[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5523-5524]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO SHERIFF GREGORY CHAMPAGNE

 Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Gregory 
Champagne, sheriff of St. Charles Parish, LA.
  Born and raised in St. Charles Parish, LA, Champagne attended 
Hahnville High School and graduated from Nicholls State University in 
1979 with a B.A. in government. Champagne went on to earn a J.D. from 
the Louisiana State University Law Center in 1982, after which he 
served as the assistant district attorney in St. Charles Parish for 
nearly 14 years. In 1995, Champagne was elected to serve as sheriff of 
St. Charles Parish. He was reelected in 1999 with overwhelming support 
and has won the subsequent four elections, making him the second 
sheriff in St. Charles Parish history to win six terms.
  In 2003, Sheriff Champagne was selected Louisiana Sheriff of the Year 
by the Louisiana Crime Victim's Coalition. Champagne was also elected 
by his peers to serve as president of the Louisiana Sheriff's 
Association from 2007 to 2008. Currently, he serves as the first vice 
president of the executive committee for the National Sheriff's

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Association, NSA, which represents 3,080 sheriffs across the United 
States. Sheriff Champagne additionally chairs the NSA's legal affairs 
committee and sits on the congressional affairs committee, global 
affairs committee, and homeland security committee. Most recently, 
Champagne joined the U.S. Department of Justice's National Commission 
on Forensic Science, using his decades of experience and expertise to 
advise the Justice Department on fighting crime and keeping our 
communities safer.
  Champagne has been married for over 30 years to Alice Landry 
Champagne and is an active member of the St. Charles Parish community. 
Champagne is a longtime member of the Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus 
Council 2409, and the Holy Family Catholic Church. Sheriff Champagne 
has also served as a mentor with the St. Charles Parish Public School 
District for over 10 years. In his downtime, the Sheriff enjoys playing 
music and is known for being an accomplished trumpet player and a 
member of multiple bands.
  Today I would like to honor Sheriff Champagne for his remarkable 
career and to thank him for his endless commitment to serving the 
community of St. Charles Parish.

                          ____________________