{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2014-12-16-pt1-PgS6912-3", "2014-12-16", 113, 2, null, null, "TRIBUTES TO DEPARTING SENATORS", "SENATE", "SENATE", "ALLOTHER", "S6912", "S6918", "[{\"name\": \"Robert P. Casey Jr.\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Jeanne Shaheen\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Mazie K. Hirono\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Barbara Boxer\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "160 Cong. Rec. S6912", "Congressional Record, Volume 160 Issue 155 (Tuesday, December 16, 2014)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 155 (Tuesday, December 16, 2014)]\n[Senate]\n[Pages S6912-S6918]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                     TRIBUTES TO DEPARTING SENATORS\n\n  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, before this Congress ends, I wanted to pay\ntribute to several of my colleagues who will not be here when we\nconvene next year. Some chose not to run again, and others\nunfortunately lost their reelection campaigns, but we will miss them\nall next year. I begin in order of seniority.\n\n                              Tim Johnson\n\n  Mr. President, I wish to begin with Senator Tim Johnson. After\nseveral years of service in South Dakota, where he received the\nOutstanding Citizen Award and the Billie Sutton Award for Legislative\nAchievement, Tim was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986.\nHe served there for 10 years, earning many distinctions, among them,\none for passing more legislation than the other 50 first-term Members.\nIn 1996 he was elected to the Senate, where he has served three terms.\nIn recent years Senator Johnson has served as chairman of the banking\ncommittee, of which he has been a member since 1997. Over the years he\nhas advocated for community banks in South Dakota, worked to pass the\nSafe and Fair Deposit Insurance Act of 2005, which updated the Federal\ndeposit insurance system, and pushed to deal with the special needs of\nconsumers in rural areas. Tim has also shown immense courage in dealing\nwith health issues and has been an exemplary public servant. We will\nmiss him next year and wish him and Barbara well.\n\n                             Mary Landrieu\n\n  Mr. President, Senator Mary Landrieu started a career of public\nservice in the Louisiana State Legislature and then as State treasurer.\nShe was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 becoming her State's first\nfemale Senator. Senator Landrieu has always fought for her State, a\nfact never more apparent than in the aftermath of Hurricanes\n\n[[Page S6913]]\n\nKatrina and Rita when she fought valiantly for disaster funding and\nreforms that helped countless people in Louisiana. Mary has also been a\nchampion for our children, and I have seen her commitment as we worked\ntogether on adoption and foster care issues over the years. We will\nmiss Mary's spirit, but we know she will never stop fighting for what\nshe believes in. I wish Mary and Frank well in this new chapter of\ntheir lives.\n\n                               Mark Pryor\n\n  Mr. President, Senator Mark Pryor comes from a family with a history\nof public service. Mark served as Arkansas attorney general before\nbeing elected to the Senate in 2002, occupying the same Senate seat his\nfather David held. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, Mark\nfought hard to protect the interests of Arkansas' farmers, and through\nhis position on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee\nhe pushed for regulatory reform, all the while asking how each decision\nhe made would impact people back in Arkansas. Through his work, Mark\nembodied what it meant to be a public servant.\n\n                               Mark Udall\n\n  Mr. President, Senator Mark Udall's family has served the United\nStates for decades. His cousin Tom has served beside him in the Senate\nfor the past 6 years. His father Morris ``Mo'' Udall was a Member of\nthe U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years and also ran for\nPresident. His uncle Stewart served as Interior Secretary under\nPresidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s. Before\nbeing elected to the Senate in 2008, Mark served in the U.S. House of\nRepresentatives and the Colorado State Legislature. Through his\nposition on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Mark has\ncontinued his family's commitment to our public lands and resources,\nchairing the National Parks Subcommittee. Senator Udall has also worked\nhard to help the U.S. Government get its fiscal house in order, pushing\nhis colleagues to make tough choices today to help create a better\ntomorrow. As a member of the Armed Services and Select Intelligence\nCommittees, Mark has advocated for more transparent detention and drone\npolicies and pushed to make public the ``Committee Study of the Central\nIntelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program.''\n\n                               Kay Hagan\n\n  Mr. President, Senator Kay Hagan spent 10 years serving in the North\nCarolina State senate before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008.\nI have had the pleasure of sitting next to Kay on the Health,\nEducation, Labor and Pensions Committee and working with her on issues\nsuch as medication therapy management to help ensure our seniors are\ntaking the prescription drugs that help keep them healthy and the\nNewborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act that provides funding\nfor the screening of newborn babies for heritable disorders, allowing\nthem the earliest possible access to treatments. Through her position\non the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Senator Hagan has\npushed to protect and grow North Carolina jobs. On the Armed Services\nCommittee, she has fought for North Carolina's military families. I\nwish Kay and Chip well in the years ahead.\n\n                              Mark Begich\n\n  Mr. President, Senator Mark Begich arrived in the Senate in 2008,\nhaving previously served as mayor of Anchorage. Mark worked hard and\naccomplished a lot in his 6 years here, but what I will always remember\nis Mark's commitment to our veterans. Alaska has more, veterans per\ncapita than any other state in our Nation, and through his position on\nthe Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Begich has been their\nchampion. I thank Mark for his public service and his commitment, and I\nwish him and Deborah well.\n\n                            Jay Rockefeller\n\n  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to my friend and\ncolleague, Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, who will soon retire from\nthe Senate after representing his beloved West Virginia for the last 30\nyears.\n  Senator Rockefeller and I both came to Washington after having\npreviously served as Governors of our home States, and I have been\ngrateful for his friendship and counsel. I would also note that Senator\nRockefeller has some familiarity with New Hampshire, having graduated\nfrom Phillips Exeter Academy.\n  Senator Rockefeller will forever be remembered in the Senate for his\ndedication to the hard-working people of West Virginia. When West\nVirginia coal mining companies threatened to abandon their pension\nobligations to miners, Senator Rockefeller successfully fought to pass\nthe Coal Act of 1992 to safeguard their retirements. Among his numerous\nother legislative accomplishments, Senator Rockefeller will certainly\nbe remembered as the father of the Children's Health Insurance Program.\nSince its creation in 1997, CHIP has provided millions of low-income\nchildren and pregnant women access to health insurance. Just last year,\nCHIP touched the lives of more than 8 million Americans.\n  During his lengthy career Senator Rockefeller chaired the Senate\nCommittees on Veterans' Affairs, Intelligence, and most recently\nCommerce, Science, and Transportation. As a chairman, Senator\nRockefeller believed strongly that good policy started with listening\nand ran his committees in a way that allowed all Senators, no matter\ntheir party, a voice and a role in the legislative process.\n  The example set by Senator Rockefeller is an inspiration to all of us\nwho serve in the Senate. On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I\nthank him for his years of dedicated service to our country and wish\nhim the best in his well-deserved retirement.\n\n                               Carl Levin\n\n  Mr. President, I wish to honor Senator Carl Levin as he prepares to\nretire after 36 years of dedicated service in the Senate.\n  As the longest serving Senator in Michigan's history, Senator Levin\nhas been a stalwart advocate for the people of his State. In the\naftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Senator Levin played a critical\nrole in drafting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to ensure\nit would bolster the Midwestern manufacturers that would prove integral\nto our national economic recovery. As cochair of the Great Lakes Task\nForce, Senator Levin has worked throughout his career to protect the\nvast waterways that are critical to Michigan's economy and those of the\nother Great Lakes States.\n  I have had the honor of serving on the Senate Armed Services\nCommittee under the leadership of Chairman Levin, and his concern for\nthe people of Michigan is perhaps only matched by his concern for the\nsoldiers, sailors, marines, and airman who defend our Nation, as well\nas the families who support them. Under his steady leadership the\nSenate has kept faith with our military by passing the annual National\nDefense Authorization Act, and this year's defense bill bears Senator\nLevin's name as tribute to his lengthy service on the Committee. As\nchair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management\nSupport, I have always appreciated Senator Levin's commitment to a\nstrong bipartisan spirit in the work of the committee, and I know it\nwill endure thanks to his example.\n  A sharp legal mind, Senator Levin also worked in a bipartisan fashion\nas chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to\nhold powerful public and private institutions accountable. Born from\nthe highly successful Truman Committee formed in the lead-up to World\nWar II, Senator Levin's subcommittee investigated critical issues such\nas the 2008 financial crisis, systemic credit card fraud, as well as\ncorporate abuse of off-shore tax havens--bringing light to complex and\nobscure issues to the benefit of the American people.\n  Senator Levin has been a source of reasoned counsel for many in the\nSenate, and I know his presence will be missed. However, I also know he\nis looking forward to spending some well-earned time back in Michigan\nwith his children, grandchildren, and wife Barbara.\n\n                               Tom Harkin\n\n  Mr. President, I wish to recognize Senator Tom Harkin and his 30\nyears of Senate service.\n  When Senator Harkin retires at the end of this year, he will also\nstep down from his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Health,\nEmployment, Labor, and Pensions, a post from which he has advocated\nprogressive policies\n\n[[Page S6914]]\n\naimed at increasing opportunity for all Americans.\n  One of Senator Harkin's greatest legislative achievements is the\nAmericans with Disabilities Act, legislation that he fought for on\nbehalf of millions of disabled Americans. The ADA is truly a landmark\nlaw in this country, and Senator Harkin's decades of work on this issue\nwill never be forgotten.\n  Senator Harkin also has a strong legacy as a champion for human\nrights, which began even before his election to public office while he\nwas still a staffer on Capitol Hill. Invited to travel with a\ncongressional delegation to Vietnam in the summer of 1970, Senator\nHarkin arranged for the group to visit the Con Son prison in order to\ninvestigate allegations of human rights abuses by the South Vietnamese\nGovernment. At the prison, the delegation strayed from the official\ntour and found abused prisoners held in so-called ``tiger cages,''\nwhich Senator Harkin documented extensively with a camera. In defiance\nof some of the delegation members, Senator Harkin courageously handed\nover the pictures to Life magazine in order to better educate the\nAmerican public about U.S involvement in Vietnam.\n  I have been fortunate to witness firsthand Senator Harkin's passion\nfor U.S. leadership in human rights during our service together on the\nSenate Appropriations Committee, where he has brought heightened\nattention to the scourge of child labor and exploitation. I know this\nis one particular issue on which Senator Harkin feels his work has just\nbegun, and I look forward to hearing of his continued efforts on behalf\nof vulnerable children around the world.\n  On a more personal note, I will miss competing with Senator Harkin's\noffice for the most staff participants in the Everybody Wins! DC\nreading mentorship program, a great cause in which Senator Harkin has\nbeen involved in for the last 16 years.\n  I join my colleagues in thanking Senator Harkin for his dedicated\nservice in the Senate and wish him all the best in retirement.\n\n                               Kay Hagan\n\n  Mr. President, Senator Hagan and I came to the Senate 6 years ago\nwith a shared commitment to bipartisan problem solving reflective of\nthe independent spirit of the States we represent. I am glad to say\nthat in Senator Hagan I found not only a strong partner in policymaking\nbut also a good friend.\n  Born in Shelby, NC, Senator Hagan got her start in politics, as many\nof us do, at the State level. During 10 years in the North Carolina\nSenate, she built a reputation as a committed public servant, and that\nreputation would eventually propel her to the United States Senate.\n  In Washington, Senator Hagan has used her position on the Senate\nArmed Services Committee to support the military families stationed at\nFort Bragg, Camp Lejune, and other military installations in North\nCarolina. Thanks to her efforts, Congress passed legislation in 2012 to\nprovide health care and compensation to military families impacted by\nwater contamination at Camp Lejune. Also a member of the small business\ncommittee, Senator Hagan's private sector experience has been a\ntremendous asset to the legislative work of the committee.\n  I would like to wish the very best to Senator Hagan, who I know is\nlooking forward to the opportunity to spend more time with her family,\nespecially her grandchildren.\n\n                               Mark Udall\n\n  Mr. President, I wish to take a moment to thank my friend and\ncolleague Senator Mark Udall for his dedicated service to the people of\nColorado and our Nation.\n  As many of my colleagues are aware, long before Senator Udall was\nclimbing the steps to Capitol Hill he was hiking the mountains of\nColorado as a course director and educator with Outward Bound, an\norganization he would eventually lead as executive director. However,\nas a member of the Udall family, headed by his father Congressman\nMorris ``Mo'' Udall, who served in the House of Representatives for 30\nyears, elected office was never far from Senator Udall's mind. After 20\nyears with Outward Bound, Senator Udall left to pursue a career in\npublic service.\n  After serving a term in the Colorado State Legislature, Senator Udall\nran successfully to represent Colorado's Second Congressional District\nin the House of Representatives, a seat he held for five consecutive\nterms. When we arrived at the Senate in 2008, Senator Udall and I found\ncommon cause in our work on both the Senate Armed Services Committee\nand the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Senator\nUdall's commitment to working across the aisle to confront the\ndifficult issues facing our Nation was appreciated by many in the\nSenate, and I know his presence will be missed.\n  I wish the very best to Senator Udall and thank him for his service.\n\n                             Mary Landrieu\n\n  Mr. President, my friend from Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu has\ndevoted her entire life to public service, and today I wish to\nrecognize the extraordinary leadership and energy that she has brought\nto the Senate throughout her career.\n  Senator Landrieu has been a leader on so many issues, none more so\nthan as a passionate advocate for children around the world. I was\nproud to work with her on legislation to address the decline in\ninternational adoptions, in addition to several other bills that\nSenator Landrieu has authored to support children both in the United\nStates and in developing nations. This issue is particularly near to\nSenator Landrieu's heart, and I know I am speaking for countless\nchildren around the world when I thank her for her efforts to ensure\nall children experience the benefits of a safe and loving family.\n  I also had the pleasure of working with Senator Landrieu during her\nleadership of the Senate Small Business Committee, as well as on the\nSenate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.\n  Senator Landrieu has always fought hard for her home State of\nLouisiana, and her dedication to her constituents was made clear in the\naftermath of Hurricane Katrina. All Americans vividly recall the scenes\nof destruction caused by the storm--more than 1,800 killed and $100\nbillion in property destroyed in just days. Those who were fortunate to\nescape the storm physically unscathed were more than likely left\nhomeless, and over 80% of Senator Landrieu's hometown of New Orleans\nwas under water for weeks after Katrina made landfall.\n  After the storm Senator Landrieu immediately set to work building\nsupport for legislation to jump start the gulf coast recovery and help\nher constituents put their lives back together. Senator Landrieu nearly\nsinglehandedly pushed through critical funding and reforms to help\nLouisiana rebuild.\n  It has been an honor working with her, and I thank her for her years\nof service to the Senate and the Nation.\n\n                              Mark Begich\n\n  Mr. President, today I wish to recognize my fellow Senator from the\nclass of 2008, Senator Mark Begich of Alaska.\n  Senator Begich's career in public service began earlier than most at\nthe young age of 19, when he was hired by the Anchorage city health\ndepartment. By that time, Senator Begich was also well on his way to\nestablishing himself as an enterprising businessman and entrepreneur.\nBorn and raised in Anchorage, AK, Mark Begich would go on to serve in\nthe Anchorage Assembly where he was the youngest member ever elected,\nbefore successfully running for the post of mayor in 2003, a role in\nwhich he served until his election to the Senate.\n  Here in Washington Senator Begich has used his position as chair of\nthe commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast\nGuard, as well as his extensive knowledge of the Alaska economy, to\nadvocate for Alaska-first policies. As a Senator from a State with one\nof the highest populations of veterans per capita, Senator Begich has\nalso been a passionate defender of our Nation's military. I also have\nhad the pleasure of serving with Senator Begich on the Senate\nAppropriations Committee and have greatly appreciated his\ncontributions.\n  I would like to thank Senator Begich for his years of dedicated\nservice both to Alaska and the Nation.\n\n                               Mark Pryor\n\n  Mr. President, Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas has served the people\nof Arkansas in the Senate for the last 12 years, guided by his strong\nfaith and\n\n[[Page S6915]]\n\ndetermination to bridge the partisan divide.\n  As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Pryor has\nsuccessfully directed Federal assistance to his Arkansas constituents,\nhelping to strengthen his State's economy. As a member of the commerce\ncommittee, he prioritized bringing broadband Internet service to the\nrural parts of Arkansas. When Senator Pryor served on the Senate Armed\nServices Committee, he successfully introduced and passed legislation\nto provide tax relief for our servicemembers deployed in combat zones,\nas well as legislation to more quickly inform military families when\ntheir loved ones are injured in combat.\n  Senator Pryor has time and again proved his dedication to the State\nwhere he was born and raised, and I wish to thank him for his service\nin the Senate.\n\n                              Mike Johanns\n\n  Mr. President, over three decades as a public servant, my friend and\ncolleague Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska has proven time and time\nagain that politicians can be deeply principled while still recognizing\nthe need to find common ground on the complex and difficult choices we\nmust make as a nation. I believe this is a lesson that all former\nGovernors carry with them after holding executive office, and Senator\nJohanns and I were often able to reach an understanding on that basis.\n  Before coming to the Senate in 2009, Mike Johanns had already built a\ndistinguished record of public service as a county board member, city\ncouncil member, mayor and two term Governor of Nebraska. Senator\nJohanns also served for 3 years in the White House Cabinet as Secretary\nof Agriculture to President George W. Bush. While leading the\nDepartment of Agriculture, Senator Johanns helped U.S. agriculture\nproducers find new markets overseas, promoted expanded use of renewable\nfuels, and encouraged conservation of agricultural lands. Having played\na key role in developing the farm bill passed by Congress in 2008,\nthen-Secretary Johanns decided to return to legislating full time and\nsuccessfully ran to represent Nebraska in the Senate.\n  Senator Johanns' time in Congress is best characterized by his low-\nkey approach to the most high-profile and consequential issues of the\nday. He was one of the bipartisan Gang of 8 Senators who tackled the\nchallenge of crafting a comprehensive Federal deficit reduction plan in\n2011, and in 2013 we worked together on a bipartisan deal to reopen the\nFederal Government and avoid a default on our national debt. I was also\nvery proud to work with Senator Johanns on legislation to address the\nunacceptable trends in military sexual assault. Senator Johanns always\nbrought the work ethic he developed growing up on a Nebraska farm to\nour business in the Senate, and for that and many other reasons I very\nmuch enjoyed working with him.\n  Senator Johanns has given many years to public service, earning him\nthe right to seek a bit of a break from the spotlight, and I wish him\nall the best in his retirement.\n\n                               Carl Levin\n\n  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to\nSenator Levin as his distinguished Senate career comes to a close at\nthe end of the 113th Congress. Senator Levin has proudly represented\nthe people of Michigan in the Senate for 36 years.\n  The desire to help others has been in Senator Levin's makeup long\nbefore coming to Washington. In fact, one might say it is in his DNA.\nHe comes from a family with a distinguished record of public service. I\nserved with his brother Sander in the House of Representatives, another\ntruly distinguished Member of Congress. Their father served on the\nMichigan Corrections Commission. His uncle served as a chief judge on\nthe U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and his\ncousin was a Michigan Supreme Court Judge.\n  Given this public service pedigree, it is no surprise that he got\nstarted in politics at an early age. He was elected class President at\nDetroit's Central High School. After Swarthmore College and Harvard Law\nSchool, he served as an assistant attorney general and general counsel\nof the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. In 1969 he was elected to the\nDetroit City Council and in 1978 joined the Senate.\n  Senator Levin has served on the Armed Services Committee for as long\nas he has been in the Senate. His Armed Services Committee tenure has\nprovided him the opportunity to work with 11 Secretaries of Defense,\nhelping to ensure that our Armed Forces were ready and able to meet the\nnational security challenges facing our Nation. He has long been a\nchampion of the men and women of our military and their families. From\nvisiting deployed troops far from home, to ensuring much needed\ntraining, equipment, and pay increases, and improving the delivery of\nbenefits and services they have earned, Carl Levin has been there for\nour troops.\n  Senator Levin is also a problemsolver. In order to improve the way\nthe Pentagon buys its weapons and to get the most out of the taxpayer\ndollars the government is entrusted to spend, he has worked hard to\nimprove acquisition practices throughout his career. In this arena, he\nled the way in passing the Competition in Contracting Act and the\nWeapons System Acquisition Reform Act.\n  I was fortunate to serve on the Armed Services Committee during my\nfirst 2 years in the Senate. I have been able to observe Chairman Levin\nfirsthand as he led the committee with a steady hand in a very\nbipartisan manner. I have been proud to be part of two National Defense\nAuthorization Acts--including the one this body passed last week, which\nbears his name--which preserve our readiness and provides for the well-\nbeing of our men and women of the armed services and their families.\n  Senator Levin also chairs the Permanent Subcommittee on\nInvestigations, where he has led investigations in many critical areas,\nincluding the 2008 financial crisis, energy and food market\nspeculation, abusive offshore tax havens, and unfair practices within\nthe credit card industry. His investigations have led to many reforms\nand laws to fix these problems. In 2012, the National Journal wrote\nthat ``the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is one of the few\ninstitutions in Congress that's still working. Carl Levin is a big\nreason why.''\n  The Senate is losing one of its giants--a voice of reason, integrity,\nand fairness. Michigan's working families are losing a lifelong\nadvocate for their best interests who has really made a difference.\nCarl, thank you for your service to our country. I wish you, Barbara,\nand your entire family all the best as you move to the next chapter of\nyour journey.\n  Aloha Carl, a hui hou, ``until we meet again.''\n\n                               Tom Harkin\n\n  Mr. President, I wish to recognize the accomplishments of the\ndistinguished Senator from Iowa, Tom Harkin, who is retiring this year.\n  Senator Harkin has served in the House and Senate for nearly 40\nyears. During those 40 years he has been a consistent and inspirational\nvoice for the idea that America should be a place where everyone can\nsucceed.\n  Tom's life experiences shaped who he fought for and why. His mother\ndied when he was 10. His father never got beyond the sixth grade and\nsuffered from black lung disease. He grew up in a tiny town in Iowa. He\nsaw what the New Deal, Social Security, and Medicare did for his family\nand he saw government as a force that could lift people up and give\nthem hope.\n  Last week, during his farewell remarks to this body, he said\nsomething that the progressives among us should take to heart. He said:\n\n       `` . . . I believe government must not be just an observant\n     bystander to life. It must be a force for good, for lifting\n     people up, for giving hope to the hopeless.''\n\n  Under Tom Harkin's watch, government certainly has not been a\nbystander.\n  One of his proudest accomplishments was gaining passage of the\nAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Tom stood with people with\ndisabilities, one of the largest minorities in the United States, to\nenact historic legislation that changed the lives of millions of\npeople. I was proud to cosponsor and support the 2008 Americans with\nDisabilities Amendments Act, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan\nsupport. His commitment to creating and expanding\n\n[[Page S6916]]\n\nopportunities for those with disabilities is a hallmark of his career.\n  Senator Harkin will also be remembered for his tireless leadership as\nthe chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions\nCommittee. As chairman he worked to promote health care and education,\nfairness for workers, equal rights, and, above all, the American dream.\nHe worked to fund those priorities for years on the Appropriations\nCommittee.\n  These are some of Tom's signature issues. But equally important has\nbeen his work fighting injustice and human rights violations across the\nglobe.\n  As a young Congressional staffer he travelled to Vietnam and\nuncovered torture on Con San Island, off of Vietnam. There people were\nbeing held in ``tiger cages''--5 foot by 9 foot cells dug into the\nground where three to five people were held captive.\n  While he lost his staff job over the pictures he took, he shed light\non atrocities that too many others had either ignored or covered up.\n  Tom's values and the results he has been able to achieve have made\nhim a powerful moral and progressive voice for decades. Some of us were\ndrawn to Tom during his Presidential run in 1992. I was. As a Hawaii\nState legislator, I supported the Senator from Iowa long before I ever\nhad the privilege of serving with him in the Senate. In fact, when his\nbid for the presidency ended, some of us continued to support him,\nmaking buttons with a slogan I coined: ``Harkin for the Heck of It!''\n  Tom Harkin has done much to help build the ladders of opportunity\nthat he so firmly believes is a big part of what government should do.\nHis work inspires us to continue pushing to see that every individual\nin our country has an opportunity to improve his or her life for the\nbetter.\n  Last week in his farewell remarks, Tom noted that while he is\nretiring from the Senate, he is not retiring from ``the fight.'' He\nalso gave those of us who are still here a list of unfinished business\nto continue the fight.\n  First, we have to do more to address income inequality and restack\nthe deck so that working people have confidence that their government\nworks on their behalf. Second, we have to work on addressing climate\nchange. Third, we have to do more to give employment opportunities to\nthe disabled, and finally, we have to pass the U.N. Convention on the\nRights of Persons with Disabilities.\n  These are all big fights. But it speaks to Tom's passion for public\nservice and improving access to opportunity that in his farewell\nremarks, he would give us a list of unfinished business.\n  I will miss him in the Senate. I am confident that Tom Harkin will be\na prominent voice in American society for years to come.\n  Aloha Tom, a hui hou, or ``until we meet again.''\n\n                            Jay Rockefeller\n\n  Mr. President, I also wish to pay tribute to a man who has dedicated\nnearly 50 years to public service. That is our retiring colleague\nSenator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia.\n  Jay Rockefeller's lifetime of service was shaped by his experience as\na VISTA worker in a rural coal town in West Virginia. Jay told me that\nthis experience was life changing, coming as he did from a very\nprivileged background. Working day-to-day in that community, learning\nthe hopes and fears and anxieties of the people, and seeing their\nstruggles led to his lifelong commitment to improving the lot of\nworking people everywhere.\n  In his farewell remarks to the Senate, Senator Rockefeller said that\nthe Senate must be a ``place in which we embrace the commitment to be\ndeliberative, passionate, and unrelenting.''\n  Senator Rockefeller embodied these qualities while serving the people\nof West Virginia. He has been a deliberative, passionate, and\nunrelenting champion, especially for those whose circumstances in life\nare the hardest.\n  His work on health care has impacted Americans in every corner of the\nUnited States, from the mountains of West Virginia, to my State of\nHawaii. He was instrumental in the efforts to establish the Children's\nHealth Insurance Program, or CHIP, which provides care to more than 8\nmillion children across the Nation. More than 30,000 of those children\nwho currently receive coverage for necessary primary and preventive\nhealth care are those children in my State of Hawaii.\n  From his Medicare Drug Savings Act to his Rebuilding America's\nSchools Act, Jay Rockefeller has truly been a champion for those who\nneeded a hand up in life.\n  We are all aware of Jay's efforts to enhance our national security\nwhile also holding our Nation to the highest standards possible as a\nchairman and member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. His\ncommitment to keeping America safe is met only by his commitment to\nensure that our Nation's veterans get the care and benefits that they\nhave earned and deserve. I have been privileged to serve with Jay on\nthe Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.\n  Senator Rockefeller reminds us that to those upon whom fortune has\nsmiled, there is no greater calling than to dedicate ourselves to fight\nhard for those struggling, for those hard working, and for those who\nput us here.\n  As Senators I hope that we heed Jay's words and in the coming\nCongress we work together on a bipartisan basis to collaborate and\ncompromise on behalf of America's workers and families.\n  On a personal note, Jay and I had one of the best conversations\nrecently on the Senate floor where we discovered that we were two\npretty private people, some would even describe as introverts, who\npicked a most public of arenas, politics, to do our life's work of\nmaking a difference in the lives of those we are privileged to\nrepresent.\n  Thank you for your service, Senator Rockefeller. It has been an honor\nbeing your colleague and serving with you.\n  Aloha Jay, a hui hou, or ``until we meet again.''\n\n                              Tim Johnson\n\n  Mr. President, I wish to recognize the contributions of Senator Tim\nJohnson of South Dakota, who is retiring at the end of this year.\n  Senator Johnson has served South Dakota in the House and the Senate\nfor nearly 28 years. He was elected to the House in 1986 and was\nelected to the Senate in 1996. During those 28 years, Senator Johnson\nhas been an advocate for bipartisanship to get results in Congress. In\nfact, bipartisanship could be considered one of the campaign platforms\nthat first got him elected to Congress. As he related in his farewell\nremarks on this floor last week, when he first ran for the House of\nRepresentatives, he told the people of South Dakota that neither party\nhad all the answers, that both parties had good ideas, and that both\nparties had men and women of good will.\n  ``My job, as I understood it, would be to work in a bipartisan\nmanner, listening to all parties and reaching a good fit--also known as\ncompromise.''\n  Twenty-eight years later, it is clear that he not only understood his\njob well then, but his efforts to compromise have paid big dividends\nfor South Dakota. Over the years he has worked on a number of issues,\nfrom the farm bill, to highway funding, to flood relief and to protect\nSouth Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base.\n  No one Senator can deliver results on their own, but by working\nacross the aisle, Tim has not only done well for his constituents but\nhas gained a good reputation here in the Senate. He has served in\nleadership positions on the Senate banking committee, which he\ncurrently chairs, as well as the Senate Appropriations, Energy and\nNatural Resources, and Indian Affairs Committees. On each of these\ncommittees, Senator Johnson has championed issues that are important to\nthe people of his State but has always done so with an eye toward\nfairness--listening to all parties, promoting compromise, and doing\nwhat is right for working people across the country.\n  For these reasons, Senator Johnson is well-respected and has earned\nthe good will of the Senate. When he was faced with the challenge of a\nlifetime--a brain hemorrhage in 2006--he was supported by a Senate\ncommunity that set aside partisanship and political calculations.\nEveryone wanted to see him recover. When he returned to the Senate\nafter months of recovery, he was welcomed by the whole community. Tim\ncontinues to be a profile in courage.\n  His legacy is one of compromise and collaboration--two attributes\nthat are\n\n[[Page S6917]]\n\ncritical to the functioning of this body and two attributes which we\nwould do well to remember.\n  We will all miss Senator Johnson in the Senate. Aloha to him, his\nwife Barbara, his three children, and his six grandchildren, and a hui\nhou, ``until we meet again.''\n\n                               MARK UDALL\n\n  Mr. President, I would like to say a few words about my colleague,\nSenator Mark Udall of Colorado, who will be ending his 6-year tenure in\nthe Senate at the end of this Congress.\n  Senator Udall has served in public office for 18 years, serving in\nthe Colorado House of Representatives for 2 years before being elected\nto the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for 10 years. He\nwas elected in 2008 to the Senate.\n  For Mark, public service is a family affair. His father, Arizona\nRepresentative Mo Udall, served in Congress for 30 years. His father\nran for the U.S. Presidency. His uncle, Stewart Udall, served as\nPresident Kennedy's Secretary of the Interior. And his cousin, Tom\nUdall, serves as one of New Mexico's U.S. Senators.\n  This legacy, coupled with Mark's love of the outdoors, give him a\nunique perspective on public service. Before running for office, Mark\nworked as an educator and executive director of the Colorado Outward\nBound School. As an avid mountaineer and educator, Mark understands the\nvalue of America's open spaces, smart policies for conservation and\neconomic growth, and finding practical solutions to our shared\nchallenges.\n  Mark Udall is a champion for the environment. His efforts to support\nprogressive renewable energy policies as a State legislator and Member\nof Congress have helped Colorado become a frontrunner in clean,\nsustainable energy to prepare for a more sustainable future. He has\nalso fought hard to expand the National Park Service, saying the Earth\nis borrowed from our children, not inherited from our parents, and that\nwe must work to preserve these public lands to ensure their existence\nfor future generations.\n  I have had the privilege of serving with Mark in the House and on the\nSenate Armed Services Committee to support the men and women who defend\nour country. We have worked together to focus on making our military\nmore energy efficient and less reliant on fossil fuels.\n  Mark has climbed some of the most daunting peaks in the world. The\nkind of self-reliance and focus required to meet those kinds of\nchallenges mark his work in public service. His decency and integrity\nin fighting for the middle class, for our environment, for transparency\nin government, inspire us to continue his work.\n  It has been a privilege to serve with Mark.\n  Aloha Mark and Maggie and a hui hou, ``until we meet again.''\n\n                               kay hagan\n\n  Mr. President, I thank my colleague Kay Hagan for her service in the\nSenate. Kay has spent every day of her 6 years fighting for North\nCarolina's families.\n  Kay's father, brother, husband, and father-in-law are all veterans.\nShe has two nephews on Active Duty. Their experiences--and the stories\nof thousands of North Carolina servicemembers and veterans--have helped\nguide Kay's work on the Senate Armed Services Committee, SASC, where I\nhave been privileged to serve with her.\n  As a member of SASC, I have seen firsthand Kay's deep knowledge and\ncommitment to our servicemembers, veterans, and military families--in\nNorth Carolina and around the country. North Carolina, like Hawaii, has\na large number of servicemembers and veterans, and Kay has worked to\nmake sure our troops get the support they need while they are in harm's\nway and when they get home.\n  Making sure veterans get the benefits they have earned and are\ntreated with respect is another area where Kay has been a strong\nleader. She has worked to make sure veterans are able to transition to\ncivilian life and prepare for college and career. Whether that means\nprotecting veterans from scams or making sure colleges are serving\nveterans effectively, Kay has their back.\n  Kay also is a strong advocate for children and families. She has\nworked on reauthorizing newborn screening legislation to make sure\nillnesses are detected and treated early. Just last week she got her\nbipartisan newborn screening bill across the finish line, and it will\nsoon head to President Obama's desk.\n  On education, Kay has worked on financial literacy in middle school\nand high school and turning around the highest-need K-12 schools. She\nhas fought for minority-serving institutions and making sure job-\ntraining and college help adults earn an associate's degree or industry\ncredential as soon as possible.\n  As I was running for the Senate, I got a chance to get to know Kay,\nand upon my election, she was very helpful in showing me the ropes as a\nnew Senator. The 20 Senate women have regular bipartisan dinners where\nwe leave politics at the door, get to know each other, and relax. Kay\nis well known for her tireless work on behalf of her constituents, her\ngraciousness as a host of Super Bowl parties, and her indefatigable\npositive attitude that rubs off on the rest of us.\n  I and the Senate sisterhood will miss Kay. However, I expect that she\nwill continue the spirited advocacy on behalf of the people of North\nCarolina whatever she next undertakes.\n  Aloha Kay and a hui hou, ``until we meet again.''\n\n                              Mark Begich\n\n  Mr. President, I recognize the accomplishments of Senator Mark\nBegich, our colleague from the State of Alaska. These last 2 years, I\nhave had the privilege to work with Senator Begich on a range of\nissues--from Native Adult Education and Health Care to fishing rights--\nand I consider him a good friend. Senator Begich is not only someone\nwho is easy to work with as a reasonable, open-minded legislator, but\nis also someone who truly cares about the people of his State and\nembodies the values of the Senate.\n  In his farewell remarks last week, Senator Begich commented on the\nrelative size of his State, which, at 660,000 square miles, is more\nthan twice and three times as large as other large States such as Texas\nand California geographically.\n  That is 164 times larger than my home State of Hawaii. It also gets a\nlot colder. Despite the differences between our States, as the two non-\ncontiguous U.S. States, Hawaii and Alaska have always had a special\nbond.\n  That bond was forged by Senators Inouye and Stevens--two of the\nSenate's giants. Those two men, who were from different parties and\nvery different States, looked out for one another. They did a lot of\ngood for our States, and all who come after them have sought to emulate\ntheir example of working together and looking out for each other.\n  Mark did that for me even before I was sworn in to the U.S. Senate.\nAs many of my colleagues may know, Senator Inouye passed away just\nweeks before I was to be sworn in. At the time I would been assigned to\nthe Energy, Judiciary, and Veterans' Affairs Committees. However, with\nSenator Inouye's passing--and I have to thank our leadership here as\nwell--I asked for a seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, an\nappointment critical to Hawaii, where military activity is a vital part\nof our economy.\n  Mark Begich gave his seat up on the committee to open a slot for me.\nNot to shortchange Alaska, Mark got a seat on Appropriations. But I\nwill never forget that he recognized how important the military was to\nHawaii and how he agreed to help me out.\n  Not only was Mark reinforcing the long-lasting Hawaii-Alaska bond,\nbut it was also characteristic of Mark's desire to help-something that\nhis constituents know all too well.\n  As Senator Begich mentioned in his farewell remarks, ``Alaska is a\nvery small place in many ways. People make personal connections with\ntheir elected officials.''\n  Whether it is answering constituent letters, or helping people\nnavigate the Federal bureaucracy, Senator Begich has been there for\nAlaskans. He has also taken their concerns and made sure that everyone\nin Washington knows about them--whether it is the situation in the\nArctic, fishing, energy development, or the challenges of Alaska\nNatives. There is not a Member of this body who has not heard Senator\nBegich talk about Alaska's unique challenges.\n  As he also mentioned, most people in his State pretty much know each\nother.\n  In a State like Alaska--much like Hawaii--you can't ``go\nWashington.'' You have got to stay grounded in the day-to-day concerns\nof the unique local communities back home. Sometimes this can be tough,\nbut Mark has always\n\n[[Page S6918]]\n\nkept Alaskans first and foremost in all of his work in the Senate.\n  I have had the privilege of serving with Mark on the Senate Veterans'\nAffairs Committee, and have seen firsthand how hard he has worked on\nbehalf of Alaska's veterans. He has been tenacious in working to see\nthat Alaska's veterans and Natives have access to health care--and\ncreatively, worked to see that veterans can access the tribal health\ncare delivery system. As he has put it, if the clinics are there for\nsome, why not have them be available to all?\n  This is the kind of commonsense solution that is a hallmark of his\ntime in the Senate.\n  I will miss his good humor and his hard work. It is been a pleasure\nserving with Mark and I wish him and his family all the best in their\nnext chapter.\n  Aloha Mark and a hui hou, ``until we meet again.''\n\n                               John Walsh\n\n  Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to our colleague, Senator John\nWalsh of Montana. While his Senate career is shorter than any of us\nwould have hoped, the institution is better for his service and he will\nbe missed.\n  His road to this body is different than most anyone else. He grew up\nin Butte, MT, close enough to a copper mine that his house would shake\nwhen the dynamite went off. His dreams were modest--get an education,\nfind a job, and do some fishing.\n  But life often takes unexpected turns. He enrolled in the Montana\nNational Guard in order to pursue those modest dreams, and found a home\nin the Guard. He rose to serve as Adjutant General of the Montana\nNational Guard. In this capacity he commanded troops in Iraq in 2004\nand 2005. He earned the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit Award, and Combat\nInfantry Badge for his efforts leading over 700 young men and women.\nThis military experience is one that he carries with him in ways that\nmost of us will never know.\n  After retiring from the National Guard in 2012 he served as Montana's\nLieutenant Governor, and currently, as a Senator. He is the first Iraq\nwar combat veteran to serve in the Senate.\n  His experience growing up in a working-class family, serving in the\nmilitary, and as a public servant in elected office have made him a\nvaluable Member of this body.\n  His advocacy for Montana, and for our servicemembers and veterans,\nand his perspective on national security matters--particularly reigning\nin the National Security Agency--have been valuable to our caucus. I\nknow that he will carry these priorities forward in whatever endeavor\nhe pursues next.\n  I am proud to have to served as his colleague in the Senate. Aloha\nJohn, and a hui hou, ``until we meet again,'' to you, your wife Janet,\nand your family.\n Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I wish to celebrate and thank the\n13 outgoing Senators who have worked tirelessly to represent their home\nStates in the Senate: Senator Mark Begich, Senator Saxby Chambliss,\nSenator Tom Coburn, Senator Kay Hagan, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Mike\nJohanns, Senator Tim Johnson, Senator Mary Landrieu, Senator Carl\nLevin, Senator Mark Pryor, Senator Jay Rockefeller, Senator Mark Udall,\nand Senator John Walsh.\n  I have worked side by side with these men and women for years--some\nfor decades--and witnessed firsthand their extraordinary commitment to\npublic service and the people they so proudly represent.\n  Even when we didn't see eye to eye on every issue, I always deeply\nrespected and admired their service to our Nation and their dedication\nto fight for what they believe in.\n  It has been a privilege to serve alongside each and every one of\nthese extraordinary colleagues. I will miss their leadership and their\nfriendship, and I wish them all the best as they embark on the next\nchapter.\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-2014-12-16-pt1-PgS6912-3"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 68.1446980452165, "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"}