[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 723]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH CRISCO, JR.

 Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate my 
good friend Joseph Crisco, Jr., on his outstanding 24 years of service 
representing the 17th district in the Connecticut State Senate. Joe has 
shown an incredible commitment to working for the people of Connecticut 
over his long career, and I thank him for all that he has done for our 
State and, in particular, the towns of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, 
Derby, Hamden, Naugatuck, and his hometown of Woodbridge.
  Joe is a graduate of Wilbur Cross High School and the University of 
Connecticut, where he credits many of his early lessons to his time 
spent as an athlete on the football field. His outstanding career as a 
player at both institutions earned him a place in the Wilbur Cross 
Athletic Hall of Fame, and his experience as a standout guard on the 
UConn football team in 1956 and 1957 helped forge a lasting commitment 
to his alma mater and shaped the ethic of teamwork and dedication that 
would follow him to the Connecticut State Senate.
  First elected to the senate in 1992, Joe's commitment to his 
constituents and his community has never wavered. It is no exaggeration 
to say that his district would not be what it is today if not for the 
many grants and public projects he has been responsible for bringing 
home, from recreational centers and trails, to libraries, animal 
shelters, and affordable housing. The 17th district's most important 
institutions--like Griffin Hospital, Quinnipiac University, the 
Sterling Opera House, the Troop I Barracks of the Connecticut State 
Police, the former Bethany Airport, and the Metro-North Waterbury 
branch line--have always had a dedicated friend and advocate in Joe. 
And the annual senior fair in Ansonia's Warsaw Park, which Joe ran 
throughout his service in the senate, has provided assistance to 
thousands of senior citizens over the years and become an iconic event 
in the Naugatuck Valley.
  But more than simply serving the people in his district, Joe 
distinguished himself in the Connecticut General Assembly as one of its 
most effective and hard-working legislators. He served as chair of the 
Appropriations Committee and the Insurance & Real Estate Committee and 
had a hand in some of the most important legislation in a generation to 
support Connecticut's economy and the welfare of its citizens. He led 
the creation of the Biomedical Research Fund, which has devoted 
millions of dollars towards research efforts in the State to fight 
heart disease, cancer, smoking-related illnesses, Alzheimer's, stroke, 
and diabetes. He championed investment tax credits for economic 
development and public safety, secured a cost-of-living adjustment for 
beneficiaries of the ConnPACE Program for seniors, and fought 
passionately to expand the reach of health insurance coverage. After 
only 6 years in the senate, Joe pioneered the founding of Family Day; 
an initiative close to his heart as a father of 6 and grandfather of 
18. And the legacy he leaves with his lifesaving work to improve and 
expand coverage for breast cancer exams, creating a new international 
standard for insurance coverage, is a special achievement of which Joe 
should be particularly proud.
  I am also personally thankful for Joe's dedication to his position in 
the general assembly because I have seen it up close. During my time 
representing the 16th district, Joe and I sat next to each other in the 
senate chamber, and I remain incredibly grateful for his willingness to 
act as a mentor and friend in the early years of my government service.
  Once again, congratulations to Joe, his wife, Pat, and his entire 
family for a long and successful career in the Connecticut State 
Senate. It is my hope that the general assembly will use Joe's career 
as an example and continue to work diligently and passionately for the 
people of our State in the years to come.

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