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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 765 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 765

 Relating to the death of the Honorable James Mountain Inhofe, former 
                   Senator for the State of Oklahoma.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 11 (legislative day, July 10), 2024

Mr. Lankford (for himself, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Schumer, Mr. McConnell, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
 Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Braun, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Brown, Mr. Budd, Ms. 
 Butler, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cardin, 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, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Fetterman, Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. 
    Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hawley, Mr. 
 Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, 
     Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. King, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Lee, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
  Marshall, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Moran, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. 
Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Paul, Mr. Peters, Mr. 
 Reed, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Risch, Mr. Romney, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds, Mr. 
Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. 
   Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Sinema, Ms. Smith, Ms. 
    Stabenow, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis, Mr. 
  Tuberville, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Vance, Mr. Warner, Mr. Warnock, Ms. 
   Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. 
  Young) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
                               agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Relating to the death of the Honorable James Mountain Inhofe, former 
                   Senator for the State of Oklahoma.

Whereas James M. Inhofe was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 17, 1934, to 
        Perry Dyson Inhofe and Blanche Phoebe Mountain;
Whereas James M. Inhofe moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his family in 1942, 
        graduated from Central High School in 1953, and later graduated from the 
        University of Tulsa;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1958, 
        stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia;
Whereas James M. Inhofe became a licensed pilot in 1958;
Whereas James M. Inhofe married Kay Kirkpatrick on December 19, 1959;
Whereas, in 1966, James M. Inhofe was first elected to public office to serve on 
        behalf of the people of Oklahoma;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served as a member of the Oklahoma House of 
        Representatives from 1967 to 1969, during which he sat on banking, 
        industrial development, insurance, and revenue and taxation committees 
        and introduced and passed 18 bills in the fields of insurance, real 
        estate, and finance;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served as a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 1969 to 
        1977, during which he served as the minority leader for the State Senate 
        Republican Caucus from 1974 to 1977;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served as the 32nd Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, from 1978 
        to 1984, during which he--

    (1) led Tulsans to approve a bond issue that modernized the 
infrastructure of the city;

    (2) led the construction of a series of low-water dams on the Arkansas 
River, including the Zink Dam constructed in 1982;

    (3) led an effort to revamp the trash collection system; and

    (4) created the 911 emergency call system for Tulsa;

Whereas James M. Inhofe served as a Member of the United States House of 
        Representatives from 1987 to 1994;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served as a member of--

    (1) the Committee on Government Operations of the House of 
Representatives from 1987 to 1991;

    (2) the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the House of 
Representatives from 1987 to 1994;

    (3) the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control of the House of 
Representatives from 1987 to 1994;

    (4) the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries of the House of 
Representatives from 1989 to 1994; and

    (5) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives 
from 1993 to 1994;

Whereas James M. Inhofe ended the secrecy of discharge petitions in the House of 
        Representatives by introducing House Resolution 134, 103rd Congress, 
        agreed to September 28, 1993, relating to amending the rules of the 
        House of Representatives to cause the publication of Members signing a 
        discharge motion, a reform that remains in place today;
Whereas James M. Inhofe was elected on November 8, 1994, in a special election 
        and sworn in as a Senator on November 17, 1994, the date of his 60th 
        birthday;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served as a Member of the United States Senate from 1994 
        to 2023, winning reelection in 1996, 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020;
Whereas James M. Inhofe, serving as the Senator from Oklahoma on April 19, 1995, 
        the date of the Oklahoma City Bombing, embodied the Oklahoma Standard in 
        his subsequent efforts to support the recovery of Oklahoma City;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served as the Chairman of the Committee on Environment 
        and Public Works of the Senate from 2003 to 2007 and 2015 to 2017;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served as Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services of 
        the Senate from 2018 to 2021;
Whereas James M. Inhofe also served as a member of--

    (1) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate from 1995 to 2023, 
including as Ranking Member from 2013 to 2015 and 2021 to 2023;

    (2) the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate from 
1995 to 2023, including as Ranking Member from 2007 to 2013;

    (3) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate from 1995 to 
2003;

    (4) the Committee on Indian Affairs from 1997 to 2005;

    (5) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate from 2009 to 2011, 
and 2013 to 2015;

    (6) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate from 2017 to 2019; and

    (7) Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate from 
2017 to 2023;

Whereas James M. Inhofe served as the Co-Chair of the Congressional Coalition on 
        Adoption from 2009 to 2014;
Whereas James M. Inhofe, who fought tirelessly for the aviation community 
        throughout his life, was a private pilot with more than 11,000 flight 
        hours;
Whereas some of the most notable congressional feats for aviation of James M. 
        Inhofe include--

    (1) enacting third-class medical reform;

    (2) enhancing protections for general aviation pilots;

    (3) supporting job opportunities and retirement security for commercial 
pilots;

    (4) championing a strong aviation workforce for the 21st century; and

    (5) protecting contract towers and advocating for needed investments in 
general aviation and commercial aviation airport infrastructure;

Whereas, in June 1991, James M. Inhofe recreated the historic flight around the 
        world of Oklahoman Wiley Post by flying a twin-engine Cessna 414 from 
        Washington, D.C., to Iceland, to Berlin, to Moscow, to several sites 
        across the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and back to Alaska;
Whereas James M. Inhofe attended EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin for 43 
        years and was awarded the 2022 R.A. ``Bob'' Hoover Trophy by the 
        Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association;
Whereas James M. Inhofe worked tirelessly throughout his career in the Senate to 
        better the infrastructure of the United States and Oklahoma by 
        championing highway reauthorization bills and water resources 
        infrastructure legislation that provided historic investments to build a 
        21st-century transportation network to support a 21st-century economy;
Whereas James M. Inhofe was the driving force behind major transportation 
        infrastructure investments across the State of Oklahoma, including the 
        rebuild of the I-40 Crosstown Project in Oklahoma City, the 
        modernization of the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levees in Tulsa County, and 
        boosting economic activity at inland ports along the McClellan-Kerr 
        Arkansas River Navigation System in Eastern Oklahoma;
Whereas, throughout his congressional career, James M. Inhofe has proudly 
        championed the men and women that serve in the Armed Forces, focused 
        Federal investment to support military readiness, implemented the 
        National Defense Strategy, and promoted opportunities for military 
        spouses;
Whereas James M. Inhofe consistently fought to grow the 5 military bases located 
        in Oklahoma, protecting each from the 1995 and 2005 base realignment and 
        closure process, including--

    (1) Altus Air Force Base;

    (2) Fort Sill;

    (3) McAlester Army Ammunition Plant;

    (4) Tinker Air Force Base; and

    (5) Vance Air Force Base;

Whereas James M. Inhofe fought to block efforts to privatize military 
        commissaries to ensure members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their 
        families would be able to continue to enjoy their benefits;
Whereas James M. Inhofe has voted on and authored more than half of all the 
        annual National Defense Authorization Acts enacted by Congress since 
        1961;
Whereas the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023 was named 
        the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
        2023 as a testament to his leadership and partnership on the Committee 
        on Armed Services of the Senate, and his many decades of dedicated 
        service to the people of Oklahoma, members of the Armed Forces, and the 
        United States;
Whereas James M. Inhofe was a champion for veterans throughout his career, 
        including--

    (1) by enacting legislation allowing independent, third-party 
inspectors at hospitals of the Department of Veterans Affairs;

    (2) by increasing accountability by giving directors of medical 
facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs the ability to fire poorly 
performing employees; and

    (3) in Oklahoma, by adding a first-of-its-kind, regional behavioral 
health center at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Center in Muskogee, and opening 
a brand-new inpatient facility in Tulsa;

Whereas James M. Inhofe championed the enactment of the 75th Anniversary of WWII 
        Commemoration Act (Public Law 115-433), which established a 
        commemorative program to honor veterans, educate the public about the 
        history of World War II, highlight the service of the men and women who 
        served the United States on the home front during the war, recognize the 
        contributions of our allies, and remember the horrors of the Holocaust;
Whereas James M. Inhofe knew well the significant and strategic importance that 
        Africa plays to the United States and the rest of the world, especially 
        in the worldwide fight against terrorism;
Whereas James M. Inhofe conducted 172 visits to African countries as a Senator, 
        more than any other Senator in history;
Whereas James M. Inhofe first visited Africa in 1998, when he visited Nigeria, 
        Benin, and Ivory Coast, and his final visit was in 2022, when he visited 
        Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda;
Whereas James M. Inhofe, who long advocated for the development of a single 
        military command whose focus would be solely on Africa, was vital in the 
        effort to stand up United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), which has 
        enabled the United States to enhance existing initiatives that help 
        African nations;
Whereas James M. Inhofe worked tirelessly to advocate in the Senate on behalf of 
        the Western Saharans and their right to self-determination;
Whereas James M. Inhofe worked on a bipartisan basis to enact major legislation, 
        including--

    (1) the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation 
Equity Act: A Legacy for Users Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-59), authorizing 
Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and 
transit from 2005 to 2009;

    (2) the Water Resources and Development Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-
114), which included provisions continuing cleanup of the Tar Creek 
Superfund Site by directing the Environmental Protection Agency to include 
resident relocation in its upcoming remediation plan, and provided the 
legal authority required to include voluntary relocation in the plan;

    (3) the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery 
Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-172), to end the reign of terror of Joseph Kony 
and the Lord's Resistance Army in eastern Congo and central Africa;

    (4) the Pilot's Bill of Rights (Public Law 112-153), enacted in 2012, 
which protects general aviation pilots and made the aviation certification 
action process fairer;

    (5) the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act 
(Public Law 114-182), enacted in 2016, which was the first major reform to 
the Toxic Substances Control Act (Public Law 94-469) since the Toxic 
Substances Control Act was enacted in 1976; and

    (6) the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, or the FAST ACT 
(Public Law 114-94), enacted in 2016, which reauthorized surface 
transportation programs from 2015 to 2020, accelerating construction of 
infrastructure across the United States, and made the largest single 
infrastructure investment in Oklahoma history;

Whereas, on November 16, 2018, James M. Inhofe became the longest serving 
        Senator for the State of Oklahoma;
Whereas on January 3, 2023, James M. Inhofe retired from the Senate, having 
        served in the Senate for more than 28 years and in public service for 52 
        years;
Whereas James M. Inhofe considered his staff a part of his family and lovingly 
        referred to his former staff as ``has beens'';
Whereas 34 of his Senate staff loyally served more than a decade alongside him;
Whereas the family of James M. Inhofe recalls that while he was proud of his 
        many policy accomplishments, he always felt his greatest achievement was 
        his ``has beens'', who he knew were central to his effectiveness;
Whereas James M. Inhofe served with intelligence, dignity, and grace, and never 
        wavered in his commitment to God, family, country, and Oklahoma;
Whereas, on November 10, 2013, James M. Inhofe was preceded in death by his son, 
        Perry; and
Whereas, on July 9, 2024, at the age of 89, James M. Inhofe died, leaving behind 
        his wife, Kay, his 3 loving children, Jimmy, Molly, and Katy, 12 
        grandchildren, and a legacy of steadfast love for and service to the 
        people of Oklahoma: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the Senate--
                    (A) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret 
                the announcement of the death of the Honorable James M. 
                Inhofe, former Senator for the State of Oklahoma; and
                    (B) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the 
                Senate--
                            (i) communicate this resolution to the 
                        House of Representatives; and
                            (ii) transmit an enrolled copy of this 
                        resolution to the family of the Honorable James 
                        M. Inhofe; and
            (2) when the Senate adjourns on the date of adoption of 
        this resolution, the Senate stand adjourned as a further mark 
        of respect to the memory of the Honorable James M. Inhofe.
                                 <all>
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