On the recordDecember 7, 2016
it is such a pleasure and honor to rise to recognize a great son of Scranton--sitting next to me, another son of Scranton--a grandson of Ireland--sitting in this Chamber are many grandchildren of Ireland--and a Syracuse University graduate. How many others in the room can say that? More importantly than any of those, he is one of the most dedicated public servants, one of the most successful public servants I have ever had the pleasure to serve with during my time in Washington. Everyone knows Joe is proud of his ancestry. His ancestors came from Ireland, as many millions have. He is deeply proud of being an Irish- American. Like so many others from the Emerald Isle, our Vice President inherited the gift of gab, and thank God for that because he has used his booming voice to speak out on so many issues. We have only a little time today. I know my colleagues are eager to speak, so I will just focus on one of the issues that Senator Biden led the charge on and changed America. I worked with him on the Assault Weapons Ban and the Brady law when he was a Senator and I was Congressman and we were each head of the crime committees. But maybe the thing he was proudest of was the Violence Against Women Act. It sounds like a different world, but a few years ago, a few decades ago, rape and domestic violence and abuse were considered in many ways lesser crimes--crimes in which the victim was as much at fault as the perpetrator. It was disgraceful.…
