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TRIBUTES TO HON. CONRAD R. BURNS 

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Conrad R. Burns 

U.S. SENATOR FROM MONTANA 

TRIBUTES 

IN THE CONGRESS OF 

THE UNITED STATES 

UNUM

E PLURIBUS


congress.#15
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Conrad R. Burns 


33202.001
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U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2007

S. DOC. 109–27 

Tributes 

Delivered in Congress 

Conrad R. Burns 

United States Senator 

1989–2007 

÷ 

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Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

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CONTENTS 

Page 

Biography .................................................................................................. v 

Farewell to the Senate ............................................................................. vii 

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee ............................................... 4 

Allen, George, of Virginia .......................................................... 5 

Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky ....................................................... 18 

Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia ............................................. 7 

Clinton, Hillary Rodham, of New York .................................... 12 

Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota ................................................. 11 

DeWine, Mike, of Ohio ............................................................... 13 

Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut ....................................... 13 

Dole, Elizabeth, of North Carolina ........................................... 20 

Durbin, Richard, of Illinois ........................................................ 6 

Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming ................................................... 15 

Frist, William H., of Tennessee ................................................ 19 

Hagel, Chuck, of Nebraska ........................................................ 3 

Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah ........................................................... 14 

Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas ............................................... 18 

Kyl, Jon, of Arizona ................................................................... 12 

Landrieu, Mary L., of Louisiana ............................................... 12 

Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland .......................................... 13 

Nelson, Bill, of Florida ............................................................... 5 

Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island ...................................................... 4 

Salazar, Ken, of Colorado .......................................................... 6 

Stevens, Ted, of Alaska ............................................................. 19 

Warner, John, of Virginia .......................................................... 9 

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Biography 

CONRAD BURNS was born on a farm near Gallatin, MO, on 

January 25, 1935, to Russell and Mary Frances (Knight) 

Burns. Graduating from Gallatin High School in 1952, Senator BURNS enrolled in the College of Agriculture at the University of Missouri. Senator BURNS enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps 2 years later, serving through 1957. During his 

term of service, Senator BURNS was posted throughout East 

Asia. 

Following his military service BURNS began working for 

TWA and Ozark Airlines until 1962, when he became a field 

representative for Polled Hereford World magazine in Billings, MT. Named the first manager of the Northern International Livestock Expo in 1968, BURNS began his career in 

radio and television broadcasting, reporting on agricultural 

market news and establishing his reputation as the voice of 

Montana agriculture. 

In 1975, BURNS founded 4 radio stations known as the 

Northern Ag Network, which grew to serve 31 radio and television stations across Montana and Wyoming when he sold 

it in 1986. 

Senator BURNS began his career in politics when he was 

elected to the Yellowstone County Commission, serving for 2 

years before deciding to run for the U.S. Senate. 

CONRAD BURNS became only the second Republican Senator in Montana’s history, defeating incumbent John Melcher 

in 1988, and was the longest serving Republican Senator in 

Montana history. 

On the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator BURNS

was able to bring in over $2 billion in Federal funds to the 

State since he took office. He has been a champion of a fiscally conservative government and a strong voice for lower 

taxes to create new businesses and more jobs. He expanded 

Montana’s job base by establishing more balanced trade with 

Canada and brought better education and health care to 

Montanans by encouraging hi-tech investment in the State. 

He pursued new markets for agricultural producers while securing millions of dollars in grants for research and marketing improvements. 

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As chairman of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee in the 109th Congress, Senator BURNS had jurisdiction over all the country’s Federal lands and the National 

Park Service. His love of the outdoors brought him back to 

Montana several times each month and made him a guardian of the State’s vast natural resources. As a result of his 

work in the Senate, over 70 rural Montana communities 

have adopted enforceable drinking water protection programs and funding became available to safeguard acres of 

Montana through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. 

On the national level, Senator BURNS criticized America’s 

dependency upon foreign oil supplies, calling on Congress to 

ban imports from Iraq and increase domestic production and 

research in fuel cell technology. He also cosponsored a Senate bill to voluntarily arm airline pilots to protect against future terrorist attacks. 

In 1997, Senator BURNS became Chairman of the Communications Subcommittee, one of the major regulatory posts in 

Congress. He has been praised as ‘‘one of the fathers of the 

modern Internet,’’ standing for deregulation, the roll-out of 

broadband in rural areas, and new Internet and mobile 

phone technologies. He authored section 706 of the 1996 

Telecommunications Act and in 1999 unveiled the ‘‘Digital 

Dozen’’ proposal of telecom legislation. During the 107th 

Congress, Senator BURNS pushed his ‘‘Tech 7’’ agenda, which 

aimed to bring greater security to the Internet, and during 

the 108th Congress, Senator BURNS unveiled his 

‘‘NexGenTen’’ Tech Agenda. At the start of the 109th Congress, Senator BURNS took helm as Chairman of the Aviation 

Subcommittee and rolled out his ‘‘e-Eleven,’’ Tech Agenda, 11 

top priority items to strengthen security and usher reform 

for 21st century communication. 

In 1967 CONRAD BURNS married his wife Phyllis. Their 

daughter Keely was born in 1971, and 5 years later, in 1976, 

their son Garrett was born. 

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Farewell to the Senate 

Wednesday, December 6, 2006 

Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I appreciate the words of my 

friend from Florida [Mr. Nelson] as I rise today and say my 

farewell to this body. I do it with some sadness, but I do it 

with great pride. I do it with a great appreciation for the 

Senate and for the people who serve here. 

It has always been one of my personal honors and always 

a privilege to serve the State of Montana and the country for 

the last 18 years, and with such distinguished and honorable 

men and women. 

We have seen a lot of changes. I want to answer my good 

friend from Florida before he leaves the floor: We have seen 

some changes come over the body, and I would suggest that 

we turn off that eye that surrounds this body, turn it off and 

turn the Senate back into the debating body it was once 

known for, with collegiality, because the best I have ever 

seen the Senate operate is in executive session. When you 

turn off the television and we get to the issues—and we have 

some marvelous people, dedicated, on both sides of an issue, 

who can argue the issue—some of us who may not be as disciplined in that particular issue as others could learn and 

vote more intelligently. I suggest that, but I doubt that will 

ever happen, being that it is already out in the public today. 

I thank the Senator for his observation. We need to get back 

to the great debates that were held on the floor of the Senate 

many years ago. 

It was back on January 3, 1989, when I was sworn in the 

Senate. It was a proud day in my life and, of course, for my 

wife and our family. I got to thinking during that day that 

only in America could something like this happen. I was fortunate and, of course, we had both my wife’s family, who are 

Nebraska folks, and my family, who are Missouri folks, in attendance that day. They are just folks, but they are emblematic of those people who were born of the land and in the 

heart of America—ranchers and farmers. 

It was on the prairies of Missouri where I was born and 

raised on a little old bitty farm of 160 acres—what I call ‘‘2 

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rocks and 1 dirt’’—not a very good farm. But I have fond 

memories of that place. I give thanks every day that I was 

born to that family and in that old house that still stands on 

that 160 acres. Of course, in my younger years I gained most 

of my philosophy in life. I was born of folks who weren’t very 

wealthy, as you would define wealthy. They were a product 

of the Great Depression and the terrible droughts of the 

1930s. They survived by hard work and great pride. The values they passed on to most of us in my generation were the 

love of this country first, community pride and loyalty to 

that community, and honesty to the core. Russell and Mary 

Francis were married 59 years on that day when I was 

sworn in. And I will tell you, when they witnessed proudly 

their son sworn into the most prestigious body in the world, 

only in America can that happen. It is truly the miracle of 

our country. It was also a proud day for all of our family. 

I will say right now that we could not do well in this body 

without the true support of a wife and family because it is 

from that source that we draw our strength and, yes, our 

wisdom, as long as they are by our side. Phyllis, of course, 

and Keely and Garrett were all here. What blessings God 

has bestowed upon me personally. One was missing and that 

was Kate. God called her home back in 1985, but she remains in our memories and hearts forever. Again, one cannot 

do this job without the support and sacrifice of our family. 

We have seen a lot of positive things happen in Montana. 

Montana has just begun to grow in new directions. Montana 

is a resource State, with timber, mining, oil, and agriculture. 

But we have new opportunities now, and they have opened. 

I am proud to say that it was me and my office that led the 

way on most of those changes. It is said that it is not bragging if you have done it. I was fortunate enough to attract 

a staff that shared the same vision of change, and change we 

did. Montana is not short of visionaries. It was my privilege 

to know them, work with them, and to move our State forward. 

There is one thing about Montanans: They are not afraid 

to dream. As you know, dreams never die; dreamers do. Our 

colleges and universities now are national leaders in research and development, agriculture, engineering, and communications. We have telemedicine and distance learning 

where none existed before. We have seen a real leap forward 

in our infrastructure and transportation and rural utilities. 

We have watched an elevated vocational educational system 

grow. Tribal colleges on our seven reservations are growing 

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and now offer opportunities that have never been available 

to our Native Americans in the history of our State. More 

Montanans are working today and own their homes than at 

any other time in the history of our State. 

I had the honor of serving with three Presidents, and one 

could say four, as it was in the closing days of President Reagan’s term. They are all honorable men and dedicated to this 

Nation. I know what it is like to be in the minority, and I 

know what it is like to be in the majority. One great statement was made: ‘‘The majority is more funner.’’

I have enjoyed my work with some of the best men and 

women in the Senate who represented both sides of the aisle, 

from different regions of our country and diverse cultures. I 

will miss them. But we have welded some friendships that 

will last forever. The same could be said of nations to which 

we have traveled and met national and international leaders 

on all continents. 

During my tenure here, we have witnessed the crash of 

the Berlin Wall, freedom in the market base come to the 

Eastern bloc in Europe, and the electricity that was in the 

House of Representatives when a newly elected President of 

Poland made his historical speech in a joint session. I will 

tell you what: It brought joy, tears, and pride to all of us in 

that Chamber. 

Like every Member of Congress, I wept when two of our 

Capitol policemen died on that summer day protecting this 

Capitol and us who live and work here. Still, our hearts go 

out to their families. They will never be forgotten. 

I leave with many memories. I ask the Senate to return 

to the deliberative and collegial body it was designed to be. 

I know it has that ability because I have seen it firsthand. 

But the challenges ahead are tremendous for this Government. I can only list about six of them: taxation, regulation, 

energy, health care, education, and litigation. We must face 

those challenges if we are to live in this free entrepreneurial 

and economic country. I suggest that we don’t just dwell on 

the national interests first and all others separately. 

Members of this body are just average men and women, 

but they have the capabilities of rising to any occasion of crisis. They are just average, but they also have a higher degree of dedication to our country. I never underestimated 

any Member of the Senate, and I regard them as quiet heroes in a time of peace and in a time of turmoil and even 

in the most stressful time in the process of developing legislation that sets policy for our land. 

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I shall miss all of you. It has been my great privilege to 

serve with you. As I leave, I say God bless you all. 

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. 

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TRIBUTES 

TO 

CONRAD R. BURNS 

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Proceedings in the Senate 

TUESDAY, December 5, 2006 

Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President . . . As we recognize, it is a distinct privilege and high honor to serve our country in any capacity, and certainly none higher than in uniform. But it is 

especially important that we recognize those who have given 

years of their lives, sacrificing their families, their own time, 

to help make a better world for all of us. I know of no capacity in which we serve our country that has given those who 

have had this rare opportunity to serve in the Senate anything more noble than trying to shape a better world from 

this Senate. 

These individuals who will leave the Senate, some on their 

own terms, some on the terms of the election, but, nonetheless, in their own specific way have contributed a great deal 

to this country. 

I take a few minutes to recognize each. . . . 

Senator CONRAD BURNS. The best thing we can say about 

Senator BURNS is he married a girl from Nebraska. His wife 

Phyllis is from North Platte. Senator BURNS represents some 

of the best the West has to offer. He will be the longest serving Republican Senator in Montana history. His background 

is varied: distinguished entrepreneur, broadcaster, and that 

which he is most proud of, a U.S. marine. 

I have had the honor of working with Senator BURNS on 

a number of bills and occasions, many related to agriculture 

and the cattle industry. For Senator BURNS’s service to our 

country, we thank him. We will miss him. . . . 

Mr. President, in conclusion, it is not easy to put one’s self 

on the firing line and offer one’s self as a candidate for any 

office. It takes a certain amount of courage and, I suspect, 

a little dose of insanity. But nonetheless individuals who believe deeply enough to commit themselves to a cause greater 

than their own self-interests need to be recognized. Having 

nothing to do with me or you or any one individual, but it 

is the essence of our country, it is the very fabric of our democracy that makes it all work and probably gives rise to, 

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more than any one reason, why we have been such a successful nation for over 200 years—because people from all walks 

of life, in every community, in every State, offer themselves 

for office. Whether it is a mayor, a Governor, city councilman, county official, a sheriff, these individuals deserve recognition. 

We all make mistakes. That is who we are. But in the end, 

it is not unlike what Teddy Roosevelt once referred to in his 

magnificent quote about the man in the arena. And it is the 

man and the woman in the arena who change our lives. It 

makes a better world that shapes history, that defines our 

destiny. And for these individuals who will no longer have 

that opportunity to serve our country in the Senate, we wish 

them well, we thank them, and we tell them we are proud 

of them and their families and wish them Godspeed. 

Mr. President, I thank you for the time and yield the floor. 

WEDNESDAY, December 6, 2006 

Mr. REED. Mr. President, this is an opportunity to recognize the service of several of our colleagues who are departing from the Senate. To Senator Jeffords, Senator Frist, Senator DeWine, Senator Talent, Senator Santorum, Senator 

BURNS, and Senator Allen, let me express my appreciation 

for their service to their States and their service to the Nation and wish them well. . . . 

To all my colleagues who served and conclude their service, let me once again express deep appreciation for their 

friendship and for their service to the Nation. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, we are coming to the 

end of the session and 10 of our colleagues are retiring. I 

want to say a word about them . . . 

My friend, CONRAD BURNS, who is retiring, was a marine, 

an auctioneer, had his own radio program and TV program 

in Montana. He would sometimes pick up hitchhikers on his 

way in to work in the Senate—a pretty good surprise for a 

government employee to be picked up by a U.S. Senator. . . . 

When the most recent class of Senators was sworn into office nearly 2 years ago, in the gallery were three women. 

One was the grandmother of Barack Obama. She was from 

Kenya. One was the mother of Senator Salazar, a 10th generation American. One was the mother of Mel Martinez, the 

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new Republican National Committee chairman, who, with 

her husband, put her son on an airplane when he was 14 

years old and sent him from Cuba to the United States, not 

knowing if she would ever see him again. 

In a way, each one of us who is here is an accident. None 

of us knew we would be here. Each of us is privileged to 

serve, and one of the greatest privileges is to serve with our 

colleagues. We will miss them and we are grateful for their 

service. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, as the time for my departure 

from the Senate draws near, on behalf of the greatest blessing in my life, my wife Susan, and on behalf of myself, I 

thank all of my colleagues for their many courtesies and 

friendships that have been forged during the past 6 years. I 

offer a few concluding reflections about our time here together, as well as about the future of our Republic. . . . 

Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I see others who 

wish to speak, and I will make a couple of brief comments. 

In the comments of the Senator from Virginia [Mr. Allen], 

his final couple of comments recalled for me a statement 

made in the closing of the Constitutional Convention in 

Philadelphia, when on the back of the chair of the presiding 

officer was a sunburst. Someone opined in that Constitutional Convention: Dr. Franklin, is that a rising sun or is it 

a setting sun? And Franklin ventured to say that with the 

birth of the new Nation, with the creation of the new Constitution, that he thought it was a rising sun. 

Indeed, it is that hope of which the Senator from Virginia 

has just spoken that motivates this Senator from Florida to 

get up and go to work every day, and to look at this Nation’s 

challenges, not as a Democratic problem or a Republican 

problem, but as an American problem, that needs to be 

solved in an American way instead of a partisan way. 

We have had far too much partisanship over the last several years across this land, and, indeed, in this Chamber 

itself. And of the Senators who are leaving this Chamber, I 

think they represent the very best of America, and on occasion have risen in a bipartisan way. It has been this Senator’s great privilege to work with these Senators: Allen of 

Virginia, BURNS of Montana, Chafee of Rhode Island, Dayton 

of Minnesota, DeWine of Ohio, Frist of Tennessee, Jeffords 

of Vermont, Santorum of Pennsylvania, Sarbanes of Maryland, Talent of Missouri. 

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As the Good Book in Ecclesiastes says: There is a time to 

be born and a time to die. There is a time to get up, and a 

time to go to bed. There is a time for a beginning, and there 

is a time of ending. 

For these Senators who are leaving, it is clearly not an 

ending. It is an ending of this chapter in their lives, but this 

Senator from Florida wanted to come and express his appreciation for their public service, to admonish those where admonishment is needed when this Chamber, indeed, this Government, has gotten too partisan, but to express this Senator’s appreciation for the quiet moments of friendship and 

reflection and respect in working together, which is the glue 

that makes this Government run. 

Whether you call it bipartisanship, whether you call it 

friendship, whether you call it mutual respect, whatever you 

call it, the way you govern a nation as large and as complicated and as diverse as our Nation is—as the Good Book 

says: Come, let us reason together—that is what this Senator tries to be about. And that is what this Senator will try 

to continue to do in the new dawn of a new Congress. So I 

wanted to come and express my appreciation for those Senators who will not be here, for the great public service they 

have rendered. 

Mr. President, I am truly grateful for their personal 

friendship and for their public service. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. DURBIN. . . . Senator CONRAD BURNS and I have 

served on the Appropriations Committee and are friends 

from the Senate gym where we get together every morning 

and find a few things to laugh about. . . . 

I wish all of my colleagues who are retiring well as they 

begin the next chapters of their careers. 

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell 

to several of my friends here in Washington. Too often we 

get caught up here in the back-and-forth of politics and lose 

sight of the contributions of those with whom we work every 

day. It is only at moments such as these, at the end of a 

cycle, that we have a moment to reflect on the contributions 

of our colleagues. And while we may not always see eye to 

eye, this Senate is losing several admirable contributors who 

have made many sacrifices to serve our democracy. . . . 

A number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle 

will be departing in January, as well. There is our colleague 

from Virginia, Senator Allen, who wears, in my opinion, the 

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second best pair of boots in the Senate. There is Senator 

Santorum of Pennsylvania, whose passion is admirable and 

whose energy is always enviable. Also leaving us is my colleague in the centrist Gang of 14 that helped bring this Senate back from the abyss; Senator DeWine of Ohio, who will 

head back to the Buckeye State with my respect and admiration; and my friend Senator Talent from Missouri, with 

whom I spent many hours in the Agriculture Committee 

working to level the playing field for America’s farmers and 

ranchers. We will miss Senator Chafee of Rhode Island’s 

independence and his clear voice for fiscal discipline in 

Washington. And we will miss Senator BURNS of Montana, 

who shares my passion for rural America and who is headed 

home to Big Sky Country, back to the Rockies that I know 

we both miss so much. . . . 

America, when held to its finest ideals, is more than a 

place on the globe or a work in progress. It is the inspiration 

to those around the world and here at home to seek out excellence within themselves and their beliefs. It has been a 

pleasure to work alongside each of these gentlemen, who 

have helped me as I have found my way, sometimes literally, 

through the halls of the Senate, in the pursuit of these greater ideals that we all share: security, prosperity, and an 

America that we leave better than when we arrived. These 

ideals will resonate here long after we all are gone and another generation stands in our place making the decisions of 

its day. 

Mr. BYRD. . . . Mr. President, the great State of Montana 

is Big Sky Country. It is the land of open space, grizzly 

bears, gray wolves, and ponderosa pines. It is a land of vast 

grasslands and the magnificent Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. It is the land of Senator CONRAD BURNS who 

will be leaving us at the end of this session of Congress. 

His service in this Chamber was the capstone of a fascinating, multifaceted career. A marine veteran, Senator 

BURNS had worked for two different major airlines, and had 

worked as a firefighter, a livestock fieldman, commissioner of 

Yellowstone County, and an auctioneer. 

He had also served as a radio announcer, a farm broadcaster on the Northern Agricultural Farm Network. A member of my staff grew up in Great Falls, MT. She remembers, 

as a child, waking up very early on cold, Montana mornings, 

going out to feed the horses, and coming in to hear Senator 

BURNS giving his ‘‘ag’’ report on television, telling the people 

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of Montana the price of pork bellies, hard red winter wheat, 

and other commodities. 

With his boots, wide belt buckles, and folksy mannerisms, 

few people would have expected that this Montana cowboy 

would become one of the Senate’s leading experts in hightech telecommunications. 

During his service on the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation, Senator BURNS embraced and 

fostered new communications technologies. He chaired the 

first interactive hearing on Capitol Hill and cofounded the 

Congressional Internet Caucus. As chairman of the Communications Subcommittee, he helped bring the Nation’s communications laws into the digital age as he helped broaden 

the use of the Internet. Indeed, he has been praised as ‘‘one 

of the fathers of the modern Internet.’’

To the relief of, perhaps, millions of American Internet 

users, Senator BURNS tangled with mass marketers to help 

secure enactment of antispam legislation. 

With his interests in telecommunications, he enhanced 911 

services throughout the country and worked with Senator 

Clinton in sponsoring legislation to upgrade technology on 

cell phones. 

On the Senate Appropriations Committee, he chaired the 

Interior Subcommittee, and this is where I came to know 

and appreciate him. As a Westerner, Senator BURNS brought 

an important perspective, as well as a wealth of experience 

and knowledge to the diverse and difficult issues that came 

up in the Interior Appropriations bill that were important to 

his State, and to his region of the country. 

In 2001 and 2002, when I chaired the committee, it was 

a pleasure to have Senator BURNS serving as ranking member of the Interior Subcommittee and to work with him and 

his able staff. His dedication to duty, his willingness to work 

in bipartisan fashion, and his always gracious manner made 

my work infinitely easier. It was simply a pleasure to work 

with and to serve with Senator BURNS on this subcommittee. 

I must now say goodbye to my good friend and colleague. 

I wish Senator BURNS and his dear wife Phyllis happiness 

and success as they now prepare for the next phase of their 

lives. 

In honor of and appreciation for the Senate’s Montana 

cowboy, who was at one time in his career an auctioneer, I 

offer the following verse: 

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THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER’S HAND

’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer 

Thought it was scarcely worth his while 

To waste much time on the old violin, 

But held it up with a smile. 

‘‘What am I bidden, good folks,’’ he cried, 

‘‘Who will start bidding for me? 

A dollar, a dollar’’—then, ‘‘Two!’’ ‘‘Only two? 

Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? 

Three dollars once; three dollars, twice; 

Going for three—’’ But no, 

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man 

Came forward and picked up the bow; 

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, 

And tightening the loose strings, 

He played a melody pure and sweet 

As a caroling angel sings. 

The music ceased, and the auctioneer 

With a voice that was quiet and low, 

Said, ‘‘What am I bidden for the old violin?’’

And he held it up with the bow. 

‘‘A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two? 

Two thousand! And who’ll make it three? 

Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice; 

And going, and gone!’’ said he. 

The people cheered, but some of them cried 

‘‘We do not quite understand 

What changed its worth?’’ Swift came the reply: 

‘‘The touch of the master’s hand.’’

And many a man with life out of tune, 

And battered and scarred with sin, 

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, 

Much like the old violin. 

A ‘‘mess of pottage,’’ a glass of wine; 

A game—and he travels on. 

He’s ‘‘going’’ once, and ‘‘going’’ twice, 

He’s ‘‘going’’ and almost ‘‘gone.’’

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd 

Never can quite understand 

The worth of a soul, and the change that’s wrought 

By the touch of the Master’s hand. 

—Myra Brooks Welch

THURSDAY, December 7, 2006 

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I have had the privilege of 

being here for the 28th year beginning shortly. I calculated 

not long ago that I have served with 261 individuals. I am 

not about to try and review all of the many magnificent 

friendships I am privileged to have through these years. InVerDate jan 13 2004 13:18 Aug 29, 2007 Jkt 033202 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE06\33202.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
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deed, if one looks at the rewards, of which there are many 

serving in this historic institution, the Senate, it is the personal bonds, the friendships that we so firmly cement and 

that will last a lifetime as a consequence of our duties of 

serving the United States of America and in our respective 

States. 

We are called ‘‘United States’’ Senators. I often believe it 

is the first obligation, our Nation, the Republic for which it 

stands. . . . 

I would also like to pay tribute to nine other U.S. Senators 

who will retire from the Senate in the coming days. . . . 

Now, I would like to take a few moments to salute our majority leader, Senator Frist, as well as Senators Chafee, 

BURNS, Santorum, DeWine, Jeffords, Talent, and Dayton. 

Each and every one of these U.S. Senators has served his 

State and his country with great distinction. 

Without a doubt, I could speak at-length in honor of each 

of these outstanding individuals. In light of time constraints, 

however, and the fact that so many of my colleagues wish to 

similarly pay tribute, I shall endeavor to keep my remarks 

brief. . . . 

Now, Mr. President, I wish to say a few words about 

CONRAD BURNS. Senator CONRAD BURNS has an impressive 

record of public service, beginning with his service in the 

U.S. Marine Corps from 1955 to 1957. CONRAD has served 

the great State of Montana with distinction in the U.S. Senate since 1989. 

I will never forget when his first campaign came along, I 

was asked to go out and campaign with him. I acknowledged 

I would do it. I didn’t know him, so I went on out to Montana. I had been in Montana in earlier years. I had been actually an employee of the U.S. Park Service and had been a 

firefighter out in Montana in 1943 and then again in 1947, 

I think it was. 

Most recently, in August I toured Malmstrom Air Force 

Base with Senator BURNS. On this tour, I saw firsthand the 

love and pride that Senator BURNS has for the people of his 

State. As a senior member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, he has worked tirelessly for the men 

and women in the Armed Forces. 

And old CONRAD—he embodies all of those great qualities 

of Montana. Talk about independence, he has it, and 

robustness, and a thirst for life and laughter. It was a sheer 

joy to campaign with CONRAD BURNS because wherever he 

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went, he would walk into a room and he would tell a story, 

talk to his people. 

He loves every square foot of that State. And I shall miss 

him. I shall dearly miss CONRAD BURNS. We have to have a 

few characters around here who do our duties and accept our 

daily bread, and he is one. And you could go to the bank on 

what he told you. He was never at a loss for telling a story 

to cheer up a colleague. Whenever he felt that colleague was 

a bit down, CONRAD would cheer that colleague up. He and 

his lovely wife and family will go on to other challenges. . . . 

In conclusion, over the years I have served with each of 

these 10 Senators, each has not only been a trusted colleague, each has also been my friend. I will miss serving 

with each of them in the Senate but know that each will continue in public service in some capacity. I wish each and 

every one of them well in the years ahead. 

Mr. President, I see a number of colleagues here anxious 

to speak, and I have taken generously of the time the Presiding Officer has allowed me to speak. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. CONRAD. . . . Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge my colleague from Montana, Senator CONRAD BURNS, 

who will be leaving this body after serving Montanans for 

the past 18 years. 

Since our States border one another, Senator BURNS and 

I have had the opportunity to work together on issues important to our region and the Nation. Senator BURNS has been 

a strong advocate for the interests of his State. 

In 2002, Senator BURNS and I joined forces to create the 

Bipartisan Task Force on Tribal Colleges and Universities. 

One of the goals we set for the task force was to secure adequate resources on the Federal level to support and grow 

these valuable institutions. Senator BURNS, as chairman of 

the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, was a strong advocate in helping the task force achieve this goal. Under his 

leadership, the tribal colleges received some of the largest increases in Federal funding since their inception. This support has opened the door of opportunity for thousands of 

American Indians. 

During this past year, we have also worked together on agricultural disaster assistance legislation. Because both of our 

States have a strong agricultural sector in our economy, this 

issue is very important to our constituents. The support he 

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ate Appropriations Committee and the full Senate has been 

important to our efforts, and I appreciate his strong support. 

Senator BURNS was also a valuable member of the ICBM 

coalition. During these past years, he and I have worked together to make sure our Nation has a strong military deterrent to emerging world threats. 

Since he arrived in Washington as a Senator only 2 years 

after I did, we have watched the debates and policy discussions in this body together for almost two decades now. During that time we have seen economic ups and downs, a major 

change in international power structure, and the new challenges we face after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

Again, Mr. President, I have appreciated the opportunity 

to work with Senator BURNS and wish him well as he leaves 

the Senate. 

Mrs. CLINTON. . . . Finally, I also wish the very best to 

my Republican colleagues who will leave the Senate at the 

conclusion of this Congress. The Senate, at its best, is a body 

that promotes bipartisanship, deliberation, and cooperation, 

and the dedication to shared values. It has been a privilege 

to work with my departing colleagues on the other side of 

the aisle. 

FRIDAY, December 8, 2006 

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I have a few more minutes before the 10:30 vote, and I take this time to say a few 

words about some of my colleagues who are retiring. We had 

a good bit of time yesterday devoted to their tremendous contributions, and as each of us, the 100 of us, do know each 

other pretty well, I have come to the floor to say a few things 

about several of the colleagues I have had the distinct pleasure of working with very closely. . . . 

Mr. President, Senator CONRAD BURNS has represented his 

State of Montana for three terms. He has been a stalwart on 

behalf of his constituents and his philosophy of government. 

We thank him for his public service. . . . 

To all of our retiring Members, I say thank you. Thank 

you for your efforts on behalf of my State when you were 

needed and thank you for your service to America. 

Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I also will say a word about 

a couple of my colleagues who are leaving, and I will be 

brief. . . . 

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CONRAD BURNS is a fellow westerner with whom I have 

shared much and always enjoyed the humor that CONRAD

brought to this body. . . . 

I know we all move on at some time and that none of us 

is irreplaceable. But by the same token, these colleagues of 

ours who will be leaving will be missed and they will be remembered for their great service to the Senate, to their 

States, and to the United States of America. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. DEWINE. . . . Mr. President, I want to wish the best 

to all of my fellow Senators who were defeated this fall or 

who are retiring this year—Senators Frist, Santorum, Talent, BURNS, Allen, Chafee, Dayton, and Jeffords. They are all 

good people and all good friends. I wish them well. . . . 

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I want to say something about my departing colleagues on the other side of the 

aisle. . . . 

And to the departing Senator from Montana, who has a 

voice about the same decibel level of my own, I wish him 

well. Again, on the Committee on Commerce and on the 

Committee on Appropriations we worked very well, particularly on those issues that were important to science and 

technology, new ideas, new thinking, but old-fashioned values. 

A lot is said about changing the tone, but when we hit the 

right tone we also hit some pretty high notes. I thank my 

colleagues and wish them well and Godspeed until we meet 

again. 

Mr. DODD. . . . Mr. President, today I pay tribute to my 

departing colleagues who have, for a time, lent their talents, 

their convictions, and their hard work to this distinguished 

body. I may have had my disagreements with them, but the 

end of a term is a time for seeing colleagues not simply as 

politicians, but as partners who have ‘‘toiled, and wrought, 

and thought with me.’’ Each, in his own way, was distinctive; 

and each, in his own way, will be sorely missed. . . . 

I would also like to bid farewell to outgoing Senator 

CONRAD BURNS of Montana. CONRAD BURNS is the longest 

serving Senator in the history of his State, and he has long 

been known for his plainspoken and blunt style. CONRAD

BURNS served as a marine in Japan and Korea, and back 

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self a canny businessman, as 1 radio program grew into a 

network of 31 radio stations and 6 television stations. 

A passion for local politics led him to win a seat on the 

Yellowstone County Commission. When he first ran for the 

Senate in 1988, Mr. BURNS was still a relative political novice; but he was known throughout the State of Montana for 

his successful business ventures, and he won election over an 

incumbent. Senator BURNS was reelected in 1994 and 2000. 

Over 18 years in this body, Senator BURNS built up a 

record as an influential committee member, sitting on Appropriations and chairing a Subcommittee on Communications, 

as well as another on the Interior, with jurisdiction over the 

entire National Parks Service. Senator BURNS has taken 

pride in securing resources for his State, as well as in opening up the promise of advanced telecommunications for all. 

He worked with Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon to pass the 

CAN–SPAM Act, which combats unsolicited e-mail. Senator 

BURNS has also worked for Internet deregulation and 

broadband access in rural areas, earning him praise as ‘‘one 

of the fathers of the modern Internet.’’ That is quite an 

achievement for a onetime cattle auctioneer. 

Now Senator BURNS is returning to his home State of 

Montana, and I hope he and his wife Phyllis have many 

years of happiness there. . . . 

Mr. HATCH. . . . Mr. President, I want to pay special tribute to my good friend and colleague from Montana, Senator 

CONRAD BURNS, known by his staff, Montanans, and myself 

as just CONRAD. It is hard for me to imagine a more downto-earth Member of Congress than CONRAD. His straightshooting analysis of the issues and his humorous outlook on 

life made life around the Senate more enjoyable. 

Utahns in particular owe a debt of gratitude to Senator 

BURNS. As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, Senator BURNS

worked with our delegation to meet many of Utah’s needs. 

First and foremost, he oversaw a dramatic increase in 

funding for the Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILT) Program, 

which provides funding for schools, roads, and public safety 

services in rural communities in Utah where the tax base is 

limited due to the predominance of tax-exempt Federal land. 

Chairman BURNS also helped me to pass legislation which 

expedites research and development projects on Bureau of 

Land Management, BLM, land. Senator BURNS also helped 

provide funding for Sandy City, UT, to upgrade its drinking 

and storm water infrastructure. With this funding, Sandy 

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City will now be able to prevent flooding which has threatened the homes of many citizens in the past. 

Over the years, CONRAD has been extremely helpful to 

many Utah communities. He helped provide funding to protect the Range Creek Rainbow Glass Ranch for conservation 

purposes, to improve drinking water for the citizens of Centerfield, Mayfield, Park City, and Eagle Mountain, UT, to 

provide for the Sand Hollow Recreation Area, and to increase 

the reach of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. 

CONRAD has also helped Utah and our country continue 

down the path of energy independence and accelerate Utah 

oil and gas production by helping to fund the Utah Oil and 

Gas Leasing Internet Pilot Program. 

Allow me to share just one example of how Senator 

CONRAD BURNS is, and always will be, a man of the people. 

The highway system around the Washington, DC, area provides for express lanes for vehicles carrying passengers. A 

regular feature of the Washington commute is lines of passengers hoping to be picked up by drivers who are driving 

their way. Much of the population of the high occupancy vehicle express lanes is made up of single drivers who have 

picked up these passengers, thus allowing them to use the 

express lanes. For years, my friend Senator BURNS would 

pick up these riders in his less than glamorous van. They 

would have great conversations together along the way, and 

in most cases, the passengers would not have the slightest 

idea that they had been picked up and were now chatting 

with a U.S. Senator. And knowing the junior Senator from 

Montana, I am sure that’s just the way he wanted it. 

Senator CONRAD BURNS has been a great friend to the people of Utah and a great friend to me. I will miss his presence 

here in the Senate, and I wish him the greatest of success 

in his future endeavors. . . . 

Mr. ENZI. . . . Mr. President, the 109th Congress will soon 

be drawing to a close. As it does, we will be casting our final 

votes on the issues we will take up this year, and saying 

goodbye to several of our colleagues who will not be with us 

for the start of the 110th session of Congress. I know I will 

miss them all for the creativity, imagination, and firm resolve they have brought to the consideration of the issues we 

have worked so hard to address for the past 2 years. 

One of our colleagues I know I will miss in particular is 

CONRAD BURNS. Throughout my service in the Senate he has 

been a remarkable friend, and the kind of person you would 

want on your side if a battle on the Senate floor was about 

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to take place. For 18 years he has been a remarkable Senator and a strong and effective representative of the people 

of Montana. It just won’t be the same around here without 

him. 

CONRAD BURNS is a true westerner—through and 

through—and very proud of his western roots. He has always 

been strongly committed and absolutely loyal to the United 

States and to his home State of Montana. He showed his 

commitment to each at an early age. First, his love of his 

country showed itself when he decided to leave home and 

join the Marines. Then, when his tour of service was completed, he returned to Montana and began a career that was 

going so well his employer wanted to transfer him to another 

State where he thought CONRAD would be more effective. 

That is when CONRAD’s love for his home State of Montana 

showed itself and he quit a promising career rather than 

leave the State he loved so well. 

Instead, CONRAD set up the Northern Ag Network, which 

grew from 4 radio stations to 29 radio stations and 6 television stations. Then, as things were going so well with that 

project, he began looking for a new challenge. He found it 

when he ran for Yellowstone county commissioner and won. 

It was the start of a great political career for him and the 

more the people of Montana got to know CONRAD BURNS, the 

more they liked him. 

CONRAD then decided to run for the Senate and ever since 

he came to Washington, CONRAD has compiled quite a remarkable record of service. He has made great decisions for 

our country as he has watched out for the best interests of 

the people of Montana. He has made a difference on the 

local, State and national level. Here in Washington, he has 

championed some amazing projects and issues and there is 

a lot of legislation that bears his mark for his having worked 

on it or supported it through the years. 

As we have watched CONRAD roll up his sleeves and get 

to work on any of a number of issues, he has always impressed us with his understanding of complex issues and 

their short-term and long-term implications for our society 

such as the Internet and the development of modern technologies. In fact, I don’t think anyone knows more about 

broadband and communication issues than he does. He is 

probably the greatest expert in the Senate on those matters 

and I know I will continue to seek his advice and counsel 

about them when these or related issues come to the floor in 

the months to come. 

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That is an impressive start, but it is not all you will find 

when you examine CONRAD’s record of service. CONRAD has 

also been a hero to small businesses across the country. He 

understands their importance and he is fully aware that our 

Nation’s small businesses are the backbone of every State’s 

economy and our national economy as well. 

People around the country have come to know CONRAD as 

he exercised his strong and effective leadership on the Appropriations Committee. He was always very careful with 

the people’s money to ensure it was effectively spent. 

For my part, I will always remember CONRAD as one of my 

greatest mentors in the Senate. Thanks to him, I learned a 

great deal about the hearings process and how it works. I 

learned the importance of putting a hearing together that 

would generate good ideas to solve difficult problems. That 

enabled us to address the concerns of the ranchers of Wyoming, Montana and the West and take a closer look at the 

destruction caused by the fires in our States. As we examined those issues during our hearings in Montana, I got a 

chance to see how he handled the gavel and exercised his 

leadership as chairman. That experience helped me to plan 

and hold my own hearings and ensure a maximum amount 

of participation and discussion. 

CONRAD has also been a good friend over the years we 

have served together in the Senate. We have fished and 

golfed together. We have worked together on issues of concern to Wyoming, Montana and the West and we have voted 

together. We have gone to quite a few sporting events together usually to watch the Wyoming and Montana teams 

play each other. I seem to recall that Wyoming usually got 

the better of those encounters. I think CONRAD may recall 

those games differently, but I am pretty sure the Wyoming 

teams always finished ahead of the others. 

Our families have enjoyed each other as well. Our wives 

are best friends in the western sense—not the Washington, 

DC sense. Our kids grew up together and they have remained close—even through those times when they were 

miles apart. 

Most important to me, CONRAD has been my friend 

through thick and thin—the good and bad—the wins and 

losses—and the highs and lows of political life. Time changes 

so many things in our lives, but one thing it never changes 

is a friendship. Thankfully, those only grow deeper and 

stronger with time. 

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As we say goodbye to CONRAD BURNS, I know I will still 

be seeing him, hearing from him and spending time with 

him now and again. Change is temporary, friendships are 

permanent, and I know my family and I are looking forward 

to continuing to share our lives with CONRAD and his family. 

We can’t ever let change ‘‘change’’ that. 

Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute 

to the Republican Members of the Senate who will not be returning in the 110th Congress. Senators George Allen; 

CONRAD BURNS; Lincoln Chafee; Mike DeWine; Dr. Bill Frist; 

Rick Santorum; and Jim Talent have served their constituents with honor and distinction during their tenure here in 

the U.S. Senate. All care very deeply for this great Nation 

and I hope they will have continued success in their future 

endeavors. 

Senator CONRAD BURNS and I have had a great working 

and personal relationship over the last 8 years. He and his 

wife Phyllis have become dear friends of my wife Mary and 

me. I have enjoyed our time spent together both personally 

and professionally. CONRAD and I watched a baseball game 

with our grandsons a couple of years ago in Montana. 

CONRAD and Phyllis also joined Mary and me at the Kentucky Derby. I wish CONRAD and his family all the best as 

they start a new chapter in their lives. . . . 

Mr. President, I would like to again commend all of our departing Republican Senators. I am proud of what they accomplished here in the U.S. Senate. They will all be missed, 

and I wish all of them the very best. 

Mrs. HUTCHISON. . . . Mr. President, Senator CONRAD

BURNS has had a long and distinguished career in the Senate as Montana’s longest serving Republican Senator. 

Since 1988, Senator BURNS has represented his constituents with honor in the Senate. He has made sure that Montana’s unique, rural economy is sustained through his support of balanced trade, high-tech investments, and small 

business. 

Since serving as chairman of the Communications Subcommittee in 1997, he has continually fought for the rollout 

of broadband in rural areas and pushed for new Internet and 

mobile phone technologies to help Montanans participate in 

our global economy. 

Senator BURNS’s love for the outdoors has made him a 

steward of our country’s natural resources. As chairman of 

the Senate’s Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, I have 

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watched him work tirelessly to protect and provide for our 

National parks and forests. Our natural resources are being 

protected thanks to the work of Senator BURNS. I know he 

is looking forward to returning to Montana and the great 

outdoors. 

He has been an ardent supporter of making Government 

more fiscally responsible and lowering our taxes, and he was 

often an ally on issues. 

His leadership and strong conviction to do what is right 

will be sorely missed. . . . 

UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT—TRIBUTES TO RETIRING 

SENATORS 

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the tributes to 

retiring Senators be printed as a Senate document and that 

Senators be permitted to submit tributes until December 27, 

2006. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

WEDNESDAY, December 27, 2006 

Mr. STEVENS. . . . Mr. President, it is with great sadness 

that I say farewell to a great friend and Senator, CONRAD

BURNS of Montana. His loss will be felt in Montana and here 

in the Senate. CONRAD is a man of the West and worked 

hard to make sure those values were represented in the Senate. 

Senator BURNS, a marine with a background in radio and 

television and as an auctioneer, came to the Senate in 1988. 

He, his wonderful wife Phyllis, and their family have become 

close friends with Catherine and me and to Alaska. In fact, 

CONRAD’s daughter, Dr. Keely Burns, spent time in Alaska 

after medical school working as a resident. CONRAD is a 

great auctioneer and fine fisherman who often joined me in 

Alaska. 

CONRAD served with me on the Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation Committee as well as the Committee on Appropriations. During his time on those committees he accomplished a great deal for Montana, the West, and our Nation. 

CONRAD worked to ensure more than 70 rural Montana 

communities have enforceable safe drinking water programs 

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communications Act of 1996, a provision which ensures advanced telecommunications are accessible in our schools and 

classrooms. And as chairman of the Interior Appropriations 

Subcommittee, he helped to secure funding for the Bureau of 

Land Management to expedite land conveyances in Alaska, 

which my State has pushed for since statehood. He worked 

hard to bring infrastructure and high tech to rural Montana. 

He worked to create E9–1–1 legislation for the Nation. 

CONRAD BURNS is a hard worker, but he has an easygoing 

way about him. Many Senators and staff know that he used 

to pick up carpoolers on his way to work. Few probably know 

about his protecting penguins in Antarctica. During a trip to 

our research station, there was a group of us watching penguins shuffling nervously near the water’s edge. CONRAD got 

the group together to pose for a photo, when suddenly all of 

the penguins jumped between us and the edge of the water. 

CONRAD just smiled and took the photo, never mentioning 

the large killer whale that was circling behind the Senators. 

CONRAD’s humor is legendary and he can often spring it on 

you when you least expect it. As President pro tempore, I 

opened the Senate on my 80th birthday, dreading any birthday greetings I might receive. The first Member seeking recognition after the prayer was CONRAD. Sure enough, CONRAD

launched into a long speech about a great American icon, a 

fighter, a scrappy character. I got more and more uncomfortable in the chair, but CONRAD knew something I didn’t—

Mickey Mouse and I share a birthday. CONRAD knew I would 

think all this high-minded talk was about me, but instead he 

was praising America’s most lovable cartoon character. 

That’s CONRAD BURNS. A man who loves to laugh, loves people, and loves his home State of Montana. 

We will miss the good Senator from Montana. . . . 

MONDAY, January 8, 2007 

Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, it is an honor indeed to pay 

tribute to a number of fine individuals who I am fortunate 

to call not just my colleagues, but also dear friends: Senators 

Bill Frist, George Allen, CONRAD BURNS, Lincoln Chafee, 

Mike DeWine, Rick Santorum and Jim Talent. . . . 

For the past 18 years, Montanans were extremely fortunate to be represented by CONRAD BURNS. There is no question that CONRAD delivered time and again for the people of 

his State. 

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As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, 

CONRAD secured more than $2 billion in Federal funds for 

Montana. And as chairman of the Senate Appropriations 

Subcommittee on Interior, he was a tireless advocate of programs that benefit all Montanans, such as protecting drinking water and defending his State’s wilderness and wildlife. 

CONRAD also fought hard for Malmstrom Air Force Base and 

Montana’s military presence during the base realignment 

and closure process in 2005. 

As chairman of the Communications Subcommittee of the 

Commerce Committee, CONRAD fought for deregulation and 

new Internet and mobile phone technologies. And he worked 

to ensure that rural Montana communities have access to 

the technologies that will keep them competitive in today’s 

global marketplace. 

Throughout his time in the Senate, CONRAD was a strong 

proponent of Government accountability, fiscal responsibility 

and lower taxes. He worked diligently to decrease America’s 

dependence on foreign oil. And he was an early backer of the 

Medicare prescription drug benefit that is now helping millions of seniors afford their medicines. 

CONRAD’s legacy will live on, across Montana, and in the 

halls of the Senate, long after he has shut the door to his office. He leaves behind an extraordinary record of service to 

the people of his State. My warmest wishes to my friend 

CONRAD BURNS, his wife Phyllis, and their family. . . . 

As these men—Bill Frist, George Allen, CONRAD BURNS, 

Lincoln Chafee, Mike DeWine, Rick Santorum and Jim Talent—conclude their service in the U.S. Senate, let me say 

that I am so proud to have worked with individuals of such 

character, strength, and intellect. Our Nation is grateful for 

their many contributions. And as they each will undoubtedly 

continue to contribute to our country’s greatness, their leadership and vision will be missed here in the U.S. Senate. 

Æ