Floor Statements

Mr. President, today, I am honored to recognize in the Record Mr. Robert M. Williams, Jr., who recently retired after almost half a century as editor and publisher of the Blackshear Times in Blackshear, GA.

While he may be a small-town newspaperman, Robert Williams is known throughout south Georgia and across much of our State because of his work ethic, his devotion to the printed word, and his dedication to the newspaper business and what it means to a community. For more than 48 years, Robert has worked to be accurate, fair, and to provide his readers with the news that affects them and the community they all cherish. He has personally written more than 2,000 columns during his career.

It is worth mentioning that the newspaper's motto, printed at the top of the front page of the printed publication and online, is one Robert has also claimed as his own: ``Liked by Many, Cussed by Some, Read by Them All.'' With the weekly newspaper also turning 150 years this year under Robert's leadership, both have long been widely read.

At Just 20 years old, Robert began his career at the Blackshear Times after coming down to the community from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. He was brought in by two legendary Georgians themselves, Roy Chalker, Sr., and Wilkes Williams of Waynesboro, to turn their investment around. Turn it around he did, settling well into the community at the same time. A short 5 years later, Robert purchased the Blackshear Times. Under Robert's leadership during the last 48 years, the newspaper has won hundreds of awards in a variety of categories.

Robert and his wife Cheryl have both loyally and successfully served not only this publication, but the newspaper industry as a whole. The Blackshear Times is one of five newspapers that Robert and Cheryl have owned as part of their SouthFire Newspapers organization, which also includes the Alma Times, the Charlton County Herald, the Telfair Enterprise, and the Monroe County Reporter in Georgia. Robert and Cheryl have both served as president of the Georgia Press Association, our State's newspaper industry advocacy organization. Robert was also president of the 2,300-member National Newspaper Association in 2014, serving nationally as the voice of small-town newspapers.

Locally, Robert Williams served two terms on the Blackshear City Council and served as executive director of both the Pierce County Industrial Development Authority and the Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. Robert is also a graduate of the Leadership Georgia program, an organization we both hold dear and that has guided our service to the State. Robert has found countless ways to give back. Whether it was as a member of the Georgia Agriculture Exposition Authority that governs the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry or the local college foundation board, Robert and Cheryl have made an impact well beyond Blackshear both professionally and personally.

Last week, Robert announced the sale of the Blackshear Times, bidding farewell after one of the longest editorial tenures in Georgia. With his final column as editor and publisher, Robert was incredibly gracious, thanking his colleagues, employees, mentors, and the fine bankers who gave him those first loans.

I speak for all Georgians when I say thank you to Robert and Cheryl for the difference you have made in our State. I count myself lucky to call you a friend, and Dianne and I wish you both the very best as you plan your future.

Madam President, today, I am honored to recognize in the Record the life of James A. 'Bud'' Cody, who selflessly served Georgians for decades and recently passed away in Ocean Springs, MS.

Bud Cody was born in Willachoochee, GA., on November 27, 1938. From an early age, he loved being active, finding friends, and making a difference. He played on the legendary Valdosta High School football team under his mentor, Coach Wright Bazemore. He was part of the State winning 4x4 track relay team.

Bud started his career at a young age, working full time at the Boys Club in Valdosta, GA, at the age of 18. He attended college at night over the next several years while helping his wife care for their children.

After graduating and establishing Boys Club facilities from Louisiana to Texas, Bud was hired by the Georgia Sheriffs' Association as their first executive director and returned home to Georgia in 1966. His career with the sheriffs' association also included his becoming director of the Georgia Sheriffs' Youth Homes located at the Boys Ranch in Hahira, GA. Bud continued to serve in these roles for the next 46 years. As executive director, he also assumed control of the Sheriffs' Retirement Fund of Georgia, leading the organization's assets from $9 million in 1982 to more than $97 million to take care of Georgia's retired sheriffs.

Bud retired in September 2012 with many lasting accomplishments thanks to his principled leadership and values. He expanded the Georgia Sheriffs' Youth Homes to provide a safe haven and education opportunities for thousands of Georgia's abused, abandoned, and neglected children. He also led the initiative to establish the Georgia Sheriffs' Youth Homes Foundation, which provides ongoing funds for its youth homes.

Our public safety officers also have Bud to thank for the excellent training they receive to help keep them safe while protecting Georgians. Bud believed that every officer should receive the best training possible, so he helped found the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, GA, working with State leaders, criminal justice practitioners, and sheriffs to establish a world-class public safety training facility that trains more than 2,000 students daily. Over the course of his career, nine Georgia Governors routinely sought his advice and counsel.

Bud's reach went beyond Georgia, too. He helped establish the National Sheriff's Association Committee of Presidents and Executive Directors in 1980 to ensure the office of sheriff had a professional code and standards.

Bud joined his friend and business partner Claude Grizzard to form the company CFR. In all, they provided assistance to more than 30 States from New York to Texas to California, raising tens of millions of dollars for the purpose of helping officers and youth homes nationwide. If you ever see a car tag from a State sheriff's association, this is thanks to the efforts of Bud and Claude.

Bud was beloved by his family. He was preceded in life by his father, Homer Cody, mother, Mellie Cody, and daughter, Celena Cody, and survived by his children, James A. ``Buddy'' Cody, Jr., Derek Marchman, daughter-in-law Kel Marchman, Camille Hormell, son-in-law Rodger Hormell, and Amy Asbell. His grandchildren include Wesley Leverett, Sara Cody, Laura Cody, Bryan Cronan, Austin Hormell, Quaid Hormell, Cody Kitchens, Seth Kitchens, Sara Marchman, Jamie Cody, Maggie Cody, and Wyatt Asbell. Great-grandchildren include Abigail Kitchens, Maddox Kitchens, Lucas Kitchens, and Grayson Kitchens.

Most fittingly, a public memorial will be held at the Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, GA, on July 13 before his ashes are spread by his family on his beloved St. Simons Island. As we remember the life and work of Bud Cody, we send prayers to his family and all those whose lives were touched by his mission.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor BG Douglas Anderson, who has distinguished himself during his more than 37 years of service to the U.S. Army and this Nation. Throughout the duration of his career, Brigadier General Anderson has served in positions of increased responsibility and trust, culminating as the commanding general of the 9th Mission Support Command at Fort Shafter, HI.

As the commanding general of the 9th Mission Support Command in the Pacific, Brigadier General Anderson has commanded the missions of 31 diverse units, encompassing more than 3,400 soldiers and civilians in three countries, five States and Territories, and crossing seven time zones. In this role, he rapidly increased the organization's readiness level to the highest levels the organization had seen in decades.

During his tenure, Brigadier General Anderson served in leadership, staff, and command assignments in light, ranger, airborne, and mechanized infantry units; commanded a Logistics Support Battalion; was the senior adviser to an Infantry Brigade of the Iraqi Army; the division director of human resources; commanded a personnel services brigade; was the director of the 80th Training; Command Operations/ Planning/Training; commanded the 97th Training Brigade; commanded the Great Lakes Training Division; served as the deputy commanding general for the 63rd Regional Support Command; and was the director of the Army Reserve Engagement Cell, and deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Army Pacific. He has also served in numerous joint and overseas deployments and assignments in Iraq and Republic of Korea.

Brigadier General Anderson was commissioned in May 1988 as a distinguished military graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Washington State University. He is a graduate of numerous military courses, including Infantry Officer Basic Course, Armor Officer Advanced Course, Engineer Officer Advanced Course (Tactics), U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, U.S. Army War College, Advanced Joint Professional Military Education Course, Canadian Security Studies Program, and United Nations Senior Mission Leader's Course. He is an Army joint planner and joint qualified officer.

Brigadier General Anderson holds a bachelor's degree in political science and public administration, a master's degree in human resources management, and a master's degree in strategic studies.

Brigadier General Anderson's leadership provided direct and tangible benefits to the Army, government and contracted civilians, citizen soldiers, and their family members. His outstanding service and contributions, coupled with a tireless devotion to duty, a strong love for this country and the soldiers and civilians who protect it, will have an enduring impact.

Brigadier General Anderson is married and has three children. He calls Atlanta, GA, home. Our Nation thanks him and his family for their dedicated service.

Mr. President, just for the record, a staff sergeant just addressed a lieutenant colonel. She is beautiful, and she is also very smart. I am glad to be in the military with her. I am glad to have served our country and proud of the service she has given our country and the service she gives to the U.S. Senate and the great State of Iowa.

As chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have had a great experience the last few years pretty much lined up with what Senator Ernst said.

When we got here 4 years ago in the Senate and took this committee, the VA was a mess. Veterans services were not being met. There was story after story after story of veterans not getting appointments kept, the wrong tooth being pulled, the wrong leg being set, the wrong disease being treated. Lots of hospitals had sanitation problems. There were just a whole lot of things, and I said ``What have I gotten myself into?'' because I came here to go on the committee and try to help our veterans get better healthcare. Instead, I thought I was presiding over the end of healthcare.

So we all set our minds--Senator Ernst and I, Senator Perdue in the Chair now, and Mr. Scott from the great State of Florida--all of us rallied and said: We are going to make this right. We are going to go on a mission. Our mission is to make the VA work and make it work for our veterans. We are not going to take no for an answer.

On the 6th day of June, a week and a half ago, we all celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-day. But it was the first anniversary of a renewed VA--a VA on a mission. I am proud to tell you now that on the first anniversary of the VA MISSION Act, which passed last year, we have fewer complaints, more compliments, better reserve, and better outcomes. We are working toward seeing to it that we have the best possible healthcare we can have for our veterans.

I am glad to join Senator Ernst and the other Senators who will speak about the promises of the VA system now being met for those who have sacrificed and risked their lives for us, being sure they are given the healthcare they want. We are doing it by applying the right types of principles and the right type of can-do attitude.

Care in the community, which is a major portion of the MISSION Act, was the most important part. Care in the community is basically all of the services we put together to make healthcare accessible to our veterans. We were having a problem with veterans getting appointments within 30 days of making the appointment. We were having trouble with veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA hospital or VA CBOC to get appointments in time in the system. We have had problems with certain rare diseases and difficult problems only from the types of warfare we are in today with IEDs and things like that to get the right doctors with the right veterans at the right time.

Then, we had the problem of America being a country spread out all over the place, 48 contiguous States from Montana to Florida. A lot of doctors have to be utilized to get care to the veteran. It is the same thing with Hawaii, the same thing with Alaska.

But we put the whole thing together in a care in the community package, which started during last year and now is in full swing, and I am proud to tell you--and I am sure I am going to regret saying this-- but we didn't have a complaint in the first week after the inception last year about the system failing to work.

The access standards have been looked at and improved. We took the mistakes we made a year ago and put the answers in place, solutions in place. We did everything we could to make our mission a winner for the veterans, and we did. I am here today to join my other colleagues who are going to speak about the MISSION Act and about our veterans. We are very proud that we took the challenge to see to it that something we had promised them years ago--our vets--works and worked better for them, and we will continue to keep that pledge in the years to come.

We owe no greater obligation than we do to those who served our country in the military. Our obligation is to see to it that what we promised them when they joined is what they get when they are in the veteran status. As long as I have the ability to serve in the U.S. Senate and as chairman of that committee, I will remain committed and remain on a mission to see to it that we make that a reality for all of our veterans.

With that said, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I am delighted to join Senator Tester on the floor as ranking member of the Veterans' Committee, and he and I as chairman have worked together on many, many issues. And today, we are glad to come to the floor and tell the Senate how much we appreciate what they did last night in letting the unanimous consent motion pass to see to it that the blue water Navy legislation that we worked on for so many years became effective.

I could take a long time explaining it, but basically it is very simple. Those who served in Vietnam and represented our country on the battlefields and at sea have been divided on the benefits they got for their service. Blue water Navy folks did not get service because it was not contemplated that they would have Agent Orange exposure by being on a ship, whereas our veterans who were on the ground got benefits because they were on the ground, and it was assumed that they did get exposure to Agent Orange.

The fact of the matter is, sailors on the ships could have been exposed to Agent Orange. So the veterans on our ships were really as equal in their opportunity to have gotten exposed to Agent Orange, so they should be equally open to getting the benefit.

Because of Senator Tester's work, the testament and work of every member, the committee--I can't name anybody who didn't work on it at one time or another. Some negative, some positively--but all positive in the end because we were unanimous.

We passed blue water Navy and put to bed issues that affected our veterans for a number of years.

I just want to thank Senator Tester immensely for his efforts, particularly in the end of last year we had a real battle to get it passed. We thought we had it passed, but we didn't at the last minute. It ended up in court and finally got a judge to rule our way and the veterans' way, and yesterday the Senate--by unanimously adopting the House bill which passed a month ago, the Blue Water Navy benefits are now available.

So I want to thank Senator Tester, Senator Blumenthal on the other side, Senator Murray just did a great job. On our side, Senator Boozman did a great job. The ranking member on our side who is sitting next to me, Senator Moran, did a great job.

Importantly, I want to talk about the staff for just a minute. Adam Reece is our new executive director of my staff. He has just done a great job to get this through.

From my staff, Amanda Maddox has worked hard to make it happen. Annabell McWherter, Jillian Workman, and Pat McGuigan did extraordinary work to see to it we got this done at the last minute and got it through.

So, on behalf of all the staff--for all the staff, minority and majority--on behalf of our veterans who risked their lives every day and a day or two after D-day when I happened to be with the President at Normandy to see the reenactment of that jump, it warms my heart to know that the Senate today is memorializing benefits that were intended a long time ago to go to those veterans who now will get it.

I thank everybody who worked on it, and I am encouraged by the positive vote.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, it is said that the quickest route to a man's heart is through his stomach. I tried to prove that today at lunch when I supplied barbecue for all the Members of the Senate, Republican and Democratic.

For the 11th year in a row, I have done that, and I have done it for a very specific reason. Tonight, when you listen to the news on ABC or NBC or you read the newspaper, they will talk about a do-nothing Congress, and they will talk about how we never do anything and we don't get along and how we don't work, when, in fact, I know, because I have been here a long time, we work pretty hard. Now, we have a difficult time getting results sometimes, but that is because the issues are tough.

When you feed a man barbecue, and you have a tough issue to handle, you have a chance of getting it done, and tonight we did that.

All but three Members of the Senate were there, stayed the whole time, and the barbecue was outstanding. I want to pay tribute to the people from Marietta, GA, my hometown, who drove here for 2 nights and then cooked all night last night so the barbecue was absolutely fresh today when the Senate had it.

Dale Thornton is here, and Dale and his wife Tracey have a catering business called the South 40 Smokehouse in Marietta, GA. If you have ever eaten good barbecue that has the best rub, the best smoke, best tenderness, best temperature, South 40 has it. They are fantastic.

Dale has been a good friend of mine for a time and was here last year, here this year, and has been here many years before, and all I have had all day long is people coming by and saying: Is there anything I can do for you? So I want my constituents to know I wasn't wasting my time eating barbecue. I was gaining good points from my Members so if I need a vote I can get it. That is not any way of using influence, but it is a way of using barbecue.

I want to thank Dale and his group, and I want to recognize all of them by name because I think they are listening at this time: Dale Thornton, who is the chief pitmaster; Tracey Thornton, who is his chief, I might add, but she is the chief and brains of the organization; Charles Wells, retired Fulton County Fire Department; Chief Todd Houghton, pitmaster and Air Force flight mechanic; Margaret Houghton; Brian Rule, pitmaster; Jay Tinney, pressmaster; Chuck Taylor, a 35-year chef; Jeff Carson, 20-year veteran chef; Kell Phelps, pitmaster; Janet Phelps; and Raylyn Phelps, the daughter.

They drove up here from Marietta, GA, about 700 miles away, to prepare the best food you ever had to eat. Republicans and Democrats shared eating it all. We didn't have to do the dishes. So we ate all the food. We did it so we can take the last half of this year and work hard for the American people, and I hope a byproduct is our working together to find solutions for the American people's problems. After all, our job is not about who has the best food but who has the best ideas and what is right for the American people, and you can always find that when you are working together.

I appreciate the time to recognize everybody from South 40. I thank South 40 for what they did. I thank you all for the barbecue. God bless all of you, and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, today I am proud to recognize in the Record the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs, OCLA, Christopher E. O'Connor, in honor of his upcoming retirement. Mr. O'Connor recently received the VA's Exceptional Service Award for his long record of service to our Nation's veterans.

Mr. O'Connor has advised four VA Secretaries, four acting VA Secretaries, and their legislative teams as

they have worked with Congress to make a stronger and more effective department for America's veterans. He has provided continuity in the Department's communication with Congress during the shift of executive administrations.

Most recently, Mr. O'Connor worked with our committee on the VA MISSION Act, which is a major reform in veterans' healthcare. He also helped inform Members of Congress about the need to modernize the department's antiquated electronic health records system, and he played a key role as the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act made its way through Congress.

Under his leadership, Mr. O'Connor and his team prepared VA's senior leaders to successfully participate in more than 400 congressional hearings. Their office also coordinated thousands of informational briefings to Members of Congress, committee staff, and personal staff that advanced VA's message and priorities.

Upon his upcoming retirement, Mr. O'Connor leaves the Department with an important legacy. In 2017, Mr. O'Connor spearheaded the Congressional Fellowship Program, which places VA employees in a yearlong fellowship position in the office of a Member of Congress.

Today, I am honored to pay tribute to Mr. O'Connor for his service to our country and his steadfast commitment to advocating on behalf of veterans throughout his career. Congratulations to Mr. O'Connor on his lasting legacy of advocacy for veterans, and I wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. President, today, I am honored to recognize in the Record Mr. Tom Lewis of Atlanta, GA, the senior adviser to the president of Georgia State University. Tom has announced he will retire in June after 28 years of service to the school.

Tom Lewis has built a strong legacy in our State and Federal Government, as well as in higher education. Early on, he learned the value of public service from his parents, Eleanor and Carlton Lewis. While he was a student at Georgia Southern University, he spent time here in the Senate as an intern for the venerable Senator Richard B. Russell of Georgia. Upon his graduation from the university, he worked on the campaign of then-Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter of Plains, GA, who was subsequently elected to the office of U.S. President.

Next, Tom set out to make a difference in our State government as executive director of the Georgia Franchise Practices Commission from 1974 to 1978. Later, while he was executive vice president of the Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, Tom met and befriended State legislator Joe Frank Harris of Cartersville, GA, and his wife Elizabeth. That friendship turned into a trusted bond, and when Joe Frank Harris set out to become Governor of Georgia, Tom joined his campaign as an adviser and served in several roles in Harris's administration, including as chief of staff from 1986 to 1991.

I got to know Tom while I was also serving in the Georgia General Assembly, and he was always someone who you could count on and trust. When he went on to Georgia State University, he left his mark there, advancing the school's interests, creating new opportunities, and helping Georgia State University grow in the early years and then absolutely take off. The Washington Post has called Georgia State University a ``hotbed of growth and innovation.'' This and many of its other well-earned accolades are due not only to a serious and active student body, but also thanks to the long-term planning and constant efforts of great leaders like Tom Lewis.

In addition to his accomplishments spanning decades and touching countless lives, Tom and his wife Patty are the parents of three children, Wes, Ellen, and Shannon. His five grandchildren, Wesley Claire, Leighton, Will, Nate, and Jacks will surely benefit from Tom's retirement. I have a strong suspicion that his home community of Cartersville, GA, will benefit from the additional time he is able to spend in town, too.

As Tom and Patty prepare for this new chapter, I wish them and their families all the best. I offer my deepest gratitude for their friendship and work on behalf of our State.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, we are called upon many times to do many things in this Chamber, and in 21 years I have been called to do a lot of different things, but today may be the most different of all.

In a way, it is something that is a joy to do. It is about a place in Bartow County, GA, in White, GA, a small rural town that is being caught by the urban growth of the city of Atlanta, one of the biggest cities in the United States of America. White, GA, is a great town. The first Sunday of every month, there is a breakfast at 7 a.m. for the guys in town, where we all go and talk politics, talk about the future of the county, talk about what is happening, share good and bad ideas, tell jokes for the week, and come back a month later to see how things are going. It is something I relish doing. It is something I started doing because I am a politician. You go where two or more are gathered, and you go to talk to them and to try to get them to know you and to make sure they know you are on the ballot the next time.

I have been in politics a long time--41 years. I have learned a lot of things. I have learned that in politics the best thing to know is your next-door neighbor and people. The best thing for them to know is to know you.

But I also learned some interesting things about our economy and about business. The No. 2 producer of revenue to our governments around the country is revenue off of tourism. Tourism is the No. 2 industry in the country in terms of revenue at the local level--for sales and use taxes, for bed taxes, for hotel-motel taxes, for entertainment taxes, and for all kinds of taxes. They generate money to help our cities and counties buy and build facilities that attract tourism to come in the future, whether it is convocation centers, educational centers, or whatever.

I am always paying close attention everywhere I go to see what somebody new is doing around the country that we might not have done in Georgia before. But I have been sitting on a ham sandwich, starving to death, because every first Sunday of every month, when I go to the breakfast in White County, GA, I am going to something that is exactly that, unique to the country. So I thought I would bring it to the floor of the Senate today and tell you a little bit about it.

It is about a guy named Dean Lewis and Dean's family's home place.

Dean's family's home place is in Bartow County, GA. Dean grew up on a piece of property that in 2009 was a junkyard. It was just a junkyard of old cars--in fact, 40 years' worth of old cars. There was kudzu. I don't know if the Presiding Officer knows what kudzu is. The South is full of it. It was a great idea to stop erosion, but it was a horrible idea because you can't kill it. It just gets bigger and bigger. We have 40 years' worth of kudzu that has grown through these cars, wrecked tractors, buses, and everything. They are almost canopy hidden by the kudzu.

Dean Lewis was sitting on the front porch of his house, looking across the street at what he has now named Old Car City, and said: You know, that would be an interesting place for people to come and visit, because people are always looking for parts on old cars that they might get to help restore the old cars they have.

It started out as just a place where people who wanted to come and tear some old parts off of an old car to fix their jalopy or their old car would come and get them from Dean.

One day Dean had somebody come from the Atlanta Ballet and said: You know, this would be a big, great background for our ballerinas in a photo contest to talk about how agile they are.

So the Atlanta Ballet used the backdrop of Old Car City for photos for their calendar a few years ago. The Atlanta Falcons have used it. All kinds of businesses have used it. Businesses from around the world have used it. It has become a famous place. It is not a famous place because it is handsome or beautiful. It is not famous because it is famous but because it is unique.

Dean Lewis and his family took something of theirs that was unique to them and molded it into something people would come and see. It is one of those ``if you build it, they will come'' deals.

You saw the end of that movie, where all the taillights and headlights were weaving through the town to go see the field that was finally built. That was

the same thing with Old Car City. They took a useless, rusted-out old junkyard and turned it into something people would want to come to see, someplace where they would want to come to get old parts for cars or come to get their pictures taken with the cars. International companies want to come to do business there, to where it is now one of the most attractive places we have in North Georgia.

I thought I would come to the well for no other reason but to pay tribute to Dean Lewis in White, GA, because he has taken an old car in a junkyard--a jalopy--and turned it into something that raises money for the community, that memorializes our heritage and our past, that takes the use of something everybody thought was wasted and turns it into something good. If we can always try to do that, as well as make something new good, then we would all be doing well as business people, as tourist promoters, and as builders of local government.

I rise tonight to commend Dean Lewis on what he and his family have done, to commend Old Car City on what has turned into a great money- making project for the State and for our local property--the tourist attraction they have created there--and to tell them to keep on doing the work and making chicken salad out of good fried chicken. Georgia chicken is the best that you can have, and there is no better chicken than a junkyard in Georgia called Old Car City.

God bless you.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, today, I am honored to recognize in the Record a gentleman from whom I have had the opportunity to learn and to work with through a great company located in my great home State of Georgia. Mark Alagna is the vice president of UPS global public affairs and has announced he will retire in June after having served the company for 35 years.

The world headquarters for United Parcel Service, called UPS, has been based in Georgia since 1991. It is the second-largest company in Georgia, and in 2018, UPS earned $72 billion in revenue with locations worldwide. This company means a lot to my State.

In addition to that, UPS is a leader in delivering workforce training and mentorship programs that emphasize the development of professional skills, safety, and efficiency.

As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Employment and the Workplace, I am always looking out for Georgia companies and workers, especially the ones that set the bar high. Mark Alagna has been an important member of that company who has provided me and my staff with needed information and assistance for many years.

Mark's service to UPS is long and distinguished, rising through the ranks as a loyal employee serving a company that reciprocated that sense of loyalty and development for a good staff member. He has been with the company since 1984 when he was hired as a package car driver, delivering packages directly to customers who depended upon this service. For the last 24 years, he has worked in the company's public affairs department, looking out for the company's interests by working effectively with Members of Congress in Washington, with a particular policy focus on labor issues.

Mark also serves as liaison to the board of the National Coalition of Multiemployer Pension Plans, is vice chair of the Labor Policy Coalition, and sits on the labor and pension advisory committee. Prior to joining the global public affairs team, Mark also managed several staff and operational assignments in the mid-Atlantic area for UPS.

I will miss the opportunity to work with Mark, who has been a trusted associate, and his absence will be felt at UPS and by all those who have had the opportunity to work alongside him. We all wish Mark and his family the very best in a long and happy retirement.

Mr. President, first of all, I thank the Senator from Missouri for his comments about the disaster. We are having a disaster in the U.S. Senate because we haven't been able to solve our emergency problem yet. It is not because of Senator Blunt. He has done a great job, as have many Members of the Senate. We are close now, and there is a meeting this afternoon with important Senators. We are close on Hawaii, on Alaska, on Georgia, on South Carolina, on Tennessee, on Alabama, on Florida, and on the other States that have had disasters in the past year to which we have still been late on getting disaster emergency funds.

In fact, in Georgia, this is the 222nd day, in the case of one emergency, that those funds have been held up. In the agricultural season, 222 days is 1\1/2\ plants. It is one planting, one picking, and a second planting. So it is a significant part of the agriculture year. We are getting killed in Georgia. Our farmers are getting hurt badly because of the ineptitude, in part and sometimes in whole, of the U.S. Senate.

Finally, cool heads are coming together. We are getting over some arguments, and we are getting some things solved. Thanks to the help of Senator Blunt and others in the U.S. Senate, we are going to get help to our farmers in Georgia, to those in Alabama, and to those in Alaska from the earthquake and to those in Hawaii from the lava flow and the eruptions they have had there and from all of the other disasters we have had. Finally, that money is going to start flowing.

Mr. President, I lost two great friends in the last week--one of them a Georgian. Nobody in this room knew her. Her name was Betty Jo Williams, who was 90 years old.

Betty Jo was elected to the Georgia Legislature in 1978, which was 2 years after I was elected in 1976 to that same body. We were two scrawny Republicans in a world of Democrats in Georgia. I was one of the first people to get elected from Cobb County, which is the suburban county of Atlanta, and she was the first woman to get elected to anything in Georgia. She was one of the first to break the glass ceiling. A lot of people may ask: Where is this glass ceiling? Well, I will tell you where it is. A lot of people tried to make their way, but they were always held back by laws or custom or whatever.

Betty Jo fought for women's rights, and she fought for women's rights in the right way. She saw to it that women were equally represented and that they had an opportunity to represent themselves. She fought hard to see to it that there was no glass ceiling to hold back anybody who was trying to do the right things for the right reasons and had the right qualifications.

I loved Betty Jo. She was great. In fact, she helped me to get elected as the minority leader, as the Republican leader, of the Georgia House of Representatives in 1983. I won by one vote. It was 7 to 6. That shows you how small a caucus we had. She was one of those seven who voted for me, and I have never forgotten it. I am sure, when I have a funeral one day, somebody will come and remember on that day something I did for him. It is something you never take away.

Betty Jo was a unique person. She had a husband and three wonderful children. Her husband passed on, and she spent the rest of her 25 years of life living with another gentleman. They had his children. Between the two of them, they raised 12 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren-- wonderful kids with wonderful opportunities. They helped those kids grow up to understand the great promise America had.

When Betty Jo served in the legislative body, even though she was outnumbered by men by 20 to 1, she was a woman who broke the glass ceiling. She also broke custom. In the Georgia Legislature back in the sixties and seventies, you didn't find people putting their numbers in the phonebook. Betty Jo was the first one. She paid extra to have her number put in there in big, bold, black letters. She started the custom by which, all of a sudden, all who were in the State legislature got the Betty Jo Williams rule applied to them. If they didn't have their numbers in the book, they weren't in touch with their constituents. She did little things like that to make a difference.

She was the first woman to be appointed to the Judiciary Committee. It was a great compliment to her, too, for she was not a lawyer. Even though she was not a lawyer, she was well respected, even by the speaker of the house, so she was appointed to the Judiciary Committee.

Speaking of the speaker of the house in Georgia, his name was Tom Murphy. I am sure, somewhere in the walls of this room, his name has been used before. He was the toughest, most ornery, hardest working speaker of the house who ever was. He served as the speaker of the house in Georgia longer than any speaker in any house in the United States of America.

He also didn't like women representatives, and he let everybody know it. Yet he couldn't handle Betty Jo because she was sweet, kind, and she was smart, and she always got the best of him. He would be tough, but she would be sweet, and she got a lot of things done that other women couldn't do because they would cry. Betty Jo didn't cry. She just worked a little harder to get it done. Tom Murphy finally broke down and did some things for the women in the caucus and the women of the Georgia State Legislature that hadn't been done for years--they were treated more like equals in the legislative body.

Betty Jo was just one of those special, unique individuals who made my life better by my having known her. I thank her tonight for the vote she cast for me a long time ago as minority leader. I thank her for those children they raised and great-grandchildren and children. I thank her for all of the things she did in her community, for all of the things she did for women, and for all of the things she did to make everybody more equal and more served.

Most importantly of all, I thank her for breaking that glass ceiling because there are a lot of women in office today in this Senate--20 percent of our body--who wouldn't be here today if it had not been for the Betty Jo Williams of 50 years ago who broke the habits we had in America that didn't allow women to do a lot of things.

I pay tribute to her, and I pay honor to her for her service and for the great time I had in knowing her in life. I will miss her greatly, but I will always be a better man for knowing Betty Jo Williams and what she taught me about life and success.