Floor Statements

Mr. President, this morning, I rise to share with my colleagues the story of one brave marine from Kentucky who lost his life while wearing our country's uniform.

LCpl Chadwick A. Gilliam of Mayking, KY, passed away on January 3, 2009, of an apparent cardiac arrest at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. He was 29 years old.

For his service in uniform, Lance Corporal Gilliam received several medals, awards, and decorations, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

Chris Damron, Chad's brother-in-law, recalls how Chad was happy to enlist. ``He'd said that it was just something he wanted to do,'' Chris says. ``All his life he wanted to be a Marine.''

Before entering the U.S. Marine Corps, Chad graduated from Whitesburg High School in the mid-1990s. After earning his bachelor's degree, he also graduated from Lindsay

Wilson College with a master's degree in counseling and human development.

One of his former high school teachers, Scottie Billiter, said Gilliam was an inspiration to other students. Billiter remembers that Chad had a wide array of interests, from the football team to the Spanish club. ``I have nothing but great, fond memories of him,'' Billiter says. ``He was a big part of who we were.''

As a marine, Chad continued to be a natural inspiration to others. ``All the Marines seemed to really look up to Chad,'' says brother-in- law Chris Damron. ``He was a leader in the Marine Corps.''

Chad was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Second Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Lejeune, NC. He was an infantryman and joined the unit in June 2007. He was promoted to lance corporal in 2008 and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

We are thinking of Chad's family as I share his story with my Senate colleagues, particularly his parents Paul Gilliam and Mary Ellen Cook Gilliam, his wife Corinne Marie Stewart Gilliam, his sister Paula Regina Damron, his brother Michael Wayne Gilliam, his brother-in-law Chris Damron, along with many other beloved family members and friends. Chad was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents Willard and Belvia Holbrook Gilliam and his maternal grandparents Arlie and Edna Sergent Cook.

I know my Senate colleagues join me in expressing gratitude and sympathy to the family of LCpl Chadwick A. Gilliam--gratitude for his life of service and sympathy for his ultimate sacrifice. Without brave men and women such as Lance Corporal Gilliam to defend our country, we would not be free. Those of us who cherish our freedoms must never ever forget that.

I suggest the absence of a quorum

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Jeff E. Caudill--a veteran and tireless public servant who passed away last month at the age of 84.

Jeff was born in a log cabin in Viper, KY, on January 20, 1930. In order to help support himself and his family, he began work in the coal mines with his father and brothers at the age of 14.

Without a formal education past the seventh grade, Jeff decided to join the U.S. Army, where he proudly served his country for 22 years throughout both the Korean and Vietnam wars.

After his retirement from the military, Jeff moved back to Kentucky where he continued his service to the community in other ways. Throughout London, KY, he is known as ``Santa Jeff.'' Jeff was afforded this nickname in part because his white beard gave him the ability to play the part during the Christmas season, but also because he could be counted on to serve his community in all seasons.

Jeff was known to organize clothing and food drives, make hospital visits to the sick and elderly, and captain the Honor Guard at military funerals. Whatever he could do to better the lives of others, you could count on Jeff to deliver.

Jeff Caudill's life of service to his country, community, and family set a shining example for us all to follow. Therefore, I ask that my U.S. Senate colleagues join me in honoring this exemplary citizen.

The London-area publication the Sentinel-Echo recently published an article detailing the life of Mr. Caudill. I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record.

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

Mr. President, I would like to say a few words this morning about President Obama's proposed Executive action on immigration. I will begin with a quote from the President himself. ``Democracy is hard,'' he said during a commencement speech in Miami 3 years ago. ``But it's right. [And] changing our laws means doing the hard work of changing minds and changing votes, one by one.''

As somebody who well understands just how difficult the work of changing minds and votes can be, I could not agree more with the President's statement. Americans accept that democracy's blessings are only made possible by the constraints it imposes--both its legal contours and those imposed by popular elections.

We accept democracy's messiness. We accept that we may not always get all of what we want exactly when we want it. Based on more of what the President said in Miami, this is something he seemed to understand as well. He was talking about immigration that day.

Here is something else he said on that topic. ``I know [that] some . . . wish that I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that's not how democracy works.'' Indeed, it is not--all of which makes the President's planned Executive action on immigration even more jarring.

If the President truly follows through on this attempt to impose his will unilaterally, he will have issued a rebuke to his own stated view of democracy. He will have contradicted his past statements on this very issue. The instances of President Obama saying that he does not have the power to do the kinds of things he now plans to do are almost too numerous to list.

He tried to suggest otherwise last weekend. But a prominent fact checker panned the spin as ``Pinocchio-laden'' and clarified that the President has been asked specifically about the source of actions that he is contemplating now. The President's previous answers seemed to be unequivocal: He lacked the legal authority to act, according to the President himself.

As one example, President Obama said last year that Executive action was ``not an option,'' because ``[he] would be ignoring the law. ``There is a path to get this done,'' he said, ``and that is through Congress.'' He is right. The action he has proposed would ignore the law, would reject the voice of the voters, and would impose new unfairness on law-abiding immigrants, all without solving the problem.

In fact, his action is more likely to make it even worse. We have already seen the consequences of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, his most recent action in this area. It was a factor in encouraging young people to risk their lives on a perilous journey some would never have even contemplated and some would never complete.

The effect of this action could be just as tragic. Just as the Affordable Care Act had little to do with making health care more affordable, slapping the term ``immigration reform'' on something does not make it actually immigration reform. Just as with ObamaCare, the action the President is proposing is not about solutions, it is not about compassion, it seems to be about what a political party thinks would make for good politics.

It seems to be about what the President thinks would be good for his legacy. Those are not the motivations that should be driving such sweeping action, and I think the President will come to regret the chapter history writes if he does move forward because the plan he is presenting is more than just--as the President himself has acknowledged--an overreach, it is also unfair. What does the President have to say to the countless aspiring immigrants who spent literally years waiting patiently in line, to the people who played by all the rules? Where is his compassion for them? What does the President have to say to the millions of Americans who still can't find work in this economy? The President can't reach across the aisle to secure a serious jobs plan for them, but he is willing to put everything he has into one Executive action? Where is the justice?

There is a larger point too. Some people seem to have forgotten this already, but we just had an election. Before that election the President told us about his plan to act unilaterally on immigration. He reminded us that his policies were on the ballot. And then the people spoke. The President doesn't have to like the result, but he has a duty to respect it. The American people clearly sent a message. Nobody missed it. They said they want to see us working together. They said they want to see more serious ideas pass through Congress. What they didn't say they wanted to see was the President sidestepping the very representatives they just elected. That is why so many Kentuckians have been calling my office in opposition to this plan. I know phones have continued to ring off the hook all week in our offices across Capitol Hill. Our constituents want to be heard. President Obama needs to listen to their voices.

If nothing else, perhaps the President will at least consider the views of Democratic Senators and Members of Congress who have urged him not to do this. These Democrats understand the consequences of a President from a different political party citing this precedent in the future.

Either way, he needs to understand something: If President Obama acts in defiance of the people and imposes his will on the country, Congress will act. We are considering a variety of options, but make no mistake--when the newly elected representatives of the people take their seats, they will act.

Look, as the President has said, democracy is hard. Imposing his will unilaterally may seem tempting. It may serve him politically in the short term. But he knows it will make an already broken system even more broken, and he knows this is not how democracy is supposed to work because he told us so himself.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I would like to say a few words about a staffer I will be very sad to lose tomorrow. Denzel McGuire is one of the most genuine people you will ever meet. She always has a smile on her face and a ready joke, and she is the only Senate staffer I know of who can plan on--listen to this--a personal birthday song from Speaker Boehner every year. She also has a determination that is as strong as steel. She is a master at negotiating. And all Members--even the Speaker--have learned it is wise to stay in her good graces.

Denzel has worked for some of the most respected Members of this body, including Jon Kyl and Judd Gregg. She has taken on some of the thorniest issues over her more than 20 years here in Congress.

In this job you get accustomed to hearing bad news, but what I tell people is that if I have to hear bad news from someone, I would rather have it come from Denzel. She always has a plan moving forward, and there is usually a joke slipped in there as well.

Denzel is too modest to say so herself, but she has been in the middle of a lot of big legislative battles around here. She has been in the mix on pretty much everything you could imagine that has to do with budgets and government funding issues--in other words, pretty much everything. She has also worked a lot of late nights. She has plenty of war stories, but she has never lost her optimism or her good humor. Now, that is no mean feat.

I am really going to miss Denzel, but she has more than earned a break, and I wish her nothing but the best as she moves on to the next chapter in her life. I am sure she will be a great success.

Mr. President, I would also like to say a quick word about Chris Doby, the Senate financial clerk, who will be leaving us soon after more than three decades of service.

Chris came to the Senate in 1983 after graduating from Radford University. He was a junior auditor back in those days. Today he has a broad range of duties. He has weathered a lot of storms. He is also one of the most popular guys in the Senate because he is responsible for making sure everybody gets paid. But Senators' staffs are not the only ones who have nice things to say about Chris. His colleagues praise his sincerity, his steady hand, his confidence, and his friendliness.

Chris is the consummate family man. He has three daughters: Colleen, Caroline, and Courtney; a grandson he adores; and a wife of 31 years, Cathy. I know he is looking forward to spending more time with all of them. He is probably looking forward to the end of his daily commute too. It is a 2-hour trek from the District to his home in Virginia. That is 2 hours each way, every day. I understand that Cathy has a to- do list for Chris that is a mile long, so we know he will have a lot on his plate when he leaves here. But we thank him for his long and dedicated service in the Senate.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the Kentucky Communities Economic Opportunity Council, KCEOC, Community Action Partnership--an organization that for the past 50 years has been dedicated to the cause of destroying the roots of poverty in Southeastern Kentucky.

KCEOC was one of the first community action agency organizations in the country to be established to target the causes of poverty on the State and local level. Founded in 1964, it can now celebrate five decades serving its community.

Based out of Knox County, KY, KCEOC helps over 7,000 Kentuckians achieve financial stability every year through a number of antipoverty programs. This includes Head Start and Early Head Start, programs that aim to build children's educational foundation from an early age. KCEOC is also involved in job training and career planning, providing affordable housing, and food and clothing drives.

The KCEOC Community Action Partnership recognizes that a ``hand up'' is more effective than a ``hand out.'' They are dedicated to providing Kentuckians mired in poverty with the means and assistance necessary to break the chain of poverty that has afflicted too many Southeastern Kentuckians for generations.

Although there are many more programs instituted by KCEOC that cover

a diverse range of problems--including an IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, a Summer Food Service Program, and a KCEOC Aquatic Club--at their core they are all designed to impact the people of the community in a positive way. This is an objective that the organization continues to achieve, year after year.

When one Kentuckian who benefitted from KCEOC's services was asked what mattered to him the most, he replied:

Getting my education. I had never planned on getting my GED

or going to college. [The staff at KCEOC] really pushed me

and encouraged me.

I especially want to thank the leadership of KCEOC, including its president/CEO, Mr. Paul D. Dole, who was honored in 2013 as one of the region's top entrepreneurs in Southern and Eastern Kentucky at the 2013 Excellence in Entrepreneurship event, hosted by the Center for Rural Development in Somerset.

For their 50 years of serving the community of Southeastern Kentucky, I ask that my Senate colleagues join me in honoring KCEOC. May their next 50 years be as beneficial to the Commonwealth of Kentucky as their first.

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

Mr. President, I rise this morning to celebrate the life and mourn the loss of a soldier from Kentucky who died while serving in uniform. PFC Joshua Gray of Van Lear, KY, lost his life on February 10, 2014, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from a noncombat- related incident.

Private First Class Gray was 21 years old. For his service in uniform, Private First Class Gray received several medals, awards, and decorations, including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the NATO Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Expert Marksmanship Badge.

Josh's life may have been tragically cut short, but it was full of promise. He excelled as a student. He scored a 34 out of 36 on the ACT standardized test in high school, putting his score in the 99th percentile. Friends and teachers from Johnson Central High School, where Josh graduated in 2011, remember how very bright he was.

``Josh was a very high-end student. He was an amazing kid,'' says John Robinson, one of Josh's teachers. ``He was very super-smart. He was always looking something up. He always had this thirst for knowledge--computers, math, science and technology. He was always more than willing to do work. He often came to me with questions--or answers.''

Josh's fascination with computers led him to salvage an old, massive IBM server that he brought to school to tinker with. John Robinson remembers the unit was so heavy it should have required two people to carry it. John said:

He was carrying it around like it was nothing. He left it

here. I still have it.

Josh was known around school for carrying something else around--Mr. Waddles, his stuffed penguin and constant companion. Though Josh carried the stuffed penguin at first for laughs, it soon became his trademark. As Tim Adams, district director of operations for Johnson County Schools, said:

He took Mr. Waddles everywhere with him. It started out as

a joke, but then it just caught on. Mr. Waddles became part

of the class.

Joshua participated on the Johnson Central High School academic team and the SkillsUSA team. Popular with his classmates, he was also named prom king and voted ``Most Unforgettable'' by his senior class.

Lindsey Patrick, a classmate of Joshua's, stated:

He could have done anything with his life, he was one of

the most brilliant people I've ever met, and [service] is

what he chose to do and give his life. That is why he is so

unforgettable.

Josh was also musically gifted as well. Angie Carriere, his former music teacher, remembers Josh's musical talent:

He was in my violin/fiddle class. He never wanted to learn

to read music, instead he insisted on playing music `by ear.'

Actually, he never really needed the [sheet] music; he could

just listen to the song and play it.

Josh joined the Army in November of 2012. He completed training at Fort Jackson, SC, and was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, based out of Fort Drum, NY, as a satellite communications system operator and maintainer. He deployed to Afghanistan in

support of Operation Enduring Freedom in January of 2014.

Joshua's funeral was held at Johnson County Middle School. He was buried with full military honors at Highland Memorial Park in Staffordsville, Johnson County.

We are thinking of Josh's family as I recount his story for my Senate colleagues, including his parents Seth William Gray and Robin Rena Gray, his brother Dustin Mollett, his sister Delaney Mollett, his maternal grandparents Andy and Kathleen Price, his paternal grandmother, Irene Gray, and many other beloved family members and friends.

PFC Joshua A. Gray was truly a talented and bright young man who could have done many things. The fact that he chose to serve his country in the U.S. Army is a testament to his character and his patriotism. I hope the family of Private First Class Gray knows that we in the Senate honor his choice to serve and we are grateful for his sacrifice.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a friend of mine and a great friend to the Bluegrass State and the University of Kentucky, Mr. Bill Schweri. Bill recently retired from the University of Kentucky after dedicating over 40 years to working at the university, the last two decades of which were spent as the director of Federal relations.

It has been Bill's job to serve as a liaison between the university and its faculty and the executive and legislative branches of State and Federal Government. I am a proud graduate of UK's College of Law, and Bill has represented my alma mater exceedingly well over the years.

Bill has been a staunch advocate for new research initiatives at the university in fields as varied as agriculture, biotechnology, clean coal technology, energy, engineering, and transportation. He has helped transform UK into one of the most prominent economic drivers in the State.

He has been instrumental in bringing about such UK achievements as the Marty Driesler Cancer Project, the expansion of a teaching space in the College of Nursing, the creation of a bioinformatics core in the university's medical center, and Fedtrak, a project with the Transportation Security Administration to track sensitive material shipments.

Bill also played a key role in UK's Markey Cancer Center being awarded a National Cancer Institute designation. With NCI designation, UK is better positioned to recruit researchers, receive grants, and to develop new breakthrough treatments to lead the fight against cancer. This means that fewer Kentuckians will have to travel out of State to find the most advanced care and clinical trials, and instead will be able to find it within the Commonwealth, which is critical as Kentucky suffers from the highest combined cancer mortality rate in the country.

Bill has worked actively to help maintain congressional support for student financial aid, which is so important to many Kentucky students. He has worked tirelessly to ensure his school's visibility here in Washington, DC and to fight for legislation that is important to UK. And he is fiercely loyal to the University of Kentucky.

Bill is not just an employee of UK, he's also an alumnus. Bill earned his bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Kentucky in 1969 and his master's degree, also in anthropology, from UK in 1978.

In his youth he served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala, and he also served as the past president of the Society of Research Administrators, International from 1997 to 1998. Bill previously served as UK's director of sponsored program development in the 1980s and '90s before becoming the director of Federal relations in July of 1994.

Bill has been a leader in the Science Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the Nation's leading research universities dedicated to sustaining the Federal Government's investment in scientific research. He has also been actively involved in the Council on Governmental Affairs of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities.

Bill is well known and highly respected among his colleagues in Federal relations at other research universities, just as he is throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I wish to personally thank Bill for his service to the University of Kentucky and to our State. Although his retirement is well earned, he will certainly be missed, by me, by my staff, and by the many people across Kentucky who have benefited from his efforts. I ask my U.S. Senate colleagues to join me in bidding a fond farewell to Mr. Bill Schweri.

Mr. President, the recent beheading of U.S. citizen Peter Kassig was the latest reminder of the brutal tactics employed by ISIL, a murderous terrorist organization and insurgency that slaughters the innocent and routinely employs suicide bombers and IEDs in its campaign of terror.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant slaughtered Sunni tribe members in Anbar Province, executed prisoners, and captured key terrain in cities such as Mosul.

Americans know ISIL is lethal, but it is also versatile. It has associates and sympathizers in countries across the West, some self- radicalized on the Internet, including not only in Europe and Canada but right here in the United States. The ISIL fighting force continues to grow more numerous--now numbering at least 20,000 strong--with its success on the battlefield having drawn more extremists to the fight from many of the same places, including, again, right here in America.

At its core, ISIL includes many seasoned veterans who once fought under the banner of Al Qaeda in Iraq and either survived the U.S. military detention or el uded our military altogether during the years of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Many of these fighters are familiar with America's intelligence capabilities, and many are savvy with communications. These are terrorists who know how to use encryption, and they know how to change devices frequently. That is part of the reason I am strongly opposed to legislation offered by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee that would end one of the Nation's critical capabilities to gather significant intelligence on terrorist threats. This is the worst possible time to be tying our hands behind our backs.

The threat from ISIL is real. It is different from what we faced before. If we are going to overcome it, if our aim is to degrade and destroy ISIL, as the President has said, then it is going to require smart policies and firm determination. At a minimum, we should not be doing anything to make the situation worse. Yet that is what this bill would do.

Most damagingly, it would hinder the ability of intelligence community analysts to query a database to determine links between potential terrorists. Instead, the Leahy bill would have this data be held by telephone companies. It would make it far harder for records to be gathered for a specific selection term. Under the Leahy bill, the telephone companies would face no statutory requirement to even hold the relevant data.

There is a legitimate debate to be had over the proper balance to strike in our democracy. We continue to have that debate, and we should. But the opponents of this collection program have not provided any examples--no examples--of the National Security Agency intentionally spying on innocent civilians--no examples of that. In fact, the NSA, the courts, and the Congress have put in place detailed oversight procedures to protect both privacy and national security. Moreover, the only data captured under this program is the telephone number dialed--the telephone number dialed--the number from which the call was made, and the length of the call. Under section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, the content of the call is not captured. So I think the programs we have in place strike an appropriate balance between protecting our civil liberties and keeping our Nation safe. I think the bill before us would upend that delicate balance completely.

What is more, legislation with such far-reaching effects should be given the closest possible scrutiny, but this bill was never even considered by the Judiciary Committee or the Intelligence Committee. So it is unclear why the majority leader is moving to it now rather than taking up a bipartisan measure such as the FISA Improvements Act that passed the Intelligence Committee on a strong bipartisan vote of 11 to 4.

With the current law not even expiring until next June, it is unclear why the majority leader wants to rush this untested bill through in this lameduck session rather than after a reasonable consideration by relevant committees and by the newly elected Members who will actually be responsible for overseeing the program's operation.

The point is that the authorities we enacted after September 11, 2001, which were crafted to ensure that we integrated intelligence gathered overseas and here in the United States, are acutely relevant right now. We live in a dangerous world. Threats such as ISIL only make it more so. At a moment when the United States is conducting a military campaign to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat ISIL, now is certainly not the time to be considering legislation that takes away the exact tools we need to combat ISIL.

Our intelligence community is working to track foreign fighters returning from fighting in Syria, to prevent others from traveling to the battlefield, and to keep those within Syria from radicalizing their friends and families back home. It makes little sense to pass legislation that hinders our intelligence community--legislation that has yet to receive any committee consideration.

On that note, today's Wall Street Journal features an excellent opinion piece offered by former Federal judge and Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Gen. Michael Hayden, the former Director of the CIA and the NSA. I recommend their column, ``NSA Reform That Only ISIS Could Love.'' I ask unanimous consent that a copy be printed in the Record at this point.

On an entirely different matter, later today the Senate will vote on whether to send Congressman Cassidy's Keystone jobs bill to the President. It is a vote that is long overdue but certainly welcome. Keystone XL is just common sense. It is a shovel-ready jobs project that would help thousands of Americans find work. It would increase our supply of North American energy. It would do all of that with minimal net climate impact. That is why the American people support it. That is why Republicans support it. That is why so many rank-and-file Democrats support it too.

I wish the Senate would have followed the lead of Congressman Cassidy and his House colleagues in approving Keystone years ago. It is just common sense. Those who took a serious look at the science and the potential benefits reached that conclusion long ago. They understand that the whole drama over Keystone has been as protracted as it has been unnecessary. We hope to turn the page on all of that today.

The reason we are able to have this vote is because the American people sent a strong message earlier this month. They told us they just want Washington to get on with approving serious policies such as Keystone and then move on. That is why after years of delay and so many thwarted attempts to bring Keystone up for a vote, the Democratic leadership is finally, after 6 years, allowing us to vote on passage of the Cassidy Keystone bill. That is a good thing. It is a step forward. Now it will be up to our friends on the other side to vote with us and actually pass the Cassidy Keystone bill through Congress.

The President's remarks opposing this bipartisan legislation are certainly not helpful. Republicans are committed to getting Keystone approved. We want to see those jobs created as soon as possible. That is what the people want. The House already acted long ago, and Congressman Cassidy and his colleagues, such as Senator Hoeven, who is here on the floor, deserve recognition for their years of hard work on this issue.

So I would urge a ``yes'' vote on the legislation to send Congressman Cassidy's Keystone bill to the President and create more American jobs. If not, then a new majority, after the beginning of the year, will be taking this matter up and sending it down to the President.

I also wish to take a moment to thank the Senator from North Dakota for his persistence on this issue for literally years.

Without his leadership I don't know where we would be. I just want to extend my gratitude to him for his great work on this matter.

I yield the floor.

I would point out to my colleagues in the Senate that consideration of the Keystone Pipeline will be very early in the next session of the Senate, of the Congress, and I congratulate Senator Hoeven for his good work on this issue.

Vote on Abrams Nomination

I yield back all time.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Jim Taylor as he ends his 35-year stint as president of the University of the Cumberlands. Dr. Taylor is an educator of the highest degree and deserves the praise of this body for his unremitting devotion to his students and his community.

When Dr. Taylor retired last month, he ended the longest tenure as president of any college or university in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He led the university for so long, however, because he continued to get results from his students and contribute positively to his community-- year after year.

Over the course of his tenure, enrollment in the school rose from 1,885 to over 5,500, the endowment rose from $6 million to $79 million, and numerous campus renovations were made including the construction of hundreds of handicap access ramps.

Dr. Taylor's impact did not stop at the boundaries of campus, however. He worked tirelessly to better his community--raising money for scholarships for Appalachian students and overseeing clothing and food drives for area families.

For now, Dr. Taylor and his wife of 46 years, Dinah Louise Taylor, will move to their home in Florida. However, Dr. Taylor could not separate himself from the institution for which he had worked for so long in one fell swoop. He will remain involved with the university in his new position of chancellor, where he will help with fundraising and provide counsel to his successor in order to provide for a smooth transition.

Dr. Jim Taylor's life of service to his students and his community provide a shining example of excellence for us all. Therefore, I ask that my U.S. Senate colleagues join me in honoring this exemplary citizen.

The Times-Tribune of Whitley County, KY, recently published an article detailing the life and career of Dr. Jim Taylor. I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record.