{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11845", "2000-12-15", 106, 2, null, null, "THE RETIREMENT OF SENATOR FRANK LAUTENBERG", "SENATE", "SENATE", "RETIREMENT", "S11845", "S11846", "[{\"name\": \"Strom Thurmond\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Patrick J. Leahy\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Kent Conrad\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "146 Cong. Rec. S11845", "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 S11845-S11846]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n               THE RETIREMENT OF SENATOR FRANK LAUTENBERG\n\n  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a fine\nindividual and distinguished colleague upon his retirement. At the\nclose of the 106th Congress, Senator Frank Lautenberg will step down\nfrom his position as a United States Senator after 18 years of dutiful\nservice to the people of New Jersey and the citizens of the United\nStates of America.\n  Senator Lautenberg has truly lived the American Dream. The son of\nimmigrants, Senator Lautenberg, was born in the hard working town of\nPaterson, New Jersey in 1924. During his childhood his family moved\nsome twelve times in search of employment, and his father spent a\nmajority of his time working in the Paterson silk mills.\n  After his high school graduation, Senator Lautenberg answered his\ncountry's call to duty when he enlisted and served in the Army Signal\nCorps in Europe during World War II. Following his military service, he\nenrolled in Columbia University on the G.I. Bill, and graduated with a\ndegree in economics in 1949.\n  Senator Lautenberg then began a very successful business career. He\nand two of his childhood friends founded Automatic Data Processing\n(ADP). ADP, a payroll services company, developed into one of the\nlargest computer service companies in the world.\n  Frank Lautenberg worked very hard to achieve success in the business\nworld. Many individuals would have simply stepped away to a more\nrelaxing and slow paced life, but not Senator Lautenberg. Throughout\nhis tenure, Frank Lautenberg has exhibited the characteristics of\npatriotism, hard work, and service to others that define great\nAmericans.\n  In 1982, he decided to begin a new career in public service, and for\nthe past 18 years he has represented the people of New Jersey in the\nUnited States Senate. Senator Lautenberg wanted to give back to the\nstate and Nation that gave him the opportunity to rise to great\nheights, and he has worked diligently to make America a better country\nfor her citizens and future generations.\n  It has been a pleasure working alongside Senator Lautenberg,\nespecially on such issues as reducing alcohol abuse. We shall miss him\nin the Senate chamber, and I wish Senator Frank Lautenberg and his\nentire family health, happiness, and continued success.\n  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, one of the greatest pleasures of being a\nSenator is working with fellow-members like Frank Lautenberg. Few\nSenators have brought more dedication and experience to their service\nin this body.\n  I will never forget how excited my father was to meet Senator\nLautenberg when he first came here almost 18 years ago. My father of\nproud Irish decent followed Frank's first campaign. There was a\nwonderful connection between the two of them, and I am forever grateful\nto Senator Lautenberg for the lovely letter of condolence that he sent\nme when my father passed away. Frank Lautenberg is first and foremost a\ngood friend.\n  Of course, Senator Lautenberg is also a skilled legislator. We served\ntogether for years on the Appropriations Committee. Recently, the\ncommittee debated an amendment to the Defense bill that would lead to\nthe withdrawal of U.S. troops to Kosovo. A veteran of the European\ntheater in World War II and the builder of a data processing empire,\nSenator Lautenberg understood that democratic stability could come only\nthrough a long-term and patient investment in peace.\n  What made Senator Lautenberg's argument so effective was not just the\nideas he possessed but the way he delivered them. He has a rhetorical\nforce that I have always admired, and I think that this ability to\nmarry sound ideas with effective speech-making is what makes him such a\nstellar member.\n  Of course, Senator Lautenberg had a number of legislative\naccomplishments. He helped make our democracy more transparent,\nopposing confusing smoke and mirrors as a Chairman and Ranking Member\nof the Senate Budget Committee. He promoted international justice,\nfervently urging the prosecution of war criminals. Senator Lautenberg\nunderstood that reconciliation and economic growth could not come until\nthese perpetrators are held responsible and punished for their actions.\nAt home, Senator Lautenberg laid the foundation for our strong economic\ngrowth of the last decade. Amtrak and commercial aviation had no\ngreater friend than Senator Lautenberg, who confidently chaired the\nSenate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation. And he has\nimproved the public's health, encouraging restrictions on tobacco use\nand ensuring the cleanup of hazardous waste sites.\n  In his 18 years here, Senator Lautenberg had an impact that goes\nbeyond his important votes and the bills he sponsored. Through his\nexperience and knowledge, he was steadfast advocate for freedom,\nfairness, and responsibility. He kept these ideal on an unalterable\ncourse, and we are all in his debt for it.\n  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, before Congress adjourns for the year, I\nwanted to take a moment to pay tribute to Senator Frank Lautenberg of\nNew Jersey, who is retiring this year.\n  Senator Lautenberg served our nation in World War II, and later\nbecame a successful businessman. He helped to found a payroll services\ncompany, Automatic Data Processing (ADP), and built it into one of the\nlargest computing services companies in the world.\n  In 1982 Frank Lautenberg launched a new career, in public service,\nwhen he was elected to the United States Senate. He has represented his\nstate well. Frank Lautenberg has been a leader on budget issues, a good\nfriend to the environment, and an accomplished legislator in the areas\nof transportation and health care.\n\n[[Page S11846]]\n\n  I have served on the Senate Budget Committee with Frank Lautenberg\nsince 1987; he became Ranking Member of the Committee in 1997. Senator\nLautenberg played a key role in the 1997 negotiations on the bipartisan\nBalanced Budget Act, which completed the work of balancing the federal\nbudget. That legislation provided important resources for education and\nhealth care, while cutting taxes for millions of Americans.\n  Senator Lautenberg has also been a good friend to the environment,\nserving as the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works\nCommittee's Subcommittee on Superfund. Throughout his time in the\nSenate, Senator Lautenberg has fought to improve the Superfund program,\nand has worked for legislation preventing pollution, and ensuring clear\nwater and clean air.\n  Senator Lautenberg's accomplishments in the area of transportation\nare impressive. He serves as the top Democrat on the Appropriations\nCommittee's Subcommittee on Transportation. Senator Lautenberg authored\nlaws establishing the legal drinking age at 21, and was successful just\nthis year in encouraging states to reduce legal blood alcohol limits to\n.08. He worked successfully to ban smoking on airplanes, and has\nchampioned funding for Amtrak and mass transit.\n  Senator Lautenberg has also worked for some time on health care,\nincluding tobacco policy issues. He is a nationally recognized leader\nin the fight to protect our young people from the health consequences\nof cigarettes. In 1997, I was extremely fortunate that Senator\nLautenberg was chosen to co-chair the Senate Democratic Task Force on\nTobacco. Senator Lautenberg was a particularly strong proponent of\nprovisions on second-hand smoke and the so-called ``look-back''\nenforcement mechanism to reduce youth smoking rates.\n  Frank Lautenberg's dedication and expertise on many issues will be\nmissed greatly in the United States Senate, even as New Jersey natives\nwelcome him home. I will miss my good friend and colleague.\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-PgS11845"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.45434501953423023, "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"}