Fritz Hollings

Mr. HOLLINGS

Mr. HOLLINGS. Contingency fees are absolute risk. You are assuming the cost.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Exactly.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Exactly.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Yes.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Exactly.

Mr. HOLLINGS. That is correct, Senator.

Mr. HOLLINGS. No Congressman, no Senator--just those.

Mr. HOLLINGS. That is right. None of the Castano lawyers, and they have been at it for years.

Mr. HOLLINGS. At least what is agreed to. They are complaining about an agreement that you didn't make and I didn't make and we have a responsibility to leave alone.

Mr. HOLLINGS. That is correct.

Mr. HOLLINGS. That is correct.

Mr. HOLLINGS. The State of Florida has stepped in and has it as a hearing; so has the State of Texas.

Mr. HOLLINGS. That is right.

Mr. HOLLINGS. That is right.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Unconstitutional. It was cited by the constitutional professor of law at the Kansas City School of Law. And I quote: ``It would violate the State sovereignty protected by the 10th amendment. Second, it would constitute an uncompensated taking of private property in contravention of the 5th amendment.''

Mr. HOLLINGS. Absolutely. If the Senator would yield for just a second.

Mr. HOLLINGS. The Senator is correct.

Mr. HOLLINGS. It would not be worth the paper we would write it on. We would be wasting our time here.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Exactly. You cannot impair the obligation of a contract constitutionally. You and I both know that.

Mr. HOLLINGS. Exactly.

Mr. HOLLINGS. The distinguished Senator is right on target.

Mr. HOLLINGS. That is my plea, Senator. It might in the one instance be an instrument of good, but it is the customary weapon to run amok and start into an area where it is totally up to the individual parties, on the one hand, making the agreement, but more particularly invading the sovereignty of several States.

Mr. HOLLINGS. No, sir.

Mr. HOLLINGS

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a fellow South Carolinian for outstanding service and dedication to this Nation. I take great pleasure in congratulating Yeoman First Class Stephen R. Dykema for his selection as the 1997 Enlisted Person of the Year for the U.S. Coast Guard. Each day more than 25,000 enlisted men and women put their lives and safety on the line to carry out the Coast Guard's diverse missions. The Coast Guard plays a critical role as an armed service in defending our Nation and maintaining national security. In addition, the Coast Guard annually conducts thousands of fisheries enforcement boardings; prevents tons of cocaine and marijuana from reaching the streets; gives safety instruction to more than one-half million recreational boaters; and saves about 5,000 lives. The American public has learned to depend on the Coast Guard's service, both close to home and in trouble spots around the world. That service is built on a tradition of dedication by Coast Guard enlisted personnel. Yeoman First Class Stephen R. Dykema is an individual who epitomizes that tradition. Petty Officer Dykema was selected as the 1997 Enlisted Person of the Year because of his exemplary military bearing, leadership ability and work performance. He currently is assigned to the Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey. However, he has spent much of his time assigned to the cutter Madrona, a buoy tender stationed in my hometown of Charleston. Throughout his nine-year Coast Guard career, Petty Officer Dykema has received numerous medals and commendations. But I'd like to highlight just one incident that really shows why he has earned the honor of being named as Enlisted Person of 1997. During one of the Madrona's longer deployments that year, a box of mail was lost. Among the box's content were bills, family letters, care packages, and Father's Day cards--all those routine types of correspondence upon which a sailor's morale depends. Petty Officer Dykema swung into action, launching a personal search for the missing box of mail. His documentation of the box's history was so thorough that the day after it was released, the unit that had received the mail called to make arrangements for getting the box to Charleston. Petty Officer Dykema also is one of those rare individuals who finds time to contribute to his shipmates and community. I'm told that he has used his personal time to help fellow crewmembers repay overpayments and helped people with their travel claims and housing problems. He also has been involved in helping those less fortunate with clothing and food and plays the keyboard and sings every Sunday at his church. In short, Yeoman First Class Stephen Dykema has earned the recognition he has received as Enlisted Person of 1997. This young man is a credit to the Coast Guard, to South Carolina, and to this Nation.

Mr. HOLLINGS

Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I wish to bring to the Senate's attention a milestone that has particular relevance to this body. Mrs. Frankie Welch, who is nationally recognized for her artistic and original scarf and tie designs, is celebrating 30 years of fashion design this month. Frankie was born in Georgia, but I am pleased to say she has strong ties to South Carolina, where she graduated with a degree from Furman University in Greenville. It was at Furman that she met her late husband, William Welch. One of their daughters chose to continue the family tradition and also received a Furman diploma. Frankie Welch has designed many memorable scarves and ties. In the 1980s, she designed a patriotic scarf for the United States Senate. She has designed ties for Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton. Mrs. Welch also designed a gown for First Lady Betty Ford, which Mrs. Ford donated to the Smithsonian Institution's First Ladies Collection in 1976. Frankie and Mrs. Ford remained good friends; last month, on the occasion of Betty Ford's 80th birthday, Frankie was one of the speakers at the Ford Museum in Grand Rapids. Frankie Welch is no ordinary fashion designer. She often employs her talents to produce patriotic garments, and her designs demonstrate an exemplary love of our country. She has produced original and widely admired fabric designs for such revered institutions as the St. Paul's Cathedral in London, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the White House, and the U.S. Capital. Frankie is also a philanthropist: she recently began the Frankie Welch Scholarship for outstanding students of fashion design. Mr. President, I think it appropriate to honor a woman who has so often turned her talents to patriotic themes and who has attained national and international accolades. It is with great pride that I thank Frankie Welch for honoring our country and congratulate her on thirty years of success.