[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16615-16616]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE HONORABLE ARLEN SPECTER

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 612 submitted earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 612) honoring the life and legacy of 
     the Honorable Arlen Specter, distinguished former Senator for 
     the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements related to the resolution be printed in 
the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 612) was agreed to.

[[Page 16616]]

  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 612

       Whereas the Honorable Arlen Specter was born on February 
     12, 1930, in Wichita, Kansas;
       Whereas Arlen Specter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 
     international relations from the University of Pennsylvania 
     in 1951 and a Juris Doctorate degree from Yale Law School in 
     1956;
       Whereas Arlen Specter served in the Air Force during the 
     Korean War, obtaining the rank of Second Lieutenant in the 
     Air Force Office of Special Investigations;
       Whereas Arlen Specter served the people of Philadelphia, 
     Pennsylvania, as Assistant District Attorney from 1959 to 
     1964 and as District Attorney from 1965 to 1974;
       Whereas Arlen Specter was recommended to serve as assistant 
     counsel on the President's Commission on the Assassination of 
     President Kennedy in 1964, and he established conclusions 
     central to the report of the Commission;
       Whereas Arlen Specter served with distinction as a Senator 
     from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for 3 decades, first 
     elected in 1980, then reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998, and 
     2004;
       Whereas, as a member and the Chairman of the Subcommittee 
     on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related 
     Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, 
     Arlen Specter worked in a bipartisan fashion to highlight the 
     impact of specific diseases and to advance support for 
     medical research and high-quality health care;
       Whereas, as a member and the Chairman of the Committee on 
     the Judiciary, Arlen Specter was recognized for his thorough 
     questioning and presided over the confirmation hearings of 2 
     Justices of the Supreme Court;
       Whereas, as a Senator, Arlen Specter served as the Chairman 
     of the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate from 
     1995 to 1997, and as the Chairman of the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate from 1997 to 2001 and from 
     2003 to 2005;
       Whereas, as a Senator, Arlen Specter further served as a 
     member of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and 
     the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate;
       Whereas Arlen Specter was admired for his independent 
     decisionmaking and willingness to cross party lines;
       Whereas Arlen Specter introduced the Comprehensive 
     Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611, 109th Congress) and 
     achieved bipartisan support and passage for the bill in the 
     Senate on May 25, 2006;
       Whereas Arlen Specter advocated both for strong national 
     security measures and the maintenance of civil liberties;
       Whereas Arlen Specter valiantly overcame bouts with brain 
     tumors and cancer during his service in the United States 
     Senate;
       Whereas Arlen Specter returned to Philadelphia after his 
     Senate career and taught as a Visiting Professor of Law at 
     the University of Pennsylvania Law School; and
       Whereas Arlen Specter passed away on October 14, 2012, and 
     is survived by his wife Joan, his sister Shirley Kety, his 
     sons Stephen and Shanin, and 4 grandchildren: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the Senate--
       (A) expresses profound sorrow at the death of the Honorable 
     Arlen Specter, former Senator for the Commonwealth of 
     Pennsylvania;
       (B) conveys the condolences of the Senate to the family of 
     Arlen Specter; and
       (C) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the House of 
     Representatives and the family of Arlen Specter; and
       (2) when the Senate adjourns today, it stands adjourned as 
     a further mark of respect to the memory of Arlen Specter.

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