III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 797 

Honoring the life and achievements of former United States Senator Paul 

Spyros Sarbanes and expressing condolences to the family of Paul Spyros 

Sarbanes on his passing. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 8, 2020 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MCCONNELL, Mr. SCHUMER, 

Mr. ALEXANDER, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. BENNET, Mrs. 

BLACKBURN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. BROWN, Mr. BURR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. CAPITO, 

Mr. CARPER, Mr. CASEY, Mr. CASSIDY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, Mr. 

CORNYN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. COTTON, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. CRAPO, 

Mr. CRUZ, Mr. DAINES, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. ENZI, Ms. 

ERNST, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. GARDNER, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. 

HAWLEY, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, 

Mr. INHOFE, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. JONES, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KELLY, Mr. 

KENNEDY, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. 

LEE, Mrs. LOEFFLER, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. 

MERKLEY, Mr. MORAN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. MURPHY, Mrs. MURRAY, 

Mr. PAUL, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. REED, Mr. 

RISCH, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. ROMNEY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. 

RUBIO, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SASSE, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, 

Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SHELBY, Ms. 

SINEMA, Ms. SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. TESTER, Mr. 

THUNE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. UDALL, Mr. WARNER, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. YOUNG) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and achievements of former United States 

Senator Paul Spyros Sarbanes and expressing condoVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:46 Dec 09, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\SR797.ATS SR797

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•SRES 797 ATS 

lences to the family of Paul Spyros Sarbanes on his 

passing. 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was born on February 3, 

1933, in Salisbury, Maryland, to Matina and Spyros P. 

Sarbanes, who had emigrated from Laconia, Greece; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes graduated from Wicomico 

High School and earned a full scholarship and a bachelor’s degree from the School of Public and International 

Affairs at Princeton University in 1954; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes earned a Rhodes Scholarship 

and graduated from Balliol College of the University of 

Oxford with a First Class degree in 1957, and then graduated from Harvard Law School in 1960; 

Whereas, in 1960, Paul Spyros Sarbanes married his wife, 

Christine Dunbar, who was his partner in all his endeavors, in addition to being a wonderful teacher of the 

classics, Latin, Greek, and French, an avid reader, and 

a volunteer with the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Walters Art Museum, and the Baltimore Volunteer Groups to 

the United States Fund for UNICEF; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes and his late wife Christine 

have— 

(1) 3 children, John, Michael, and Janet; and 

(2) 7 grandchildren; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes drew inspiration and passion 

for public service from the ancient Greeks, who said, 

‘‘those who lived only in private life were falling short’’; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a member of the Greek 

Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore, 

Maryland, and held the highest lay office of the Church, 


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‘‘Order of St. Andrew, Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’’; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the Maryland 

House of Delegates in 1966; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the United 

States House of Representatives in 1970, and in 1974, 

he introduced the first articles of impeachment against 

President Richard Nixon for obstruction of justice; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the United 

States Senate in 1976, and served on the Committees on 

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Foreign Relations, 

and Budget of the Senate, and the Joint Economic Committee; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes’s long-time partner in the 

Senate, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, jokingly 

referred to them as ‘‘diner Democrats’’ in recognition of 

his parents, who owned a restaurant, and hers, who 

owned a grocery store, and their dedication to the everyday concerns of Marylanders and the people of the 

United States; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes developed a reputation for 

honesty, intellect, and integrity, working cooperatively 

with his colleagues and preferring results over credit; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes had a deep understanding of 

economic issues, honed as an aide to Walter Heller on 

President John F. Kennedy’s Council of Economic Advisors, and was a leader on critical financial issues including the Community Reinvestment Act, affordable housing, and anti-money laundering efforts; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes served as Chairman of the 

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of 


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the Senate and wrote the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 

which passed the Senate unanimously, to reform and 

strengthen oversight of corporate governance and the accounting industry in the wake of the Enron scandal; 

Whereas President George W. Bush said the Sarbanes-Oxley 

Act of 2002 included ‘‘the most far-reaching reforms of 

American business practices since the time of Franklin 

Delano Roosevelt’’ and President Barack Obama called it 

‘‘a towering achievement that will strengthen the American economy for many years to come’’; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a champion of the Chesapeake Bay, working to improve access through the Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Program and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and 

to improve the health of the Bay with the Chesapeake 

Restoration Act, oyster restoration, and the Poplar Island project; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes had a reputation as a man 

of deep principle, which led to his inclusion in the impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon 

and the investigations into Iran Contra and Whitewater; 

Whereas journalist and author Elizabeth Drew, writing about 

Watergate, wrote of Paul Spyros Sarbanes, ‘‘History and 

process lift people, and they have lifted this group—and 

given the public a chance to see it. Paul Sarbanes would 

not have looked at all bad at the Constitutional Convention; he might have been one of the great ones’’; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was committed to the United 

States’ leadership in the world, sought peaceful engagement with our allies, played a key role in the ratification 

of the Panama Canal treaties and anti-apartheid laws, 


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and voted against the authorization of use of military 

force in Iraq in 2003; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes received numerous awards for 

his time in service, including the Paul H. Douglas Ethics 

in Government Award, the Rolfe Award for Extraordinary Impact on Policy in Economics, Business, and Finance, and the Cox, Coleman, Richardson Award for Distinguished Public Service; 

Whereas, in his farewell speech to the Senate, Paul Spyros 

Sarbanes said, ‘‘Throughout my years in public service, 

I have worked to the limits of my ability to provide the 

people of Maryland and the Nation dedicated, informed, 

and independent representation based on the fundamental principles of integrity and intelligence. I have 

been guided in this effort by a vision of a decent and just 

America, based on a strong sense of community and offering fairness and opportunity to all its people’’; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes continued in his farewell 

speech that ‘‘Service in this body has reinforced, many 

times over, my understanding and commitment to the institutions upon which our system of democratic governance critically depends’’ and ‘‘So long as the vision of 

America’s promise continues to shine brightly in this 

body, I have every confidence that our Nation will prevail 

in the face of great challenges and that its future will be 

assured’’; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was the longest-serving Senator from the State of Maryland when he retired in 2006; 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes served as a mentor and friend 

to his colleagues and the dedicated staff in his offices on 

Capitol Hill and in the State of Maryland; 


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Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes will be remembered for— 

(1) his intellect, understanding of issues, and incisive questioning of witnesses before his committees; 

(2) the trust he built and wisdom and counsel he 

shared with his colleagues; and 

(3) his unwavering commitment to the people of the 

United States, and especially the people he served in 

Maryland; and 

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a loving husband, father, 

grandfather, and son who passed away on December 6, 

2020, at the age of 87: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the Senate— 

3 (A) has heard with profound sorrow and 

4 deep regret the announcement of the death of 

5 the Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes, former 

6 member of the United States Senate; 

7 (B) recognizes the life and achievements of 

8 the Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes; 

9 (C) expresses condolences to the family of 

10 the Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes on his 

11 passing; and 

12 (D) respectfully requests that the Sec13 retary of the Senate— 

14 (i) communicate this resolution to the 

15 House of Representatives; and 


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1 (ii) transmit an enrolled copy of this 

2 resolution to the family of the Honorable 

3 Paul Spyros Sarbanes; and 

4 (2) when the Senate adjourns today, it stand 

5 adjourned as a further mark of respect to the mem6 ory of the Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes. 

Æ 


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