[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18261-18265]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTES TO DEPARTING SENATORS


                              Daniel Akaka

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the great State of Hawaii has been 
represented in the United States Senate by two of the longest serving 
Senators, and they happen to have shared the name Daniel. This year, 
Senator Akaka--with more than 3 decades of service in Congress--now the 
Senior Senator from Hawaii will return to his native State and enjoy 
retirement.
  Senator Akaka has represented the people of Hawaii in a variety of 
ways. Most recently, as Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, he 
has worked tirelessly to support vital programs that provided 
education, healthcare, housing and other basic services for tribes 
across the country. Having attended college on the GI bill, he has been 
an advocate for improving education for all students. He also has been 
a strong supporter of veterans and a proponent of protections for 
whistleblowers seeking to expose waste, fraud and abuse in government.
  On a personal note, I have always appreciated Senator Akaka's strong 
support for the National Guard, and in particular the Hawaii Guard. His 
military roots go back to his own distinguished service in World War 
II. But he was one of the earliest and most senior adopters of the 
Guard empowerment legislation when I teamed with Senator Bond, Senator 
Graham, and so many others to enact. Senator Akaka stood with the men 
and women of the National Guard in demanding representation among the 
Nation's most senior military advisory body. This stand was not an easy 
one to take. He was, in fact, the most senior Democrat on the Senate 
Armed Services Committee to co-sponsor the Leahy-Graham bill, and his 
support sent a powerful statement

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that some of our most knowledgeable Senators with the specific 
responsibility of overseeing our armed services recognized that it was 
time to give the Guard a stronger voice. Among his many other 
achievements, Senator Akaka will be remembered for his strong support 
of and friendship with the Guard.
  Senator Akaka has brought a calm and insightful presence to his work 
and the people of Hawaii are fortunate to have had such a great 
representative in both the House and the Senate. I wish Senator Akaka 
and his family the best in his retirement from Congress.


                              Kent Conrad

  Mr. President, for more than 2 decades, Senator Kent Conrad has 
represented the people of North Dakota in the United States Senate.
  I have had the privilege to serve with several hundred senators since 
I came to the Senate nearly 38 years ago. The list is short for those 
who are extraordinary both for their talents, and for their personal 
friendship. Kent Conrad is on that list. In fact, he defines it in many 
ways. Senator Conrad has reached across the aisle and demonstrated what 
bipartisanship truly means.
  Rooted in his days as a tax commissioner in North Dakota, Senator 
Conrad has been a leading voice in Congress in difficult and complex 
budget debates. His floor charts are legendary, explaining complicated 
fiscal matters in terms many others can understand. As Chairman of the 
Budget Committee, and as a senior member of the Finance Committee, he 
has been a key player in the fiscal debates that have dominated the 
discourse in Washington as the country has recovered from the Great 
Recession. He has led bipartisan efforts to reduce the deficit, and 
helped create the 2007 taskforce with Republican Senator Judd Gregg to 
address long-term fiscal challenges. Senator Conrad has also been 
dedicated to advancing American interests abroad. I have been fortunate 
to travel with Senator Conrad and his wife overseas, most recently to 
the Eurozone, where he again brought his expertise in economic, 
budgetary and fiscal policies to the table as we discussed the 
potential U.S. impacts of the European Union's financial crisis.
  He has always put North Dakota first, but Senator Conrad has never 
neglected the needs of other parts of the country. He is a champion of 
the farm bill, and understands the details and nuances of agriculture 
commodity programs perhaps better than any other member of the Senate 
Agriculture Committee. Whether fighting for North Dakota's farmers, or 
fighting for the Nation's fiscal health, he has been a great partner. I 
was particularly moved by his support for Vermont in the wake of 
Tropical Storm Irene.
  Senator Conrad has been one of the most important voices in the 
United States Senate for the past 25 years. He is one of the giants of 
the Chamber today. We will miss his expertise, but we know our 
friendships will continue. Both Marcelle and I wish our friends Kent 
and his wife, Lucy, the best.


                             Joe Lieberman

  Mr. President, a Senator of 24 years, Senator Joe Lieberman this year 
retires from this Chamber. He has represented the people of Connecticut 
for years, first as a State Senator, and then as the State's Attorney 
General.
  Senator Lieberman has been a constant voice in national security 
matters. I worked with him in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 
September 11, 2001, to establish the Department of Homeland Security, 
and since then, he has served as the top Democrat on the Homeland 
Security and Government Affairs Committee. He has worked to strengthen 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of disasters, 
including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
  I worked with Senator Lieberman in 2002 on the E-Government Act, a 
key privacy law that required the government to improve access to 
information on the Internet. A chief architect of that bill, it has 
become an important transparency law and a valuable tool in protecting 
individual privacy protections.
  Senator Lieberman has been a dedicated proponent of examining the 
impacts of climate change. He has worked to find a compromise to move 
the Senate forward on meaningful climate change and cap-and-trade 
legislation. And, despite Connecticut's small dairy industry, Senator 
Lieberman has been a true partner in advancing the needs of dairy 
farmers in Vermont and across the country.
  Senator Lieberman has earned the respect of both Democrats and 
Republicans. Like so many other retiring Senators, he has urged the 
Senate to pursue avenues of bipartisanship. The bipartisan legacy he 
leaves is one example we can all follow moving forward. I wish him and 
his wife, Hadassah, the best in his retirement.


                             Jeff Bingaman

  Mr. President, born in Texas and raised in New Mexico, Senator Jeff 
Bingaman for nearly 30 years has represented the State he has been 
proud to call home. Lawyer, advocate, environmental stalwart these are 
just a few of the terms that can be used to describe Senator Bingaman.
  A longtime public servant, Senator Bingaman has served his Nation in 
the Army Reserves, in his State as an Attorney General, and, since 
1983, has served the people of New Mexico in the United States Senate. 
Along the way, he has earned a reputation for being fair and bipartisan 
no small feat in today's polarized Congress.
  Senator Bingaman has been a fierce advocate for the environment, and 
has worked hard to expand conservation and end tax breaks for big oil 
companies. I was proud to work with him on legislation to increase the 
production of biofuels and to modernize the Federal Government's 
approach to protecting the environment. As chairman of the Senate's 
Energy and Natural Resources Committee, he has worked tirelessly to 
advance energy independence, an issue so important to many, including 
those in New Mexico.
  A supporter of a comprehensive approach to reforming our immigration 
system, Senator Bingaman has supported a responsible and thoughtful 
approach to protecting our Nation's borders. Like me, he opposed ill-
advised legislation which was regrettably enacted in 2006 to build 
electronic and other forms of surveillance along every land and 
maritime border. A Senator of a southern State, Senator Bingaman 
opposed the effort to construct a costly fence along our southern 
border.
  Senator Bingaman has been a force here in Washington, but he has 
never lost sight of the needs of the constituents at home that he 
represents. He has worked to secure Federal funds for critical needs in 
New Mexico, and for education development and transportation 
improvements.
  Jeff's moderate temperament has led to many successes both in the 
halls of Congress, and in his home State. I wish him and his wife Anne 
all the best in retirement.


                               Herb Kohl

  Mr. President, the people of Wisconsin have elected and reelected 
Senator Herb Kohl to represent them in the United States Senate four 
times. Since coming to the Senate in 1989, I have been honored to serve 
with him on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where his commitment to 
matters involving antitrust, juvenile justice, and technology has 
afforded us many opportunities to work together. We have partnered in 
other important areas, too from our states' shared interest in a 
vibrant and supported dairy industry, to important housing assistance.
  Everyone likes Senator Kohl. He is a consensus builder, and is always 
seeking a bipartisan solution. That approach led to a bipartisan 
investigation in the Judiciary Committee over Ruby Ridge. It led to 
enactment of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
Reauthorization Act, and economic espionage bills.
  Senator Kohl has been a constant champion for the nation's dairy 
farmers from those in Wisconsin to those in Vermont. His Superb Milk 
House at the Wisconsin State Fair is a hit every year. A tradition he 
began in 1990, it still sells glasses of milk for just 25 cents. I was 
delighted to hear he intends to keep the Milk House running even after 
he leaves the Senate. Wisconsin and Vermont dairy farmers have

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not always agreed on how best to support the industry, but Senator 
Kohl's commitment has never wavered.
  As chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, Senator Kohl has kept 
the needs of some of the most vulnerable around us the elderly front 
and center during his time in the Senate. His support for the Housing 
Assistance Council, which helps improve housing conditions for the 
rural poor with an emphasis on the poorest of the poor has been 
steadfast, and I was pleased to work with him to ensure that in an age 
without earmarks, this important council was qualified to compete for 
Federal financial support. He has been a longtime partner in rural 
housing issues a partnership I will miss.
  Senator Kohl has worked tirelessly for the people of Wisconsin both 
as a Senator and as a philanthropist. Since 1990, he has provided 
annual grants totaling $400,000 to Wisconsin students, teachers, and 
schools through the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Achievement Award 
Program.
  When Senator Kohl announced his retirement, he stated that he never 
believed it was his Senate seat, but that it belonged to the people of 
Wisconsin, and that is just who Herb Kohl is. Even in retirement, I 
have no doubt he will remain dedicated to the people of Wisconsin. 
Serving with him for more than two decades has been an honor and a 
privilege. The Senate will miss him.


                                Jim Webb

  Mr. President, although he has served just one term in the U.S. 
Senate, retiring Senator Jim Webb is no stranger to public service. A 
highly decorated combat veteran of Vietnam, Jim Webb's prior public 
service as an Assistant Secretary of Defense and a former Secretary of 
the Navy uniquely suited him as a fierce defender of our troops serving 
overseas, and when they come back home.
  Senator Webb has been a positive force on a number of issues, and 
particularly through his roles on the Foreign Relations Committee, the 
Armed Services Committee, and the Veterans' Affairs Committee. His 
commitment to our Nations' veterans and to supporting and strengthening 
our military has been a cornerstone of his Senate career.
  I worked with Senator Webb on a number of issues in the last 6 years, 
especially on prison reform and the criminal justice commission. His 
initiative is something the Senate and our judicial system, should 
follow and set as a guide.
  Senator Webb brought a unique perspective to the Senate based on his 
years of dedicated public service. He has been a powerful advocate for 
military and veterans' issues and criminal justice reform, all while 
promoting Virginia's best interests. I wish him and his family the very 
best in the future.


                               Ben Nelson

  Mr. President, as a Senator from a rural State, supporting our 
Nation's farmers is something close to my heart. Senator Ben Nelson 
shares that commitment, and has been a long-time champion of 
legislation to protect American agriculture and our Nation's farms in a 
rough economy. Senator Nelson's work for rural communities has 
benefited his home State of Nebraska, but his support of agriculture 
has helped Vermonters, too. These are among the legislative issues on 
which Senator Nelson has had an impact since he came to the Senate in 
2001.
  As a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, 
Senator Nelson has been an active participant as we have tried to move 
the 2012 Farm Bill through Congress. One of the most pressing pieces of 
legislation before us today, he has fought tirelessly for Nebraska's 
interests in that bill, as well as the interests of the Nation's 
agricultural industry as a whole.
  While he has worked on a number of legislative matters in the last 
decade, I particularly appreciated Senator Nelson's support for my 
effort to give the National Guard a seat at the table of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff as a former Governor. He understood that this multi-
year effort was done to recognize that the men and women of the 
National Guard serve our country with unmatched loyalty and that they 
and their families make sacrifices every day. He recognized that they 
are indeed deserving of full representation at the highest levels of 
the Pentagon. In 2010, Senator Ben Nelson was awarded the Harry S. 
Truman Award for his commendable work with the Guard. Since the 
National Guard has taken on an increased role in overseas conflicts, 
Senators like Ben Nelson have stepped up to give them the recognition 
and support they deserve.
  I commend Ben's loyalty to Nebraska and to economic sustainability 
across the country. His dedication to sustainable energy is rare in our 
modern political climate. Rather than folding to the issues that divide 
us and ignoring the future of our farms and environment, Senator Nelson 
has taken a strong stance on controversial and difficult issues and has 
managed to open the minds of many of his colleagues with time, bringing 
people together around the possibility of creating positive change. 
Through it all, he has kept the needs of his State in mind, even as he 
has worked to create a brighter future for the entire country.
  Senator Nelson is an honest man, a level-headed public servant, and a 
friend to many. True to his roots, he has built a legacy in the Senate 
that will last after he has moved on from the halls of the Capitol. I 
wish him the best in his retirement from Congress.


                                Jon Kyl

  Mr. President, there are many times when those of us in the Senate 
disagree. It is when we can find ways to work together, across party 
lines, to advance meaningful legislation that we can really make a 
difference. One of the things I have always appreciated about Senator 
Jon Kyl is his commitment to his word. This year will mark his last in 
the U.S. Senate. I have welcomed his partnership on many issues, from 
cyber legislation to matters protecting crime victims. He was a key 
ally in our efforts to make the first meaningful reforms to the 
Nation's patent system in nearly 60 years. And we have worked together 
on issues relating to National security and border security.
  Fewer Senators are more hard working than Jon Kyl. He is a constant 
presence in the Judiciary Committee, where he has served as the top 
Republican on the Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee. He is active in the 
Finance Committee. And of course, he holds a key position within his 
caucus, serving as the Republican Whip.
  I have, of course, most closely worked with Senator Kyl in his nearly 
2 decades of service on the Judiciary Committee. There, he has 
championed a number of important issues, from crime victims' rights to 
antiterrorism legislation. We have been close partners on intellectual 
property legislation, from patent reform to copyright and trademark 
protections. And, even in the most contentious of national security 
issues, we have worked to find common ground on such issues as the 
PATRIOT Act.
  On Capitol Hill, Senator Kyl is known throughout the Senate for his 
dedication and work ethic. He is a great ally and a formidable 
adversary; in Congress, there is often no higher praise. He is a good 
personal friend and, I wish him and his family all the best as he takes 
on his next challenge.


                             Richard Lugar

  Mr. President, I have served with hundreds of Senators in my nearly 
38 years representing Vermont in Washington. Few embody the 
statesmanship that you find in Senator Richard Lugar. For more than 36 
years, Senator Lugar has represented the State of Indiana in the United 
States Senate--the longest-serving Republican Senator here today. It 
has been an honor, a privilege and a joy to work with him to advance so 
many important legislative issues.
  Senator Lugar exemplifies the ideal of bipartisanship that is too 
often lacking today in Washington. Although we come from different 
political views, Senator Lugar and I worked shoulder-to-shoulder to 
reach across the aisle to find compromise and common ground on two Farm 
Bills--the Leahy-Lugar bill, and the Lugar-Leahy bill. That

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collaborative effort, which led to reforms at the Department of 
Agriculture resulting in the savings of billions of dollars, is an 
example of how well the Senate can function when bipartisanship is the 
order of business. Whether he chaired the Agriculture Committee, or I 
did, we always found a way to work together.
  Perhaps Senator Lugar is most well-known for yet another bipartisan 
effort, the 1991 Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction. Nunn-Lugar 
was enacted to protect Americans from the threat of nuclear weapons in 
the former Soviet Union. Ever since it became law, Senator Lugar has 
continued his efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear annihilation. In 
2007, after a trip to Russia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine, Senator Lugar 
and then-Senator Barack Obama crafted the Lugar-Obama Proliferation and 
Threat Reduction Initiative to decrease the number of hidden 
traditional weapons around the world. Senator Lugar's ability to build 
strong relationships with party opposites such as President Obama 
resulted in legislation that benefits citizens of Indiana, but also the 
entire Nation.
  As a leading member and former Chairman of the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee, Senator Lugar has championed human rights around 
the world. Most recently he advocated aggressively for ratification of 
the bipartisan Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A 
recognized leader in international affairs, Senator Lugar has supported 
causes eradicating hunger, to combatting terrorism wherever it occurs. 
He has promoted sound, reasonable immigration reforms to encourage the 
best and brightest to come to America. And he has warned of the 
catastrophic risks of climate change.
  Earlier this year, Senator Lugar and I reached a pair of milestones 
together. I was honored to cast my 14,000th vote in the United States 
Senate. I was delighted that Senator Lugar, on the same vote, reached 
the 13,000 marker. Ours has been a partnership of more than three 
decades, and to share this milestone with Senator Lugar was a memory I 
will cherish.
  A couple of years ago, Dick and I found ourselves sitting down 
together in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room, speaking with 
a reporter about the importance of bipartisanship in Congress. We both 
recalled with fondness our earliest days in the Senate, sitting on the 
farthest ends of the dais, and struggling to hear what the most senior 
members of the panel were saying. We suspected--no doubt correctly--
that this was not happening by accident. From those days sitting 
together was born a friendship that has spanned three decades. In his 
farewell in this Chamber, Senator Lugar cautioned that many in Congress 
``have not lived up to the expectations of our constituents to make 
excellence in governance our top priority.'' Every day in this Chamber, 
Dick Lugar made excellence his top priority. He is a pillar of the 
Senate, a mentor to many, and a role model to those to come. And I will 
miss my friend.


                             Olympia Snowe

  Mr. President, in today's U.S. Senate, moderates are few. At the end 
of this Congress, we will lose another: Senator Olympia Snowe, who has 
served the State of Maine in the U.S. Senate for nearly 2 decades. She 
has spent nearly her entire adult life in public service, and the 
people of Maine have revered her dedication to her home State and to 
civic engagement.
  Just the 23rd woman to serve in the United States Senate, Senator 
Snowe has risen through the ranks in her tenure in this body, most 
recently serving as the top Republican on the Small Business and 
Entrepreneurship Committee. There she has focused on promoting women in 
small business. She was instrumental in establishing Women's Business 
Centers through the Small Business Administration, a network of nearly 
100 centers designed to level the playing field for women looking to 
start a small business. Most recently, she has worked to advance 
legislation to establish a task force specifically devoted to women 
entrepreneurs.
  Senator Snowe has been a great friend to the environment as well. She 
has worked closely with me to protect our national forests and 
environment. She has partnered with me to strengthen the Forest Legacy 
Program--important to both Vermont and Maine--as well as the Land and 
Water Conservation Fund. She has been a stalwart advocate for the 
Community Development Block Grant program, and for years, she and I 
teamed together to protect this important community development 
program. Senator Snowe has been a strong supporter of the Low Income 
Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP. The shared challenges of our 
States--rural, New England States have given us many reasons to work 
together, and our partnership in these issues is one that I will miss.
  Notably, Senator Snowe, at a time when so many simply tow the party 
line, never feared voting her conscience over her political 
affiliation. Her support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act, which spurred development amid the worst economic crisis since the 
Great Depression, was instrumental in funneling necessary resources to 
the States. She supported advancing comprehensive health care reform 
legislation to the Senate floor, so the Senate as a whole could debate 
the issue. And she has stood up for women in important health care 
choices.
  When Senator Snowe announced earlier this year that she intended to 
retire, she lamented the partisan shift she has seen in Congress. 
During her long career in public service, Senator Snowe put her State 
and the Nation first. It's a lesson we can all follow. I wish Olympia 
the best in her retirement and I will truly miss serving with her. Her 
farewell speech to the Senate should be required reading in every High 
School and college--civics and government classes.


                          Kay Bailey Hutchison

  Mr. President, when the 112th Congress adjourns, Senator Kay Bailey 
Hutchison will retire, having been the 22nd woman to serve in the 
United States Senate. With nearly 20 years of service to this Chamber, 
Senator Hutchison has been a pioneer in her home State of Texas. The 
first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from that State, her record of 
public service began long before she came to Washington.
  Senator Hutchison's dedication to her constituents, and to the 
advancement of the Nation, has been easy to see. When she helped to 
establish the Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas, 
TAMEST in 2004, she put a spotlight on the importance of encouraging 
advancements in science and of supporting research and development. She 
has understood that protecting our Nation's ability to innovate is as 
vital to our economic security as anything else.
  I am proud to have worked with Senator Hutchison on a variety of 
pieces of legislation over the years, having served with her on several 
subcommittees of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Among our 
greatest achievements, I believe was our partnership on federal AMBER 
Alert legislation, which won unanimous support in the Senate and which 
was enacted in 2003. The AMBER Alert Act was a signature achievement, 
and an example of what can be done when partisanship is cast aside, and 
we work together.
  Senator Hutchison has worked tirelessly to advocate for her State and 
for the good of the Nation. I wish her and her family all the best.


                              Scott Brown

  Mr. President, Senator Scott Brown came to the Senate in an 
untraditional manner: winning a special election to fill the seat left 
by one of the giants of the Senate, Ted Kennedy. While his tenure has 
been just 3 years, I have appreciated Senator Brown's willingness to 
work across the aisle on two very important issues: reauthorizing the 
Violence Against Women Act, and working to end human trafficking.
  It happens that I have authored legislation to address these two very 
issues, and so it has been through the Violence Against Women 
Reauthorization Act and the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act that I have seen Senator Brown take a dedicated 
approach to protecting victims of violence. He is a cosponsor of both 
these

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bills, a strong supporter of the goals behind them, and a vocal 
proponent of their enactment.
  Senator Brown has also been a friend of National Guard. Himself a 
Guardsman for over 30 years, he was one 68 cosponsors of my Guard 
Empowerment Act, to give the head of the National Guard a seat with the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, where decisions are made every day about our 
Nation's military, including the National Guard and Reserve. As a 
Guardsman himself, he understands the strains placed on families here 
at home when the Guard, like any unit of the military, is deployed, as 
has happened so many times in the last decade. I appreciated Senator 
Brown's support on this important law.
  Senator Brown has charted his own path in his short time here in the 
Senate, and I expect the ventures he undertook while serving here will 
continue. I wish him and his family the best.

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