Jay Rockefeller: “I particularly want to thank my ranking member, whom I refer to as my cochair, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, for her…”

“I particularly want to thank my ranking member, whom I refer to as my cochair, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, for her incredibly hard, smart, indefatigable commitment and pure determination to see this bill through. I could not have asked for a better partner on this bill or as a partner on the Commerce Committee. We work in sync. It doesn't mean we have to agree on everything, but it happens we usually do. I know, and our colleagues should know, this bill simply would not have happened without her hard work, without her negotiating skills everywhere, constantly. She was tenacious in getting a lot of deals done on what was the most contentious issue, slots. She was patient and she was fair. I want my colleagues and the whole world to know how much I admire her as a person and as a professional, and I am grateful she has applied her considerable expertise and legislative savvy to this effort. I also want to take a moment to tell my colleagues that I am very disappointed that Senator Hutchison has chosen not to seek reelection. She has been a model public servant--she is a model public servant--who has made a real difference in the lives of Americans. She has made Texas proud. The Senate will be worse off without her. The Commerce Committee will be worse off without her. The aviation world will be worse off without her.”