[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 7439-7440]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO RICHARD BENDER

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, when Richard Bender retires at the end of 
this month, the Senate will say farewell to one of its most respected, 
talented, and accomplished staff members. And I personally will be 
saying farewell to my longest serving legislative counselor.
  They say that there are no indispensable people here in Washington. 
Don't believe it. For the last three and a half decades, Rich Bender 
has been my indispensable person--a staffer with an encyclopedic 
knowledge of parliamentary procedure, the legislative process, the 
Federal budget, as well as the rules and traditions of this body.
  I am by no means the only Senator who has found Richard 
indispensable. In fact, he is a legend among Senators and staffers 
alike. Many times, the distinguished majority leader, Senator Reid, has 
come to me with some version of this request: Tom, I am having trouble 
with this bill. Opponents are raising all kinds of legislative and 
parliamentary hurdles. Have Bender give me a call. And, by the way, 
Leader Reid asking you for advice on parliamentary procedure is about 
like Wynton Marsalis asking you for advice on how he can play the 
trumpet better.
  In my Senate office, Richard has managed a broad portfolio, including 
budget and taxes, infrastructure, economic development, and a good 
share of appropriations. He has completed more than 37 years in public 
service in Congress, beginning in 1975 as a special assistant to Iowa 
Senator John Culver. In 1977, when I was still in the House of 
Representatives, he came to work in my congressional office in Ames, 
where he met his future wife, Laura Forman. Richard moved to my 
Washington office in 1980. He has been with me, now, for three and a 
half decades, making him the longest serving Harkin staffer on record.
  Richard often says, with pride, that he is the guy in the office who 
handles asphalt and cement. What those two items translate into are new 
roads and bridges, revitalized downtowns, economic development, jobs 
and opportunity. Cities across Iowa, from Dubuque to downtown Des 
Moines and

[[Page 7440]]

across to western Iowa, all bear abundant evidence of Richard's 
excellent work over the decades.
  I have never encountered a staffer who can match Richard's mastery of 
the appropriations process--not just the know-how and know-who of 
appropriations, but even more importantly the tenacity and persistence 
required to advance specific projects over the course of many years and 
sometimes for more than a decade.
  I don't know how many times folks in Iowa have thanked me for things 
that Richard played a huge role in getting done. Let me name just a few 
of them.
  He deserves special credit for his many contributions to making 
downtown Des Moines the attractive, economically vibrant urban 
landscape it is today, including the downtown loop on the Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Parkway, as well as projects like Riverpoint and the Science 
Center, all of which have spurred development on the south side of 
town. He played a similar role in assisting the revitalization of 
Dubuque by securing funds for the brilliant development of the city's 
Mississippi waterfront.
  Richard is fond of describing roads, rivers, and canals as the 
``arteries and veins of commerce,'' and he has been devoted to securing 
robust investments in essential infrastructure projects all across 
Iowa. I would mention, for example, Federal funding for the Des Moines 
to Burlington four-lane highway, and Highway 61 improvement in eastern 
Iowa.
  Twice during Richard's tenure in my office, he has played a critical 
role in helping Iowa to recover from catastrophic floods. Following the 
devastating weather and flooding in 1993, he helped to secure major 
Federal funding to help Iowa cities, towns, and farms to recover. 
Likewise, after the once-in-a-century flood of 2008, Richard dedicated 
himself to securing resources to help Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and many 
other communities to rebuild better than ever.
  Let me mention several other achievements:
  Richard played a key role in defeating a 1994 appropriations 
amendment that would have severely damaged ethanol's expansion in the 
U.S. gasoline market. The vote on the motion to table was 50 to 50, 
with the Vice President casting the deciding ``aye'' vote.
  He secured vital funding for airport expansion and upgrading in Des 
Moines and at other Iowa airports.
  Richard played the key role in securing nearly one-half billion 
dollars to upgrade USDA's National Animal Disease Center at Ames.
  He obtained Federal funds for the High Trestle Bridge over the Des 
Moines River on the recreational trail between Ankeny and Woodward.
  Earlier this year, he successfully persuaded the Army Corps of 
Engineers to keep the lower Mississippi River open for navigation 
during a time of persistently low water.
  Thanks to Richard's dogged efforts, we were able to secure funding 
for the new Federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids.
  These accomplishments are Richard Bender's living legacy.
  And no recounting of Richard's legacy in Iowa would be complete 
without mentioning his central role in devising and implementing the 
modern Iowa caucuses system. In 1971, Richard was working as a staffer 
for the Iowa Democratic Party, which was seeking a way to increase the 
active involvement of rank-and-file members in choosing our party's 
Presidential candidate. The party also needed a timely and effective 
way of reporting voting results. Richard's creativity, as well as his 
training in mathematics and statistics, made him the key player in 
developing the Iowa Democratic Party caucuses. Today, the caucuses are 
little changed from what he developed four decades ago.
  Richard Bender is the quintessential selfless public servant. For 
him, it is never about personal gain or glory; it is about serving 
others. Nobody works harder. Nobody puts in longer hours. And nobody 
produces more consistent results than Richard.
  Indeed, I also add a debt of gratitude to Richard's wonderful wife, 
Laura, and his beloved son, Michael. They, too, have sacrificed as 
Richard has spent such long hours both in the office and working at 
home on weekends and in the evening. Lots of people, when they retire, 
say that they are looking forward to spending much more time with their 
family. Richard really means it. I know that he has big plans for Laura 
and Michael, including travel, in the years ahead.
  It is difficult to find words that do justice to how profoundly 
grateful I am to Richard for his wise counsel and loyal service on my 
staff over the last three and a half decades. In addition, on behalf of 
my colleagues here in the Senate as well as in the House, so many of 
whom have also benefited from his counsel, I want to thank him for his 
exceptional service to the Congress and the American people.
  Richard, I am deeply grateful to you for a job extraordinarily well 
done. I join with the entire Senate family in wishing you, Laura, and 
Michael much happiness in the years ahead.

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