[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12872]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JOHN BEL EDWARDS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today I recognize Governor John Bel Edwards, 
who is celebrating his 50th birthday on September 16, 2016.
  Governor Edwards is a committed public servant who has dedicated his 
career to improving the lives of Louisiana residents. A Louisiana 
native, Governor Edwards graduated from Amite High School as 
valedictorian of his class. After graduating from the U.S. Military 
Academy at West Point 4 years later, he bravely served our country as 
an airborne ranger in the U.S. Army. Following his service, Governor 
Edwards attended law school at Louisiana State University, where he 
graduated Order of the Coif, the prestigious honor society for our 
Nation's brightest law school graduates.
  In 2008, Governor Edwards was elected to the Louisiana House of 
Representatives. Throughout his tenure, he worked diligently to ensure 
that the needs of Louisiana residents were met. His Democratic 
colleagues recognized his unwavering commitment to public service and 
his steadfast leadership ability, and they elected him as chairman of 
the Louisiana House Democratic Caucus.
  It comes as no surprise that Governor Edwards has already achieved a 
number of accomplishments on behalf of Louisiana since he became the 
Governor of the State in January 2016. He has led State legislators in 
addressing Louisiana's most pressing issues, including the State's 
budget crisis, historic flood events that have damaged more than 
100,000 homes throughout the State, and several tornadoes that have 
impacted many of the State's most vulnerable residents. In addition to 
managing the response to these crises, Governor Edwards is implementing 
programs that are critical to the success and well-being of Louisiana 
residents, such as Medicaid expansion and major infrastructure 
development projects.
  Governor Edwards is married to his high-school sweetheart, Donna 
Edwards, and they have three beautiful children: Samantha Bel, Sarah 
Ellen, and John Miller. I join the Governor's family, friends, and the 
residents of Louisiana in wishing him a very happy 50th birthday. His 
dedication to Louisiana is commendable, and I look forward learning 
about his future success on behalf of the residents of Louisiana and 
all Americans.

                          ____________________