Dean Barkley

Mr. BARKLEY

Mr. BARKLEY. Madam President, I wish to take approximately 4 minutes.

Mr. BARKLEY

Mr. BARKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the bill be read three times and passed and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, without intervening action or debate.

Mr. BARKLEY. Madam President, today, Senator Dayton and I are introducing legislation to pay tribute to Senator Paul Wellstone and his beloved wife Sheila. Our legislation would provide a $10 million authorization of Federal funds for construction of the ``Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building'' at Neighborhood House in St. Paul, MN, where Paul and Sheila lived. First, let me thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle for facilitating consideration of this legislation. Senator Dayton and his staff, Senator Wellstone's family and staff, and especially my colleague from West Virginia, Senator Byrd, have literally moved heaven and earth to bring this bill to the floor. I may be the newest Member of this Chamber, but I fully appreciate the extraordinary efforts of so many to allow Senator Dayton and I to create a living legacy in honor of Paul and Sheila Wellstone in such short order. Neighborhood House was founded by the women of Mount Zion Temple in the 1880's as a settlement house, helping newly arrived Eastern European Jewish immigrants to establish a new life and thrive in their new community. Senator Wellstone always had a genuine affinity for Neighborhood House, as his parents, Leon and Minnie, were Russian Jewish immigrants themselves. But his affinity reached far beyond this personal link. Neighborhood House truly embodies everything that Paul Wellstone fought for over the course of his entire life: that all people, no matter their background or economic status or country of origin or race or creed, would have a fair shake at life, and an opportunity to belong to and enrich their communities. Neighborhood House has been building doorways of opportunity for diverse communities for nearly 120 years. The Neighborhood House is a multicultural-multilingual agency that provides and houses an array of programs, including legal services, child care, recreation programs, senior programs and education. ``Senator Paul,'' as he was referred to by many at Neighborhood House, came every year to the Freedom Festival at Neighborhood House to honor the new American citizens from the Hmong, Latino, and other communities. Indeed, the entire Wellstone family was very committed to Neighborhood House. Just 2 weeks before their deaths, Senator Wellstone sent his daughter Marcia to tour Neighborhood House and talk with staff about important issues for our community. In addition, Sheila Wellstone's championing of women's issues is embodied in Neighborhood House programs such as Hispanic Women in Action, a cultural empowerment group that enables women to retain their culture while learning a new one, address challenging family issues, and develop into leaders not only for their families but also their community. When Neighborhood House began to research the construction of a new facility to meet growing needs, it was Senator Wellstone himself who suggested that the organization seek a Federal statute to help fund the construction. The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building will be a 93,000 square foot state-of-the-art community gathering place on St. Paul's west side. It will house social services, community engagement, recreation, and arts programs for residents of St. Paul, as well as new Americans in the greater Twin Cities area. The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building will also serve as an education and learning center for communities throughout the entire State of Minnesota. Last evening, the memorial program for the service to celebrate the lives of Paul and Sheila Wellstone contained these words: Complete those dear, unfinished tasks of mine. And I, perchance, may therein comfort you. Paul, this is our first step toward finishing your work. I also commit to working during my short tenure in this distinguished body to try to help pass your signature legislation, the Mental Health Parity Act. Again, I thank the Senate leadership for the extraordinary accommodation to allow us to bring this bill to the floor today. It, too, is a tribute to the respect and love of Paul Wellstone by his Senate colleagues. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARKLEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 3156, introduced earlier today by myself and Senator Dayton.

Mr. BARKLEY

Mr. BARKLEY. Mr. President, I stand to say a few words in honor of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Over a decade ago, Minnesota sent one of its best to this Chamber. He followed in the special tradition of public service that our State knows well. From Ramsey to Stassen, from Olson to Humphrey, from Mondale to, yes, Ventura, our State has broken the mold more than once. The man we sent here was Paul Wellstone, and no one would dispute that Minnesota broke the mold again. Paul was short in stature but, as it proved, enormous in energy and passion. He had a passion for principle, he had a passion for politics, and, most of all, he had a passion for people. Paul was a fighter, and, much like Hubert Humphrey, a Happy Warrior. Paul was the most effective kind of fighter there is: one that never gives up--never. And if there is one attribute that his colleagues and his constituents admired, it was this: his unrelenting energy to fight the fight. I knew Paul. I respected Paul. We both have been like salmon in our own political rivers, swimming into the currents. Therefore, understanding his tireless energies in the cause of change, I am highly honored to speak to his memory today. True, there is an empty desk here today, a shrouded reminder of a life cut short. But for the Paul Wellstone I knew, the empty chair is more telling. Whether he was in this Chamber or at home in Minnesota, Paul was on his feet, out of his chair, speaking his mind. Always moving--in thought, in language, in body--Paul was, indeed, a man of motion and, more than that, a man of emotion. For if there is something that we all knew about Paul, he not only believed in things, he felt them. This was why Paul Wellstone was so formidable. For thought can be persuaded, changed, and abated. But a feeling? Never. Paul, his wife Sheila, and their daughter Marcia tragically perished in the northlands of our State. Their untimely fate was sadly shared by three loyal staff members--Tom Lapic, Will McLaughlin, and Mary McEvoy--as well as the two pilots--Captains Richard Conry and Michael Guess. As an unexpected and new Member of this Chamber--but more, as a singular citizen of the State of Minnesota--allow me to take this moment to express my personal and heartfelt condolences to all of those families who lost their loved ones. I know I speak for all Minnesotans when I say to those families and friends: Your loss was our loss, and we are all crushingly sorry for it. Paul was unique, one of a kind. And yet, the essence of the man was no different from anyone in this Chamber. He wanted to make his State, and his Nation--our world--a better place. We all may differ about how to do so, and some may have disagreed with how Paul saw it, but no one ever doubted his motives. A selfless champion for those who have no voice--the frail, the weak, the disenfranchised--Paul's voice was their voice. And what a voice it was. Typical of Paul's self-deprecating sense of humor, he loved to relate his meeting with a distinguished senior Member of this body, Senator Fritz Hollings of South Carolina, who remarked to Paul, ``You know, Senator Wellstone, you remind me of another Minnesota Senator, Hubert H. Humphrey.'' And as Paul began to swell with pride at being in the company of this great champion of civil rights, the senior Senator burst his bubble, ``Yes, sir, just like him, you talk too much.'' Paul loved this story, and he loved telling it on himself--so typical of the man. Most of all, Paul loved and adored his wife and his family, especially his grandchildren. He loved his friends. He loved Carleton College in Northfield, MN. He loved his students; and they knew it. Indeed, Paul simply loved people. And he loved them simply, unabashedly. Paul loved Minnesota and all the people in it. From the known and recognized, to the unknown and uncared for, he loved them all--truly and deeply. Finally, Mr. President, Paul loved this distinguished institution. He loved and cherished the U.S. Senate, where today I, too, am honored to stand. Paul loved his entire staff. Let me take this opportunity to thank Senator Wellstone's staff for your generous and gracious welcome and offer of support in the truly hectic days since Thursday when I arrived. That you could be so unselfish in your time of unspeakable loss and heartbreak is something I will never, ever forget. I sincerely thank you for the help you have given me. I plan to continue the fight during my short time here on one of Paul's signature issues: mental health parity. And with Senator Dayton and Minnesota's Congressional delegation, we plan to introduce a bill to honor Sheila and Paul Wellstone through a living legacy project. I hope that everyone in this Chamber will join us in this tribute. There is a brief passage out of ``Sonnets from the Portuguese,'' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, that I would like to share. Her words more perfectly express the thoughts that I am so inadequately attempting to convey about our dear, departed friend, Paul Wellstone: ``Guess now who holds thee?'' ``--Death,'' I said. But there the silver answer rang: ``Not Death--but Love.'' I yield the floor.