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A resolution honoring the life and achievements of former United States Senator Paul Spyros Sarbanes and expressing condolences to the family of Paul Spyros Sarbanes on his passing.
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III
116TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
S. RES. 797
Honoring the life and achievements of former United States Senator Paul
Spyros Sarbanes and expressing condolences to the family of Paul Spyros
Sarbanes on his passing.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
DECEMBER 8, 2020
Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MCCONNELL, Mr. SCHUMER,
Mr. ALEXANDER, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. BENNET, Mrs.
BLACKBURN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BOOZ-
MAN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. BROWN, Mr. BURR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. CAPITO,
Mr. CARPER, Mr. CASEY, Mr. CASSIDY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, Mr.
CORNYN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. COTTON, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. CRAPO,
Mr. CRUZ, Mr. DAINES, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. ENZI, Ms.
ERNST, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. GARDNER, Mrs. GILLI-
BRAND, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HASSAN, Mr.
HAWLEY, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH,
Mr. INHOFE, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. JONES, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KELLY, Mr.
KENNEDY, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. LEAHY, Mr.
LEE, Mrs. LOEFFLER, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr.
MERKLEY, Mr. MORAN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. MURPHY, Mrs. MURRAY,
Mr. PAUL, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. REED, Mr.
RISCH, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. ROMNEY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr.
RUBIO, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SASSE, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. SCOTT of Florida,
Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SHELBY, Ms.
SINEMA, Ms. SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. TESTER, Mr.
THUNE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. UDALL, Mr. WARNER, Ms. WAR-
REN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. YOUNG)
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and achievements of former United States
Senator Paul Spyros Sarbanes and expressing condo-
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•SRES 797 ATS
lences to the family of Paul Spyros Sarbanes on his
passing.
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was born on February 3,
1933, in Salisbury, Maryland, to Matina and Spyros P.
Sarbanes, who had emigrated from Laconia, Greece;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes graduated from Wicomico
High School and earned a full scholarship and a bach-
elor’s degree from the School of Public and International
Affairs at Princeton University in 1954;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes earned a Rhodes Scholarship
and graduated from Balliol College of the University of
Oxford with a First Class degree in 1957, and then grad-
uated from Harvard Law School in 1960;
Whereas, in 1960, Paul Spyros Sarbanes married his wife,
Christine Dunbar, who was his partner in all his endeav-
ors, in addition to being a wonderful teacher of the
classics, Latin, Greek, and French, an avid reader, and
a volunteer with the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Wal-
ters Art Museum, and the Baltimore Volunteer Groups to
the United States Fund for UNICEF;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes and his late wife Christine
have—
(1) 3 children, John, Michael, and Janet; and
(2) 7 grandchildren;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes drew inspiration and passion
for public service from the ancient Greeks, who said,
‘‘those who lived only in private life were falling short’’;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a member of the Greek
Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore,
Maryland, and held the highest lay office of the Church,
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•SRES 797 ATS
‘‘Order of St. Andrew, Archon of the Ecumenical Patri-
archate’’;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the Maryland
House of Delegates in 1966;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the United
States House of Representatives in 1970, and in 1974,
he introduced the first articles of impeachment against
President Richard Nixon for obstruction of justice;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the United
States Senate in 1976, and served on the Committees on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Foreign Relations,
and Budget of the Senate, and the Joint Economic Com-
mittee;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes’s long-time partner in the
Senate, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, jokingly
referred to them as ‘‘diner Democrats’’ in recognition of
his parents, who owned a restaurant, and hers, who
owned a grocery store, and their dedication to the every-
day concerns of Marylanders and the people of the
United States;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes developed a reputation for
honesty, intellect, and integrity, working cooperatively
with his colleagues and preferring results over credit;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes had a deep understanding of
economic issues, honed as an aide to Walter Heller on
President John F. Kennedy’s Council of Economic Advi-
sors, and was a leader on critical financial issues includ-
ing the Community Reinvestment Act, affordable hous-
ing, and anti-money laundering efforts;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes served as Chairman of the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of
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•SRES 797 ATS
the Senate and wrote the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,
which passed the Senate unanimously, to reform and
strengthen oversight of corporate governance and the ac-
counting industry in the wake of the Enron scandal;
Whereas President George W. Bush said the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 included ‘‘the most far-reaching reforms of
American business practices since the time of Franklin
Delano Roosevelt’’ and President Barack Obama called it
‘‘a towering achievement that will strengthen the Amer-
ican economy for many years to come’’;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a champion of the Chesa-
peake Bay, working to improve access through the Chesa-
peake Gateways and Watertrails Program and the Cap-
tain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and
to improve the health of the Bay with the Chesapeake
Restoration Act, oyster restoration, and the Poplar Is-
land project;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes had a reputation as a man
of deep principle, which led to his inclusion in the im-
peachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon
and the investigations into Iran Contra and Whitewater;
Whereas journalist and author Elizabeth Drew, writing about
Watergate, wrote of Paul Spyros Sarbanes, ‘‘History and
process lift people, and they have lifted this group—and
given the public a chance to see it. Paul Sarbanes would
not have looked at all bad at the Constitutional Conven-
tion; he might have been one of the great ones’’;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was committed to the United
States’ leadership in the world, sought peaceful engage-
ment with our allies, played a key role in the ratification
of the Panama Canal treaties and anti-apartheid laws,
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and voted against the authorization of use of military
force in Iraq in 2003;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes received numerous awards for
his time in service, including the Paul H. Douglas Ethics
in Government Award, the Rolfe Award for Extraor-
dinary Impact on Policy in Economics, Business, and Fi-
nance, and the Cox, Coleman, Richardson Award for Dis-
tinguished Public Service;
Whereas, in his farewell speech to the Senate, Paul Spyros
Sarbanes said, ‘‘Throughout my years in public service,
I have worked to the limits of my ability to provide the
people of Maryland and the Nation dedicated, informed,
and independent representation based on the funda-
mental principles of integrity and intelligence. I have
been guided in this effort by a vision of a decent and just
America, based on a strong sense of community and of-
fering fairness and opportunity to all its people’’;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes continued in his farewell
speech that ‘‘Service in this body has reinforced, many
times over, my understanding and commitment to the in-
stitutions upon which our system of democratic govern-
ance critically depends’’ and ‘‘So long as the vision of
America’s promise continues to shine brightly in this
body, I have every confidence that our Nation will prevail
in the face of great challenges and that its future will be
assured’’;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was the longest-serving Sen-
ator from the State of Maryland when he retired in 2006;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes served as a mentor and friend
to his colleagues and the dedicated staff in his offices on
Capitol Hill and in the State of Maryland;
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Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes will be remembered for—
(1) his intellect, understanding of issues, and inci-
sive questioning of witnesses before his committees;
(2) the trust he built and wisdom and counsel he
shared with his colleagues; and
(3) his unwavering commitment to the people of the
United States, and especially the people he served in
Maryland; and
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a loving husband, father,
grandfather, and son who passed away on December 6,
2020, at the age of 87: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That—
1
(1) the Senate—
2
(A) has heard with profound sorrow and
3
deep regret the announcement of the death of
4
the Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes, former
5
member of the United States Senate;
6
(B) recognizes the life and achievements of
7
the Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes;
8
(C) expresses condolences to the family of
9
the Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes on his
10
passing; and
11
(D) respectfully requests that the Sec-
12
retary of the Senate—
13
(i) communicate this resolution to the
14
House of Representatives; and
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(ii) transmit an enrolled copy of this
1
resolution to the family of the Honorable
2
Paul Spyros Sarbanes; and
3
(2) when the Senate adjourns today, it stand
4
adjourned as a further mark of respect to the mem-
5
ory of the Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes.
6
Æ
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