{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11823-2", "2000-12-15", 106, 2, null, null, "SENATOR CHUCK ROBB", "SENATE", "SENATE", "ALLOTHER", "S11823", "S11824", "[{\"name\": \"Patrick J. Leahy\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "146 Cong. Rec. S11823", "Congressional Record, Volume 146 Issue 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]\n[Senate]\n[Pages S11823-S11824]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                           SENATOR CHUCK ROBB\n\n  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, earlier today Senator Chuck Robb of\nVirginia spoke on this floor. I worked with him. I have admired him\nsince he came to the Senate over 12 years ago. I talked with this\nformer marine at the time my own son joined the Marine Corps and was\ntouched that he always asked for progress reports on his career in the\nMarines.\n  He is only the fourth person from the State of Virginia to serve as\nboth Governor and U.S. Senator, and he came to Washington ready to\nbuild on a distinguished career in public service. In 1961, he joined\nthe Marines as an infantry company commander in Vietnam, saw combat,\nand was in harm's way time and time again. He demonstrated the kind of\ndetermination and stamina that would characterize his political career.\nIn Vietnam, people depended on his leadership for their life,\nliterally. He then served Virginia as Lieutenant Governor and Governor\nbefore being elected to the U.S. Senate. In fact, it is fair to say his\ntenure as Governor laid the basis for Virginia to become such a leader\ntoday in the high-tech industry.\n  During his time here in Washington, he has shown his dedication and\nconcern for our men and women in the military, fighting for a strong\ndefense\n\n[[Page S11824]]\n\nwhile advocating fiscal responsibility. He has been a proponent for\nimprovement in our Nation's public schools, fighting for more teachers,\nincreased school construction, and school safety. He has also been a\nchampion against discrimination. He led the fight to end injustice to\nAfrican American farmers who faced discrimination by the Agriculture\nDepartment and voted against moves to end affirmative action programs\nby the Federal Government. In all these things, he showed the same\ndedication to his country in a legislative position that he had shown\nto his State in his executive position as Governor, as a member of the\nArmed Services Committee, Foreign Relations and Finance Committees, and\nthe Joint Economic Committee and Select Committee on Intelligence. He\nserved this body, the Senate, so well, and in turn our whole Nation.\n  I think of the tough political battles he has faced. I think of the\ndifficult votes during his time in office, how he had to balance the\ninterests of his State with the well-being of the Nation. But I can\nremember so many times on this floor when a vote would come up where,\npolitically, Chuck Robb could have ducked and ran and voted a different\nway. He did not, anymore than he would have when he was in combat in\nVietnam. He would stay on the floor, he would state his position, and\nyou would see the marine; you would see the character; you would see\nthe steel. He would stand up and do what his conscience told him was\nthe right thing.\n  Mr. President, I pay tribute to a man I have worked with and admired\nsince he came to the Senate over twelve years ago. As only the fourth\nperson from the state of Virginia to serve as both Governor and U.S.\nSenator Chuck Robb came to Washington ready to build on a distinguished\ncareer in public service. Beginning in 1961 when he joined the Marines,\nand through his days as an infantry company commander in Vietnam, Chuck\nRobb demonstrated the kind of determination and stamina that would\ncharacterize his political career. He later served Virginia as\nLieutenant Governor and Governor before being elected to the United\nStates Senate.\n  During his time here in Washington he has shown his dedication and\nconcern for our men and women in the military, fighting for a strong\ndefense while advocating fiscal responsibility. He has been a proponent\nfor improving our nation's public schools, fighting for more teachers,\nincreased school construction and school safety. He has also been a\nchampion in the battle to end discrimination. He led the fight to bring\njustice to African American farmers who had faced discrimination by the\nAgriculture Department, and he voted against a move to end affirmative\naction programs by the federal government. As a member of the Armed\nServices Committee, Foreign Relations, Finance Committee, the Joint\nEconomic Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence he has\nserved the Senate well.\n  Senator Robb has faced several tough political battles and cast many\ndifficult votes during his time in office--all the while he has been\ndetermined to balance the interests of his state with the well-being of\nthe nation.\n  It has been an honor and privilege to work with him over the last\nyears. I know he is going to be sorely missed by our colleagues in the\nSenate.\n  I will miss having the chance to get advice and encouragement from\nhim on the Senate floor, but I know I will still have that available to\nme throughout the remaining years of my Senate career.\n  Mr. President, what is the parliamentary situation now, as we go down\nto these waning hours and we hear the choral group downstairs\npracticing Christmas carols?\n  The PRESIDING OFFICER. I would like to advise the Senator from\nVermont that earlier the Senate had been conducting morning business.\nThat order has expired.\n  Mr. LEAHY. Is my understanding correct, though, that I am still able\nto maintain the floor without slowing down the vital business of the\nSenate?\n  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.\n  Mr. LEAHY. Am I also correct there is no particular vital business\npending at the moment?\n  The PRESIDING OFFICER. At the moment, the Senator is correct.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11823-2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 10.968125192448497, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}