ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: and i ask unanimous consent that i be permitted to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: madam president, i am about to pay tribute to one of our colleagues, saxby chambliss, and i would ask unanimous consent that my remarks be included in the tribute book that will be compiled for him. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, it's a great pleasure but a bittersweet moment for me to rise on the senate floor to pay tribute to a dear friend and an esteemed colleague, senator saxby chambliss. after 20 years in congress, eight in the house and 12 here in the senate, senator cham bhis re--- senator chambliss retires from his service to georgia and tower nation with a well-deserved reputation as a true statesman. at a time when the

ms. collins: mr. president, are we in morning business? the presiding officer: we are. ms. collins: mr. president, i ask that i be permitted to proceed for not longer than five minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i'm pleased to rise to give a tribute to senator pryor, whose remarks we have just heard. through nearly a quarter of a century of dedicated public service, senator mark pryor has established a strong reputation as a voice of reason. from an arkansas legislator and attorney general to a united states senator, senator pryor has always put the people first. to me, he has been an admired colleague, a great clb rarit --t collaborator and a treasured friend. working with senator pryor during his service in the senate, i know that he acquired his voice of reason the old-fashioned way -- he is such a good listener. you know, all of us are pretty good talkers or we wouldn't be here, but senator pryor has the distinction of being a good listener. whether debating colleagues on the senate floor or interacting with his g

ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. when senator mike johanns stated in february of last year that he had decided not to seek a second term in the senate, he did so in a way that revealed so much about his character. there was no dramatic press conference. there were no weeks of rumors. there were no guessing games. instead, there was just a simple and brief press release. then the very next day it was back to work for senator johanns, traveling throughout the state of nebraska for a series of town hall meetings with the people that he is honored to serve. nine months later, in october of 2013, his character again shone through. the federal government was shut down due to a massive failure to govern responsibly. it was stifling our economy and causing great harm to the trust the american people deserve to have in their government. as a key member of our commonsense coalition, senator johanns worked effectively and quietly to restore government operations and to restore citizen trust in government. again, no d

ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. during his 36 years representing michigan in the united states senate, senator carl levin's character and expertise have been described in many ways. he has been named as one of -- by "time" magazine as one of the 10 best senators. he has been hailed by our military as a leader on national security. he is recognized by families in michigan and throughout our country as a dedicated champion for economic opportunity and fairness. but perhaps the best description of senator levin's philosophy of public service is a word that he himself used in an interview for the george mitchell oral history project at boden college in maine. that word is "fiduciary." it is a word that embraces the concepts of trust and confiden confidence, of ethics and responsibility. in that interview, senator levin elaborated on what the word means to him as a public serva servant. he said it meant to be accessible and open, to listen to other points of views and to be well informed. then when it is time to decide,

ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. when senator mike johanns stated in february of last year that he had decided not to seek a second term in the senate, he did so in a way that revealed so much about his character. there was no dramatic press conference. there were no weeks of rumors. there were no guessing games. instead, there was just a simple and brief press release. then the very next day it was back to work for senator johanns, traveling throughout the state of nebraska for a series of town hall meetings with the people that he is honored to serve. nine months later, in october of 2013, his character again shone through. the federal government was shut down due to a massive failure to govern responsibly. it was stifling our economy and causing great harm to the trust the american people deserve to have in their government. as a key member of our commonsense coalition, senator johanns worked effectively and quietly to restore government operations and to restore citizen trust in government. again, no d