjoyed hearing and considering.
  As chairman of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, I 
was pleased to have Senator Martinez as part of that panel. It is not 
often you get a Secretary of Housing and Urban Development sharing his 
expertise in a Senate committee.
  He worked tirelessly to address the crisis of homelessness, and I 
have been proud to work alongside him on some of the housing measures 
we have passed over the past couple of years. He has been enormously 
helpful and cooperative as a member of my committee, and we will miss 
his perspective.
  Senator Martinez and I didn't agree on every issue, or even most 
issues. What we shared was a deep love for this amazing country, a deep 
respect for this institution, and a strong working relationship. 
Wherever Senator Martinez's remarkable life takes him next, I know that 
the citizens of his beloved Florida are grateful for his service and 
will join me in wishing him and his family nothing but the best.

                          ____________________