[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15504-15505]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          REMEMBERING SENATOR THEODORE ``TED'' FULTON STEVENS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 617, submitted 
earlier today.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, the clerk will 
report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 617) relative to the death of the 
     Honorable Theodore ``Ted'' Fulton Stevens, former Senator for 
     the State of Alaska.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity, 
and I think I speak on behalf of all of our colleagues, certainly in 
sentiment if not my exact words, about our friend and former colleague, 
Ted Stevens. On Tuesday we were all deeply saddened to learn about his 
tragic passing.
  Ted's dedication to his Nation began with his valiant service in 
World War II and endured through six decades of public service. Ted 
helped secure statehood for his beloved Alaska and never stopped 
fighting for the people of the Pioneer State for over 40 years as its 
senior Senator.
  Our thoughts are with Ted's wife Catherine and the entire Stevens 
family and all of those who lost their lives and were injured in this 
week's sad accident.
  Mr. President, I want to personally add the thoughts of Senator Reid. 
I spoke with him last night. We spoke about Senator Stevens and 
remembered him fondly. Senator Reid particularly noted to me one of his 
prize possessions was a Hulk tie that Senator Stevens had given him, 
and he proudly still has it with him.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in the history of our country, no one 
man has done more for one State than Ted Stevens. His commitment to the 
people of Alaska and his nation spanned decades, and he left a lasting 
mark on both. From his early military service as a pilot in World War 
II, to his involvement in the statehood of `The Last Frontier,' to his 
fierce support and defense of our Nation's military, Ted Stevens was 
always there, fighting for what he believed in, and usually winning. He 
was a force to be reckoned with, and we will miss him greatly. We 
extend our deepest sympathies to Catherine and the entire Stevens 
family, and to the families of the friends who were lost in this 
terrible accident.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the 
table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the resolution be 
printed in the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 617) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 617

       Whereas Theodore ``Ted'' Fulton Stevens, who began serving 
     in the Senate 8 years after Alaska was admitted to Statehood, 
     represented the people of the State of Alaska with 
     distinction in the Senate from 1968 to 2009 and played a 
     significant role in the transformation of the State of Alaska 
     from

[[Page 15505]]

     an impoverished territory to a full-fledged State through the 
     assistance he provided in building energy facilities, 
     hospitals and clinics, roads, docks, ferry terminals and 
     airports, water and sewer facilities, schools, and other 
     community facilities in the State of Alaska, which earned him 
     recognition as ``Alaskan of the Century'' from the Alaska 
     Legislature in 2000;
       Whereas Ted Stevens distinguished himself as a transport 
     pilot during World War II in support of the ``Flying Tigers'' 
     of the Army Air Forces, flying supplies to China over the 
     treacherous ``Hump'' route in the eastern Himalayan mountains 
     and earning 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses and other 
     decorations for his skill and bravery;
       Whereas Ted Stevens, after serving as a United States 
     Attorney in the territory of Alaska, came to Washington, 
     District of Columbia in 1956 to serve in the Eisenhower 
     Administration in the Department of the Interior, where he 
     was a leading force in securing the legislation that led to 
     the admission of Alaska as the 49th State on January 3, 1959, 
     and then as Solicitor of the Department of the Interior;
       Whereas, in 1961, Ted Stevens returned to the State of 
     Alaska and, in 1964, was elected to the Alaska House of 
     Representatives, where he was subsequently elected as Speaker 
     pro tempore and majority leader until his appointment to the 
     Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator 
     E.L. Bartlett on December 24, 1968;
       Whereas Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican Senator 
     in the history of the Senate, served as President pro tempore 
     of the Senate from 2003 through 2007 and as President pro 
     tempore emeritus from 2008 to 2009, and over the course of 
     his career in the Senate, Ted Stevens served as assistant 
     majority leader, Chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics, 
     Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, 
     Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, Chairman 
     of the Committee on Appropriations, and Chairman of the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation;
       Whereas Ted Stevens worked tirelessly for the enactment of 
     the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et 
     seq.), which provided for the return of approximately 
     44,000,000 acres of land in the State of Alaska to the Aleut, 
     Eskimo, and Indian peoples and created Native Corporations to 
     secure the long-term economic, cultural, and political 
     empowerment of the Native peoples of the State of Alaska;
       Whereas Ted Stevens was a leader in shaping the 
     communications policies of the United States, as he helped to 
     establish the spectrum auction policy, negotiated the 
     Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104; 110 Stat. 
     56), authored the Digital Television Transition and Public 
     Safety Act of 2005 (47 U.S.C. 309 note; Public Law 109-171), 
     and passionately advocated for the connection of rural 
     America to the rest of the world and to improve the lives of 
     the people of the United States through the use of 
     telemedicine and distance learning;
       Whereas Ted Stevens was a conservationist who championed 
     the safe development of the natural resources of the United 
     States, as illustrated by his authorship of the Trans-Alaska 
     Pipeline Authorization Act (43 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.), the 
     Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 
     U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), which established the 200-mile 
     exclusive economic zone and led to a reduction in the 
     dominance of foreign fishing fleets in the fisheries of the 
     United States, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
     Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-479; 
     120 Stat. 3575), which established conservation measures 
     designed to end overfishing, and the High Seas Driftnet 
     Fisheries Enforcement Act (16 U.S.C. 1826a et seq.), which 
     provided for the denial of entry into ports of the United 
     States and the imposition of sanctions on vessels carrying 
     out large-scale driftnet fishing beyond the exclusive 
     economic zone of any nation;
       Whereas Ted Stevens was an advocate for physical fitness in 
     his personal life and in his legislative accomplishments, as 
     illustrated by his authorship of the Ted Stevens Amateur and 
     Olympic Sports Act (36 U.S.C. 220501 et seq.), his 
     encouragement of providing equality to female athletes 
     through the enactment of title IX of the Education Amendments 
     of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), and his leadership in 
     improving physical education programs in schools by ushering 
     through the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (20 
     U.S.C. 7261 et seq.);
       Whereas Ted Stevens unconditionally supported the needs of 
     the Armed Forces of the United States through visits to 
     soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines in ever major military 
     conflict and war zone where United States military personnel 
     have been assigned, including Vietnam, Kuwait, Bosnia, 
     Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and in his role as Chairman 
     and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Defense 
     Appropriations for more than 20 years; and
       Whereas Ted Stevens was well respected for reaching across 
     the aisle to forge bipartisan alliances and enjoyed many 
     close friendships with colleagues in both political parties 
     and with his staff, who were deeply loyal to him: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep 
     regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable 
     Theodore ``Ted'' Fulton Stevens, former member of the Senate;
       (2) the Secretary of the Senate communicate this resolution 
     to the House of Representatives and transmit an enrolled copy 
     of this resolution to the family of the deceased; and
       (3) when the Senate adjourns today, the Senate stands 
     adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
     Honorable Theodore ``Ted'' Fulton Stevens.

                          ____________________