A resolution recognizing February 14, 2012, as the centennial of the State of Arizona.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration en bloc of the following resolutions which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 373, S. Res. 374, and S. Res. 375.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I would like to speak on one of these resolutions, S. Res. 375, about the Columbus, OH, bicentennial.

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the city of Columbus, our largest city, one of the great cities of America, the capital of the great State of Ohio. I have lived in different neighborhoods in Columbus over the last 30 years--from German Village to Berwick to the Hilltop. My grandson and his parents live in Clintonville, a great neighborhood in the north side of Columbus. Our daughter lives in the Short North, one of the most exciting places of any city in the Midwest.

For 200 years Columbus has been a hub of economic and cultural activity for the State. We talk often in Columbus about the great brain gain; how Columbus is one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest and east of the Mississippi.

Columbus started in its early days as a trading post along the Scioto River and continued as steamboats and railroads connected more people with new opportunities and new commerce. I should add that the Presiding Officer, if I am allowed to say this, once lived in the great city of Columbus. I think I am allowed to say that. He now is the very able junior Senator from Colorado.

During the Civil War, Columbus became an important location for the Union Army, and something I am more particularly proud of, the Underground Railroad. Through the turmoil of that era, President Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, which led to the creation of the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1870. In 1878 it was renamed Ohio State University.

Today, OSU is one of the Nation's premiere public universities, and there are many other institutions of higher learning in Columbus: Capital University, established much earlier than that, 1830; the Columbus College of Art and Design, established in 1879; the Pontifical College Josephinum, established in 1888; Franklin University, established in 1902; the Mount Carmel College of Nursing in 1903; Ohio Dominican University, established in 1911, the year my father was born; and the Columbus State Community College, part of the great group of community colleges who were visiting the Capitol today--many people from those colleges--established in 1963.

Columbus is home to some of the Nation's earliest schools for Americans living with disabilities. The Ohio School for the Deaf was established in 1829. Many graduates of that school have gone on to Gallaudet University located in Washington, founded during the Civil War by Abraham Lincoln, the most outstanding school of its kind in the country. The Ohio School for the Blind was established in 1837.

In 2011, the Columbus library system was named the best in the United States, the recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Columbus prospered in the post-Civil-War era through new banks, expanded railroad networks, extended streetcar service, and the city's first waterworks system. Manufacturers from horse-and-buggy manufacturers, to steel, and brewers made Columbus an important location for organized labor. The American Federation of Labor later merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations into what we know today as the

AFL-CIO. The American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus 116 years ago in 1886.

Today the legacy of advanced manufacturing continues at Ohio's cutting-edge Edison Networks, the Ohio Manufacturing Association, and Battelle. The spirit of the labor movement continues as workers of the Columbus local unions represent all types of industries and professions.

Attracted by world-class workforces and cultural outlets, leading retail corporations, health care, insurance companies, and financial institutions such as the Limited, Nationwide, Grange, Cardinal Health, and Huntington all call Columbus their home.

Columbus is a leader in cutting-edge medical research and hospital systems. We see it at the Ohio State Medical Center, the Arthur James Cancer Hospital, the Richard J. Solove Research Institute, and Nationwide Children's Hospitals. Of the top 10 Children's Hospitals in America, three of them are in Ohio consistently: Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, in addition to other great Children's Hospitals in Ohio: Mount Caramel Hospital, Riverside Community Hospital, and Grant Medical Center.

Columbus is a crown jewel of arts and culture in the Midwest. The majestic Southern Theatre, Southern Theatre and Hotel attracted world- class performances for more than 100 years. The Southern Hotel was one of President Theodore Roosevelt's favorite stops as he traveled through the Midwest.

The Short North is the epicenter of the burgeoning art scene, home to galleries, parks, and restaurants such as Betty's, the Happy Greek, Jeni's Ice Cream, and the North Market that attract an incredible number of young people with energy and commitment to that city.

It hosts some of the Midwest's largest concerts, fairs, and festivals ranging from ComFest to the Pride Festival. Columbus is also home to the Midwest's largest Fourth of July festival and the very famous Ohio State Fair.

Mayor Coleman and the Columbus Partnership, which is much more than just business organizations, are doing a tremendous job promoting economic development from the South Campus Gateway to the Short North, to the Scioto riverfront and the German Village.

Like Ohioans across the State, our people have long served those who serve us. One of the first Veterans of Foreign Wars chapters in the country was founded in Columbus in 1899.

Aside from the Buckeyes of Ohio State, Columbus is home to professional sports teams, including the Columbus Clippers, the Columbus Crew, and the Blue Jackets.

This year, Columbus will commence a year-long bicentennial celebration, with the theme ``Honoring the Past. Celebrate the Present. Envision the Future.'' In doing so, it will celebrate the economic, cultural, educational, and artistic contributions of the people of Columbus to our great State and Nation.

On behalf of the Senate, with unanimous consent, I wish all the citizens of Columbus a happy 200th anniversary.