[Senate Document 111-34]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
TRIBUTES TO HON. GEORGE S. LeMIEUX
George S. LeMieux
U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
George S. LeMieux
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
George S. LeMieux
United States Senator
2009-2011
a
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Farewell to the Senate................................
vii
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
3
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
12
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
5
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
8
Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
8
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
6
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
11
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
9
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
5
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
4
Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
5
BIOGRAPHY
Senator George Stephen LeMieux was born in Fort
Lauderdale, FL, on May 21, 1969, the only child of George
and Karen LeMieux, a building contractor and secretary to
the company. He grew up in Coral Springs, FL, and
graduated in 1987 from Coral Springs High School.
George LeMieux graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
in 1991 from Emory University, where he majored in
political science. He was selected by his peers to address
the graduating class as senior class orator. While earning
his college degree, he interned for Congressman E. Clay
Shaw, Jr. and U.S. Senator Connie Mack III.
After college, George LeMieux went on to earn his J.D.
cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994.
At Georgetown he received the Vincent G. Panati Award as
the graduate with the highest GPA in criminal law courses.
After law school, he joined Gunster, a prominent Florida
law firm, resident in the firm's Ft. Lauderdale office.
George LeMieux and his wife, the former Meike Sigrid
Detassis, are the parents of four children: George
Maximilian, Taylor Franz, Chase Karlyle, and Madeleine
Meike. Max, Taylor, and Chase were born in Tallahassee,
FL. Madeleine was born in Washington, DC, while George
LeMieux served in the Senate.
Inspired by President Ronald Reagan, George LeMieux
became active in Republican Party politics at a young age,
culminating in his election as chairman of the Broward
County Republican Party in 2000.
In 2002 George LeMieux resigned his position with the
Republican Party to serve as deputy attorney general for
the State of Florida. During his time in the attorney
general's office, George LeMieux helped lead an agency of
more than 400 attorneys. In 2004, on behalf of the people
of Florida, he successfully argued a death penalty case,
Florida v. Nixon, before the U.S. Supreme Court, where he
obtained a unanimous reversal of the decision by the
Supreme Court of Florida.
In 2006 George LeMieux managed a successful
gubernatorial campaign and in 2007 became chief of staff
to Governor Charlie Crist. In his year serving as chief of
staff, he oversaw the executive office of the Governor
including the Governor's legislative agenda, policy
initiatives, and the management of the agencies that
reported to the Governor.
In 2008 George returned to the Gunster law firm and was
selected by his colleagues to serve as chairman of the
firm. In summer 2009, he was called back into public
service when Senator Mel Martinez retired before the end
of his term.
On September 10, 2010 George LeMieux was sworn in as
Florida's 34th U.S. Senator, and at the age of 41, was the
youngest U.S. Senator then serving. During his time in the
Senate, George LeMieux was an active member of the Senate
Armed Services Committee, the Commerce Committee, and the
Special Committee on Aging. In the Senate, he made the
debt and deficit his primary focus. He introduced a
balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and opposed
wasteful earmark spending, helping to lead the effort to
ban all earmarks in the 111th Congress.
While in the Senate, George LeMieux proposed the ``2007
Solution,'' a plan to eliminate the deficit by 2013 and
cut the national debt nearly in half by 2020. He also saw
several of his legislative priorities signed into law,
including Medicare antifraud legislation, an export
promotion act, tax relief and lending assistance for small
businesses, and elimination of the monopoly given to
rating agencies to determine the creditworthiness of
securities. George LeMieux also successfully offered an
amendment to the resolution of ratification to the New
START Treaty with Russia, requiring the President to seek
negotiations with Russia to secure and reduce tactical
nuclear weapons in a verifiable manner.
For his efforts, George LeMieux received several
recognitions including the Spirit of Enterprise Award from
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Tax Fighter Award by the
National Tax Limitation Committee, the Friend of the
Family Award by the Christian Family Coalition, the
Guardian of Small Business Award by the National
Federation of Independent Business, and twice received the
Taxpayer Hero Award by Citizens Against Government Waste.
In his farewell speech to the U.S. Senate, George
LeMieux described his service in the Senate as the ``honor
of his life,'' and quoting President Theodore Roosevelt,
said serving in the Senate allowed him to enjoy one of the
greatest gifts life has to offer, the opportunity to
``work hard at work worth doing.''
Farewell to the Senate
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Mr. LeMIEUX. Madam President, I rise to pay tribute to
the body with which I have had the privilege of serving
for the past 15 months. Being a U.S. Senator, representing
18\1/2\ million Floridians, has been the privilege of my
lifetime, and now that privilege is coming to an end. As I
stand on the floor of the Senate to address my colleagues
this one last time, I am both humbled and grateful,
humbled by this tremendous institution, by its work, and
by the statesmen I have had the opportunity to serve with,
who I knew only from afar but now am grateful that I can
call those same men and women my colleagues.
No endeavor worth doing is done alone. And my time here
is no exception. In the past 16 months, I have asked the
folks who worked with me to try to get 6 years of service
out of that time, and they have worked tirelessly to
achieve that goal.
My chief of staff Kerry Feehery, my deputy chief of
staff Vivian Myrtetus, my State director Carlos Curbelo,
Ben Moncrief, Michael Zehy, Ken Lundberg, Melissa
Hernandez, Maureen Jaeger, Danielle Joos, Brian Walsh,
Frank Walker, Spencer Wayne, Vennia Francois, Victor
Cervino, Taylor Booth, and many others have made our time
here worthwhile, and I thank all of them. I especially
thank Vivian and Maureen who left their families and gave
up precious time with their children to come to Washington
to support me in these efforts.
I am also thankful to the people who work in our State
office. Time and time again when I travel around Florida I
am greeted by people who have received such a warm
reception from the men and women who serve us in Florida
and help people deal with problems with the Federal
Government. I am grateful for their work.
Senator McConnell has provided me with opportunities
beyond my expectations. He is a great leader, and I am
grateful to him. Senators Alexander, Burr, Cornyn, Kyl,
McCain, Corker, and many others have taken me under their
wings and mentored me, and I am appreciative of them.
Chairmen Rockefeller and Levin, we have had the
opportunity to do great work together in your committees.
I thank you for that. Senators Cantwell, Klobuchar,
Landrieu, Whitehouse, and Baucus, we have worked together
in a commonsense way to pass legislation that is good for
the American people, and I am appreciative of your
efforts.
Senator Mel Martinez, who ably held the seat before me,
has been generous in his advice and counsel. Senator
Nelson and his wife Grace have been warm and welcomed
Meike and me to Washington. I am thankful for your
courtesy. I thank Governor Crist. He has afforded me
tremendous opportunities for public service, and I am
grateful.
I want to say a special thank you to my parents. My
grandfather, in 1951, drove his 1949 Pontiac from
Waterbury, CT, to Fort Lauderdale, FL, with his wife and
five kids piled in the back. He didn't know anybody. He
didn't have a job. But he went there to make a better life
for his family. He worked in the trades, in construction.
He built houses and he taught my father the same thing.
And as my father worked in the hot Florida sun, his
ambition for his son was that he would one day get to work
in air-conditioning. I have achieved that goal and so much
more because of their sacrifice. Mom and Dad didn't go to
college but they sent me to college and law school, and I
will be forever grateful for what they have done for me.
My most heartfelt appreciation goes to my wife Meike.
When I learned of this appointment, I met her at the door
of our home in Tallahassee and she was crying. She was not
just crying because she was happy; she was crying because
she was worried. At the time we had three small sons--Max,
Taylor, and Chase, 6, 4, and 2. She knew something that
others didn't know--that we were going to have another
baby and that baby was born here in Washington, our
daughter Madeleine.
Throughout all of my travels, she has been an unfailing
support for me, I love her dearly, and I appreciate her.
It has been the privilege of my life to serve here, but
I would not be fulfilling my charge in my final speech if
I did not tell you what weighs on my mind and lays upon my
heart about the direction of this country. So what I say
to you now is with all due respect, but it is with the
candor that it deserves.
The single greatest threat to the future of our Republic
and the prosperity of our people is this Congress' failure
to control spending. In my maiden speech, I lamented a
world where my children would one day come to me and say
they would find an opportunity in another country instead
of staying here in America because those opportunities
were better there. In 1 year's time that lament has proven
to be too optimistic, because the challenge that confronts
us will not wait until my children grow up.
When I came to Congress just 15 months ago, our national
debt was $11.7 trillion. Today, it stands at $13.7
trillion. It has gone up $2 trillion in 15 months. It took
this country 200 years to go $1 trillion in debt. Our
interest payment on our debt service is nearly $200
billion now. At the end of the decade, when our debt will
be nearly $26 trillion, that interest payment will be $900
billion.
When that interest payment is $900 billion, this
government will fail. And long before that time the world
markets will anticipate that and our markets will crash.
This is not hyperbole; it is the truth. Not since World
War II has this country faced a greater threat. Not since
the Civil War has this threat come from within.
How has Congress arrived at this moment? For the past 40
years, Congress has spent more than it could afford. It
has borrowed from Social Security and foreign governments,
delaying making honest choices and prioritizing on what it
should spend. Budgeting in Washington seems to be nothing
more than adding to last year's budget. We are funding the
priorities of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s without
any real evaluation of whether those are still good
priorities and certainly not to see whether they are being
done efficiently and effectively: It is as if a teenage
child received not only all the gifts on their Christmas
list this year but the gifts on all their Christmas lists
going back to when they were 3.
It is clear Congress is capable of solving this problem
with business as usual. What is needed is across-the-board
spending caps to right the ship. An across-the-board
spending cap will necessitate oversight and require
prioritization. Congress will finally have to do what
businesses and families do all across this country: Make
tough choices, make ends meet.
I have proposed such a cap. I have proposed going back
to the 2007 level spending across the board. Was our
spending in 2007 so austere that we could not live with it
just 3 years later? If we did, we would balance the budget
in 2013 and we would cut the national debt in half by 2020
and you would save America.
Unlike most problems that Congress addresses, this
problem is uniquely solvable by Congress. Congress can't
win wars. Only the brave men and women in our military,
who we especially remember on this day, December 7, of all
those who have served for our country in all of our wars
to keep us safe and free, only those men and women can win
a war. Congress cannot lead us out of recession. Only job
creators and businesses can create jobs. But this problem
is solely of Congress' making and uniquely solvable by
this body.
What Congress should do is strengthen its oversight. The
lack of oversight in Washington is breathtaking. Evaluate
all Federal programs. Keep what works; fix what you
should; get rid of the rest. Return the money to the
people and use the rest to pay down this cataclysmic debt.
The recent work of the Debt Commission is a good start,
and I commend my Senate colleagues who voted for this
measure. It was courageous for them to do so.
Out-of-control spending is not just a threat because it
is unsustainable; it is also changing who we are as
Americans. Remember, our Founders told us that the powers
delegated to the Federal Government were ``few and
defined,'' the powers to the State ``numerous and
indefinite,'' extending to ``all the objects which in the
course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties and
properties of the people.''
The current size and scope of the Federal Government is
corrosive to the American spirit. The good intentions of
Members of Congress to solve every real or perceived
problem with a new Federal program, and the false light of
praise that attaches to the giving away of the people's
money, endangers our Republic. Every new program chips
away at what it means to be an American, harms our spirit,
and replaces our self-reliance with dependency, supplants
an opportunity ethic with an entitlement culture. It is at
its base un-American.
It is not the government's role to deliver happiness.
Rather, it is its role to stay clear of that path to allow
our people to pursue that God-given right.
What has created our prosperity, after all, is not our
government, it is our free market system of capitalism. It
is through the healthy cut and thrust of the marketplace
that new technologies, new jobs, and new wealth are
created. Through that dynamic process some win and some
lose, but it allows all of our people, regardless of their
race, gender, creed, color, or background the opportunity
to succeed or fail. And it ensures for us that unique
expression ``only in America'' is not just a refrain from
the past but an anthem for the future.
Can you imagine the tragedy if the downfall of the
American experiment was caused by a failure of this
Congress to control its spending? The challenge of this
generation is before you and it is not beyond your grasp.
There is nothing we as Americans cannot do. We have fought
imperial Japan and Nazi Germany at the same time and
beaten both. We have put a man on the Moon. We have mapped
the human genome. And in the spare bedrooms and garages
and dorm rooms of our people, our citizens have created
the greatest inventions and the greatest businesses the
world has ever known, which have employed millions of
people and allowed them to pursue their dreams, all in the
freest and most open society in the history of man.
We are that shining city on the hill. We are that beacon
of freedom. We are that last best hope for mankind upon
which God has shed his grace.
President Theodore Roosevelt said that one of the
greatest gifts that life has to offer is the opportunity
to do work that is worth doing. I can't think of a greater
gift than the work that lies before you: righteous in its
cause, noble in its purpose, and essential for the
prosperity of our people.
I will always cherish the relationships I have gained
here and the work we have done together. God bless you,
God bless the U.S. Senate, and God bless our great
country.
I yield the floor.
?
TRIBUTES
TO
GEORGE S. LeMIEUX
Proceedings in the Senate
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, 16 Senators will retire
this year. There is a pretty big turnover in this body,
but that is a lot of Senators at once. We are losing an
enormous amount of talent, but, of course, we are gaining
a lot of talent with the new Senators.
I wish to show my respect for those who have served,
which I will do in a summary fashion because we are
talking about 16 individuals with very complex and
distinguished backgrounds.
One might ask, what are the characteristics of a
Senator? There are a lot of different answers to that,
depending on your background and attitude toward politics
and government. First, I have always thought that one
characteristic of almost every Member of the Senate is
that he or she probably was a first grader sitting in the
front row, hand in the air waiting to be recognized. This
is an eager bunch or you would not have gotten here.
Second, it is a group of risk takers. Most people who
end up in the Senate get here because a lot of other
people who wanted to be Senators were standing around
waiting for the right time to run. A lot of people who
were elected to the Senate seemed to have no chance of
winning at the time they decided to run, but the voters
decided differently, and here they are.
Third, we are almost all professional and congenial.
That is a big help. It is almost a requirement in an
organization of 100 individuals who spend almost all their
time with one another, who serve in a body that operates
by unanimous consent, when just one Senator can bring the
whole place to a halt, and whose job basically is to argue
about some of the most difficult issues that face the
American people. So it helps that almost every Member of
the Senate is an especially congenial person.
Back in Tennessee, people often say to me it must be
rough being in that job. They are awfully mean up there.
The truth is, I don't know of a more congenial group than
the Members of the Senate. We begin the day in the gym.
The next thing you know we are at a Prayer Breakfast, and
then we are at a committee hearing. Then we are on the
floor voting, and then we have lunch. It goes through the
day until 7 or 8 o'clock, or sometimes later. We live
together and we get along very well. We know and respect
each other.
Not long ago, the Presiding Officer (Mr. Udall of New
Mexico) and I were having dinner together with our wives.
We were lamenting the loss of families who know one
another, the way it happened when his father was serving
in Congress and when I first came to the Senate to work
for Senator Baker. And that's true. We've lost some of
that. Still, there is an enormous amount of affection and
good will here. You don't always get to be very close
friends in this job, but you get to be very good
acquaintances, and you learn to respect people for their
strengths.
Senator Domenici said, when he left, that we don't do a
very good job of saying goodbye here. That is true. As one
part of saying goodbye, I wish to say at least one good
thing about each one of the 16 retiring Senators. Much
more could be said about each, of course. Mostly, I am
going in alphabetical order. ...
Senator George LeMieux of Florida made his focus
balancing the budget and controlling the debt. We have not
heard the last of George Lemieux, I am sure, in politics.
...
It has been my privilege to serve with these 16
Senators. We thank them for their service to our country.
They have had a chance to serve in what we regard as the
world's greatest deliberative body; it is a special
institution. We will miss their leadership, and we hope
they will stay in touch with us because they are not just
retiring Senators, they are all our friends.
I yield the floor.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of
materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to
retiring Members of the 111th Congress, and that Members
have until Thursday, December 16, to submit such tributes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
our colleagues who are departing the Senate after
distinguished service on behalf of their States and on
behalf of the Nation. I have been privileged to work with
these individuals, to learn from them, to collaborate and
cooperate with them, and to, in some small way, help them
do what they have done so well--represent their States
with fidelity, with great effort, and to move the agenda
of the Nation forward. ...
Senator George LeMieux and his wife Meike served here
for a short period of time but with such distinction, such
character, and such concern. I want to salute him. He and
I worked together on the Teacher and Principal Improvement
Act. He is a brilliant and a decent civil servant. I thank
him. ...
To all of these colleagues and their families, my
deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise again to recognize the
service of another great Federal employee. This is a
tradition that was started by our friend and former
colleague, Senator Kaufman, and I am proud to carry on
that tradition. But I want to first say that I appreciate
the remarks of the Presiding Officer (Mr. Reed) about our
colleagues who are leaving this body, and I share his
great respect for not only Senator Kaufman but all of the
colleagues who are leaving the body at the end of this
Congress. ...
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to
recognize our retiring colleague from Florida, Senator
George LeMieux.
Senator LeMieux came to the Senate in September 2009,
amid extraordinary economic conditions. When he took
office, Floridians were facing historically high rates of
unemployment--a trend too common across the country. By
November 2009, an estimated 45 percent of home mortgages
in Florida were ``upside down,'' meaning affected
Floridians owed more on their property than it was worth.
Needless to say, there were significant economic
challenges facing the incoming junior Senator from
Florida.
It takes uncommon character and dedication to accept
appointment to public office, especially in these
uncertain times. Senator LeMieux chose to confront our
country's economic challenges by serving the people of
Florida in the U.S. Senate.
Since arriving in the Senate, Senator LeMieux has
expressed his desire to address our unsustainable fiscal
condition--a problem I agree will cripple our country
without bipartisan compromise. If we are to address our
fiscal challenges, we must work together to craft
solutions to our economic challenges.
In addition to historic economic and fiscal challenges,
Senator LeMieux has confronted unexpected environmental
challenges. Not long after Senator LeMieux arrived in the
Senate, our country saw one of its greatest environmental
disasters of all time. For 3 months, oil gushed into the
Gulf of Mexico, causing extensive damage to marine life,
coastline, and commerce. Senator LeMieux, along with his
fellow gulf coast colleagues, worked to secure Federal
relief to mitigate the effects of the spill on the coastal
region.
It is not easy to navigate the Federal disaster relief
system, especially for a new Senator. I commend Senator
LeMieux for his work to protect his fellow Floridians from
the effects of the gulf oilspill.
Despite our political differences, I respect Senator
LeMieux' desire to make a difference in the lives of
everyday Floridians. I have appreciated the opportunity to
work with Senator LeMieux and thank him for his service to
our country.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, each year that brings a session
of Congress to an end, it has long been a tradition for
the Senate to take a moment to say goodbye to those who
will not be returning in January for the beginning of the
next session of Congress. One of those I know I will miss
who will be heading home to Florida as his term concludes
is George LeMieux.
It may surprise a lot of people to learn what a powerful
presence George has been in the Senate. Although he did
not serve a full term of 6 years, the months he has spent
representing Florida have been very productive.
Simply put, George is an impressive individual who
understands the importance of the work we must do to
control spending in the years to come and, if we fail to
do that, the impact it will have on our Nation and our
children as they try to pursue their goals and live the
American dream.
George grew up in Florida and, like me, he came to
Washington, DC, for his college studies. I graduated from
George Washington University, and George graduated from
Georgetown University. When he returned home to begin his
career, his attendance at a high school reunion proved to
be a turning point in his life when he met a former
classmate named Meike who soon became his wife.
Years later, when an individual of George's talents and
abilities was needed to complete the Senate term of Mel
Martinez, the Governor knew who would be the right person
for the job--George LeMieux. Soon, George was on his way
back to Washington, looking forward to the opportunity to
use his knowledge, skills, abilities, and professional
experience to serve the people of his home State.
There were some eyebrows raised when he arrived. Some
people thought he wasn't the best candidate for the job.
Others thought he didn't have the background necessary to
be a productive Senator. It didn't take him long before he
proved them all wrong.
George not only hit the ground running, but he proved to
be a natural and effective legislator. I don't think I
have ever seen anyone who has had such an impact on the
Senate after such a short time in office.
Over the past months, George has not only fulfilled his
duties as a Senator, he has taken them to another level as
he came up with good ideas for legislation, especially on
the need to control spending and reduce the deficit which
he has referred to as the ``single greatest threat'' to
our future and the prosperity of our people.
That is the kind of Senator that George has been--
strong, spirited, focused, and determined to speak out
about the consequences that will come from not being good
stewards of our Nation's financial resources. His concern
about our debt and the world we will leave behind for our
children and grandchildren means even more to him today
now that his Washington experience includes the addition
of a fourth child--his first daughter.
I don't know what the future holds for you, George, but
I do know that we will all be watching with great interest
and expectation. You have already established a reputation
for hard work that has earned you the friendship of your
colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Whatever you decide
to do, I am sure you know you can count on us to support
and encourage you as you begin the next great adventure of
your life. I am hoping it will be as the elected Senator
from Florida. You can certainly run on experience. You
have done more in months than some do in a career.
Diana joins in sending our best wishes to you and Meike.
You have made a difference in just a few months, and we
are sure there is more to come. Keep in touch when you
return home. We will always be pleased to hear from you
with your thoughts and suggestions about the legislation
being considered by the Senate and what we can do to make
it better.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the order for the printing of tributes be modified to
provide that Members have until sine die of the 111th
Congress, 2d session, to submit tributes and that the
order for printing remain in effect.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
my colleague, the Senator from Florida, George LeMieux,
who will be leaving the U.S. Senate before the 112th
Congress convenes. I would like to take this moment to
thank George for his service, and wish him, his wife
Meike, and their four children the very best as they
embark on the next chapter of their lives.
George is a native Floridian who has served as deputy
attorney general, and later as Governor Charlie Crist's
chief of staff.
When Senator Mel Martinez retired in 2009, George was
appointed to fulfill the remainder of the term. Since then
he has worked to help the people of Florida through his
work as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
the Commerce Committee, and the Special Committee on
Aging.
Though he has only been in the Senate for a short time,
Senator LeMieux has been an engaged and hard-working
Member of this body. He has emerged as a strong advocate
for solving our long-term Federal debt concerns, and a
devoted advocate for the people and businesses of his home
State of Florida.
While we did not share the same views on a number of
issues, Senator LeMieux proved that he was a man of deep
conviction who was not afraid to stand up for what he
believed. He spoke often on the floor to advocate for his
positions. However, he showed that he was a serious
legislator, and leader, on issues of vital importance to
our Nation.
For example, he was the lone Republican to cast a vote
in favor of the Small Business Jobs Act. This legislation
was designed to expand access to credit, and provide tax
incentives, for small businesses. George recognized that
these were two things that Florida's businesses
desperately needed--much more than partisan gridlock.
After George leaves the Senate in just a few short
weeks, I believe he will be remembered as a public servant
who was devoted first and foremost to advancing the
interests of the people of his home State, Florida.
Once again, I would like to thank George for his
service, and wish him well as he leaves the Senate. It has
been a pleasure working with him.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a
man who has made the most of a short tenure here in the
Senate. Shortly after George LeMieux was sworn in last
September he said that his goal was to get years of work
done in 16 months. I don't think there is any doubt the
junior Senator from Florida made good on that promise.
In his short tenure, George has served the people of
Florida with honor, integrity, and purpose. And while he
may be leaving us soon, I am certain this will not be the
last time we hear from this incredibly gifted man.
George grew up in Coral Springs, FL, or ``God's
country'' as he refers to it. He went on to college at
Emory, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta
Kappa. As an undergraduate, George interned for
Congressman Clay Shaw and Senator Connie Mack. Then it was
on to Georgetown for law school and private practice back
home in Florida.
George got his start in local politics as chairman of
the Broward County Young Republicans. He then went on to
make his own bid for the Florida State House in 1998,
knocking on more than 10,000 doors in the heavily
Democratic district he was hoping to represent.
Despite George's own campaign loss, he impressed a lot
of Republicans and was elected chairman of the Broward
County Republican Party. In 2003, he was asked to serve as
deputy attorney general. George answered the call, leaving
the law firm he was working in at the time. As deputy
attorney general, George was responsible for a team of 400
lawyers. He also argued and won a death penalty case that
earned a unanimous ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.
George would go on to serve as the chief of staff to
Florida Governor Charlie Crist overseeing the Governor's
legislative agenda, policy initiatives, and messaging.
After a year as chief of staff, George wanted to return
home to his young family. ``I've got three little men at
home,'' George said at the time, ``and a wife who's a
saint.''
Despite the demands of work, George has always made sure
not to lose sight of his first priorities. We have all
seen and been touched by the special pride he has for his
wife Meike and their three boys; Max, Taylor, and Chase,
and their newborn daughter Madeleine.
After a couple of years of private practice, George got
the call again to serve when Mel Martinez announced he was
retiring from the Senate.
From the moment he got here, he was determined to do the
best job he could. He wasn't going to be a placeholder or
a seat warmer, as he put it. Floridians expected vigorous
and principled representation, and that is exactly what
they got. At the time of his appointment, George may have
been the youngest sitting Member of the Senate, but that
didn't stop him from rolling up his sleeves and getting to
work. He made an immediate impact by inserting himself
into the health care debate as an eloquent and passionate
opponent of greater government intervention and an enemy
of waste, fraud, and abuse. The first bill he introduced
was the Prevent Health Care Fraud Act of 2009, which
proposed a more aggressive approach to recovering the
billions of dollars that are lost each year to health care
waste, fraud, and abuse.
George has been deeply involved in efforts to raise
awareness about the national debt and promoting free
trade. He has been involved in Latin American and Cuban
policy. And he was a leader on the gulf oilspill.
He has worked tirelessly to hold BP and the
administration accountable for the cleanup and the
protection of Florida's beaches. He has been an outspoken
critic of the bureaucratic redtape that kept more skimmers
from cleaning up the Florida coast. And through his
relentless efforts at exposing this lax response, he was
able to get dozens of skimmers sent to the Florida coast
for cleanup. As George put it at the time, ``We must
ensure that BP does not abandon the hard-working families,
businesses, and local communities devastated by the spill
once the media leaves ...'' After just a few months of on-
the-job training as a U.S. Senator, George had found his
voice in the midst of the largest environmental disaster
in U.S. history.
Upon arriving in this Chamber, George has always
maintained a probusiness, antitax, and antiwaste voting
record, which has made him the recipient of several
awards. In August of this year, George was recognized as
the ``Taxpayer Hero'' by Citizens Against Government Waste
for his work to expose and end wasteful government
spending. The following month, George was honored with the
``Guardian of Small Business'' by the National Federation
of Independent Business, as well as the ``Tax Fighter
Award'' by the National Tax Limitation Committee.
While George's impressive tenure in this Chamber has
been brief, we enjoyed getting to know him and working
with him to advance the best interests of Floridians and
all Americans. He has been one of our sharpest and most
passionate spokesmen on some of the most important issues
we face. He is smart, capable, and willing to work hard.
He should be proud of his service. I know I have been
proud to call him a colleague and a friend.
We thank him for his impressive service to this Chamber,
the people of Florida, and the Nation. And we wish him and
his young family all the best in what I hope will be many
years of success and happiness ahead.
I yield the floor.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
the junior Senator from Florida. Though Senator George
LeMieux has only been here a short time, he has been an
effective advocate for the good people of Florida. I want
to wish him the best of luck.
Senator LeMieux was born in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He is
the son of a building contractor. He grew up in Coral
Springs, FL, and attended college at Emory University,
earning a degree in political science. George then went on
to obtain his law degree from Georgetown University.
Senator LeMieux' career in public service began when he
went to work as deputy attorney general for the State of
Florida, a position he held for 2 years. He would later
serve as the Florida Governor's chief of staff, overseeing
numerous State agencies.
After his time in the Governor's office, George returned
to the private sector and was headed down what had to be a
lucrative career path in the private sector at one of
Florida's most prestigious law firms. But, he answered the
call to public service once again in 2009 when Senator Mel
Martinez announced his retirement and Florida was in need
of a Senator.
Since being appointed to the Senate, George has served
on the Armed Services Committee, the Commerce Committee,
and the Special Committee on Aging. He has had a
reputation for being progrowth, probusiness, and a deficit
hawk. In fact, he has been one of the few people in the
Senate who put their money where their mouth is and
actually proposed a plan to address our fiscal problems.
Frankly, I think we could use more people like that here
in the Senate.
It is just a difficult fact that, here in the Senate,
some are here only for short periods of time. But, every
State deserves to be represented in this Chamber. Senator
LeMieux answered the call to serve during what has been an
extremely difficult time in the Senate. He has done so
with dignity and an unwavering commitment to the people of
Florida.
Once again, I want to offer my best wishes for George
and his family in all their future endeavors.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, today I would like to honor
my distinguished colleague from Florida, Senator George
LeMieux, who will be retiring from the Senate at the end
of the 111th Congress.
George has humbly served the people of Florida for many
years as deputy attorney general, chief of staff to the
Governor, and most recently as a Member of the U.S.
Senate. While his time in the Senate might have been
short, his list of accomplishments is not. George has
proven to be a principled leader that is unafraid to
tackle the difficult issues facing our Nation. He has
offered thoughtful and proactive solutions to problems
that many would rather defer to a future Congress and a
future generation. The people of Florida should be proud
to have been represented by a man of such dedication and
character.
I am honored to know George and to have worked with him.
I would like to thank him for his contributions to the
Senate and wish him and his family the best in all of
their future endeavors.