[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10306-10307]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE McBRIDE

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, Senator Vitter and I wish to recognize 
and honor Charlie McBride, a native son of Louisiana who has given so 
much of his time and energy towards the goal of educating this Nation's 
youth in civic and community responsibility. Through his service and 
commitment to the Close Up Foundation, Charlie has led an organization 
that for the past 43 years has significantly impacted and provided 
citizenship education to nearly 800,000 high school and middle school 
students and educators from around the country and U.S. Territories. On 
behalf of the Senate and the State of Louisiana, we, as former Close Up 
participants applaud Charlie for his devotion to Close Up and the civic 
education of our youth.
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, as you know, Close Up is a nonprofit, 
nonpartisan organization that promotes responsible participation in our 
democratic process. Its mission is to inform,

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educate, and inspire students to exercise the rights and accept the 
responsibilities of being a citizen in our democracy. Through 
experiential civic education programs based in Washington, DC, and 
other local communities, and publication of classroom resources to help 
educators teach students about public policy issues, Close Up impacts 
the lives of students every day.
  Both of us are testament to the profound impact these programs have 
on our youth, as we participated in the Close Up program in its early 
years, an experience that incited our first thoughts of a career in 
public service. We commend and congratulate Close Up on its important 
work.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Charlie McBride is no stranger to public policy. He 
worked for 12 years on personal and committee staffs in the Senate and 
the House of Representatives. Since then, as a government relations and 
business consultant, he has represented a myriad of clients in 
virtually every policy field, for which he is known and well-respected 
by our colleagues. His experiences have instilled in him a strong 
appreciation of the need for knowledgeable and thoughtful citizens, 
particularly in our legislative processes. For this reason, he has 
enthusiastically embraced Close Up's efforts to develop an informed, 
effective, and responsible citizenry among this Nation's youth.
  Mr. VITTER. Charlie was first introduced to Close Up in 1974 when he 
was chief of staff for Senator Bennett Johnston and helped secure 
funding for the Allen J. Ellender Fellowships that served to provide 
support for economically disadvantaged students and teachers to 
participate in Close Up programs. After working closely with Close Up 
for many years, he joined its board of directors in 1988 and has served 
as the vice chairman for the past 10 years. During his service, Charlie 
has provided leadership and assisted Close Up in its relations with 
Members in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. We are proud that Louisiana students and teachers have 
participated in Close Up programs since the organization's inception 
and that a good friend and fellow Louisianan has contributed so much 
time and effort to this great organization. Thanks to people like 
Charlie, students are provided the unique opportunity to learn about 
our government by meeting lawmakers, representatives of public interest 
groups, journalists, and people from all branches of government, and to 
understand how they can make a positive contribution through 
participation in our democracy. Charlie's presence at Close Up will be 
sorely missed. We are privileged to formally recognize Charlie's 
commitment and efforts to this great endeavor.

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