On the recordNovember 13, 2014
I rise on Veterans Day Week to pay tribute to our dear friend and longtime former colleague, Congressman Lane Evans. An honorable man and Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, Lane was elected in November 1982, and sworn in January 1983 as a member of a large freshman class that comprised the 98th Congress. He hailed from a working-class district and was a son of the working class. So few Members are grounded in that heritage. He was intelligent, committed, a true gentleman, and a patriot. The economy and social benefit programs consumed the attention of that Congress. Very high unemployment levels hung over our Nation, mired in the aftermath of a very deep recession following the first Arab oil embargo and economic policies of the Reagan administration that did not relieve the dire circumstances of unemployed workers. Extending unemployment benefits occupied that Congress as a lifeline to millions of workers that saw their livelihoods evaporate almost instantaneously. In the spring of 1983, Congress passed the historic refinancing of the Social Security program to assure the system would be sound for generations to come. Lane had fought to be a Member to fight for that, and he was a ``yes'' vote on that historic measure. During the first decade of Lane's service, we served together on the Veterans' Affairs Committee.…
