TRIBUTES TO HON. NORM COLEMAN 

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Norm Coleman 

U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA 

TRIBUTES 

IN THE CONGRESS OF 

THE UNITED STATES 

UNUM

E PLURIBUS


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Norm Coleman 


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U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2010

S. DOC. 111–5 

Tributes 

Delivered in Congress 

Norm Coleman 

United States Senator 

2003–2009 

÷ 

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Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

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CONTENTS 

Page 

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

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee ............................................... 6 

Bennett, Robert F., of Utah ....................................................... 11 

Brownback, Sam, of Kansas ...................................................... 30 

Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky ....................................................... 31 

Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia ................................................... 12 

Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi ................................................... 17 

Collins, Susan M., of Maine ...................................................... 15 

Cornyn, John, of Texas .............................................................. 39 

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

Ensign, John, of Nevada ............................................................ 32 

Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming ................................................... 33 

Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah ........................................................... 27 

Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma ................................................ 28 

Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota .................................................. 3, 21 

Kyl, Jon, of Arizona ................................................................... 17 

Lugar, Richard G., of Indiana ................................................... 17 

Martinez, Mel, of Florida ........................................................... 8 

McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky ................................................. 3 

Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska ....................................................... 40 

Murray, Patty, of Washington .................................................. 27 

Reid, Harry, of Nevada .............................................................. 19 

Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine .................................................... 36 

Thune, John, of South Dakota .................................................. 24 

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[ v ] 

BIOGRAPHY 

A passion for change and getting things done has defined 

the life of NORM COLEMAN from an early age. It has led him 

from campus organizer in the 1960s, to a prosecutor in the 

1970s, to solicitor general of Minnesota in the 1980s, to 

mayor of St. Paul in the 1990s, to U.S. Senator for Minnesota in the 2000s. 

Growing up in a large Jewish family in Brooklyn, NY, he 

often said that most of his preparation for a life in politics 

came from sitting around the huge Coleman family kitchen 

table. Full-throated debate on the issues of the day and mutual goodwill were always on the menu. 

In college at Hofstra University on Long Island, NORM was 

student body president and a student activist deeply involved in the antiwar and civil rights movements. He went 

to the University of Iowa Law School where he also served 

as student body president and graduated with high honors. 

And then, drawn by a job opportunity in the Office of Minnesota’s Attorney General, he headed north to take his first 

professional job. 

He spent 17 years in the Attorney General’s Office, prosecuting cases all over Minnesota and getting involved in a 

wide variety of public policy matters, including drug abuse 

and civil rights. 

In 1993, as a Democrat, NORM COLEMAN was elected 

mayor of St. Paul, defeating the endorsed candidate of the 

Democratic Farmer Labor Party. 

One of his very first actions as mayor was the rejection of 

a proposed contract with city workers because it included a 

huge unfunded retirement benefit liability. His action was 

controversial, but it saved St. Paul taxpayers tens of millions 

of dollars. 

When he took office, the capital city was experiencing a serious economic decline and increase in crime and other social 

problems. He set out to reform city services, put a lid on 

property tax increases, and established public-private partnerships. His formula was ‘‘hope plus confidence equals investment.’’ He wanted to prove to the local business community that city government was a reliable partner in their 

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[ vi ] 

shared goals for the city. His efforts paid off, with more than 

$3 billion of private investments in St. Paul. In 2002, thenMayor COLEMAN received the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 

highest award recognizing excellence in public-private partnership. 

An era of rapid change and economic improvement took 

hold in St. Paul. Eighteen thousand new jobs came to the 

city. A new science museum was built. The State’s largest 

software developer, Lawson Software, moved its headquarters to downtown St. Paul. Harriett Island Park and the 

land adjacent to the river were rehabilitated, reconnecting 

the city to its greatest natural asset: the Mississippi River. 

Increased community involvement in St. Paul schools and 

law enforcement also brought measurable improvements. 

And finally, Mayor COLEMAN engineered the return of a National Hockey League franchise to Minnesota. The nationally 

recognized Xcel Energy Center is now one of the premier entertainment venues in America and home to the NHL Minnesota Wild. Often called the ‘‘House that Norm Built,’’ the 

Xcel Energy Center figured in the national political scene as 

home to the 2008 Republican National Convention, where 

John McCain officially received his party’s nomination for 

President. 

In 1996 Mayor COLEMAN made a major change. Frustrated 

that the Democratic Party he had been a part of from his 

youth had assumed the role of defenders of the status quo, 

he switched to the Republican Party because he felt it held 

the best opportunity to bring about job growth, quality education, and greater public safety. In 1997 he was reelected 

mayor as a Republican, with 59 percent of the vote. 

In 1998 he ran for Governor and narrowly lost to Independent candidate Jesse Ventura in a three-way race. At 8 

a.m. on the day after the election, he was back at his desk 

in St. Paul. 

Shortly after his term as mayor ended, he entered the race 

for one of Minnesota’s seats in the U.S. Senate. He engaged 

in a close and hard-fought campaign with incumbent Senator 

Paul Wellstone, who tragically perished in a plane crash 11 

days before the election. Former Vice President Walter Mondale replaced him on the ticket. In one of the largest turnout 

elections in the country, NORM was elected with over 1.1 million votes and a 2-percent margin of victory. 

NORM COLEMAN was sworn in as a U.S. Senator on January 7, 2003. After taking office, he quickly gained a reputation as a productive and thoughtful legislator, willing to 

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work with Members of both political parties to get things 

done for Minnesota and the Nation. 

During the campaign, NORM COLEMAN promised to be a 

strong advocate for Minnesota’s rural and agricultural communities, and that is a covenant he kept. Upon taking office, 

he secured a seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Minnesota owes one-third of its overall State economy to agriculture, and Senator COLEMAN was tireless in going to bat 

for the needs of Minnesota’s producers, defending the farm 

bill, ensuring agriculture disaster relief, and promoting rural 

economic development. He played a key role both in helping 

to write the 2008 farm bill and in breaking the political impasse that had been stalling the bill’s progress. 

Senator COLEMAN brought Minnesota’s commitment to renewable fuels to the U.S. Senate. Minnesota is a national 

leader in ethanol plants, biodiesel plants, and wind energy 

projects. As co-chairman of the Senate Bio-Fuels Caucus, 

Senator COLEMAN led efforts to expand renewable fuel initiatives, including the establishment of the first ever national 

Renewable Fuels Standard, as well as tax incentives for a 

range of renewable energy technologies. 

Senator COLEMAN was a member of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, where he led the 

Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI). During his 

first 4 years in Congress, Senator COLEMAN served as chairman of the subcommittee, an assignment once held by Harry 

Truman and rarely occupied by a freshman Senator. After 

the Senate majority switched in 2007, Senator COLEMAN continued to lead the subcommittee as the ranking minority 

member, maintaining a productive relationship with subcommittee chairman Carl Levin. As a direct result of Senator 

COLEMAN’S leadership of PSI, the subcommittee identified 

more than $80 billion in waste, fraud, abuse, and potential 

taxpayer savings. The subcommittee also conducted a historic and groundbreaking investigation into allegations of 

abuse and misconduct related to the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program. Specifically, the subcommittee uncovered how Saddam 

Hussein was able to manipulate the U.N.’s program to generate billions of dollars of illegal cash. Additionally, Senator 

COLEMAN led a 3-year subcommittee investigation into the 

security of our Nation’s ports, examining the threat of nuclear terrorism and assessing various programs to secure, detect, and interdict nuclear and radiological materials domestically and abroad. 

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Senator COLEMAN also served as a senior member of the 

prestigious Senate Foreign Relations Committee. There he 

worked hard to ensure that America remained a powerful 

force for democracy and compassion in the world. Understanding the importance of having an effective and credible 

United Nations, he tirelessly led the fight for reform to ensure the United Nations was adequately equipped to face 

emerging global challenges. He was also a leader in fostering 

exchanges of people and ideas through such initiatives as the 

Peace Corps and student exchanges, and in boosting America’s role in fighting global AIDS. 

As chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the 

Western Hemisphere, and as ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Near East and South Asia, Senator COLEMAN worked to foster closer ties with our hemispheric neighbors as well as conduct oversight of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. COLEMAN’s first bill to become law (P.L. 108–220) 

ensured that servicemembers returning to the United States 

for rest and recuperation would no longer be required to pay 

their own airfare. He also worked to improve reintegration 

for National Guard and Reserve members, and to reorganize 

our Nation’s intelligence services. 

Senator COLEMAN was also a member of the Senate Small 

Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. A strong believer in the power of the free market and individual initiative, Senator COLEMAN was a firm and vocal advocate for 

commonsense government regulation, low taxes, affordable 

health plans, and entrepreneurial incentive. This committee 

assignment allowed Senator COLEMAN to turn that philosophy into real and meaningful policy. 

Eager to tackle the challenges confronting the increasing 

number of baby boomers approaching retirement, Senator 

COLEMAN was selected to join the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, which looks out for the interests of America’s seniors. NORM COLEMAN was a critical vote in the passage of legislation to create the Medicare Part D prescription 

drug benefit. 

NORM COLEMAN cared deeply about issues related to children. He was selected to co-chair the Congressional Coalition 

on Adoptions. In addition to assisting hundreds of Minnesota 

families with complex international adoptions, Senator 

COLEMAN passed legislation to encourage teen adoption by 

modifying the rules for college financial aid. He also passed 

the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act to offer hope and resources to families faced with this heartbreaking condition. 

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Throughout his time in the U.S. Senate, NORM COLEMAN

continued to work hard for the needs of his State, personally 

visiting each of Minnesota’s 87 counties and dispatching his 

staff to each of Minnesota’s 853 municipalities. In the aftermath of the 2007 collapse of the I–35W bridge in Minnesota, 

Senator COLEMAN was part of a bipartisan, bicameral effort 

to fund and rebuild the bridge in remarkably rapid fashion. 

NORM COLEMAN worked tirelessly to provide disaster relief 

to Minnesota farmers affected by flood and drought, mitigated the impact of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative for those crossing Minnesota’s border with Canada, and 

permitted the construction of a Critical Access Hospital in 

Walker, MN. 

NORM COLEMAN’s voice and commitment to conservative 

values and causes will continue in the future. His belief in 

the free market, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility and a 

strong national security will lead him to support causes and 

efforts that will help restore confidence in center-right conservative principles and ideals. 

Senator COLEMAN and his wife, Laurie, presently have two 

children, Jacob and Sarah. Their first son, Adam, and last 

daughter, Grace, died in infancy. 

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TRIBUTES 

TO 

NORM COLEMAN 

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Proceedings in the Senate 

TUESDAY, July 7, 2009 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. . . . I wanted to say something about 

NORM COLEMAN. Last week he made a difficult decision. He 

had the right to pursue a legal challenge, but he did what 

was right for Minnesota. NORM was my Senate colleague for 

2 years. We often worked together on issues for Minnesota, 

and we all wish him and his family the best. . . . 

THURSDAY, July 9, 2009 

MR. MCCONNELL. Madam President, it was a politician 

from Kentucky who introduced the expression ‘‘self-made 

man’’ into the lexicon. But even Henry Clay didn’t follow as 

unlikely a path as NORM COLEMAN did to the U.S. Senate. 

As NORM puts it, he never even knew a Republican or a Lutheran before he left home for college. 

Yet this middle-class son of Brooklyn became one of the 

best Senators the people of Minnesota have ever known. And 

he has always made sure to give them all the credit, even 

when the voters would have excused him for taking a little 

credit of his own. 

Another great American politician said the U.S. Constitution was ‘‘the work of many heads and many hands.’’ NORM’s 

always had the same attitude about his own career. He is 

grateful for the opportunities he has had. He gives it everything he has. Then he is grateful when his efforts on behalf 

of others succeed, which is more often than not. 

The day he got here he was asked how it felt. He had a 

simple response. He said he was humbled by the opportunity. ‘‘I believe that what I can do well, my gift,’’ he said, 

‘‘is to serve people, and now I have this incredible opportunity to serve as a U.S. Senator.’’ Six years later, on the day 

he conceded defeat, his first impulse was again to thank others. He thanked his staff for the long hours and hard work 

they had put in on his behalf. And he said he would always 

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be grateful to and humbled by the people of Minnesota who 

had given him the honor to serve, and even more grateful for 

the patience and understanding they showed over these last 

several months. 

It wasn’t the outcome he wanted. It wasn’t the outcome 

that his Republican friends and colleagues in the Senate 

wanted. But we couldn’t have expected anything less from 

NORM COLEMAN than the class and graciousness he showed 

in the closing act of this phase in his career as a public servant. 

As I said, NORM came to be a Republican Senator from 

Minnesota by a rather unusual route. He was a campus activist in the 1960s, and a rather prominent one at that. After 

college, NORM earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa 

Law School and came to love the people and the place. 

From there, he went on to Minnesota to serve in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Later, he would use his talents as chief prosecutor for the State of Minnesota, and then 

as mayor of St. Paul, first as a Democrat and then as a Republican. In what has to go down as one of the more remarkable feats of bipartisanship in American politics, NORM has 

the distinction of serving as the 1996 co-chairman of the 

Committee to Reelect Bill Clinton and the 2000 State chairman for George W. Bush’s campaign. 

As a big-city mayor, NORM didn’t disappoint. He showed a 

real knack for bringing business and government together. 

He led a downtown revitalization effort, created thousands of 

jobs, brought the National Hockey League to St. Paul and 

fought to keep taxes low. He left office with a 74-percent approval rating after two terms that a local magazine called 

‘‘by almost any measure . . . an unqualified success.’’ 

In 2002, NORM was still thinking about how he could serve 

on the State level when he got a call from the President asking him if he would run for the Senate. He accepted the challenge and then he fought a tough and principled campaign 

against our late beloved colleague Paul Wellstone before 

Paul’s tragic death shortly before the end of that tumultuous 

campaign. NORM grieved with the rest of Minnesota at Paul’s 

passing, defeated his replacement in the race, and was sworn 

in 2 months later as Laurie, their children, Jake and Sarah, 

and NORM’s parents, Beverly and Norman, looked on. Laurie 

summed up the day like this: ‘‘It’s incredible to think that he 

has this opportunity.’’ 

NORM didn’t waste a day. An instant hit at Republican 

events across the country, he kept up the same torrid pace 

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in the Senate he had set in his come-from-behind win the 

previous November. He pushed legislation that benefited 

Minnesotans and all Americans, and he never let up. 

NORM spoke the other day about some of his accomplishments here. He mentioned a few areas in particular, including U.N. oversight, working with Minnesota farmers, and his 

work on energy independence. But he said his best ideas 

came from the people of Minnesota. 

He was being humble. In a single term, NORM put together 

a remarkable record of results. On energy and conservation, 

he played a key role in establishing the renewable fuels 

standard. He helped pass an extension of the tax credits for 

wind, biomass, and other renewable fuels. He secured loan 

guarantees and tax incentives for clean coal power; protected 

fish populations; and supported conservation programs to 

protect Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, and woodlands. 

He led major anticorruption efforts, including a groundbreaking exposure of fraud at the United Nations. He exposed more than $1 billion in wasteful Medicare spending 

and uncovered serial tax evasion by defense contractors. 

NORM was also instrumental in passing the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act which increased funding for childhood cancer research. 

The proud son of a World War II veteran, NORM has been 

a true friend to all veterans. The first piece of legislation he 

introduced was a bill requiring the Pentagon to cover the 

travel expenses of troops heading home from service abroad. 

NORM worked on a bipartisan basis to establish the first-ever 

national reintegration program for returning troops. And he 

worked hard in the early years after 9/11 to strengthen 

homeland security. 

NORM COLEMAN’s service in the Senate has been marked 

by the same high level of distinction that has marked everything else he has done in three decades of public service. 

Today we honor our colleague and friend for that long career 

that we hope is far from over. And we punctuate an incredibly hard-fought campaign that some people thought might 

never end. 

In the end, it didn’t turn out the way many of us had 

hoped it would. But none of us was surprised by the graciousness with which NORM COLEMAN accepted the verdict, 

and all of us can celebrate the 6 years of dedicated service 

he gave to the people of Minnesota. 

After another setback some years back, NORM COLEMAN

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ting back up. And I have no doubt that this is not the last 

we will hear from NORM COLEMAN. He already has a legacy 

to be proud of. But it is a legacy that is still very much in 

the works. More chapters will be written. And they will bear 

the same strong hand and commitment to people and principle that he has shown in every other endeavor of a long 

and distinguished career. 

In private conversation Senator COLEMAN often talks 

about resting on the truths of his faith. It is an untold Washington story—the glue of faith that holds this city together. 

So as I say goodbye to Senator COLEMAN, I would like to do 

so with words from the Torah that he knows well: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, 

And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And 

give you peace. 

And on behalf of the entire Senate family, I want to thank 

NORM for his service. We will miss him. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, first let me associate myself with the remarks of the Republican leader, Senator 

McConnell, relative to our colleague NORM COLEMAN. I enjoyed serving with NORM. We worked together on a number 

of issues during our service in the Senate. I was actively supporting his opponent Al Franken in the Minnesota race. I 

thought, as Senator McConnell noted, that Senator COLEMAN

showed extraordinary grace in conceding after the latest 

Minnesota Supreme Court decision. It was a relief to all involved and to the people of Minnesota to have two Senators 

representing them here in this Chamber. I wish Senator 

COLEMAN the very best in his future endeavors and again 

thank Senator McConnell for his remarks which I know 

speak on behalf of all Senators from both sides of the aisle. 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, in 1998, NORM

COLEMAN ran for Governor of Minnesota against the son of 

one of the most revered Members of this body, Hubert Humphrey, who was also a former Vice President of the United 

States, and a noted wrestler, Jesse Ventura, who was elected 

Governor. 

In 2002 NORM COLEMAN ran a campaign against Paul 

Wellstone, a beloved Member of this body who was tragically 

killed in an airplane crash a week or so before the election, 

bringing into the race a former Vice President of the United 

States, a former U.S. Senator and Ambassador, Walter MonVerDate Aug 31 2005 14:39 Aug 26, 2010 Jkt 051600 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE08\COLEMAN\51600.BST CRS2 PsN: SKAYNE
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dale. The whole country watched and was riveted by that 

race during that last week. NORM COLEMAN won that race. 

This past year, NORM COLEMAN was a participant in a 

race that also riveted the Nation. He was opposed by a wellknown TV personality, Al Franken, now a Member of this 

body. The race went on for 2 years, with much publicity. 

Then it went on for another 8 months after election day. 

If NORM COLEMAN could have found some way to make the 

2000 Presidential election Bush v. Gore v. Coleman, NORM

would have been a participant in every single one of the 

most spectacular political races of the last decade. 

NORM and I arrived in the Senate on the same day in 

2003. We not only were Members of the Senate family, which 

we often talk about here and which extends to both sides of 

the aisle, we were Members of the same class, and are good 

friends. 

My wife, Honey, and I got to know NORM and his wife, 

Laurie the mother of their two children. We know of his love 

for his family and of his deep religious faith. Each of us in 

the Senate has enjoyed the good humor and cheer and civil 

relationship that NORM has had with his colleagues, both 

Democrats and Republicans. 

But most memorable—and the Republican leader spoke of 

some of this—is NORM COLEMAN’s record of service to our 

country: chief prosecutor for the State of Minnesota, mayor 

of St. Paul, Senator. 

He has been a strong, eloquent, effective voice for the center of this country—an independent voice of the kind our 

country and the Republican Party needs to attract and represent and continue to bring the center into our party and 

into our political process. 

The political campaigns of NORM COLEMAN have been 

more spectacular than those of any of us in the Senate. But 

the public service chapters of his life have been equally impressive. As this door closes, I am confident new ones will 

open. 

When I was Governor of Tennessee, my chief of staff, a 

former Marine, came in and said to me during my last years: 

‘‘Governor, I would like to say to you that people remember 

the last thing you do.’’ And I had no idea why he said that 

to me, but I never could get it out of my mind, and I think 

it is pretty good advice. 

People will remember the last thing NORM COLEMAN did 

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tempting to make sure that every Minnesota vote counted in 

the race, which was decided by just a few votes. 

But then, when the Minnesota Supreme Court made its 

decision, he immediately was gracious about accepting the 

rule of law and the court’s decision and stepping aside and 

congratulating Al Franken. 

That is the picture of NORM COLEMAN that most Minnesotans and most Americans will remember. That may have 

been the last thing that NORM did in this race, but I am sure 

it is far from the last thing he is likely to do in public life. 

NORM COLEMAN, after those three spectacular races, deserves an easy, humdrum, conventional political race someday. And Minnesota and the Nation can hope we will deserve 

and have many more years of NORM COLEMAN’s public service. 

Madam President, I thank the Chair and yield the floor. 

I see my colleague from Florida. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from 

Florida. 

Mr. MARTINEZ. Thank you, Madam President. 

Madam President, I am here this morning to speak about 

my good friend and former colleague, NORM COLEMAN. 

NORM and I first met when I was Secretary of Housing 

and Urban Development and NORM had been the mayor of 

St. Paul—I had been the mayor of Orange County, FL—and 

immediately we established a bond. We kind of spoke the 

same language, if you will. We understood each other. We 

had both been involved in the milieu of urban politics as well 

as the challenges and responsibilities of being a big-city 

urban-center mayor. 

I remember our discussions about the problems of the cities and about the opportunities. NORM had been very successful in creating a new arena for the hockey team in St. 

Paul, and this was, I know, a tremendously proud thing for 

him, an accomplishment he had. 

Little did I know our paths would again cross here in the 

Senate. I remember being in Miami at a radio station and 

there was a TV monitor on the screen during the election of 

2002, and I remember it was a debate between NORM COLEMAN and former Vice President and Senator Walter Mondale. 

I remember being detained there watching him and thinking 

what a tough spot he landed in, what a complicated race it 

had been through the tragic death of Senator Wellstone, and 

how proud I was of him, of this fellow whom I did not know 

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that well but whom I had met on a couple of occasions, and 

he was handling himself quite well. It turned out he was 

successful in that race. 

Then, only a couple years later, we were reunited here in 

the Senate as colleagues. We both immediately found one another on the Foreign Relations Committee. NORM, at that 

time, was the chair of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. I found in NORM someone who was uncommonly 

knowledgeable about the Western Hemisphere and carried 

out those responsibilities with a great sense of urgency. 

NORM and I traveled in Latin America together. We traveled to Chile and to Colombia and perhaps a couple of other 

places where we conducted meetings trying to advance the 

U.S. agenda, promoting the rule of law, fighting against 

narcotrafficking that is such a blight upon our cities and our 

communities, and trying to improve the conditions of democratic rule in the region. 

I have no doubt that if NORM COLEMAN were in the Senate 

this week, he would have been side by side with us as we 

have watched closely the events in Honduras and have tried 

to promote a reasonable, fair, and democratic outcome to 

that country’s troubled current moments. 

He was the original sponsor of efforts to build stronger relations with our neighbors to the south. I had the opportunity, as I said, to travel with him. Part of our traveling 

took us to Colombia where a tremendous challenge lies 

ahead for the people of that country as they fight for the rule 

of law and against the narcoterrorists in that country. I remember our meeting with President Uribe. 

NORM was also very committed and concerned about a stable Middle East, about advancing the peace process in the 

Middle East, but also about the security of Israel. He was a 

very strong voice for a strong United States-Israel relationship. He was a clear voice on the need for us to not allow 

Iran to develop a capability that is nuclear and that would 

invite the opportunity for Iran to carry out the stated wishes 

of destroying the state of Israel. He was a friend of Israel. 

He was also a friend of Cuban freedom. I remember when 

NORM was first in the Senate. He came to the Senate 2 years 

before I did. During that time I was still Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. I heard that NORM COLEMAN

was traveling to Cuba. I said to NORM: ‘‘As you travel to 

Cuba, as a now-sitting Senator, I hope you will remember 

there is a large and growing dissident movement on that island, and they deserve the same recognition you would have 

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given to Lech Walesa or Vaclav Havel had you been traveling to Eastern Europe in the 1980s. 

NORM heard my voice and sought the opportunity to meet 

with the Cuban dissidents while he was on the island. This 

came as a great surprise to his host because the Cuban Government frowns upon visiting dignitaries meeting with anyone who would present the potential for a democratic opposition to a country that has not known democracy now for half 

a century. 

But, in any event, NORM COLEMAN met with them, and not 

only met with them but while in Cuba made some very 

strong statements about the need for a democratic solution 

to the Cuban situation, about the need for the people of 

Cuba to have an opportunity to live in freedom, and he spoke 

highly about the dissidents. Needless to say, that was the 

last time NORM COLEMAN was invited to visit Cuba by the 

Cuban Government. But I knew then I had found a friend 

who clearly understood the difference between freedom and 

oppression and who would clearly stand on the side of freedom. 

NORM, as has been expressed here this morning, with 

great grace and courage fought through a very difficult election, and that is in addition to the ups and downs of all that 

went on in the recount and the legal challenges that followed. 

NORM, with great grace, moved aside. When the time was 

right, and when the legal challenges had been exhausted, he 

did so with the grace and dignity that is the hallmark of 

NORM COLEMAN. 

NORM and Laurie are my friends. I wish them the very 

best as they go forward in their lives. I know they will find 

other opportunities to be of service to the people of Minnesota and to the people of the United States, and I might 

daresay also to the people of Florida because NORM has a 

great affection for my State, where he has spent a lot of his 

time—I would daresay particularly in the cold and bitter 

months when maybe it is a little more pleasant around my 

neck of the woods than it would be in Minnesota. 

But we always welcome NORM to Florida. We hope he will 

continue to visit us frequently, where he has a multitude of 

friends and a multitude of people who love him, who appreciate him, and who thank him for his great service to our 

Nation and our State, and who thank him for the great concern he has demonstrated about people who are oppressed, 

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as well as those who seek to live in freedom and peace without threat from their neighbors. 

Madam President, I thank you and yield the floor. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from 

Utah. 

Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, I am pleased to join 

with my colleagues in making some comments about our 

former colleague, NORM COLEMAN. I welcome Senator 

Franken to the Senate. I welcome him to his service here 

and congratulate him on his victory. But it would come as 

no surprise that Senator COLEMAN will be sadly missed. 

I had the experience of serving with him on the Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where he 

served as the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on 

Investigation. This is a subcommittee that has an interesting 

history. It has the history of some demagoguery if you go 

back into the past. It also has a history of some accomplishment of the various Senators who have served there. I think 

it unusual that a freshman Senator would serve in that capacity and serve as if he were not a freshman but a seasoned 

veteran. He took over that assignment and went after a 

number of areas of controversy, and pursued a number of 

difficulties, and with a persistence that served him and the 

Senate very well. 

So with all of the things we have heard about NORM COLEMAN—his intelligence, his grace, his willingness to work hard 

and at the same time do so with a sense of class about him— 

I add my tribute to his ability to take on a difficult assignment and follow it through. 

I wish him and his wife and his family well in their activities now. I will not go through the resume the Republican 

leader has established for us. I simply add my voice of gratitude for the opportunity of serving with NORM COLEMAN and 

my best wishes for him in his future activities. He is a young 

and vigorous enough man that I think we will hear far more 

from him in the years ahead. 

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

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call 

the roll. 

The bill clerk called the roll. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from 

Georgia is recognized. 

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Mr. CHAMBLISS. Madam President, I ask unanimous 

consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, 

it is so ordered. 

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Madam President, I rise to speak this 

morning for a few minutes about my dear friend, now former 

Senator, NORM COLEMAN, from the great State of Minnesota. 

NORM was a very unique individual in the Senate. He grew 

up in New York, was educated in Iowa, and wound up living 

in Minnesota. He was a student leader in undergraduate 

school as well as in law school, so his leadership qualities 

were certainly recognized early on. 

NORM grew up in an era right behind me, which was the 

era of big rock bands, and NORM was right in with the majority of the crowd of young folks back then and, in fact, was 

a roadie with a rock band for a while. He spent his 20th 

birthday at Woodstock. We used to joke about that a lot in 

some of our conversations. 

After law school, NORM obviously settled down in the State 

of Minnesota where he joined the Office of the Attorney General and eventually became the State solicitor general. He 

prosecuted any number of cases in both of those offices. He 

became the mayor of St. Paul, MN, in 1993, and, boy, did he 

ever take over a town that was headed south and bring it 

back to be a totally revitalized community in a way in which, 

frankly, I have never seen. 

When you talk to the people of St. Paul today and you ask 

them about what NORM COLEMAN did for the downtown area 

of St. Paul, a smile immediately comes to the faces of those 

residents. He created thousands of new jobs and brought in 

more than $3 billion worth of new development to the city. 

The one thing St. Paul residents, as well as Minneapolis 

residents, will tell you today about NORM COLEMAN from the 

standpoint of his legacy as mayor is that he brought the 

hockey team back to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and that has had 

a tremendous economic influence on that community. 

I think it is a real tribute to NORM and his leadership that 

after being elected as a Democrat in 1993, he became a Republican in 1996, and then ran for reelection as mayor in 

1997 as a Republican, and was again elected mayor of St. 

Paul. NORM ran for Governor of Minnesota in 1998, and as 

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tion, he was back in his mayoral office at 8 a.m. taking care 

of the business of the people of St. Paul. 

I was very privileged to know NORM in a way other than 

just being a colleague. We were very close personal friends. 

Having been elected together, individuals within classes tend 

to hang together from time to time, and NORM and I enjoyed 

many social moments outside of this Chamber, as well as 

many strong professional moments inside this Chamber. I 

will have to say that as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, of which NORM was a member, there was no harder 

working member of that committee for his constituents, no 

more dedicated individual to agricultural interests in his 

State than was NORM COLEMAN. In fact, during the farm bill 

debate last year, NORM pounded on me every single day during the course of that farm bill debate about some issue that 

was of particular interest to his State. It may have been 

talking about some issue relative to ethanol, some issue relative to the issues surrounding corn, wheat, or sugar beets, 

but whatever it was, NORM was just a hard-working, dedicated man when it came to making sure his constituents’ interests were protected in that piece of legislation which was 

so vitally important to the State he represented. 

I had the opportunity to travel with NORM many times in 

the State of Minnesota, and he likewise traveled in my State. 

I remember very well going to the Minnesota State Fair with 

NORM. While we were there, we visited with some of his 

corngrowers whom I have gotten to know on a personal basis 

as a result of my relationship with him. 

I will never forget that because coming from a cotton-growing State where we produce a fiber that is used in the manufacture of clothing, the folks in Minnesota have developed a 

way to produce a piece of cloth from byproducts of corn and 

ethanol production. They gave me a shirt that day. It was a 

red shirt. They hadn’t quite perfected this procedure at that 

point in time. I had a T-shirt on underneath the shirt I had 

on, and I immediately took my shirt off and put that red 

shirt on. It was hot as it could be that day. When we got 

back to the hotel that night, I took that shirt off, and I had 

this pink undershirt on as a result of having that shirt on. 

The corngrowers have reminded me of that. We have had a 

good laugh about that ever since. 

NORM is just one of those guys who not only was a dedicated professional Member of this body, but he is a good guy. 

He is one of those individuals who folks on both sides of the 

aisle had, first of all, respect for as a Member of this body, 

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but also from a personal standpoint NORM was easy to get 

along with, easy to work with, and he wanted to do what 

was in the best interests of Americans. 

I think his work on the Foreign Relations Committee, particularly with respect to his investigation of the fraudulent 

activities ongoing at the United Nations, is unparalleled with 

respect to any investigation I have seen take place during 

my years in the Senate. He uncovered an awful lot of fraud 

and abuse. 

As a result of NORM’s dedicated work and his dogged determination, some changes have been made. Were NORM to 

have come back to the Senate, there is no question he would 

have continued to pursue that issue, and we will continue to 

receive benefits from NORM’s investigative measures that 

were undertaken at the United Nations. 

I think NORM’s reputation as a fighter and as a strong advocate for Minnesotans is reflective in the way he handled 

his election. He fought hard in his election. It was very much 

an uphill battle. A lot of us had tough elections last year, but 

nobody had a tougher one than NORM on a day-to-day basis. 

But he wanted to make sure the people who voted for him, 

the people who supported him and worked hard in his election all across the State of Minnesota had their just due, and 

he wanted to make sure he could look every Minnesotan in 

the eye and say: ‘‘I did everything I could do to make sure 

this election was fairly conducted and to make sure that 

every single vote I could possibly get was counted.’’ 

At the end of the day, when the election was finally decided, once again, in his very professional way, he conceded 

and decided, as some of us have to do in politics from time 

to time, that it is time to move on. 

We are going to miss NORM COLEMAN in this body. We are 

going to miss his family. Laurie and my wife are very dear 

friends. They communicated from time to time both while 

the two of them were in Washington as well as while they 

were in their respective States. We will miss that personal 

relationship. His daughter Sarah and his son Jacob are two 

very fine young people and certainly are reflective of the fact 

that they have been raised by two very good parents. 

So to NORM COLEMAN I simply say we will miss you in the 

Senate. We are not going to let him go away, though. I still 

talk to him on a regular basis and will continue to do so and 

will seek his advice, his counsel on any number of issues because this is a man who has served the public just about all 

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of his adult life. He has done so in a professional way and 

in a way that all of us wish to emulate. 

Congratulations to NORM, and good luck on whatever road 

life now takes him. 

With that, I yield the floor. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from 

Maine is recognized. 

Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I enjoyed hearing my 

colleague’s comments about our friend Senator NORM COLEMAN because I share the same sentiments. I rise today to 

speak about the extraordinary service of this extraordinary 

individual. 

When I became the chairman of the Governmental Affairs 

Committee in 2003, a freshman Senator took over the position that I had held as the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. During the next 6 years, I came 

to know Senator NORM COLEMAN as an energetic, farsighted, 

and committed public servant, but most of all I came to 

know NORM as a dear friend. 

As chairman, and later ranking member, of the PSI, NORM

demonstrated unfailing leadership and extraordinary dedication. Working with his colleague from across the aisle, Senator Carl Levin, NORM enhanced the PSI’s reputation as the 

Senate’s premier investigative subcommittee. He undertook 

many complex and important investigations. 

Under this team’s leadership, the subcommittee was successful in ferreting out waste, fraud, and abuse to the tune 

of $14 billion. I remember particularly well an investigation 

that exposed tax cheats in Medicare and in defense contracting. 

Another success resulting from NORM’s leadership was his 

highly successful and courageous Oil-for-Food investigation. 

NORM’s investigation uncovered billions of dollars of fraud in 

this program operated by the United Nations. NORM was focused, determined, and undeterred in his pursuit of the 

facts, in his pursuit of the truth. 

NORM’s abiding concern for upholding the public trust is 

rooted in his background. As a former prosecutor, he is a 

champion of the rule of law. As a former mayor, he understands the concerns of State and local government. As a Senator, he always worked hard for the people he represented 

and for the people of this entire country. 

These traits were evident in his service as a member of the 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 

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NORM’s hard work ensured that the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction had the resources and the authority necessary to do his work effectively. NORM’s keen insight into local government was invaluable during our extensive investigation into the failed response to Hurricane 

Katrina. His critical insight helped to shape reform in many 

areas, ranging from our intelligence agencies, to the postal 

service, and government contracting. 

NORM was also a passionate advocate for educational opportunity. His support for strengthening the Pell Grant Program demonstrated his belief that the benefits of higher education should be available to everyone with the determination and the desire to pursue more education. 

In fact, the only quibble I have with NORM’s public service 

dates back to his tenure as mayor of St. Paul. His success 

in bringing professional hockey back to Minnesota was certainly commendable, but it was based, as I understand it, on 

the flawed premise that Minnesota is the hockey capital of 

the United States. The people of Maine know better, of 

course, but this was typical of NORM’s pride in his State. 

The past election brought great disappointment, but it also 

revealed character. NORM ran a vigorous, honorable campaign, under very difficult circumstances. He never betrayed 

his constituents, nor compromised his principles. When the 

final court decision went against him, he graciously conceded 

defeat. In fact, I had the opportunity to talk with NORM right 

after the supreme court in Minnesota ruled against him. I 

was struck, once again, by his determination to do what he 

felt was best for his State, even though it was not best for 

him. I was also touched by his commitment, once again, to 

his constituents and to moving on and ensuring that they 

had two Senators representing them. He was not bitter. He 

was not hurt. He was at peace. He was at peace because he 

knew he had served the people of his State to the best of his 

ability and with all his heart and tremendous intellect. 

It has been a true honor to serve with NORM COLEMAN in 

the Senate, and the American people—not just the people of 

Minnesota—are better off for his service. It has been a joy 

to develop our friendship—a friendship I will always cherish 

and always continue. I will miss serving with NORM day to 

day, but I know I will see him many times. 

I wish NORM and his wonderful family all the best in the 

years to come. 

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Mr. KYL. Madam President, I join my Republican colleagues in thanking Senator NORM COLEMAN for his service 

in the Senate. 

As a valued member of my whip team, Senator COLEMAN

was devoted to solving problems in a practical and nonpartisan way. I could always expect from him a serious and 

interesting view of an issue and could count on him for good 

advice. His thoughtful and unique perspective, as well as his 

talent and high energy, will be missed. 

Senator COLEMAN ran a fine campaign and was a consummate gentleman throughout the long process of determining 

the winner of his seat. 

I join my colleagues in wishing him all the best in his future endeavors, and know that he will remain an important 

voice in our party. 

Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, the Senate will continue to benefit in the years ahead from the service and example of NORM COLEMAN as a U.S. Senator. 

He brought to the Senate a seriousness of purpose and a 

high level of energy which he used to help shape national 

policies and successfully address many important challenges 

faced by our country. 

I enjoyed working with him and playing tennis with him. 

He brought to his service in the Senate a strong and determined commitment to solve the problems facing our country, 

especially as they affected farmers and workers in his State 

of Minnesota. 

NORM COLEMAN’s leadership will be missed in the Senate, 

but we will continue to benefit from his example and his contributions to this body for many years to come. 

Mr. LUGAR. Madam President, I am pleased to join with 

other Senate colleagues in honoring a loyal and talented 

friend, NORM COLEMAN. For the past 6 years, it has been my 

privilege to serve with him in the Senate. During that time, 

we have worked together on many issues, and I have witnessed with admiration his character and his dedication to 

the United States and to the people of Minnesota. 

As a former mayor of Indianapolis, I was very pleased to 

welcome another former mayor to the Senate in 2003 when 

NORM took his seat after an election that was decided by 

fewer than 50,000 votes. We talked frequently about our experiences in Indianapolis and St. Paul, and we shared many 

perspectives on domestic policy because of this common bond. 

He was devoted to principles of good government that deeply 

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informed his service in the Senate. It also was clear to me 

that Senator COLEMAN had an extremely strong commitment 

to constituent service that was stimulated by his service as 

a mayor. He understood that serving his constituents was a 

24-hour-a-day job, and he threw himself into the task of 

serving all Minnesotans. 

I am especially sad to see NORM leave the Senate because 

he has been an outstanding partner in the work of the Foreign Relations Committee. I encouraged him to join our committee in 2003, and he played a prominent role in our work 

from the day he arrived. For 6 years, I sat with NORM

through hundreds of Foreign Relations Committee hearings 

and meetings. He was one of the most active members of the 

committee, and he could be counted on to bolster our debates 

and our efforts to achieve quorums. I greatly benefited from 

the opportunity to exchange ideas with him, to compare perspectives on our witnesses, and to develop common approaches to problems. 

His impact was especially profound as chairman of the 

Western Hemisphere Subcommittee from 2003 until 2006. 

He traveled frequently to Latin America and quickly developed an expertise in the region. He was an effective advocate 

for Plan Colombia, and he was one of our first leaders to recognize how important it was to ensure that Colombians had 

alternatives to economic and energy dependence on Venezuela. He performed important oversight of the Western 

Hemisphere Travel Initiative, the Peace Corps, and U.S. policy toward Haiti. Senator COLEMAN was the lead organizer 

of the U.S.-Chile Caucus, a group that allowed Senators to 

engage with Chileans to discuss issues of mutual interest. 

Senator COLEMAN developed expertise that went well beyond Latin America. In April 2004, I chaired the Senate’s 

first hearing that looked into the troubled Iraq Oil-for-Food 

Program. Senator COLEMAN took the lead from there, and as 

chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, 

he conducted an extensive, 2-year investigation into corruption and mismanagement related to the Oil-for-Food Program. Many of his conclusions were the basis of legislation 

that he and I introduced in 2005—the United Nations Management, Personnel, and Policy Reform Act. Senator COLEMAN also was a passionate and informed advocate for U.S. 

programs to combat HIV/AIDS and a careful student of Middle East politics. 

I know how much NORM was stimulated by the daily opportunities of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and 

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he made the most of them. Had he prevailed in his 2008 reelection bid, he would have been the second-ranking Republican on the committee. 

Senator COLEMAN leaves the Senate after 6 years having 

established lifetime friendships. It was a special pleasure for 

Char and me to spend time with NORM and his wife Laurie 

at Aspen Institute events, giving us the opportunity to know 

much more about their family and life outside the Senate. 

I will miss his good humor, his hard work, and his personal friendship. I have no doubts that he will continue to 

serve the United States and his fellow Americans in new 

ways, and I look forward to witnessing all that he will 

achieve in the future. I join the Senate in wishing him the 

best as he and his family move on to new adventures. 

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

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call 

the roll. 

The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll. 

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent 

that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, 

it is so ordered. 

Mr. REID. Madam President, I don’t know much about the 

State of New York or the city of New York. I do know there 

is a high school there called James Madison High School, 

which has some pretty prominent graduates: Senator Bernie 

Sanders of Vermont, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, 

and Senator NORM COLEMAN of Minnesota. I believe Ruth 

Bader Ginsburg, a member of the Supreme Court, also graduated from that high school. I am sure there are others. 

My message to NORM COLEMAN is that I have been involved in close elections. I lost an election for the Senate 

many years ago by 524 votes. I won one not too many years 

ago by 428 votes. So I have some appreciation for what 

NORM COLEMAN and his opponent, Al Franken, went 

through. 

My thoughts during the past 8 months have been directed 

toward the difficulty they have had in their lives as a result 

of that close election. One of my elections—the one I won by 

428 votes—took 6 weeks. I cannot imagine one taking 8 

months. It was a hard-fought campaign. Almost 3 million 

people voted, and it was decided by 312 votes. 

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I appreciate, as I think do the people of Minnesota, the 

Senate, and the country, NORM COLEMAN not taking this to 

the Supreme Court or a higher court. He could have done 

that. That speaks well of him. 

NORM has a lot of fans, of course, in the State of Minnesota, but he is also a friend of a close personal friend of 

mine from the State of Nevada, Sig Rogich. Sig Rogich and 

I have been very close personal friends for a long time. He 

is a man of accomplishment. Having been born in Iceland, he 

came to America and was raised in Henderson, where I was 

raised. Actually, he is a wealthy man now, a very prominent 

businessman. One of NORM’s biggest supporters around the 

country is Sig Rogich; he has a great pedigree. He was part 

of the Tuesday team of famous media developed for Ronald 

Reagan. He worked in the White House for the first President Bush. He is a very personal friend of the first President 

Bush and also is well known and was part of the second 

Bush team and knows him very well. My understanding of 

Sig Rogich’s relationship with NORM COLEMAN is that they 

are friends. That speaks well of both of them, that they have 

such high-quality friends. 

NORM COLEMAN’s relationship with me—me being a Democrat and he being a Republican—was always very good. We 

spoke to each other often. He was always very courteous and 

always a gentleman with me. I never heard him say a negative word about me. I cannot ever recall saying anything 

negative about him. To show that he did do some legislation 

that I watched very closely, one piece of legislation he did 

was one that would allow people, when filing their income 

tax return, to designate part of their return to go to the National Guardsmen or Reservists, those who lose their jobs as 

a result of going into combat and their families are having 

trouble making the grade. The few dollars they get from the 

military doesn’t make up for what their house payment is 

and everything. This would allow money to be put into an 

administrated fund to go toward the families of these people 

fighting overseas. I thought so much of that legislation that 

I have sponsored it. It is working its way through the Senate, and it is a fine piece of legislation. I acknowledge that 

I plagiarized this from NORM COLEMAN. It came from his 

friend and my friend, Sig Rogich. 

I wish NORM and his family the very best. Recognizing 

that these campaigns come to an end, he is a relatively 

young man, and I am sure with his educational background 

and his notoriety in Minnesota, he will have a bright future. 

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I suggest the absence of a quorum. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call 

the roll. 

The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll. 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, I ask unanimous 

consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, 

it is so ordered. 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, I am here today to 

speak about Senator COLEMAN, who was my colleague for my 

first 2 years in the Senate. As everyone knows, last week the 

Minnesota Supreme Court issued its ruling on the outcome 

of last November’s Senate election. As I did this week, I congratulate Al Franken for his hard-earned and long-awaited 

election victory. He has had a good first week in the Senate, 

and we all welcome him. But I do wish to take this time to 

talk about NORM COLEMAN. 

First of all, after 6 months without having a second Senator, Senator COLEMAN made a very difficult decision, and he 

did it with such grace. He could have appealed that decision. 

He could have gone to Federal court. It was his right. But 

he made a decision which he felt was best for the State of 

Minnesota, and the country. 

I wish to talk a little bit about what it meant to me to 

have NORM COLEMAN as a colleague in the Senate. 

When I first came to the Senate, NORM had been a Senator 

for many years, and he was very gracious to me. He reached 

out with his staff. We basically got along from the moment 

I started to the end of his term as a Senator. We worked 

very hard at that. When we had disagreements, we talked 

them out and our staffs would talk them out because we felt 

the most important thing was that we represent the State of 

Minnesota. 

Each one of us knows NORM in our own way, but I think 

all of us agree this is someone who cares so much about his 

family, his wife Laurie, and their two children, Jacob and 

Sarah. Theirs is a family that has known tremendous tragedy. Two of their children died in early infancy from a rare 

genetic disease. While NORM doesn’t talk about this much, 

his reverence to life and his devotion to family are very clear. 

Second only to his family has been his dedication to public 

service. It has literally defined his adult life. Maybe it was 

sheer destiny that he found his way to the Senate. After all, 

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he is a graduate of James Madison High School in Brooklyn, 

which is also the alma mater of two of our Senate colleagues—Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders. 

NORM hit the ground running in politics, and he has not 

stopped. In college, he was a student activist, and in law 

school, he served as the president of his class. Immediately 

after getting his law degree, he joined the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, recruited by my good friend, legendary 

Attorney General Warren Spannaus. NORM was in the Attorney General’s Office 17 years, most of that time doing criminal prosecutions, ultimately rising to the position of solicitor 

general for the State of Minnesota. 

In 1993 NORM was elected mayor of St. Paul at a time 

when the city, especially its downtown, was suffering economically. During his 8 years as mayor, he worked to turn 

St. Paul around. Building public-private partnerships, he redeveloped the industrial riverfront into a recreational green 

space. A new Minnesota science museum was built overlooking the Mississippi River. Most famously, he brought 

hockey back to Minnesota, securing a new National Hockey 

League franchise that moved into the new arena. Hockey is 

very important in Minnesota. 

In 1998 NORM was narrowly defeated in a three-way race 

for Minnesota Governor. The winner, of course, was Jesse 

Ventura—something not many people across the United 

States expected to happen. I think NORM once said that not 

everyone can say they lost to a candidate whose previous career highlight was being killed by an alien creature in the 

movie ‘‘Predator.’’ But he took it in stride. 

In 2002 NORM was elected to the Senate under tragic circumstances. Just days before the election, my good friends 

Paul Wellstone and his wife Sheila and their daughter 

Marcia and members of their staff were killed in a tragic 

plane crash in northern Minnesota. NORM became the Senator. Like Paul, NORM took his duties very seriously, and I 

could see that in my 2 years in the Senate. He cared deeply 

about the work he did in foreign relations, some of which 

people never really talked about, never made the front page 

of the newspaper, but it was something he cared deeply 

about. 

Together we worked on several issues in our State which 

were of key importance, legislation to benefit our State. The 

most dramatic example of this spirit of cooperation was our 

response to the sudden collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge 

into the Mississippi River on August 1, 2007. Thirteen people 

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were killed and 150 were injured, many with severe and permanent injuries. Literally, our cities came to a stop. For our 

State, out of this unprecedented disaster, this public trauma 

was something to which they immediately responded. 

I still remember when Senator COLEMAN and I came in the 

very next morning—we flew in with the Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters—and there were already billboards 

up, literally 12 hours later, directing people where to go with 

the traffic and how to get buses to get to where they had to 

go. As I said that day, a bridge in America should not just 

fall down, but when one does fall down, we rebuild it. In the 

72 hours immediately following the bridge collapse, NORM

and I worked together to secure $250 million in emergency 

bridge construction funding. Representative Jim Oberstar led 

the way in the House. Approval of this funding came with 

remarkable speed and bipartisanship. Capitol Hill veterans 

tell me it was a rare feat, aided by unity among Minnesota’s 

elected leaders across the aisle, across the political spectrum. 

I am pleased to report that just 13 months after that collapse, Minnesota drivers were able to drive over a safe new 

35W bridge and eight-lane highway. That is just 13 months 

after the collapse. 

While the bridge is the most visible example, NORM and I 

had many other opportunities to work together on issues 

that mattered to the people in our State. 

There was another Minnesota disaster in August 2007 

when severe flooding hit the southeastern corner of our 

State. We worked on this together, along with Congressman 

Walz, to ensure a rapid, effective response by Federal agencies to help communities, businesses, and families in need. 

We worked together on the Agriculture Committee. We 

both served on that committee. We succeeded in passing a 

new farm bill that was very important to our State. 

We worked together with a bipartisan group of Senators 

on energy legislation, to move forward in unity. 

We worked together in securing Federal funds for the security costs of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, along with our colleagues in Colorado. I still remember standing before this Chamber saying that I stood 

tall to obtain the funding to protect the security of the Republican leadership from across this country. We did that together. 

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nesota. The Red Bulls have served longer in Iraq than any 

other National Guard unit in the country. And NORM and I 

worked together to make sure we expanded the Beyond the 

Yellow Ribbon Program to help those Guard and Reserve 

who really have no base to go home to but go home to little 

towns across our State. We worked on that together. 

Our State has a proud tradition of electing both Democrats 

and Republicans to office. They expect us to work together. 

From the very beginning, NORM and I knew that was part 

of our duty to the people of our State, that was part of our 

obligation, no matter if we disagreed on issues, that we were 

going to work together. 

So today I acknowledge my former colleague, NORM COLEMAN, for the strength he has shown during this long campaign, for the grace he showed last week when he made that 

difficult decision, and for the fine work he did for the people 

of Minnesota. 

Madam President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence 

of a quorum. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call 

the roll. 

The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll. 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, I ask unanimous 

consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. 

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, 

it is so ordered. 

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I would like to join some of 

my colleagues who have spoken previously in reflecting upon 

the service of our colleague, NORM COLEMAN. As we all 

know, the election process in Minnesota has come to a conclusion. We have welcomed his successor to the U.S. Senate. 

But I also want to make some remarks about Senator COLEMAN’s years of distinguished service in the Senate and my 

recollections of his service to the people of Minnesota and 

our country. 

Obviously, all of us come here motivated to do different 

things. We all have reasons we want to be in public service, 

things we want to accomplish. Senator COLEMAN came from 

the State of Minnesota, having been in an executive position 

where he served as mayor of St. Paul. He accomplished some 

wonderful things for the State, not the least of which was 

bringing hockey to Minnesota. That is something any of us 

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from that region of the country know was greatly appreciated by the citizens of his city and his State. 

NORM and I came to the Senate under different circumstances. I recall having traveled around the country with 

Senator COLEMAN as we were campaigning together in 2002 

trying to come to the Senate and having that opportunity to 

get to know him. When you travel with somebody on an ongoing basis, you get to know them not on a superficial basis, 

but you have a chance to really get a glimpse into the soul 

of people when you are in certain circumstances, when you 

are in tough campaigns. Certainly, NORM was no stranger to 

tough campaigns. 

As it turned out, in that 2002 election NORM was elected 

to the Senate. I lost my election in 2002 and didn’t come 

here until a couple of years later. But during the course of 

the campaigns, and then having served with NORM—representing a neighbor State in South Dakota—we shared a lot 

of common interests. Whether it was agriculture or renewable energy or the economy in our States and trying to create jobs in the Upper Midwest of this country, NORM was 

somebody who, more than anything else, cared about results. 

There are so many instances here where we get drawn into 

debates in the Senate and the partisan lines get drawn and 

a lot of ideology comes into play. Obviously, that is part of 

the process as well. But the bottom line was that NORM

cared about getting things done for the people of Minnesota. 

I think that was the kind of can-do attitude he brought to 

his job as mayor and to all the other areas of public service 

in which he was engaged during the course of his career in 

public life. 

But coming to the Senate, I am sure, had to have been 

frustrating at times because this is a place where sometimes 

it is very difficult to see the result and the outcome of your 

efforts. NORM was someone who was focused. He was intent 

upon getting things done, getting things accomplished, and 

I think during his service here he did some great things for 

the people of Minnesota and for the people of this country. 

I think NORM would tell you that in coming to the Senate—and I would tell you the same thing—he can now look 

back on some of the things he was involved in getting done, 

such as being involved in the big debates over the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts or Justice Sam Alito— 

these were big debates in which we were all involved in seeing good people nominated and ultimately confirmed to be on 

the Supreme Court. We worked in areas that were specific 

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to our States—again, agriculture, renewable energy, putting 

energy policies in place that I think will drive America’s future in terms of trying to lessen our dependence upon foreign 

sources of energy and, obviously, trying to bring more economic opportunity to this country by promoting the energy 

sources we have right here, particularly in places such as the 

Midwest where we can produce biofuels and wind and other 

forms of renewable energy. 

Those are the kinds of issues NORM was committed to because he understood the profound impact they had on the 

citizens of his State of Minnesota. I also think sometimes 

around here people tend to—as we all do because we all are 

elected to represent constituencies—sometimes feel pressured to make votes that might be more political. But I have 

seen NORM COLEMAN time and again come in here and make 

votes—sometimes tough votes—that he thought were the 

right ones for the future of this country. That, too, is a quality that sometimes is lacking and can be rare in public life. 

So I just wanted to express my appreciation for having had 

the opportunity to serve with NORM COLEMAN in the Senate. 

He is someone who I think was a tremendous reflection upon 

the State of Minnesota, the people of his State; someone who 

was intent upon doing the right thing for the future of this 

country; and, frankly, someone who, in my view, brought an 

authenticity and a genuineness to this body and to this 

world of politics in Washington, DC, which sometimes is 

lacking in those qualities. He was sincere, he was genuine, 

and you knew exactly where he was coming from. With 

NORM, what you saw was what you got. 

I was pleased to have had the opportunity not only to 

serve with him in the Senate and to call him a colleague, but 

more important than that to call him and Laurie and their 

family friends, because that is something that is also rare in 

Washington, DC. Sometimes the Senate can be a lonely 

place, and when you develop a friendship of the type and 

depth that I have with NORM, I find that to be something I 

will always treasure and remember. 

I also know NORM will continue in whatever he chooses to 

do next to serve the people of Minnesota and the people of 

his country because for him it wasn’t about the position or 

the title, it was about the difference he made, and he is making, and I know he will continue to do great things for this 

country. Whatever he chooses to do next, it will be with an 

eye toward how he can make a difference and contribute in 

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a positive way to furthering and improving the quality of life 

for the people of the State and the people of this country. 

Mr. President, I thank Senator COLEMAN for his years of 

dedicated and distinguished service, and I wish him all the 

best as he begins the next chapter in his life in continuing 

his service to Minnesota and our Nation. 

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

that the tributes to Senator COLEMAN in the Congressional 

Record be printed as a Senate document and that Senators 

be permitted to submit statements for inclusion until Friday, 

August 7, 2009. 

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

FRIDAY, July 10, 2009 

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I wish to speak in honor of 

the service of my good friend, Senator NORM COLEMAN. Senator COLEMAN was among the more thoughtful and intelligent Senators that I have known. His presence in this 

Chamber will be sorely missed. 

Senator COLEMAN came to the Senate with more insight 

into the lives and needs of his constituents than most obtain 

after years of service in Congress. He was elected mayor of 

St. Paul, MN, in 1993. Of course, at that time he was a Democrat, but I don’t hold it against him. He eventually realized 

the error of his ways and was reelected as a Republican in 

1997. He became the most popular and well-known mayor in 

Minnesota, mostly because he shared something in common 

with Minnesotans: a love of hockey. 

In 1993 the Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas 

Stars, leaving the State of Minnesota without a franchise in 

the National Hockey League. NORM shared the view of probably every Minnesotan that this was just not right. Honestly, 

how can you have an NHL without a team in Minnesota? 

Due in large part to Mayor COLEMAN’s lobbying efforts the 

NHL awarded St. Paul an expansion franchise in 1997, the 

Minnesota Wild. 

You would think that bringing hockey back to Minnesota 

would be enough to get him elected to any office he wanted 

in the State. But, as many have observed, the people of Minnesota are unpredictable. In the 1998 gubernatorial election, 

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out the country, NORM finished just 3 percentage points behind Jesse Ventura, whose pre-Governor career was, to put 

it lightly, a colorful one. 

Though this result had to be difficult for NORM, I think we 

all ultimately benefited from the outcome of that race. NORM

was elected to the Senate in 2002 and immediately became 

known for his thoughtful demeanor and his dedication to the 

people of Minnesota. He was a loyal Republican, but he was 

also willing to work with those in the opposing party to help 

the State of Minnesota and the Nation as a whole. He supported President Bush, but, as should be expected of any 

loyal supporter, he was not afraid to express his disagreement or offer his advice with regard to changes and reforms. 

Indeed, I think Republicans and Democrats alike have had 

a good working relationship with Senator COLEMAN because, 

as many have noted here today, he was more concerned with 

getting things done and being true to his convictions than he 

was about being political and towing the party line. 

Mr. President, while I welcome Senator COLEMAN’s successor, I must admit that I was disappointed when I heard 

of the final decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Obviously, I don’t like seeing the number of Republicans in the 

Chamber go down. But, more important, I am sad to see the 

Senate lose such a vibrant and intelligent voice. Indeed, I 

think his views and statements on the legislation being considered by the Senate this year would add greatly to the debate. 

I want to wish Senator COLEMAN the best of luck in his 

future endeavors. While I am sure that he will be a valuable 

asset for any effort with which he becomes involved, I am 

more certain that he will be missed here in the Senate. 

WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2009 

Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I wish to pause for a moment. I know we are on the bill, and I am most anxious to 

proceed with the Defense authorization bill, having served 

on the committee since 1994 and before then in the House. 

It is imperative now that we get as robust a bill as possible. 

Before doing that, let me mention one thing because I 

haven’t yet spoken about this. I have been watching several 

of our colleagues come to the floor to speak about a great 

Senator, NORM COLEMAN, who is no longer seated in the 

Senate but who is a remarkable character. 

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A good friend of mine, Paul Weyrich, who recently died, 

wrote an op-ed piece, and it is called ‘‘The Workhorses and 

the Show Horses.’’ He talked about so many of the Members 

of the House and the Senate who are out there just to make 

themselves look good. They are the ones who are show 

horses. Then there are the workhorses. We talk about someone such as NORM COLEMAN, who was always there and getting deeply involved in issues, many of which are not popular issues if you are using them to run for reelection. I am 

thinking of a close friend, a mutual friend of ours named 

Ward Brehm. Ward Brehm and I have been working together for a long time on some things in Africa, as the Chair 

is aware, and he was talking about being from Minnesota 

and how much involved NORM COLEMAN got in various international affairs issues that don’t have any votes behind 

them, but he was willing to do it. Every time you turned 

around, he was willing to do things that other people weren’t 

willing to do. 

I remember several years ago when he and I met with a 

delegation from Burundi and Rwanda and the DRC. This 

was a group that was over here in conjunction with the National Prayer Breakfast. He and I always worked together 

during the time that we had the National Prayer Breakfast. 

We would get these people to come all the way over here 

from different countries, but we kind of concentrated on Africa. I remember him standing there talking for a long period 

of time—keep in mind he is a Jew. I was never real clear 

where in New York he was from—I think the Bronx or someplace. But anyway, he was very strong in the Jewish community, and I am not. I am on the Christian side. But we would 

always get together and talk to them about Jesus and talk 

to them about loving God. And then when he would pray— 

at the end of these things, we would offer a prayer, and he 

would end up giving a prayer in Hebrew—an amazing guy. 

At the National Prayer Breakfast African dinner 2 years 

ago—I had sponsored the dinner that was for all the Africans who had come over for the Prayer Breakfast and stayed 

for the African dinner—he was a major player in that. So 

these are things people didn’t know about NORM COLEMAN. 

The idea is scripturally based; it is Acts 2:42. It is kind of 

a genesis of these weekly Prayer Breakfasts in the Senate. 

On Wednesday mornings, we had a Prayer Breakfast and 

about 20 or 25 Senators showed up every Wednesday. NORM

COLEMAN was the chairman of that and was always in these 

groups. But he was also one who was helping us in forming 

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these same groups with members of Parliament from all over 

Africa. He was a tireless worker in that effort, which was not 

something out there to get any votes. 

I talked to him the other day, having gone through this 

election and then the 8 months or so, whatever it was, in recounting and all of that. I told him that many years ago I 

was mayor of Tulsa, and I did a pretty good job, I thought. 

I was supposed to win hands down. Someone came out of obscurity and because of a set of circumstances that should 

have gotten votes, not lost votes, I had lost unexpectedly on 

that Tuesday. 

Well, we had scheduled our Tulsa Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast the next morning. Bill Bright, who died not too long ago, 

came by as the speaker. Keep in mind, here he was the 

speaker at the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast the morning after 

I lost the election. He gave the most brilliant speech. I remember how he said it and the words he used. He said: ‘‘A 

lot of times we think in terms of what is happening to us 

today, looking at our own careers, but,’’ he said, ‘‘God is still 

up there and there is a plan for all of us.’’ He said in a very 

clear way that I thoroughly understood, the day after I lost 

the election I wasn’t supposed to lose, that God opens a window and he closes a door and that window is going to be bigger. I can tell you right now I wouldn’t be doing what I am 

doing today if it had not been for that. 

So I would just say about my friend, NORM COLEMAN, God 

has a plan in mind for you, NORM, and it is one we will look 

back someday and say perhaps this is the best thing that 

could have happened to you. In the meantime, we love you, 

NORM, and God bless you. 

THURSDAY, July 16, 2009 

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I commend the extraordinary career of NORM COLEMAN. NORM began his public 

service as a prosecutor for the Minnesota State Attorney 

General’s Office, working his way up to chief prosecutor before eventually serving as solicitor general of Minnesota. In 

1993, he became mayor of St. Paul. During his tenure as 

mayor, NORM worked faithfully to revitalize the city, even securing a National Hockey League franchise for St. Paul. In 

2002, at the urging of President Bush, NORM ran for U.S. 

Senate. He was the challenger in a close, hard-fought race, 

and his ultimate victory was an exciting one. 

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I am proud to have served alongside NORM in the Senate. 

He was an excellent comrade in the fight against partial 

birth abortion and worked hard to prevent waste and fraud 

at the United Nations. Known for his willingness to work 

with both parties, NORM fought for tax cuts, renewable energy, and prescription drug benefits for seniors. He worked 

for the passage of legislation improving rural health care, increasing funding for Pell Grants and securing our ports. 

He leaves an impressive record as testament to his service 

in the Senate, but his presence here will be missed. Though 

the outcome of last fall’s election ended differently than I 

had hoped, I know great things are in store for NORM. He 

has much more to offer our great country. I wish NORM, his 

wife Laurie, and their two children, Jacob and Sarah, all the 

best as they embrace the new and exciting opportunities before them. 

MONDAY, July 20, 2009 

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

distinguished colleague from Minnesota, Senator NORM

COLEMAN. 

I’ve worked with Senator COLEMAN since 2002 when he 

was elected U.S. Senator of Minnesota. NORM is a man of integrity and patriotism. He has dedicated most of his adult 

life to serving the people of Minnesota. While he served in 

the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office for a large portion 

of his career and eventually became solicitor general, he is 

highly praised in the city of St. Paul for his successes as 

mayor. His vision and execution to revitalize the city of St. 

Paul became a benchmark for success in local governing. Because of his accomplishments as mayor, he gained higher approval ratings in Minnesota than most politicians in Washington ever receive in their entire careers. 

During his tenure as U.S. Senator, NORM was a leader in 

strengthening our homeland security and national defense. 

He consistently supported and sponsored measures that provide our troops with the important tools they need to defend 

our freedoms overseas and fought to make sure they receive 

the proper care and services as they return home. Additionally, NORM remained a strong voice for alternative fuels and 

energy independence. The Commonwealth of Kentucky and I 

are thankful for his diligence in promoting clean energy. 

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He always fought for what he believes is best for Minnesotans and for America. While we are sad to see him go here 

in the Senate, we are grateful for his contributions. I am 

honored to know him and to have worked with him. I wish 

his wife Laurie, his children, Jake and Sarah, and him the 

best in all of their future endeavors. 

TUESDAY, August 4, 2009 

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 

our former colleague, NORM COLEMAN. 

NORM once said, ‘‘It is easy to criticize, particularly in a 

political season. But to lead is something altogether different. The leader must live in the real world of the price 

that might be paid for the goal that has been.’’ 

NORM COLEMAN is a leader. NORM or, more important, his 

character endured one of the most difficult elections in the 

history of the Senate, and came out standing taller in the 

eyes of many. It is not easy to lose. But it is so much harder 

to maintain your dignity in the face of defeat, which NORM

has done. 

Having spent most of his life as a Democrat, NORM is what 

we would call a ‘‘late bloomer.’’ I also started out as a Democrat and voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1996, NORM realized that the path of the Democratic Party was paved for 

other people, not him. He joined the Republican Party to 

share in our vision to keep taxes low, reform education, and 

grow jobs. 

NORM more than adhered to this vision while in the Senate; he became a powerful voice on these issues. He also established himself as a fierce advocate for renewable energy. 

NORM fought for tax incentives that would strengthen the 

development of renewable energy across our country. He saw 

renewable energy as the key to greater national security and 

economic stimulus. 

NORM also introduced legislation that would wean our Nation off our dangerous reliance on Middle Eastern oil by placing a greater emphasis on increasing renewable fuel infrastructure and alternative fuel technologies. His legacy will 

continue to thrive as we move our country closer to energy 

independence, through innovation, not government handouts. 

NORM’s leadership did not end at the shores of our Nation. 

He established himself as a true voice in foreign policy issues 

by exposing the corruption that was rife throughout the 

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U.N.’s Oil-for-Food Program and becoming a fierce advocate 

for our servicemen and women. 

However, all of this pales in comparison to the legacy that 

he will leave in Minnesota. Throughout his entire Senate career, he never lost track of the voices of his constituents and 

the promises he made to them on the campaign trail. 

His greatest legacy, perhaps, will be bringing hockey back 

to Minnesota. Minnesota will enjoy the fruits of his labor for 

years to come. 

I consider NORM a friend and someone whom I respect and 

admire. 

NORM, we will miss you dearly. I wish you much success 

in the future knowing that great things lie ahead of you. 

WEDNESDAY, August 5, 2009 

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I appreciate having this opportunity to join my colleagues in expressing our great appreciation of the many contributions NORM COLEMAN has made to 

the work of the Senate and the future of our country during 

his service here. He is quite a remarkable individual, and I 

know I am going to miss seeing him on the Senate floor and 

working with him on issues of concern to the people of Minnesota and my constituents in Wyoming. 

Ever since NORM’s political career began, it was clear he 

had a mind of his own and, like the old adage about baseball 

umpires, he was going to call them as he saw them. That 

meant taking each issue as it came, carefully studying what 

was proposed and its consequences, and then making up his 

own mind on how he thought he should vote. 

His independent streak and his determination to be true 

to his principles, his commitment to the people of Minnesota, 

and his internal compass transcended party politics and kept 

both sides guessing as to how he would vote on any given 

issue. 

I remember the first time I met him, shortly after his election to the Senate. It turned out we had some things in common. For starters, early on in our political careers, NORM

and I both served as mayors, so we had an appreciation for 

the demands that are made upon local officials. 

NORM was elected mayor of St. Paul. I was elected mayor 

in my hometown of Gillette, WY. We both had some tough 

challenges to deal with as our communities felt the aches 

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gether a good team who helped us to deal with the needs of 

the people who were counting on us to solve some pretty vexing problems. 

Looking back, NORM was able to compile quite a record, 

and he became a very popular mayor. His administration 

promoted policies that helped to spur an increase in the 

number of jobs in the St. Paul area. He also helped to oversee a downtown revitalization that came at a time when 

many other similar areas across the country were 

downsizing and becoming a shadow of their former selves. 

He also managed to help engineer the return of professional 

hockey to Minnesota. The presence of the Minnesota Wild 

soon became a source of great pride to the people of his 

State. He was able to do all of that and so much more without increasing property taxes. That was the result of careful 

planning, and it understandably earned him the respect and 

admiration of his constituents. 

Then, with a key election approaching, NORM was giving 

some thought to his political future. There were a lot of rumors as to his next run for office, but the people of Minnesota made it clear that they wanted him to run for the 

Senate, so NORM began what was to become a very difficult 

and emotionally charged race. When it was all over, NORM

COLEMAN had defeated a Minnesota political icon and was 

sworn in to represent the people of his home State in the 

Senate. 

Ever since that day, NORM has been working to serve the 

people of Minnesota and do whatever was in their best interests. Always focused on getting results, he supported the 

President when he agreed with him, and he never hesitated 

to speak up when he felt there was another way to get 

things done that ought to be taken up as part of the mix. 

Of all his accomplishments during his service here in the 

Senate, there are two that I will always remember. The first 

was a fact-finding mission we took along with several of our 

colleagues to Africa to determine what we could do as a nation to help combat the AIDS epidemic there. For both of us 

our visit turned out to be a great cultural shock. There were 

barriers of all kinds we had to deal with—language, customs, 

and technology. All of the things we take for granted here 

are virtually nonexistent there. The lack of any regular distribution of the written word, like a community newspaper, 

makes getting the most basic of information to the people an 

incredible challenge. 

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When we returned to the United States we joined with our 

colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop a program 

that has been producing tremendous results for the past few 

years. The great strides that have been made have not eliminated the disease, but they have greatly increased the quality of life there. Our efforts have also helped to make people 

more aware of what they can do to ensure they don’t get 

AIDS, or if they are already infected, what they must do to 

avoid transmitting the disease to anyone else. 

We both learned from that experience the truth of the old 

adage—you may not be able to save the whole world, but you 

can always make a good effort to save part of it, and the results we have achieved in Africa and the lives we have saved 

will be part of NORM COLEMAN’s legacy of service in the Senate. 

Another part of the change he brought that will be felt for 

many years to come is the leadership he showed as the 

chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In 2006 

NORM led the effort to determine how safe and secure our 

Nation’s ports were. The results of his investigations were 

unsettling and soon became the subject of headlines across 

the country. 

NORM wasn’t looking for headlines, however. He was looking to craft a workable solution to the problem, and he did 

when the Senate approved a program that authorized the 

use of pilot technology to screen incoming cargo containers 

for their contents. As a result of his efforts, people all across 

the country will be better protected from those who might 

wish to do us harm. Thanks to NORM, that once open door 

has now been closed. 

NORM will not be a part of this current Congress, but his 

impact will continue to be felt for some time to come. He was 

a tireless worker for Minnesota, and although I don’t know 

what the future holds for him, I have every confidence that 

we haven’t heard the last of NORM COLEMAN. He has been 

and will always be an individual of vision and action. That 

is a combination that can’t help but produce results, and I 

am certain he will continue to set new goals in his life and 

achieve them—one after the other. Good luck my friend, and 

keep in touch. We will always be interested to hear from you 

and to benefit from your take on our work in the Congress 

to make Minnesota and the rest of the Nation a better place 

for us all to live. 

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THURSDAY, August 6, 2009 

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor and pay 

tribute to my good friend and colleague, an extraordinary 

public servant and tireless advocate for the people of his 

cherished State of Minnesota, Senator NORM COLEMAN. I 

want to express my most sincere gratitude for his longtime 

friendship and my enormous admiration for him and his impressive litany of accomplishments. Although I am saddened 

by his departure from this esteemed Chamber, I know with 

utmost certainty that Senator COLEMAN’s exceptional contributions to Minnesotans and the American people will continue well into the future. 

I am proud to say that Senator COLEMAN and I served together over his 6 remarkable years in the Senate, and I 

would like especially to express my immense gratitude for 

his pivotal role on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship over that span of time, where I served first 

as chair and now as ranking member. Senator COLEMAN was 

always a reasoned and passionate voice on the committee, 

and his indelible impact is indisputable. Whether it was our 

work together on the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 

2005, the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act of 2006, or a number of other measures and 

issues, Senator COLEMAN, true to the founding tradition of 

the U.S. Senate, continually addressed the concerns of his 

constituents, while at the same time making the best decisions for this Nation. 

I especially recall our joining forces over winter 2006 when 

natural gas and home heating oil prices had skyrocketed in 

Maine, Minnesota, and numerous other cold weather States, 

turning a crucial problem of years past into an urgent crisis 

that required immediate congressional attention. With the 

level of funding allocated in the budget, States could not 

maintain the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, 

LIHEAP, an initiative I have long championed which provides vital funding to our country’s low-income families and 

elderly. 

Recognizing both the plight of Minnesotans and all affected Americans from the beginning of this crisis, Senator 

COLEMAN and I, among others, battled to shed light on this 

emergency early by calling for the passage of a bill to provide 

additional LIHEAP funding to States. Senator COLEMAN was 

an instrumental catalyst in our successful effort to pass this 

bill to the benefit of countless Minnesotans, Mainers, and 

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other untold Americans across this land. And for that, I will 

be forever grateful! 

With a career in public service of more than 30 years, 

begun in 1976 when he was chief prosecutor for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, Senator COLEMAN possessed an unfailing determination to advocate on behalf of 

the people of Minnesota that has never faltered or waned. 

Prosecuting cases around the State while further developing 

a growing concern for community issues, Senator COLEMAN

was eventually named Minnesota State solicitor general. And 

his outstanding trajectory of leadership was just taking off, 

for it was then—in 1993—that NORM became mayor of St. 

Paul, during which time, with his hallmark optimism, he 

steered the course of the capital city through a transformational revitalization effort. 

And so it came as no surprise that NORM COLEMAN, after 

he was sworn in as a U.S. Senator, hit the ground running. 

And let me say from the outset, Senator COLEMAN’s was a 

welcomed voice in an era of increasing partisanship, especially at a time when ideology has been held in greater value 

by many of our Nation’s elected officials than service to the 

American people, when too often the slogans and sound bytes 

of campaigning never stop, and the governing all too frequently never begins, and where public disenchantment with 

politics runs high. Senator COLEMAN’s desire to look beyond 

this regrettable status quo, embracing instead the long-held 

tenets of collaboration and cooperation, could not have been 

more central as our Chamber sought to enact laws to genuinely improve the lives of Americans. 

As I reflect on my friend’s illustrious tenure in the Senate, 

I cannot help but recall in instance after instance on imperative matters of far-reaching consequence how Senator COLEMAN was able to transcend party politics and seek solutions 

and results for the betterment of his State and country. For 

example, Senator COLEMAN, along with Senators Durbin and 

Lincoln, was a leading proponent, supporting the Small Business Health Options Program Act or the SHOP Act which 

would once and for all finally level the playingfield for American small businesses and the self-employed and allow them 

to pool together nationally to receive a host of new, affordable, and quality coverage options. 

NORM, like the rest of us, understood all too well that 

health insurance market reform and coverage policies in the 

SHOP Act must be included in broader health reform legislation. We will miss his voice as the health care debate moves 

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forward and as we strive to build a consensus on landmark 

health care legislation. But make no mistake, Senator COLEMAN was integral in helping lay the foundation for achieving 

meaningful and sustainable health care reform. 

Placing his country and constituents above political expediency, Senator COLEMAN and I joined together in support of 

passage and eventual enactment of the Fair Equity Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing pay equity in America and protecting victims of wage discrimination into law. 

We have labored to extend key, renewable energy tax credits 

to expand the indispensable State Children’s Health Insurance Program or S–CHIP. We stood side by side in the fight 

to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, and we 

joined together to help block proposed cuts in Medicaid. I 

want to thank NORM, who has truly been a stalwart soldier 

in arms, for his resolve and will on a cross section of issues 

that have defined his term in the Senate as a model of governance that ought to be more prevalent. 

In that vein, I cannot convey enough what a privilege it 

was to serve in the Republican Main Street Partnership with 

Senator COLEMAN—an organization that my husband, Jock, 

formerly chaired. Founded in 1998 to promote thoughtful 

leadership in the Republican Party and to join with individuals, organizations, and institutions that share centrist values, the partnership has unfortunately witnessed a decline 

in our ranks in recent years. But the message and impact of 

the organization are intrinsically connected to our capacity to 

truly achieve bipartisanship and garner results on behalf of 

those who elected us, and Senator COLEMAN embodied that 

ethos with integrity and distinction. 

In fact, Senator COLEMAN characterized the Main Street’s 

message well when he said, ‘‘This isn’t about marching to a 

single tune. This is about being able to listen and work with 

like-minded colleagues, bring those perspectives, and hopefully play a role in the resolution of things that, bottom line, 

are good for the people of Minnesota.’’ Well, his actions not 

only aided Minnesotans, but also Mainers and Americans of 

every stripe and background across this great land. 

And yet, despite all of his exemplary achievements, his 

greatest accomplishment is undeniably his wonderful family 

and the love and devotion he has for his wife Laurie, and 

their two children, Jacob and Sarah. So, it is with a profound 

honor that I join with his family, and his many friends, in 

praising NORM for his tireless stewardship of the common 

good and phenomenal commitment to public service, and for 

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a tenure that enfolds his legacy into the rich, long-standing 

Senate tradition of Minnesota. 

And so to my colleague and good friend, NORM, let me say, 

you have been a shining example of bipartisanship and comity that transcends politics, and you will be sorely missed. As 

you embark on this next chapter and as you consider your 

next endeavors be they public or private, I urge you, in the 

immortal words of the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, ‘‘to strive, 

to seek, to find, and not to yield.’’ 

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in appreciation and admiration of Senator NORM COLEMAN. NORM

has been a faithful public servant to the people of Minnesota, 

a principled leader, and a good friend. He made a difference 

here in Washington, and I feel privileged to have served with 

him in the U.S. Senate. 

NORM and Laurie arrived in Washington at the same time 

as Sandy and me. We experienced many of the same challenges and adjustments that freshman Senators face, and we 

encouraged each other by facing them together. NORM and I 

found we shared a common approach to solving problems, 

and partnered to advance legislation whenever we could. 

NORM said his best ideas came from the people of Minnesota, and they can be proud of what he achieved in Washington. NORM supported conservation programs to protect his 

State’s lakes, rivers, and woodlands. He had a real heart for 

children, especially those suffering from cancer or waiting to 

be adopted into loving homes. He was a champion of privatesector initiatives in alternative energy, including clean coal, 

wind power, and biomass technologies. NORM exposed fraud 

at the United Nations, waste in the Medicare Program, and 

tax evasion by defense contractors. He voted to put John 

Roberts and Samuel Alito on the U.S. Supreme Court. NORM

consistently supported our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan 

and he believed in their mission. 

Some of my strongest memories of NORM were formed during our trip to Iraq in January 2008, about a year after 

President Bush announced our surge of forces there. NORM

had joined many Senators in supporting the surge, despite 

the political risk that support entailed. He understood that 

the strategy and leadership of General David Petraeus was 

America’s best chance to succeed in Iraq. 

NORM and I, along with Senator Johnny Isakson, visited 

Baghdad together. We had dinner with General Petraeus 

and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, and discussed how we could 

facilitate political reconciliation in Iraq. We met with GenVerDate Aug 31 2005 14:39 Aug 26, 2010 Jkt 051600 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE08\COLEMAN\51600.BST CRS2 PsN: SKAYNE
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eral Ray Odierno to discuss the new mission of population 

security, as well as the progress they were seeing in reducing 

violence and U.S. casualties. We toured a marketplace in 

western Baghdad, where U.S. and Iraqi forces had helped 

bring back shopkeepers and their customers by driving out 

insurgents and terrorists. 

During our visit, I got to see the NORM COLEMAN that 

Minnesotans know very well. At Maverick Security Station 

in Baghdad, I saw NORM honor troops who hailed from the 

Twin Cities and throughout his State. At a meeting with 

Iraqi civilian leaders, I saw him offer encouragement to 

Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds working to build a free and democratic nation in the heart of the Middle East. And wherever 

we traveled, I saw his easygoing manner, his wry sense of 

humor, and his appreciation of the honor bestowed on him 

by his fellow Minnesotans. 

NORM ran a tough race for reelection last fall, a race that 

lasted far longer than the Minnesota winter. He mounted a 

legal challenge based on a clear principle: no Minnesotan 

should be disenfranchised. As chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, I was proud to support 

NORM as he pursued his case in the courts. And once the 

courts had spoken, I respected the grace with which he conceded the race, and the optimism he has shown for his own 

future, and that of our country. 

NORM accomplished much in Washington, but I think he 

remains proudest of what he achieved closer to home. After 

Minnesota’s hockey team moved to my home State of Texas 

back in 1993, Mayor NORM COLEMAN of St. Paul led the effort to bring the National Hockey League back to the Twin 

Cities. Since the first puck dropped in 2000, the Minnesota 

Wild have sold out every game they have played, and every 

fan owes a debt of thanks to NORM COLEMAN. 

I too am thankful for NORM COLEMAN, because he set a 

good example for all of us. He never let public service go to 

his head. He always put his faith and family first. He fought 

hard to keep his seat, but never failed to keep his cool. 

I wish NORM and Laurie the very best, as their journey together continues. 

FRIDAY, August 7, 2009 

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I honor and bid farewell to my friend and our colleague, Senator NORM COLEMAN

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of Minnesota. NORM and I served together for 6 years in the 

Senate and on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He 

also served on the Agriculture, Aging, Homeland Security, 

and Small Business Committees. He has a legislative record 

of which he can be proud. 

As our colleagues know, I have long enjoyed my work with 

Native people. NORM, throughout his tenure, was a steadfast 

friend of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people and a strong advocate for the interests of the 

tribes in his home State of Minnesota. His voice will be 

missed in the U.S. Senate on these issues. 

As a member of the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs NORM pushed for drastic reforms in 

our Nation’s emergency response and recovery capabilities in 

the wake of the failed response to Hurricane Katrina. He 

was diligent and steadfast in his desire to protect our country and deeply engaged in efforts to increase protections for 

our Nation’s critical infrastructure. 

I will remember NORM as one who had a love and appreciation for my State of Alaska. On several occasions he enjoyed the beauty of Alaska while seeking his prized king 

salmon on the Kenai River. NORM further extended his Alaska ties by hiring Jennifer Mies Lowe, who is married to my 

former chief of staff, George Lowe. Jennifer served Senator 

Stevens for many years before moving to Senator COLEMAN’s 

office as his chief of staff. 

NORM has a long record of public service fighting for Minnesotans. He served as mayor of St. Paul before being called 

by the people of Minnesota to come to the U.S. Senate. I expect that we have not heard the last of him. 

In closing I would like to wish NORM, his wife Laurie, and 

children Jacob and Sarah the very best. NORM, thank you for 

your service to the Nation, the Senate, and Minnesota. I 

know NORM and his strong sense of service to his country, 

and while I will miss him in the Senate, I look forward to 

his next opportunity to serve. 

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