May 20, 2002 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4551 course it is the case. It is just that resentatives. I was impressed then by States with thousands and millions of there is a barrelful of politics and a his knowledge of the issues and his people in them; what difference can teaspoonful of policy in these pro- dedication to the public well-being. one person make. He has certainly nouncements we have heard this morn- He has served in the Senate since 1989 shown that one person can make a dif- ing. where he has continued to be a strong ference. When he announced almost a My hope is just as the Senate has ex- advocate for dairy farmers and other year ago, on May 24, that he would no pressed itself with 70 percent of the Vermonters but also someone from longer be a Republican, he made a dif- Senate, saying that what we ought to whom people in Nevada have benefited ference. For months after, the impact do with Cuba is what we do with China because of his legislative record. He of Senator JEFFORDS’ switch was de- and Vietnam: Open up that market. does not focus only on issues dealing fined for many of us by a changed Sen- The quickest way to get rid of Fidel with Vermont, even though these ate agenda, changed chairmanships, Castro, in my judgment, and move to issues come first. He has been a cham- and a return to divided government, democratic reforms is for Americans to pion of disabled Americans, an out- some said. travel in Cuba, for Americans to trade spoken proponent of international en- But it wasn’t until about 4 months with Cuba, and that replacing the pol- vironmental protection. He is a person later that we fully appreciated the im- icy of failure for 40 years makes much who has dealt heavily in education. port of what Senator JEFFORDS really more sense for this country. While serving as chairman of the did. When the attacks of September 11 Madam President, I yield the floor Health, Education, Labor, and Pen- shook our Nation, the service he did for and suggest the absence of a quorum. sions Committee, Senator JEFFORDS our country became very clear. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- developed a lot of legislation. Just days after the attacks, Con- pore. The clerk will call the roll. One bill I would like to pinpoint is a gress, Democrats and Republicans, The legislative clerk proceeded to bill to allow the importation of pre- came together to craft an unprece- call the roll. scription drugs from other countries in dented response to the terrorist act Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask an attempt to help make medicine and threats. Together we approved $40 unanimous consent the order for the more affordable to Americans. His bill billion in aid to New York and Virginia quorum call be rescinded. passed overwhelmingly in July of 2000 to recover and to help protect the Na- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- and was ultimately signed into law. tion from future threats. Roughly 1 pore. Without objection, it is so or- He has also proposed a ‘‘DrugGap’’ month after that, we enacted sweeping dered. program to help low-income Medicare antiterrorism legislation to improve f recipients get prescription drug cov- law enforcement to respond to terrorist erage. He has worked to double funding threats. That was led by Senator PAT TRIBUTE TO SENATOR JIM for the Ryan White CARE Act. LEAHY, chairman of the Judiciary Com- JEFFORDS Senator JEFFORDS has been a leading mittee. Mr. REID. Madam President, I come supporter of funding for services for Both of these measures—these are to the floor today to pay tribute to my the developmentally disabled and as- two of many—were incredibly impor- friend and my colleague, JIM JEFFORDS. sisting disabled workers. He has been a tant. We passed them swiftly in re- Although he made news and history key cosponsor of hate crimes legisla- sponse to a national emergency. Be- last year—and it will be widely dis- tion and antidiscrimination legisla- cause of what Senator JEFFORDS did, cussed again this week because, of tion. these measures were balanced and re- course, it is the anniversary of his He is now chairman of the Environ- flected the will of all Americans, not changing political parties—JIM JEF- ment and Public Works Committee. just the will of this administration. FORDS really prefers to be outside the There his work has been exemplary. He There was a check; there was a bal- limelight, though he has been in the has always been a defender of the envi- ance. That is all because of JIM JEF- limelight this past year. As a result, ronment. I have been either chairman FORDS. We afforded the President the few people knew much about him be- or ranking member for the Energy and power to respond to a national crisis, fore a year ago, despite his many ac- Water Subcommittee of Appropriations preserved important checks on his au- complishments in Congress and con- for a number of years. No matter what thority and important protections for tributions to our country during this we did dealing with renewables, we the civil liberties that make America remarkable career he has had in public thought we had done a lot; JIM JEF- great. service. FORDS wanted more. He always kept us Every Senator has a list of issues JIM JEFFORDS grew up in Vermont on our toes. We had to come forward they consider important which were af- where the Jeffords family first settled with something that would show we fected by JIM JEFFORDS’ principled and during the 1700s. were doing more than the normal for courageous decision last May. From After graduating from Yale Univer- renewable energy. He was visionary, as protecting national treasures such as sity, he served in the Navy, on active indicated by the energy bill we just the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, duty for 4 years, from 1956 to 1959. He passed. ANWR as it is known, to preserving the later served in the Naval Reserve, re- He has been a defender of the envi- balance on the Federal judiciary, pro- tiring as a captain in 1990. ronment. He has fought against the viding a voice for the unemployed, Senator JEFFORDS’ late father was a Bush administration to roll back pro- campaign finance reform—we could not distinguished attorney who served as tections. Some that come to mind are have done it without him—preserving chief justice of the Vermont Supreme arsenic, allowing toxic levels of arsenic Social Security, he has allowed us to Court. No doubt this influenced Sen- to be in the water, he has fought that. have a platform to talk about the fact ator JEFFORDS’ decision to study law. He, of course, has fought, along with that we did have a $4.7 trillion surplus After graduating from Harvard Law Senator BOXER, to make sure that chil- 10 years ago. We don’t now. We are now School, he returned to Vermont to dren are tested for lead poisoning; that spending Social Security surpluses. practice. This very quiet, soft-spoken the water is tested that children drink. Election reform, Medicare, education, man is a person who has a tremendous He has called on President Bush to he has allowed us to have a voice on education: Yale undergraduate degree, honor America’s commitment to re- these issues and not simply ram them Harvard Law School degree. duce greenhouse gas emissions to in- down the throats of the Senate. Within a few years after returning to clude carbon dioxide in laws addressing For me, his greatest contribution Vermont to practice law, he was elect- air quality and aggressively enforce was in preserving the essence of democ- ed to the Vermont State Senate and laws against polluters. racy, debate, consensus, and represen- then the attorney generalship of that Clearly, JIM JEFFORDS has dem- tation during an unprecedented na- State. From 1975 to 1988, he represented onstrated to me and, of course, to the tional crisis. the Green Mountain State in the House people of Nevada that one person can JIM JEFFORDS is my friend. More of Representatives. That is where I make a difference. If we ever think than my friend, he is someone I will al- first met him. I had the opportunity to what can one person do, it is a huge ways look to for inspiration, knowing serve with him in the House of Rep- world, a big country, we come from that one person, one of us, and anyone VerDate Mar 15 2010 20:48 Jan 09, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2002SENATE\S20MY2.REC S20MY2 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S4552 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 20, 2002 within the sound of my voice, can has not taken steps to support the United AMENDMENT NO. 3431 make a difference. It was a difficult de- States efforts to combat terrorism from re- (Purpose: To require the Secretary of Labor cision he made. He did it on a matter of ceiving certain trade benefits. to establish a trade adjustment assistance principle. People may not agree with Dorgan amendment No. 3442 (to amend- program for certain service workers, and ment No. 3401), to require the United States for other purposes) what he deems as principled, but he did Trade Representative to identify effective it because it was the right thing to do. On page 31, between lines 20 and 21, insert trade remedies to address the unfair trade the following: That is the story of JIM JEFFORDS’ life, practices of the Canadian Wheat Board.