To work across the aisle on severalse pieces of legislation. This afternoon this morning wer got to hear the farewell peach of my friend, lamar alexander. Hes a fantastic speaker and legislator. Its been an honor or to serve with him and to learn from him. Now you get to hear from the accountant. [laughter] i rise today to give my Farewell Speech on the floor of the u. S. Senate. Its been an honor of a lifetime to serve the great people of wyoming in this position for f e last 24 years. Ive really enjoyed being a senator. Not for the title, not for the recognition and, certainly, not for the publicity. I love solving problems for folks in wyoming and america. I like working on legislation. It might shock those who know me, but i never intended to get into politics. Awhile i always had great respt for those who serve in public office, it wasnt my calling when i left college. But over 50 years ago, i joined the young mens leadership training group, at a state convention in cody i spoke about the value of leadership in communities. The key note speaker was al stimson who would go on to serve three terms in the United States senate. After i gave my pitch on the importance of leadership training, senator simpson did his fascinating and humorous speech and then took me aside and said i dont even know what party youre in, but its time you put your money where your mouth is on the leadership stuff and get into politics. That town you live in, gillette, needs a mayor. My wife, diane, and i had only moved toy e let a few years earlier. The population started to skyrocket, the City Services were not keeping up. On the way home from that cody meeting while my wife was driving, i told her what senator simpson had said and that i was thinking maybe i should run for mayor. It must haved come as quite a shock, because [laughter] she ended up swerving into the pit and coming back up onto the road. We ended up talking about the it seriously for the four hours that it took to drive back to gillette and thought of a lot of things that needed to be done to make a difference in our town. I was new to the community, i wasmu just 29 years old, but i thought that gillette was in need ofne a budget, agendas and planning about the most exciting topics on any peoples attention. I ran anyway and i did win. Nearly five decades later having served as mayor, having served in the statehouse, having served as a state senator and as your senator, i find myself still pushing those same three ideas that i did when i first ran for mayor. Budgets, agendas and planning. I keep finding myself wanting to help solve problems. Oncein you embrace that responsibility, its hard to ever ignore it again. I have found that many plaintiff to oi e many many of my colleagues in congress tend to feel the same way. The senate is a very different place than when i arrived in 1997, and its a very different place than it was in 1789 when the very first senate meant. But over all those years its been a place for folks rising to the challenge of being a leader. We are looking to make our communities and country a better place. We might b not always agree on what the solutions are, but we can respect each other for working to find one. Ovover the years ive learned a great deal from those around me. Just like i listened to senator al simpson all those years back there, ive tried to keep an open mind and learning from others x. Now that my time in the senate is coming to a close, id like to pass along some of the lessons i was taught and some i learned the hard way in the hopet that it may be useful for myue colleagues working to t things accomplished in the senate and for anybody who wants to be a leader in their community. In my office we have a Mission Statement. It reads we have been given a sacred trust to work for our families, grandparents and grandchildren. We will respect the wisdom of those before and the future of those to follow. We will discharge this trust through our legislative policy, our constituent services and the way we treat each other, guided by these three principles; doing whats right, doing our best and treating others as they wish to be treated. These last three principles are ad vice my mom gave me often. And they remain my core values. Every member of my staff of is given that Mission Statement when that they start, and we rely on it to remind us why we are here and how we should act. It isnt just a saying. Its a way to work, a way to build trust and ail way to gove. These values are not always easy to live but. Were all human and we all struggle to live up to these ideals we set for ourselves. But thats why we call them ideals. I believe these are values we can all agree on, and by remembering the values we share, we can work, together to tackle tough problems and find shared solutions, do whats right is a rat great slogans, but you is a great slogan. People see a mess in washington, so how do we actually make progress . I believe it involves focusing on Common Ground over compromise, especially when it comes to legislating. People sometimes think that compromise is the answer. I think it means i give in to something i dont like and you give in to something you dont like, and we both wind up with something neither of us like. Thats not legislating. When with it comes to legislating, often the best way to get something done that everyone can agree on is to leave out the things you dont agree on and focus on what you can get done. Thats why i suggest my 80 too many. Tool. Generally speaking, people can talk civilly on 80 of the issues. Fits only about 20 of the issues that we find real contention. Now, even picking a single issue out of theof 80 you might still find disagreement. But once again, you can probably focus on 80 of the issue that you can agree on. Its all about focusing on what you can get done and not focusing on the points of disagreement. The weeds of debate that have choked issues. Or to say it another way, its all about what you leave out. Formerrer senator ted kennedy from massachusetts and i used this tool when we led the Health Education labor and Pensions Committee together, and it worked great. It worked even though we were on complete opposite sides of the political spectrum. I once wrote an article that mentioned how unusual it was for the most conservative senator and the third most liberal senator to Work Together, to which he said so whos ahead of me . [laughter] we were able to get legislation passed that others had been trying to do for years. When i first got to the senate, i wanted the change some things with osha, the Occupational Health and safety. Finish senator kennedy was at the urging of my predecessor, senator simpson did let me sit down and take him through the bill a section at a time. Thats something we always did in the wyoming legislature. When we marked up the bill in committee, senator kennedy said in all my years in the senate, ive never had anybody take me a bill a section at a time, but im still going to have to vote against it. It still got out of committee. Later he called me about a safety bill hed been working on for over a decade, a bill to save nurses and medical janitors from accidental needle stick, and asked if id take a look at it. The biggest suggestion i gave was to leave out a couple of the smallpl mart parts small pars that had been jamming up the bill. The bill passed the senate and the house unamended and was signed. And now you see needle stick disposals in resrooms and restrooms and all sorts of places. And the issue has never had to be readdressed. Later i became the chair, and senator kennedy was the ranking member. We used the 80 tool. We were able to get 35 bills through the Health Committee in cthe 109th congress, 27 of them made their way to the president s desk and were signed into public law are. Ander in between we were able to report up 352 nominations for consideration by the full senate. So heres how the 80 tool worked. At the gunning of beginning of each year, even of us made a list of the issues the committees should do. We compared lists. We made an effort to argue some be on both lists. Then we worked on the i ones on both lists. We usually had duplication of about 80 of the issues. Then we could pick out any issue and work on it, usually agreeing on 80 of that issue. If we couldnt find a new way to do the part that had been argued for years, we simply left it out, believing that 80 finished is better than 20 that only makes the press. This is the 80 tool, and its where all of our energy, attention and talents could be focused. If we just work on the 20 percent that we dont agree on and never will agree on, well only generate headlines about how hard we are working with nothing actually getting done. Just gridlock. When t the news comes on if wee here in the chamber arguing and bickering and getting nothing focusing too much on the 20 . G too much on if people do not see much of us, that means taking on the 80 and making progress without headlines and often with unanimousan consent. What we were really talking about is workinghe together. Thats what the the heart of th80 toole is. Often times people say we need more bipartisanship. And there is very practical reason for that. In the senate, you cant get anything done without working with the ore side unless one party hase. 60 votes or more, which is rare. And even with 60 votes from one party, the bills that party passes when they have a supermajority often are flawed. It turns out when we Work Together, we can create a better bill than when we just tried to do it alone or force orrs to others to accept your ideas. Thats why success is not really about compromise, its really about what you leave out or finding a way to accomplish it doing a mutuallyagreeable, new way. We used to take the people that had similar amendments and send them off to see if they could come up with one amendment. And quite often they could. And it was fascinating when they came back, they said it was my idea. Andal when all of them report to you that it was their idea, you know youve got enough votes to pass it. And thats not really about compromise, its not what you leave out or come up with a third way of coming up with a mutuallyagreeable goal. Here are a few key steps that i used to pass legislation are. First, find someone federals other side of the aisle who likes to legislate. Second, discover and agree on common goals. Third, consult with stakeholders that willrs or could affect the changes being discussed. Fourth, hold round tables instead of hearings. With hearings each side beats own up on the others witness with professortype questions. At a round table, people who have actually done something on a policy share their relllife reallife experiences. Finally, you set aside the part of the issues you cant agree on for another day. Now youlll have a bill that hs a good chance of being passed and signed into law. Thats the heart of the 80 tool. This way of working also insures that we can disagree without being disagreeable. Theres a lot of vitriol in our politics and ourf world right now. But you can stay true to what you believe in without treating others badly. Nothing gets done when were just telling each other how wrong we are. Just ask yourself, has anyone ever really changed your opinion by getting in your face and yelling atr you or saying how wrong you are . Usually that doesnt change or minds. That might make the attacker feel better in the moment, but it doesnt do much for getting anything accomplished. Following the 80 tool will not get you notoriety. It wont get you fame, it wont get you headlines. Most please Media Coverage requires blood in the water. However, the ability to work among your peers using this method and will can and will move us forward. Itsly only successful if were working on passing legislation together, and that means letting the senate work as it was intended. One of the best ways to do that is to allow the members of each committee to actually take time to craft bills. The committees are where the experts are and where i think some of the best work gets done. Ive already made it clear that i dont think hearings are overly useful and are often wasted on collectingen sound bites collecting sound bites for the evening news. Instead the, we should be encouraging committees to give their members more say in crafting legislation and working together on best solutions. If you look at bills that pass with strong bipartisan support, they are usually because flaws were ironed out in committee. Legislation is often times at its best when it has taken time in committees being hashed out until its ready for prime time. Now, you might not always be able to get everyone onboard, but if youve done it right, you should see strong bipartisan support. Sometimes this also means letting orrs take credit for your ohs take the credit for your ideas. An old salesman trick is to convince someone their good idea was your good idea. Too often in the modern Senate Legislation is rushed out of committee to the senate floor, and once it hits the senate floor both sides try to present amendments. But the process of allowing amendments and debate is a core component of how the senate was design ed to operate. Without it, the senate can get gummed up, the gears can get jammed. Ir without tensions can rise as senators feel unable to make progress. The difficulty is that each party is so worried about the next election, looking to hold on to the majority, that everybody is either trying to force the other side to take politically perilous votes or trying to avoid taking those votes themselves. No matter which partys in charge, we wind up shying away fromg allowing legislation to be alteredded on the floor of the senate. And usually those tough votes dont really make any can difference. It might help that members made it clear to leadership be willing to talk some tough votes in return for more chances to amend major legislation on the floor. People might be less likely to demand votes on a poison pill or messaging designed to put the other party in a tough spot if they knew they could face the same treatment. In the end, the onus is on the members of the senate, on us, to take on a responsibility to Work Together in return for a chance to pass p legislation. I suggest that amendments should 60 votes. Ve if it v were so bad that it need a filibuster, the 60 votes would be required to end that, but that takes about three days. And so many have been willing to allow their amendment to have a 60vote threshold anyway. I also ask you to avoid comprehensive. Comprehensive bills makes it is large that everyone can find a reason to vote against it. Senator alexander is a big promoter of step by step. Thats taking and piece of legislation and solving it and takingp the next step and solvig it and so on. This practical solution would avoid passing comprehensive legislation. Comprehensive legislation is usually a byproduct of compromise, not Common Ground and often ends up being incomprehensible. Giant bills that try to do everything usually end up with too many unintended consequences and include a litany of unrelated pieces of legislation that are merely hitching a ride because otherwise they would never be able to stand on their own merits. These Christmas Tree bulls are often designed so that if you vote against it, youll be voting against some key legislation for your constituents. Once again, the ugly nature of compromise over Common Ground is clear. Now, a simple solution ive proposed would be to pass more bills as individual pieces of legislation. Thats step by step. In wisconsin bills in wyoming, bills have to be focused on a single subject, and all amendments need to be relevant. Ive introduced a bill that would require that here, but it never was really treated seriously. A little different article, my favorite article of the constitution is article v, and the reason it is, it assures that all states will have equal representation in the senate. And that cant even be changed by a constitutional congress. And sinced i come from one of those lower population states, its very important to us. Sometimes were criticized for beingor overrepresented in the senate. We havewe two senators the sames california and and texas. And texas. But in this argument of unfair representation for state, we find the same inherit issues we do in the filly birth. Our government was not set up to be majority ruled by population aenloan. Our founders, through their own debate, were able to understand the risk of pure democracy and the benefits of a federalist system where decide were represented not just by population, but by regions and showered cultures. Shared cultures. We deserve to have our cultural say in this our system protected against majority. Were all in the United States of america. The senate respects more than just thehe people. To protect the individuality of the states, of the culture of those who live in the regions of the country less populated, it also represents a statements tht founded our federalist system. Ofrs course, at that time severl of them had little population. Ive covered lot of ground, but for my last piece of advice i would call on my colleagues to recognize that its time to formally allow electronics on the floor of the United States senate. [laughter] its an issue near and dear to my heart and one i think will help to work in the senate. Its clear that anyone who watches cspan that all of us are already breaking the spirit of the law checking our phones on occasion as we walk off or onto the floor. Those devices are often inseparable from our ability to do our work. We rely on them to do almost everything. Its time to make this common sense change, allowing ipads to be used for speeches as long as theyre laid on the lectern like a paper speech. And the senators could do some work from their desk like early senators had to do. We would listen to more of the speeches and get something done. I do remember when i broughtone. That one up before, it was covered by in 97 i thought it was important that we have that use, and thyme Time Magazine did an article on it. I remember senator mcconnell back to new york, and he got in the cab, and the cab driver said youre that state senator, arent you . The guy said, so when are you going to let the guy from wyoming havete his computer on e floor . [laughter] senator mcconnell said if i lobbied it, it was time to do it but we still havent done it. As we move forward, of course, our country has no shortage of problems we need to address. Some are out of are control, but many are of our own making. If my experience has taught me anything, well never t be ableo tackle these challenges unless we find common areas of agreement first andth work to solve these problems together. I hope everyone listening, especially my colleagues in the senate, remember the core values oi spoke of today; do whats right, do your best, treat others as they wish to be treated. I i trulyel believe that if we adhere to these ideals, the world will be a better place for our children and grandchildren. I want to again thank the people of wyoming for giving me the opportunity to serve them. I also want to thank my colleagues and friends who supported me over the years. I want to thank all the amazing staffzi that ive had over the years in my personal office, in the d. C. Office, in my state offices in wyoming. And my staff on the education, labor and Pensions Committee and on the budget committee. Over the years ive gotten to workbu with incredible staff tht have made it possible to do more than a senator by him or herself could ever do. Thank you for working so hard over the years. Ial want to give i also want to give the most thanks to my if family and all their support, especially for my wife diana. Its been a long journey since i told you, diana, that i was thinking of running for mayor. You supported me more than anyone can truely comprehend truly come from e hend, and in no uncertain terms, i couldnt have done it without you. Its been more than 50 amazing years together, and i am looking forward to our next adventure. Mr. President , i yield the floor. [applause]
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