Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I would like to take a few minutes while we have an interlude here with the farm bill to speak along with my colleague Senator Sullivan about the nomination of, in my view, an extraordinary Alaskan--Tara MacLean Sweeney, who has been nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of Interior.

It is certainly my very strong hope that Ms. Sweeney can be confirmed to this position before we leave for the Fourth of July recess. I see no reason why this body should delay confirmation.

I want to give just a little bit of background and share, along with my colleague Senator Sullivan, some of the attributes we are talking about here.

Ms. Sweeney is truly a noncontroversial nominee. She has support across

the political spectrum. She was reported out of the Committee on Indian Affairs by a voice vote. There was no dissent. She is endorsed by the National Congress of American Indians, and she enjoys strong support across Indian Country--not only from Alaska Natives up in our State but truly across Indian Country. She is Inupiaq. She is a very distinguished leader, respected among indigenous peoples not only here in the United States but abroad. She is truly eminently qualified for the position.

So I want to share briefly the history of how we got here. It has been many months--many, many months--and I think it is important to know the process she has gone through. The President announced his intent to nominate Ms. Sweeney on October 16, 2017. We received it in the Senate about a week later, and from there she entered into this frustrating bureaucratic purgatory is probably the best way to describe it.

So I mentioned that Ms. Sweeney is an Inupiaq from the North Slope, and like every other Alaska Native who was born before December 18, 1971, she is a beneficiary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Under that legislation, Ms. Sweeney received 100 shares of stock in the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. This is one of the 13 corporations that has been created by Congress. Ms. Sweeney also inherited some additional shares from her mother who died in 1996.

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act prohibits Ms. Sweeney from disposing of those shares. Why is that? These are not shares that are like shares in IBM or General Electric. These shares are her birthright as an Alaskan Native. The Department of Interior has concluded that Ms. Sweeney's continued ownership of those shares creates no ethical impediments to the discharge of her duties--none whatsoever. She has also entered into an ethics agreement under which she will recuse herself from matters involving the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, where she served as a corporate officer prior to her nomination.

Really, there is no conceptual difference between Ms. Sweeney's service with her Native corporation and the service of her predecessor Assistant Secretaries for Indian Affairs who all came to the office after serving as elected Tribal leaders. In those instances, none of the predecessors to Ms. Sweeney were disqualified for confirmation for Tribal service, and she certainly should not be either.

Ms. Sweeney's corporation manages lands set aside for Native people; so do nearly all of the federally recognized Tribes. Her corporation engages in a variety of successful business activities that parallel those engaged in by federally recognized Tribes in the lower 48. Voting membership in Ms. Sweeney's corporation is constituted entirely of Native people, just like membership in the lower 48 Tribes, and the governing body in Ms. Sweeney's corporation is constituted entirely of Native people, just as the governing bodies of the lower 48 Tribes. There is no valid reason--certainly no valid reason to delay the confirmation of Tara Sweeney to the post of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.

This is an agency that I think those of us who have been involved on the Indian Affairs Committee, as I have for my entire tenure in the Senate, know that leadership in this critical agency for our first peoples is absolutely a priority.

There is so much that needs to be done within the Agency. The Bureau of Indian Education, which Ms. Sweeney will oversee as an Assistant Secretary, has earned a place on the Government Accountability Office's list of high-risk programs for the 115th Congress. One of her challenges will be to improve the Bureau of Indian Education.

When you think about the responsibilities you have as Assistant Secretary with NBIA to address not only the education issues, the health and safety issues, and the life and well-being of our Native people, she has a lot of work to do. So leadership at the top is going to require a handful of things. The first is steady leadership and a strong commitment to lead. You just can't get to leading the agency until you have been confirmed to the position. The second thing that has to happen is to ensure that the agency is staffed and has the resources to care for our Native children. The third is to have an action plan in place that identifies the root causes of the agency's problems and to identify real solutions. The fourth is the formulation of corrective measures and to validate the work. The final one is to demonstrate progress that the agency has overcome some of these issues.

I can tell you for a fact that Tara Sweeney is ready. She is beyond ready. She has been teed up to do this, in my view, literally, her whole life. She has gone through a very rigorous process. She has been overwhelmingly endorsed by Native peoples across the country, those whom she would serve in this capacity. She knows there are significant issues and problems within the BIA that need to be addressed that are going to be difficult, and she has said in front of us and to those of us who know her well: I am not afraid to kick down doors. I am not afraid to stand up and speak out loud for the people whom I will serve.

I know she takes these responsibilities very seriously. I know her leadership skills. I know her managerial skills. I have no doubt that she will do everything in her power to overcome these deficiencies that the GAO has identified, but I also should be clear that there will be no progress within the agency until one of the single most important positions to Indian Country is permanently filled with an Assistant Secretary.

I know we are having challenges moving through nominees on this floor right now, but I would urge my colleagues to look at Tara Sweeney's credentials. Look at her background. Look at how she has come to this place. She is not a controversial nominee. She is well-qualified. She did extremely well at her hearing before the Indian Affairs Committee. She has answered every question that has been asked of her. Indian Country is united in support of her.

I just ask that, for the good of the first peoples in this country, they have that leadership at the top to come in and address so many of these serious issues that face them today. Let us come together with this nominee and move her through the process in a prompt and expedient way.

I will close with one last comment before turning to my colleague, and that is that of the 12 previous Assistant Secretaries at the BIA over the years, 11 of those 12 have moved through confirmation here in the Senate unanimously, without even a vote. Only one was required to have a vote. As I recall, the outcome in support of that individual was 87 votes in favor. This is not a controversial position. This is not partisan in any way.

This has to be an individual that is willing to bring together people--our first peoples and those of us at government levels--to work together to address the very real, serious, and significant concerns that we have.

Tara Sweeney is just that person. I would urge colleagues: Please, please, let's advance her quickly and expeditiously across the floor of the Senate.

I would turn to my colleague who has worked very hard and also knows Ms. Sweeney to be an extraordinarily capable Alaskan.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to my first session summer interns: John Grossl, Joseph Monsef, Vince Tenebro, Sheldon Prout, William Lee, Conor Bates, Emma Ashlock, Katelynn Toth, Alison Nicholls, Yajaira Ponce- Moran, Denae Benson, Sterling Gingerich, Kaiwi Eisenhour, Michael McCambridge, Alexandra Bender, Selia Butler, and Johnathan Slife for today and tomorrow.

Mr. President, Gen. Lori J. Robinson, USAF, will officially retire from Active Duty later this summer. This week, General Robinson's friends and family are gathering in Crystal City to celebrate her career. In advance of that event, I wanted to say a few words about this exemplary military officer and honorary Alaskan who has devoted her entire 36-year career to the security of our Nation.

General Robinson was born in Big Springs, TX. She is the oldest of five children. Her father served over 30 years in the Air Force, so she was not a stranger to the military lifestyle. General Robinson completed her undergraduate work at New Hampshire University in English and was commissioned as an Air Force officer through the ROTC Program in 1981. Entering the Air Force, she was trained as an air battle manager. General Robinson spent several years mastering her craft before completing the weapons instructor course as a distinguished graduate from the Air Force Weapons School. She served in several locations to include Florida, Philippines, Nevada, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Colorado, Southwest Asia, and multiple stints in the Nation's Capital.

While General Robinson served both across the Air Force and the country, it was in 1989 when then-Captain Robinson arrived at Pacific Air Forces, PACAF, for her first assignment at the headquarters. As the chief of current operations and command briefer, General Robinson gained breadth beyond her operational duties as an air battle manager. She would return 26 years later in 2014 to assume command of PACAF, becoming the first female Air Force officer to lead an Air Force major component command. General Robinson met the challenges of a command spanning 13 time zones and 100 million square miles of air space head on, providing effective leadership to the command during a challenging time for the Air Force.

As PACAF commander, General Robinson oversaw U.S. Air Force operations at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. She was generous in her support for Alaska's airmen and graciously keynoted the 47th Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Military Appreciation Banquet in 2015.

Following General Robinson's time as the PACAF commander, she took command of North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, and U.S. Northern Command, USNORTHCOM, in May 2016. In this final assignment, General Robinson made history again as the first female to command a combatant command. Tasked with the defense of the North American continent, General Robinson has faced down challenges ranging from nuclear threats from North Korea to a series of severe natural disasters. Managing disaster relief for 10 hurricanes while simultaneously providing aid for the wildfires that affected over 10 million acres in 2017 strained the commands and their resources, but General Robinson used the challenges to help expand the commands' readiness and capabilities.

General Robinson's strong relationship with Alaska continued in that role, as Alaskan Command is a subunified combatant command of USNORTHCOM. During her tenure as the NORAD and USNORTHCOM commander, General Robinson made several visits to Alaska and worked to bolster the military's presence in the State. She advocated for the sustainment of and funding for the Alaska Radar System, and she appreciated the significance of joint training and exercises that take place in the State. General Robinson's focus on these aspects of military readiness has helped grow the capabilities of the military in Alaska and, as a result, has increased the defense of the United States. Recognizing the importance of excellent military-community relations, General Robinson graciously keynoted the 2018 Salute to the Military in Anchorage, sponsored by the Armed Services YMCA.

General Robinson has led a career in the Air Force that reflects its core values: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. She is an example to all who serve, especially the young women looking for a path to success in the military. At every step along the way, she has supported and been supported by her husband, Maj. Gen. (retired) David Robinson. They are a truly unique pair of military talents and a model for dual-career military families. The impact the two of them have had on the Air Force and our country cannot be understated.

Although retirement will pull General Robinson from the Air Force, I understand she is looking forward to spending time with her children and grandchildren. We Alaskans are proud of the impact General Robinson has had on our State during her time in the service, and we are proud of the impact we have had on her. She is an exemplary officer and a true example for all women looking to succeed in the military. I hope that, as General Robinson enjoys her time in retirement, she brings her family to visit Alaska sometime soon.

On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I take this opportunity to thank General Robinson for her service and wish her well in her retirement.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to engage in a colloquy with my friend and colleague, the distinguished chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Isakson.

Mr. President, I would like to confirm my understanding that the term Indian Health Service as it appears in section 101 of the MISSION Act of 2018 includes Tribal health providers that are funded by the Indian Health Service and step into the shoes of the Indian Health Service pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to provide healthcare.

Mr. President, when Alaska Native youth gather with Alaska Native elders, they often talk about the difficulties of ``living in two worlds'': the modern world driven by careers, technology, busy all the time; and the traditional Alaska Native world: beadwork, subsistence, preparing traditional foods, carrying on Native languages, teaching your children stories handed down across the generations that explain the relationship between humans and other living beings, native dance and ceremonies. The elders explained that it is possible for Native youth to live in the modern world while staying true to who you are. It is said that the modern world gives you wings, but the traditional world gives you roots. The answer to the challenge of the modern world is to always be mindful of your roots.

In each of the regions of Alaska, there are very special elders who are highly regarded as mentors and guides for the youth. Some are traditional chiefs of their tribes or regions, others Native people who are well known for their wisdom and their integrity.

Among the Athabascan peoples of interior Alaska, two names stand out: Hannah Solomon and Poldine Carlo. Among Native people when one spoke of Hannah and Poldine, everyone knew who you were talking about, no need to use last names. When they spoke at Native gatherings, others stopped what they were doing and listened. Both spoke with eloquence and passion. Neither held back.

Hannah Solomon passed away at the age of 102 on September 21, 2011. Poldine Carlo left us on May 9, 2018, at the age of 97. She was buried in the Athabascan village of Nulato this week. Both of these women were regarded as matriarchs and culture bearers. Both will long be remembered for their loving kindness to their Native people and especially to the youth. Both were in a league of their own, so to speak.

I would like to take a few moments to share Poldine's story with my Senate colleagues and to pay tribute to this remarkable woman.

Poldine was born December 5, 1920, in Nulato, a traditional community on the Yukon River. She was raised by Joseph and Anna Stickman, her grandparents. She credited her grandmother with instilling the traditional Athabascan ways of life in Poldine. She met her husband, Bill, in Tanana, at the confluence of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers, the place where the rivers meet. Poldine married Bill in 1940, and they raised their eight children along the Yukon River in the traditional ways. Poldine and her husband Bill also operated a mine outside of Rampart in the summers for 20 years. Poldine's sons and husband operated the mine, while she did the cooking and fishing. It was a true family operation.

In 1957, Bill and Poldine relocated in Fairbanks so that their children could attend high school without leaving home. In those days, Native children in the village were sent off to boarding school for high school. Even though they had a full house with eight children, there was always room for more. They took in many village children so that they too could benefit from educational opportunities in Fairbanks.

Their home became a gathering place for the Fairbanks Native community. From those gatherings came the decision to create the Fairbanks Native Association, which has grown and grown over the years. Life was not so easy for Native people in Fairbanks in the early 1960s. Poldine was committed to justice for her Native people. The Fairbanks Native Association administers many important wellness programs, but first and foremost, it ensures that Native people are treated fairly.

She was active in the Tanana Chiefs Conference and in the regional Native Corporation, Doyon. Poldine's son Wally today serves as chairman of the board of directors of Doyon. Poldine shared her wisdom in many ways. She was an elder in residence at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She authored the book, ``Nulato: an Indian life on the Yukon.'' Her beadwork was breathtaking. People loved her singing. Eagle Island Blues was a song people loved to hear her sing, but Blueberry Hill was her and Bill's song. She sang about Denali in Athabascan to greet President Obama when he traveled to Alaska. She composed songs for her husband, daughter, and son when they passed away.

Poldine humbly accepted many awards during her lifetime of service to Alaska and the Native community. She was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Hannah Solomon ``Woman of Courage'' award from the Alaska Federation of Natives. She was a Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction, a Golden Citizen Chieftain, and a Howard Rock Alaska Native Leader. She was recently inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame, joining her friend and contemporary Hannah Solomon.

Poldine's son Wally was kind enough to share some of his mother's final words with me, knowing that they would be part of her tribute. Poldine told Wally that she lived a full life and loved everyone. She offered a few words of advice: ``You need to be happy. All that matters is how you raise your family and to be happy.''

Yes, Poldine was proudest of family, and she had much to be proud of, those children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great- grandchildren who are making their own contributions to our Native people and our State in her image, like Dr. Nikoosh Carlo, who is one of the Nation's most influential figures on Arctic science and policy. Poldine asked that her survivors and friends in the community ``carry on,'' and I have no doubt that they will.

On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I extend my condolences to Poldine's exceptional family, her huge extended family, and the Native people of interior Alaska who took inspiration from her example. A traditional woman, a community leader, writer, artist, singer, we shall all miss Poldine Carlo. She connected us to our roots and encouraged our wings.

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

Mr. President, I am honored to join with my colleagues in honoring the men and women of law enforcement during National Police Week.

This year, it was our colleague Mr. Blunt, the Senator from Missouri and the leader of our Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, who arranged an opportunity for us to speak on the floor, and I thank him for that.

I wish to commend my colleagues Senators Grassley and Feinstein for putting together the National Police Week Resolution. As of yesterday afternoon, there were 75 cosponsors to this resolution, which is more than we have had previously.

In 2017, the law enforcement community lost 199 of its bravest to line-of-duty incidents. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reports that 53 officers have given their lives in 2018; 28 of those killed by firearms. This is a 56-percent increase over the same period in 2017.

I am very grateful that in Alaska we have not lost an officer in 2018. We are praying that continues and that we don't see any moving forward, but we know, like every other State out there, we are living on borrowed time.

Law enforcement families live on borrowed time. The job is inherently dangerous, and we pray and wish and hope that loved ones return home at the end of his or her shift. Really, we know there are no guarantees, and there never will be.

The last Alaska officer to give his life to protect ours was Sergeant Allen Brandt. He was with the Fairbanks Police Department. His end of watch was October 28, 2016. Sergeant Brandt was shot multiple times just a couple of weeks before his death. Everyone thought he would survive his injuries. I had an opportunity to speak with him while he was in the hospital with his wife and his best friend. He was released from the hospital. Eight days after the shooting, Allen felt strong enough to actually appear before the Fairbanks City Council in person to thank the community for their outpouring of love and support and the unconditional love they had offered him and his family in the wake of this tragedy. He was very thankful to the community, most certainly, but he also went on to admonish the community. He said:

We need your support, not just when bad things happen. The

officers do a hard job and most of the time it's thankless.

Those were truly his famous last words. He went to Anchorage for a second surgery a few days later, and he died on the operating table.

Officer Allen is clearly not forgotten in the Fairbanks community. He lived a hero's life, and his words before the Fairbanks City Council will be long remembered: ``We need your support, not just when bad things happen.'' That has to be the reminder to all of us all of the time--to be there for those who are serving us, to be there to support them.

In an editorial published this morning, the Fairbanks Daily News- Miner offers the following:

With police receiving much negative media attention on the

national level, sometimes people forget the vast majority of

police officers are good men and women who put their lives on

the line. . . . Take time to remember the . . . fallen

officers who have given their lives up for their communities.

And be sure to thank the police officers you do see for the

hard job they do, even if nothing bad has happened lately.

Those were words taken from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner this morning.

This week, thousands of members of the law enforcement family have come to Washington, DC, for public ceremonies on the Mall and here at the Capitol. There have been private moments visiting lost colleagues at the memorial site. The surviving relatives of the fallen are grieving and recovering at events sponsored by Concerns of Police Survivors. This is a great organization, a vital organization, whose existence is barely known outside of the law enforcement community. I have had several--several--opportunities over the years to work with this extraordinary organization as they have been there for the families who have lost their heroes.

There are ample opportunities this week to thank members of our law enforcement family for their sacrifices in public and, certainly, ample opportunities every day of the year to thank our officers in private, starting with our own U.S. Capitol Police who greet us at the door every morning. They remain on post when we leave at the end of very long days. They are here for us day in and day out.

I would just end with an observation. I think the editorial this morning in the Fairbanks paper offers up words of wisdom. As the memories of National Police Week 2018 fade, I hope we will not wait until next May to thank the men and women of law enforcement for their selfless and at times thankless service to our communities.

With that, I thank you.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I would like to recognize an Alaska Native leader who has dedicated much of his life and career to humanitarian service in Alaska. Dimitri Philemonof is the president of the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, which is a Tribal nonprofit organization that serves the regional tribes in the Aleutian Pribilof Islands of Alaska. Under Dimitri's leadership, APIA has had a profound impact on the health and well-being of the Aleut people by providing them with a broad spectrum of services. These services include health, education, social, employment

and vocational training, public safety, and cultural preservation.

Dimitri's tenure with APIA began on April 24, 1978, when he was hired as a training tech for employment assistance. Less than a year later, Dimitri was promoted to manpower director and later the community services director. By 1985, the board of directors at APIA would reach a consensus and promote Dimitri to be the executive director and president of APIA, a position that he has held since. This week marks the 40th anniversary of Dimitri's hiring at APIA, and I would like to take this time to express my appreciation for Dimitri's service to the Alaska Native people.

Dimitri accomplished many things during his time as the president of APIA, but according to Dimitri, the most important accomplishment as the president of APIA was working to pass the Aleut Restitution Act. It was meaningful for Dimitri because his parents were forcibly evacuated from the island of St. George and brought to the Funter Bay Internment Camp during the Aleut Evacuation of WWII. Conditions at the camps were horrid. There was no running water, no sewer system, and no laundry or bathing facilities. Most of the buildings didn't have electricity, heat, windows, or doors. Eventually, Dimitri's parents were able to return to their home on St. George Island, but they still carried with them the experience of being forced into an internment camp. This was an experience that many Alaska Natives carried with them because they too were put into internment camps, not just in Funter Bay. There were internment camps in Killisnoo, Ward Cove, and on Burnett Island.

Fast forward and once Dimitri became the executive director of APIA, he worked tirelessly to ensure that the Aleut people would receive restitution for their time in internment camps. He worked with Alaska's congressional delegation to ensure that Aleut and other Alaska Native people were able to testify before congressional hearing commissions and committees to share their stories and their experiences in internment camps.

In 1988, the Aleut Restitution Act was passed, and in 1993, the Aleutian Pribilof Restitution Trust was created. Dimitri and many other Aleut leaders believe that the pursuit for restitution was one of the first steps in the healing process for the Aleut people.

Dimitri has had a significant impact on the Aleut people who he represents. He serves as an inspiration to many other Alaska Native leaders. I am honored to recognize Dimitri for his years of humanitarian service, and I wish him many more years of service to his people and to his community by reminding us all that ``Unganan Ataaqan Akun''--``We Are One.''

Mr. President, I am pleased to be on the floor this morning to thank and to support my colleagues, Senator Portman and Senator Nelson, who have led the effort here before us, an effort that would end sex trafficking over the internet or certainly work to reduce it.

As we think about the scourge that is brought upon our children through a means and a way--we like to think of the internet as a powerful tool, but to know that it can be a powerful tool that truly is devastating to our children and devastating to our families calls for action. So I am pleased to be able to join my colleagues today in urging passage of the sex trafficking bill that we have before the Senate.

I think we all know there are many, many reasons why we need to deter the use of internet resources by predators. The wisdom of this is pretty apparent on its face. This legislation is for the protection of our children--the most vulnerable among us.

I have an additional reason for urging the adoption of this legislation, and that is the protection of Native women and girls from predators. I have been talking about the trafficking of Native women and girls for as long as I have been here in the Senate--now some 15 years. At first, the evidence was perhaps anecdotal. FBI agents who were familiar with trafficking patterns would come to us, and they would say that Alaska Native women were a highly desirable commodity. Even using that terminology is just so offensive, but that is how they were viewed--as a desirable commodity for sex trafficking because they could be trafficked either as White women or as Asian women.

There is a body of evidence that when many Alaska Native women or girls left their villages to go into town or to go to the city, they would literally be stalked by predators waiting to recruit them. We certainly see a prevalence of sex trafficking in Covenant House, which is our youth homeless shelter. We have reports that one in four homeless youth in Anchorage are victims of sex trafficking, and 42 percent of them are Alaska Natives.

As I have been here in the Senate over these years, the way these women and girls have been recruited, have been trafficked, has changed. No longer do you have the predators who are lurking, hanging out on the street corners, but it is the internet. Again, it is this powerful tool that is available to do so much good that is now being used for a predatory purpose. While we don't have the internet coverage in Alaska that you have in the big cities of the lower 48, the internet is used to recruit girls for sex trafficking all over, and I certainly had that confirmed in my last visit when I met with the FBI agents in charge in Anchorage.

It wasn't too many weeks ago that the Senator from North Dakota, Ms. Heitkamp, and I came to the floor to talk about the urgency of addressing the growing number of missing and murdered Native women in America. Senator Heitkamp characterizes the problem as epidemic, and I agree with her. I do think it is an epidemic. Native women are victims of violence in unprecedented proportions. Not all of these victims are trafficked, but some are trafficked, and then they go missing. When their services are no longer needed or they find themselves controlled by a particularly violent predator, they never become ``unmissing'' until their bodies may be coincidently found, at which point they are finally regarded as murdered, gone.

I say today that there is an urgency to keep Native women and girls away from predators. While turning off the

internet on-ramp to recruitment may not completely solve the problem, it is a worthy effort in its own right. It is one tool that we need to ratchet back.

We hear from the sponsor of this bill and from so many that enough is enough. It is no longer tolerable. It is time we attack the problem of sex trafficking at the source, and that means doing all we can to make the internet a very inhospitable place for sex traffickers and those who enable the immoral and disgusting trade of our fellow human beings.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I have 11 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Committee on Budget

The Committee on Budget is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 10:30 a m. to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Environment and Public Works

The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on the following nominations Kirsten: Dawn Madison, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary (International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs), and Thomas J. Hushek, of Wisconsin, to be Ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan, both of the Department of State.

Committee on Indian Affairs

The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 2:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing on S. 1250 and S. 2515.

Committee on Indian Affairs

The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 2:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``The President's FY2019 Budget Request for Indian Programs.''

Committee on the Judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Michael Y. Scudder, of Illinois, and Amy J. St. Eve, of Illinois, both to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, and Charles J. Williams, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Iowa.

Committee on Veterans' Affairs

The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 2 p.m. to conduct a hearing.

Select Committee on Intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. to conduct a hearing.

Subcommitee on Seapower

The Subcommittee on Seapower of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 2:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing on the nomination of John L. Ryder, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Subcommitee on Strategic Forces

The Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 2:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing on the nomination of John L. Ryder, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Subcommitee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and

Counterterrorism

The Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism of the Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 2 p.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``What's Next for Lebanon? Stability and Security Challenges''.

Mr. President, I enjoyed that little bit of history there. I am sure that the Irish everywhere--and those who are, perhaps, not quite as Irish--will find good reason to celebrate on March 17 whether one is in Florida or in the Northeast or in Alaska, as the Presiding Officer certainly knows.

The Iditarod

Mr. President, I am here to share a little bit of Alaska. I know that the Presiding Officer will also appreciate the update on an event that we in Alaska celebrate every year and have for the past 46 years--the annual Iditarod race.

This is a sled dog race of international fame, a race that begins just outside of Anchorage, AK, and ends in Nome. It is about 1,000 miles. I think this year's southern route was 998 miles to be exact. It is one of the longest sled dog races on Earth, and it travels over some pretty interesting terrain. ``Interesting'' is a choice word to use as you cross mountains and frozen tundra and forests and the frozen ice. The Iditarod is, truly, a race for only the most hardy, only the best.

The Iditarod, itself, commemorates the deadly 1925 diphtheria outbreak that happened in Nome. There was no way to get the diphtheria antitoxin from the coastal area, down in Seward at the time, all the way up to Nome. This was before we had air transport as a viable option. So the real question was, How do you move this? How do you move this quickly? It was the middle of the winter. This was not a race. This was a lifesaving mission to move serum, again, 1,000-plus miles to the north to save a community. They resorted to a relay of dog sleds, of dog teams, to move that serum.

Today, the Iditarod is no longer a relay. It is a race of individual sled dog teams. Again, it is about a 1,000-mile race. It is a test of determination, certainly, of the K-9 mushers, and it is tough. It is always in the first weekend of March. At this time of year in Alaska, sometimes conditions can be pretty good--above zero. Sometimes they can be 30 degrees or 40 degrees below zero. Sometimes you can have a ground blizzard and wind conditions that move close to 80, 90, 100 miles an hour, and when you want to talk about windchill, out there, it is real; it is extreme.

This 46th annual running of the Iditarod hasn't been that challenging in terms of the cold, in terms of what they have seen in the past, but there is always some bump. There is always something that causes the race to be a little bit different. This year, the mushers had a scheduled checkpoint on Eagle Island. This is a place where they take a mandatory 8-hour break. The game changer in the race this year was in the snow conditions. Because of the ceiling, planes could not drop food for the mushers, so they had to take this very critical checkpoint off of the board. The mushers plan all of this out in advance of the trip. They kind of know where they are going to be along the way. They plan their moves. So this was a pretty unanticipated event at the end and could have impacted it. Yet you had mushers who were pretty versatile, pretty adaptable. They took the news in stride and continued up the Yukon River toward other rest stops there.

Nicolas Petit, who had arrived in Anvik, was the frontrunner at the time. He was, like, ``Ah, no big deal. My strategy is an evolving thing.'' Yet that evolving thing allows for, again, curve balls that get in the way. In the instance of Nicolas Petit, the frontrunner--a Girdwood musher from a place that the Presiding Officer and I frequent often and I call home--everyone was quite excited. Long story

short, he lost the trail and lost the lead.

You think to yourself: Wait a minute. How can you lose the trail? This is not a NASCAR race, where you just go around the same track here. This is 1,000 miles. If it is windy, if it is blowing, if there is ground cover that you can't see through, things happen--things truly happen. On top of the harsh climate conditions that the mushers face, there are occasionally chance encounters with some wildlife. You have moose, caribou, bears, and porcupines out there, and they are all potential rendezvous for mushers around the trail.

One of the interesting headlines to come out of the Iditarod this year was a headline that read: ``Iditarod Musher Chases off Bison with Ax''--an ax, yes. Marcelle Fressineau and her 14-sled dogs were between Rohn and Nikolai, and they came face-to-face with a mother bison and her calf. What do you do? You don't want your dogs to be in danger, so the tough Alaskan woman takes her ax and charges the bison and says, ``Go away. Go away.'' Long story short, they ran away, and she continued her journey to Nome. You have to admit that people like this are ready for adventure and are full of grit and determination to succeed.

Of course, it is not just the mushers. It is the K-9 athletes. It is these dogs that, truly, are the inspiration to watch along the journey. This year's Iditarod kicked off with 67 talented, resilient competitors from all over Alaska and the world--67 dog teams.

This year, Joar Ulsom was the first musher to arrive in Nome. He came in just after 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning. He is originally from Norway, and he has been dreaming of being an Iditarod racer since he was a kid. In 2011, he relocated to Willow, AK, which is kind of our dog mushing capital of the world, and he really has made this dream a reality. He is a seasoned racer. He first completed the Yukon Quest in 2012 and has completed other races since then. He completed--he won the race in 9 days 12 hours. Again, this is not a recordbreaking time. Snow slowed things down, but think about standing on the back of a sled for 9 days 12 hours, minimal sleep, constant attention to the dogs in front of you. It is just an extraordinary story.

The newspapers are telling the story of Joar crossing the finish line in Nome. Thousands of people had gathered under the burled arch to congratulate him. It was about 4 degrees, 3 a.m., with thousands of people out in the street. My brother and sister-in-law came all the way from Brazil to be there on the other end. It was my sister-in-law's dream of a lifetime--bucket list--to be there at the end of the Iditarod.

Joar and his team are happy, and we are very pleased for him. I offer hearty congratulations to our 2018 Iditarod champion and his team of amazing dogs.

I wish all the competitors, many of whom are still out on the trail, success and safety as they compete in this truly ``Last Great Race on Earth.''

Tribute to Chuck Kleeschulte

Mr. President, I want to recognize a longtime member of my staff, Chuck Kleeschulte, who recently retired from the Senate. If you are from Alaska and you have ever had any dealings with the Alaska delegation, you have met or have dealt with Chuck Kleeschulte. He is held in great respect in our State as a result of the work he did for so many people back home.

It is an understatement to say we miss him already. He hasn't been gone that long, but we miss him already.

Let me share a little bit of his biography for those who were not fortunate enough to know and work with Chuck. He is an Alaskan not by birth but by choice. He moved from Ohio to Alaska in 1976 to work as a reporter at the Juneau Empire in our capital. A few years later, he became press secretary for then-Governor Jay Hammond. He followed that with a stint at the Department of Environmental Conservation and then he returned to reporting for a few more years.

Chuck first came to the Senate in 1991. He was convinced by my father Frank Murkowski, who was a Senator at the time, to move to Washington, DC, to be his press secretary. So he did. He made the move, and now 27 years later, Chuck is still part of the family here. He served as my father's communications director, a legislative assistant in my personal office, and most recently as a senior adviser for the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Chuck, I think it is fair to say, is an institution within our institution. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Alaska. If someone wanted to know what the vote was on a measure back in 1993 that related to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline or whatever, Chuck would be able to recall that without any notes, without any prodding, without any background. Chuck is extraordinary. He has a work ethic that is second to none.

We have a phrase that has been around for about 30 years now, and it is ``Check with Chuck.'' Just check with Chuck because you don't need to do any fact-checking. He is it.

His legislative achievements are almost too many to name. Let me talk about some of the big-ticket Alaska items that Chuck was involved with. He was involved with responsible energy development in the 1002 area. He led this fight for us for decades as we sought to open up ANWR. He has been the lead on a lifesaving road for the good people of King Cove that we just, again, have been successful with. He has been working to build out a safer route on the Sterling Highway, a much needed timber supply in the Tongass National Forest. He wrote legislation to ensure the transfer of lands owed to Alaska, to promote the construction of an Alaska gasline, and to expand the use of renewable resources, such as hydropower, marine hydrokinetic, and geothermal. Chuck was involved with all of it.

He has been involved in so many significant accomplishments for our State, but what is equally impressive is the work Chuck did very quietly and just every day for Alaskans all over the State. Whether it was a bridge that needed repair, a light pole that had toppled over in bad weather, land use fees that had been miscalculated by a Federal agency, a land exchange for a remote community, Chuck was always there. No matter how small the problem, no matter how complicated it may be, Chuck was there to work on it.

Chuck has only been retired now for a few weeks, and the people I talk to are all asking: How is Chuck doing? Where is Chuck? They all say they are going to miss him, and I say how much I already do.

It is a comfort to know that Chuck is not going too far. He is retiring from Washington, DC, and he is moving to a beautiful little farm in Floyd, VA. Apparently there is only one stoplight in Chuck's new town, but I think Chuck is going to keep busy. His better half Tori says she wants a cow. They want to grow a little bit of hay, and there is grass to mow. There is a half-acre pond that apparently is stocked with fish. There is a barn we all volunteered to help him paint this summer. We will figure out time to do the barn painting.

To the people of Floyd, congratulations on bringing Chuck into the fold. We know the barn, the cow, the hay, the pond, the single stoplight, and the community are all very lucky to have him. I certainly was.

He spent 27 years in Congress and near double that working on behalf of Alaska in some fashion or another. Chuck's guidance and work have not only benefited me but the State and people of Alaska and the rest of our country.

My favorite part, what I loved best about Chuck is, after all he has done and all he has accomplished, he is still one of the most humble guys you will ever meet. I told him that recently, and he said: ``Oh, yeah, it's easy to be humble when you have a lot to be humble about.''

Chuck was just that way. He is always modest, but the example he set as a true public servant is one to emulate. He worked hard every day-- every day. He made our office a better place. He helped people, and in doing so, he left some truly enormous shoes to fill.

Should anybody doubt that Chuck left a lasting impression, all we have to do is look at the single space, 50-page exit memo he wrote to give the rest of my staff, giving them updates on everything he had been working on, the status, whom to contact, what to do next. Chuck left the guidebook. He is incredibly thorough, amazingly impressive, and always appreciated.

So I want to thank Chuck Kleeschulte. Thank you. Thank you for

everything you did for me, for Alaska, and for our Nation. You will always be a part of our Senate family and a beloved member of Team Murkowski. After 27 years, and on behalf of those who knew him, I wish Chuck the absolute best as he begins his very well-deserved retirement.

With that, I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Kennis Brady, a member of my staff, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the day.

Mr. President, I thank my colleague and congratulate him. I recognize him and Senator Crapo, as well, for their efforts.

I think, as we look to those energy solutions that can take our country and our planet to a place that is better, that demonstrate a truly greater environmental stewardship through the uses of clean energy, one should almost immediately look to the benefits that nuclear is able to provide for us.

In my coming from a fossil-producing State like Alaska, people often ask, if I were not someone in Congress, would I be a supporter of nuclear. I truly believe that when it comes to our energy portfolio and those that will allow us to have a balanced approach to our energy and our energy solutions and when we are talking about the affordability, the accessibility, the diversity of supply, and the security of supply, you must also include and emphasize the clean energy supply.

What the Senator from Rhode Island continues to repeat is worth repeating. Focusing on how we move ourselves to a cleaner energy environment is something we have had opportunities to visit and is something to which I am committed. So I look forward to finding those areas of balance.

Remembering Jim Balamaci

Mr. President, I am here this afternoon for a brief few moments to pay tribute to an Alaskan whom we lost just within the past 2 weeks.

My State is a State that is well known for the strength of its nonprofit sector, and we lost one of our leaders of that sector--a very special person who was beloved by many. He was a gentleman, a friend, by the name of Jim Balamaci. Jim was the president and chief executive officer of Alaska's Special Olympics. He unexpectedly passed away at the age of 63.

This Sunday, I will be going home and will join with thousands who will fill the Alaska Airlines Arena on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus to pay tribute to Jim and to celebrate his contributions to the Special Olympics. Jim was really a giant in the Special Olympics, both at the local level and at the national level.

I think it is most fitting that the celebration of Jim's life will occur during the weekend of the Special Olympics Alaska Winter Games. This will provide an opportunity for the many Special Olympians, the coaches, the volunteers--I am actually going to be there to help pass out awards--and for so many of us whose lives have been touched by Jim's inspiration to gather together to show our love and our admiration for, again, a truly great man.

Being born in Alaska affords one a certain quantum of bragging rights when it comes to leadership, but truth be told, when the history of Alaska post-statehood is written, it is people like Jim who came from somewhere else and chose to make Alaska their home--their lives will be remembered for making Alaska the extraordinary and very special place that it is. Jim really fit that bill.

Our NBC affiliate in Anchorage, KTUU, said: ``If there was ever an Alaskan who wore his heart on his sleeve, it was Balamaci.''

In a 2017 interview with KTUU, Jim explained what makes Alaska so special in words that show how significant a figure he will be remembered as. He said: ``We build our communities, we build our state, and we build our friendships.'' That in a nutshell really explains the DNA of post-statehood Alaska. Jim absolutely got it, and I think that is one of the reasons he has earned a place in history, as well as in our hearts.

Jim was born in Bridgeport, CT. He was active in sports. He was active in church. He entered a pretheology program at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY. He was concurrently a student at Iona College in nearby New Rochelle. He graduated from Iona in 1976.

A year after graduation, Jim left the suburbs of New York City to pursue his Alaskan adventure, his Alaskan dream. He moved north. He settled in Kodiak--pretty remote, not on anybody's road system. He worked in commercial fisheries there. He was a carpenter and teacher, and he kind of did it all. That is when he began his career, his lifetime of volunteer service.

He began volunteering in the Special Olympics in 1979, and shortly thereafter, he moved into coaching. He was selected as president and CEO of Special Olympics in Alaska in 1996. Back in 1996, there were about 400 athletes around the State. Jim grew that universe of athletes of Special Olympians. Alaska's Special Olympics community today includes some 2,000 athletes, and I can tell you, they are all friends of Jim's.

In a career as rich as Jim's, it might be difficult to identify just one or two experiences that were truly exceptional, but I would bet that Jim would probably say that he was most proud of the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games that were hosted in Alaska. We had over 3,000 athletes from 80 countries who participated in the event. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who, of course, is the founder of the Special Olympics, reportedly told Jim that it was the best World Winter Games in Special Olympics' history. That was substantial praise from the founder of the Special Olympics.

Up until the last visit I had with Jim here in Washington, DC, Tim Shriver, who is also an extraordinary individual working within the Special Olympics, has been there with Jim when they come to Washington to visit with me.

Another capstone experience occurred in 2014 with the completion of the Special Olympics Alaska Athlete Training Center and Campus. I will tell you, this is a phenomenal facility. It is really a one-of-a-kind facility. It is 28,000 square feet. It has a facility center, an indoor track, and a multipurpose sports court. It has a kitchen where the athletes learn about nutrition. It was built at a cost of about $7 million. It remains one of the world's only dedicated training centers for developmentally disabled athletes. I have had occasion several times a year to be able to go out to their games. They have field hockey inside. The games they are able to participate in year-round in a place like Alaska--to have this training facility is absolutely exceptional and unparalleled.

When we think of the Special Olympians, we typically tend to think of younger athletes, but as young Special Olympians age, they still remain Special Olympians. Jim saw this. We had so many conversations where he was talked about just the demographic, the aging population that we are seeing among our Special Olympians and those who are developmentally disabled. He said that we cannot not be thinking about their future as well.

Jim was truly a pioneer. He worked in developing the Aging Unified Athlete Program with Special Olympics leaders across the country to ensure that developmentally disabled athletes live long and healthy lives, focusing on lifetime learning but really making sure that at all ages, there is engagement.

Jim had an extraordinary heart, a big heart, a warm personality. He was just so loved. I cannot convey it enough. He was loved by not only those within the community of the Special Olympics but within the broader Alaskan community at large. I certainly saw that this fall when the torch run was being put on, which is a partnership with our law enforcement, along with our Special Olympians--again, a coming together of a community to provide support for one another.

Jim could motivate and charm with the best of them. You need look no further for evidence of that than to be out at a place called Goose Lake in Anchorage, AK, the third week of December. Jim Balamaci is a guy who could

get thousands of Alaskans--literally thousands of Alaskans--to jump into a hole in a frozen lake in December to raise money for the Special Olympics.

If you have never dressed up in costume to jump into a hole--this is not something where you can wade out to get your feet wet and say: I have done the polar plunge. This is a polar plunge where you go into that hole and you are swimming in a frozen lake, and it is December. I was out there in December. Jim Balamaci reminded us that we were all there ``freezin' for a reason,'' and that reason was to help the Special Olympics and Special Olympians. He was an extraordinarily special person to so many of us.

On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I send my condolences to Jim's mother Frusina. She visited him often during his 40-year Alaskan adventure. We send our condolences to his sister and brother and to all those who were touched by Jim's kindness and generosity.

Alaska and our Special Olympians across the country are better because of Jim Balamaci.

With that, Mr. President, I thank you, and I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, every community has one--the iconic American diner. Its definition, as has been officially outlined, is ``a friendly place, usually mom-and-pop with a sole proprietor, that serves basic, home-cooked, fresh food, for a good value.'' This is sort of an official definition that was coined by a gentleman named Richard Gutman, who is regarded as the curator and expert on all things diner.

In 1955, 4 years before Alaska won statehood, our very own iconic American diner opened in Anchorage. It was called the Lucky Wishbone. It was a friendly place. It featured pan-fried chicken, real cheeseburgers, great milkshakes, by the way, and French fries that had been cut from potatoes just that morning. Fitting squarely within Gutman's definition, it was a mom-and-pop. Mom was Peggy Brown. Peggy passed away in 2011 at the age of 87 after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. Pop was George Brown, who passed away on January 13 at the age of 96.

This is the story of two extraordinary individuals who helped build our community and helped build our State in remarkable and very humble ways.

George, along with his partner at the time, Sven Jonasson, built the restaurant with their own hands. Sven exited shortly thereafter, and Peggy became George's business partner, as well as his life partner. She did the books. She greeted the guests. She was involved in every aspect of the enterprise.

In 2002, the Lucky Wishbone was named Alaska's Small Business of the Year. When you think about it, there is nothing more homegrown, nothing more truly small business and entrepreneurial than that small diner everybody calls home. Peggy flew back to Washington, DC, to receive the award in 2002. She was introduced at the time to President George W. Bush by Senator Stevens. Senator Stevens told the President: ``This lady makes some of the best fried chicken in the country.'' You wouldn't think that coming from Alaska, but I can testify from personal knowledge that that is a fact.

The Lucky Wishbone, I expect, will continue on. It is a successful business with a large following. But with the passing of Peggy and now George, it marks the end of an era for us in Alaska. We have lost two beloved pioneers who were dear friends to so many of us, and I am proud to count myself among that group. It is important that we acknowledge their place in Alaska's history, and that is what I intend to do briefly today.

George was a native of Wisconsin. He attended high school in Red Wing, MN. He joined the Minnesota National Guard. He was selected for Officer Candidate School.

In 1943, George and Peggy met, and they married the next year, in 1944. It is said that they met ``over Formica.'' George was training to be a pilot, and Peggy was a waitress. Some would suggest that their destiny as operators of an iconic diner was sealed at that very moment, but World War II came first. George received orders to go to India. He was one of those brave pilots who navigated military aircraft over the Himalayas, colloquially known as the Hump.

Coincidentally, another significant figure in Alaska's history flew those same routes during the war. That guy's name was Ted Stevens.

After the war, George and Peggy returned briefly to the Midwest. They bought a share in a restaurant. In 1951, they sold their share and took off for Alaska in a 1949 Nash. It was a pretty bumpy, dusty, 2-week journey, we are told. Upon arrival, George worked construction on Elmendorf Air Force Base and helped build a home for his family. They moved to Arizona for a short time in the 1950s and tried out another restaurant; at that time, it was in Tucson. It didn't work. It was a flop. So they returned to Alaska to try again, and this time there was no flop.

On the occasion of the Wishbone's 50th anniversary in 2005, George recalled the Wishbone's first week in business. He shared this with a reporter from the Anchorage Daily News, Debra McKinney. He said as follows:

The first day we took in $80. The second day, $125. Then we

went to $300 on Saturday, I believe it was. We were totally

swamped. And on Sunday it was $460. At that time, why of

course coffee was 10 cents, a jumbo hamburger was 65 cents, a

regular hamburger 40 cents, a milk shake, 35 cents--that kind

of thing. Things were looking pretty good after that first

week. From then on, the business grew and grew and grew.

Those were George's words.

Fifty years later, according to McKinney, the Wishbone was serving up over 1,000 chickens a week, somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 a year.

Serving up all of that food, of course, requires a pretty big team. George and Peggy have four children, and every one of them put in time at the Lucky Wishbone. Patricia Brown Heller--Pat Heller--is one of those children. She is

the oldest of the four. She tells the story of her involvement working in the restaurant. She says she pretty much cut her teeth in the restaurant. She was the fastest potato peeler and slicer at the Wishbone, she says on the order of 200 pounds a day. She worked in the family's restaurant cutting those potatoes, peeling and cutting them every morning.

Pat decided that the restaurant was not going to be her career and decided to go another route. She was the longtime State director for the former Senator Murkowski--my father, Senator Frank Murkowski--and then when I came to the Senate, she continued on as my State director in 2003. But Pat has always been, as have her siblings, a true fixture, along with her parents, at the Lucky Wishbone.

The demands of the business required growth in the workforce, and George and Peggy maintained a high standard and demanded much of their employees. Many chose to stay. They were adopted into the Browns' extended family. If you ask people throughout Anchorage if they know somebody who has worked at the Lucky Wishbone, I can tell you that extended family is pretty large. It is pretty significant.

George and Peggy were known for giving away $30,000 to $40,000 in Christmas bonuses, health insurance, and pensions. They were very protective of the health of their customers and their employees, and the Lucky Wishbone became smoke-free long before it was fashionable and not without more than its share of controversy because many of their customers liked to smoke, but not at the Wishbone.

Oftentimes, when Mom and Pop pass away, the business dies with them. Fortunately, that won't be the case here. Ownership responsibilities going forward will be shared by Pat and two long-term employees of the Wishbone. And out of love and respect for George and Peggy, they have made a commitment to Anchorage, so nothing is going to change. It is comforting to know that the chicken will still be wonderful, the cheeseburgers will still be real, the milkshakes good, and, of course, the french fries cut fresh every morning.

Community is a highly valued concept back home in Alaska. George Brown may have set out to run a successful restaurant, but what he did was he created a community institution, a place for people to talk about golf or flying or whatever were the issues of the day.

We have a tradition, I guess you can call it, in my family. During a campaign, when you come to election day, there is oftentimes not much more that can be done. You have gotten your message out. You are just kind of waiting for people to vote. So a tradition in our family is we go out for a nice lunch, and we always go to the Lucky Wishbone on election day. I think I am going to continue that tradition. This is a place where the coffee is warm and the food is hearty, a place where the smiles and the hugs have always been readily available.

As much as I have missed Peggy since she has passed, I will certainly miss George. I will miss his smile. I will miss his conversation. But it is comforting to know that their legacy will continue.

On February 11--this weekend--George's friends and supporters and admirers will gather at the Alaska Aviation Museum to celebrate his life. It is really an appropriate place for George because he was a pilot, and once a pilot, always a pilot. He had 73 years of experience in the cockpit at age 94 when he last landed his Cessna on Deshka Lake to fish.

I had an opportunity to speak with Pat before I came to the floor, and she is worried that the location they have chosen for the service will be too small because they anticipate that some 400 Alaskans will come to gather. She made the comment to me: At 96, you wouldn't figure that there would be that many people at someone's service.

I reminded Pat that George was that person who touched so many people's lives, whether as a pilot, a small businessman, a community leader, or just the generous man with a good cup of coffee who would sit at the banquet table with you there at the Lucky Wishbone and just share a conversation. He was a man of many talents with an extraordinary good heart and good will.

On behalf of my Senate colleagues, I bid farewell to this outstanding Alaskan. I extend my condolences to his family and to all of those whose life he enriched.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I have come to the floor to pay tribute to William J. Van Ness, an individual who was instrumental in the maturation and development of Alaska as a State and who passed away last November.

Bill's contributions to Alaska began in 1966 when he joined the staff of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, the predecessor to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, under the chairmanship of Senator Henry ``Scoop'' Jackson.

As special counsel and later chief counsel for the committee, Bill was one of the architects of the settlement of the aboriginal land claims of Alaska Natives, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, as well as the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Act of 1973. The enactment of these foundational laws has enabled Alaska to achieve many of the promises of our statehood.

As an Alaskan, a Senator representing Alaska, and the current chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, I was saddened to learn of Bill's passing, but am proud to help recognize his contributions to our state.

I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record an essay made possible by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, which Bill served as president of from 1988 until 2008. The essay, which appeared on HistoryLink.org, highlights many of Bill's accomplishments.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.