Bill Nelson: “I rise to speak on the nomination of Steven Bradbury, but first I want to speak on a much lighter subject, the reason…”

“I rise to speak on the nomination of Steven Bradbury, but first I want to speak on a much lighter subject, the reason that I wore this orange tie. The University of Miami football team has a perfect record. This is hearkening back to the glory days, and I will tell you why I do this. My neighbor and one of my best friends, Cortez Kennedy, who was originally from Arkansas, was the defensive player of the year for the national companionship team in 1989 at the University of Miami. Then, he spent 10 years with the Seattle Seahawks, and he was an NFL Pro Football Hall of Famer. I am doing this for my friend, Cortez Kennedy, whom we lost 6 months ago to a heart attack, much too early, at the age of 48. What a Miami fan he was, and how proud he would be now of his cherished University of Miami football team and the perfect record they have thus far. Mr. President, now I speak to Steven Bradbury. We have seen real trouble signs lately in the transportation safety area. Last year was the most deadly year on the highways in nearly a decade. Over 37,000 people were killed in highway accidents in 2016, an increase of 5.6 percent over the previous year. Many of those fatalities were preventable and were caused by people not wearing seatbelts or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or distracted drivers. We need leaders in the Department of Transportation who are willing to speak up and take action to reduce these highway deaths.…”