A resolution honoring women's health advocate Cynthia Boles Dailard.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at 11:30 a.m. to mark up an original bill entitled ``Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing

during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The purpose of the hearing is to evaluate the present and future of public safety communications.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on issues relating to labor, immigration, law enforcement, and economic conditions in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at 9:15 a.m. to hold a hearing on the fiscal year 2008 budget request for international affairs.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 8, 2007 at 10 a.m. in SH-216.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a business meeting to consider pending legislative business, to be followed immediately by an oversight hearing on diabetes in Indian Country, with particular focus on the Special Diabetes Program for Indians.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at 10 a.m. in Dirksen Room 226.

Agenda

I. Nominations

Norman Randy Smith, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Marcia Morales Howard, to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Florida; John Alfred Jarvey, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa.

II. Bills

S. 188, To revise the short title of the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, Salazar;

S. 214, To amend chapter 35 of title 28, To Preserve the Independence of U.S. Attorneys, Feinstein;

S. 316, The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act, Kohl, Grassley, Leahy, Schumer, Feingold; S. 236, The Federal Agency Data Mining Reporting Act of 2007, Feingold, Sununu, Leahy, Akaka, Kennedy.

III. Resolutions

S. Res. 23, National School Counseling Week, Murray;

S. Res. 36, Honoring women's health advocate Cynthia Doles Dailard, Snowe;

S. Res. 37, Designating March 26, 2007 as National Support the Troops Day, Stabenow;

S. Con. Res. 5, Honoring the life of Percy Lavon Julian, a pioneer in the field of organic chemistry and the first and only African-American chemist to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences, Obama.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 8, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I rise today to submit a Senate resolution honoring an exceptional women's health advocate, Cynthia Boles Dailard, who tragically passed away on December 24, 2006.

Cynthia was an extraordinary person and a consummate professional who was passionately committed to the issues she believed in to the everlasting benefit of those who were helped by her enormous dedication. Her zest for living and the spark she carried within her inspired the same in others, especially with respect to improving the lives of America's women.

As a United States Senator from Maine, I was immensely pleased to have Cynthia work for me as a legislative aide for issues of particular importance to women. As one of only sixteen females in the Senate currently--and even fewer in the past--one of my major goals has always been ensuring that matters critical to girls and women are represented and addressed in our government. And Cynthia's family should be incredibly proud that, in that regard--and as I began my very first years in the Senate--I couldn't have asked for a better partner with the keen intelligence, vision, energy, and talent she brought to my office. I was extremely grateful to have the benefit of her service to the country and her wide-ranging expertise and acumen--and no one was more committed to the goal of advancing policy pertaining to America's women than Cynthia Dailard.

In developing groundbreaking initiatives, she not only served me well, but most critically she served the Nation well with her unfailing dedication to efforts that will reverberate for generations. As such, she was invaluable to me as she helped champion the campaign to improve the quality of life of those in my State and across the country.

But above all in her work, Cynthia was effective as an advocate because she was engaged in causes that were a true labor of love. She adhered to those beliefs that motivated her to action, and as a result she made a tremendous difference. She stood as a testament to the ideal of finding a passion and following it--to the fulfillment of oneself and the betterment of all. She also exemplified an intellectual curiosity and a steadfast devotion to learning, for their own sake as well as instruments for improving the greater community--traits that are instructive to us all.

All of us who were touched by Cynthia's life are greatly saddened-- she will be forever missed but always remembered and we will hold dear in perpetuity the countless and timeless memories of her. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband, Scott, and their daughters, Miranda and Julia.

I rise today to join my good friend Senator Snowe in introducing a resolution recognizing the life and untimely loss of a distinguished women's advocate and beloved friend to so many in New York, Washington and beyond: Cynthia Boles Dailard. A native New Yorker, Cynthia will be remembered not only for her incredible work and impressive career, but also for the way she touched so many in her all too short life.

Throughout her career, Cynthia impressed and inspired countless colleagues at the National Women's Law Center, as a legislative assistant and counsel for Senator Snowe and as an associate director for domestic policy in the Clinton Administration. She was known for working in a bipartisan manner to promote her passion: the health and wellbeing of women and their families. This passion was matched by a genuine concern for the lives of others.

Cynthia then moved to the Guttmacher Institute, where her passionate and talented voice catalyzed research and policy regarding family planning, adolescent sexual behavior and insurance coverage for contraception. In remembering Cynthia, her friends at the Institute noted how her prolific writings pushed the women's health community ``to think deeply and to stretch in new directions.'' Indeed, it is the sort of innovative work that Cynthia was known for that impacts lives the most, as it spurs policy that can truly make a difference.

As we reflect upon Cynthia's life, we can see a path paved with far more than laudatory academic and professional achievement. Cynthia's legacy is one of commitment, thoughtfulness, character and kindness.

I remain touched by the myriad of ways Cynthia made a difference in people's lives as a wife and a mother, as a lawyer and a writer, and as an advocate and a friend.

I had the pleasure of working with Cynthia on numerous occasions and was always impressed with her intellect, knowledge and passion for women's health.

I extend my deepest sympathies to Cynthia's husband of 14 years, Scott and her daughters Miranda and Julia. And it is with the utmost respect that I pledge to celebrate Cynthia's work and her life through this resolution to honor her memory and through my work in the future to honor the health

and wellbeing of women across America and throughout the world.