Kent Conrad: “I want to pay a tribute to my friend and colleague from the State of Florida who has decided to leave the Senate after a…”

“I want to pay a tribute to my friend and colleague from the State of Florida who has decided to leave the Senate after a distinguished 12-year career here. It has been my pleasure to work with Senator Mack during that time on a number of important issues. He has always been willing to reach across the aisle when bipartisan cooperation can make the difference. As colleagues on the Finance Committee, we have cosponsored each other's bills on such varied subjects as benefits for retired coal miners, fairer treatment for real estate under the Internal Revenue Code, and keeping gray market cigarettes out of the U.S. market. Senator Mack has been a generous, thoughtful, and constructive member of our committee, and we will miss his presence there every much. Year in and year out, I am constantly impressed with the energy, intelligence, and commitment that Connie Mack brings to the challenging job of representing such a large and diverse State Floridians have been privileged to have the benefit of his effective advocacy for their concerns. I am confident that a man with public policy interests over as wide a range as Connie has shown during his tenure in the body is still going to be checking in with his old friends in the Senate to let us know what he's thinking. I hope we will see him often in the coming years. I am happy to join my colleagues in wishing only the best for Connie and Priscilla as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.”