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“RETIREMENT OF JIM SOURWINE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S3121 on March 14, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RETIREMENT OF JIM SOURWINE
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, this is a statement I wish I did not have to make. Jim Sourwine, who has almost 40 years of Federal service, including more than 30 on the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, will retire this month. He not only served the committee but the entire Senate as a professional staff member. And when I say
``professional,'' I really mean it with Jim. Always courteous, always helpful, he is an appropriator's appropriator. He worked for Republicans and he worked for Democrats, with equal diligence. He treated every Senator with respect, and we respected him as well.
Mr. SPECTER. I don't know if the Senator from Iowa knows this, but Jim Sourwine has served almost 100 different members of the Appropriations Committee during his time in the Senate. Imagine each of the desks in this Chamber filled with U.S. Senators, and you will have a sense of the number of committee members Jim served.
Mr. HARKIN. And we all benefited from that service. He understands the appropriations process better than anyone. New staff could always look to Jim for institutional knowledge, and count on him to be a patient teacher of many on both substantive issues an the appropriations process.
The Senate depended on this expertise. Jim is a master craftsman, the person we relied on to compile all the spending figures and technical language and mould it into an appropriations bill. Whether it was drafting an amendment to the budget resolution; finding a creative offset to meet an important priority; or organizing and staffing a hearing on an important labor issue, such as those that we held on the overtime regulation, Jim Sourwine was the staffer we wanted and needed by our side.
Mr. SPECTER. Jim came to the Senate in 1972 when he was first detailed to the committee from the Department of Labor. He found his place quickly and began responding to what were known as
``Harleygrams''--daily instructions from Harley Dirks, who was Senator Magnuson's clerk of the Labor, HEW and Related Agencies Subcommittee, as it was called then.
After Senator Magnuson, Jim served under Senator Schmitt in the 97th Congress, and then Senator Weicker and Senator Chiles. Since the 101st Congress, the Senator from Iowa and I have exchanged the gavel on several occasions. I never miss a chance to mention that I always prefer to have the gavel in my hand. On this occasion, I should also say that I prefer to have Jim Sourwine's services on staff as well.
Mr. HARKIN. Jim is the undisputed master at identifying creative solutions to funding problems. However, we can never forget that the work he did to support this institution ultimately benefited the American people, through increased educational and job training opportunities, greater protections for the Nation's workers or more affordable and improved health care.
For example, when Jim came to the committee, title I education grants were funded at $1.6 billion; this year's level is $12.8 billion. Think of the millions of disadvantaged students who have benefited over the years from this funding. In 1972, Congress created the basic educational opportunity grant to provide grant aid that would help low-
income students earn a postsecondary education. The grant program, now known as Pell grants, provides a maximum award of $4,310 to more than 5 million low- and middle-income students. Millions of students have been able to earn a postsecondary education because of the extra assistance they were provided. Jim should feel proud of the role he has played in each of these programs and so much more.
Mr. SPECTER. I would like to add several other accomplishments of Congress for which Jim should feel a great sense of pride. In 2002, Congress completed a doubling of the NIH budget over a 5-year period. Jim's thorough knowledge of the bill and the budget was instrumental in securing the doubling. If there was a way to write bill language that would save money or change a date to free up some cash, Jim knew how to do it.
When Jim started working at the Department of Labor in 1967, the Job Corps program was in its infancy, just 3 years old. Today, it is a $1.6 billion enterprise widely touted for its performance standards and student outcomes, helping more than 60,000 youths each year. After the Quecreek coal mine accident, I held a hearing in Pennsylvania to look into the mine safety issues related to that situation. We have held two mine safety hearings since the Sago and Alma disasters in early 2006. Jim organized and staffed those hearings. What's more, he helped craft legislation that I introduced last year which contributed to the development of the MINER Act. This act passed last year and is now the law of the land. It is the most significant piece of mine safety legislation passed in more than 30 years and its effective implantation will save lives. Jim should feel very good about the work he did to support that legislation, as well as other worker protection programs.
I believe the Senator from Iowa and I could go on for some time on all that Jim Sourwine has meant to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate and the American people. For me, I want him to remember always what the long hours have done for so many. Jim, best wishes to you on your retirement. You will be missed.
Mr. HARKIN. Jim, I understand that the round-the-clock hours and weekend work have made it difficult to catch up on some projects around the house and get on the golf course. While you might prefer one over the other, I hope you know that your long and distinguished service to the Senate has more than earned for you the right to do just that or nothing at all. I will miss you and your sage counsel. The Senate will miss you. I wish you all the best on your retirement and thank you for your service.
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