A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 755 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 755

   Honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former 
                   Senator for the State of Michigan.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 1, 2026

   Mr. Peters (for himself, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Thune, Mr. Schumer, Ms. 
 Alsobrooks, Mr. Armstrong, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Banks, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. 
   Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. 
 Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Budd, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, 
Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. 
 Cotton, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Daines, Ms. 
  Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Fetterman, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. 
 Gallego, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, Ms. 
  Hassan, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
  Hoeven, Mr. Husted, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Justice, Mr. 
 Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kim, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
Lankford, Mr. Lee, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Mr. 
   McConnell, Mr. McCormick, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Moody, Mr. Moran, Mr. 
    Moreno, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. 
 Padilla, Mr. Paul, Mr. Reed, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Risch, Ms. Rosen, Mr. 
Rounds, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Scott of 
  Florida, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Sheehy, Ms. 
 Smith, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
Warner, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, 
Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former 
                   Senator for the State of Michigan.

Whereas Donald W. Riegle, Jr., honorably served the people of Michigan and the 
        United States over a public career spanning nearly 3 decades;
Whereas Senator Riegle was born on February 4, 1938, in Flint, Michigan, and was 
        1 of 3 children of Dorothy Grace Riegle and Donald Wayne Riegle, who 
        owned a printing business and was a mayor of Flint;
Whereas Senator Riegle was a graduate of Flint Central High School, attended 
        Flint Junior College and Western Michigan University, and graduated with 
        a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics from the 
        University of Michigan-Flint in 1960;
Whereas Senator Riegle received a Master of Business Administration in finance 
        from Michigan State University in 1961 and went on to pursue doctoral 
        studies in business and government relations at Harvard Business School 
        while working as a financial analyst at IBM;
Whereas Senator Riegle also served as a faculty member, teaching at Michigan 
        State University, Boston University, and Harvard University before 
        running for Congress;
Whereas Senator Riegle was first elected to the United States House of 
        Representatives in 1966 at the age of 28, when he ran as a Republican in 
        the traditionally Democratic 7th Congressional District of Michigan, and 
        represented the District as a Republican from 1967 to 1973;
Whereas, having grown increasingly disenchanted with President Richard M. Nixon 
        over the Vietnam War, civil rights, and other issues, Senator Riegle 
        switched parties and represented the 7th Congressional District of 
        Michigan as a member of the Democratic Party from 1973 to 1977;
Whereas, while in the House of Representatives, Senator Riegle was one of the 
        co-sponsors of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691 et 
        seq.), which outlaws discrimination on the basis of sex or marital 
        status in granting credit and was signed into law by President Gerald 
        Ford on October 28 1974;
Whereas Senator Riegle was elected to the United States Senate in 1976 and 
        served 3 terms, from 1977 to 1995;
Whereas Senator Riegle served as Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
        and Urban Affairs of the Senate, where he played a leading role in 
        shaping national policy on financial institutions, housing, and economic 
        development, including the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory 
        Improvement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-325; 108 Stat. 2160) that--

    (1) established the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 
to seed and support financial institutions dedicated to supporting 
community development;

    (2) increased consumer protections for high rate home equity loans;

    (3) increased credit availability to small businesses;

    (4) streamlined the regulation of depository institutions; and

    (5) reformed the National Flood Insurance Program;

Whereas Senator Riegle also served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health for 
        Families and the Uninsured of the Committee on Finance of the Senate and 
        brought attention to, and encouraged policy discussion of, the growing 
        number of people of the United States without health insurance due to 
        rising costs, job loss, and gaps in employer-based coverage;
Whereas Senator Riegle was a steadfast advocate for Michigan's manufacturing 
        economy, took a lead role in passing legislation to rescue the Chrysler 
        Corporation from bankruptcy in 1979, and steadfastly championed issues 
        in support of working families and the revitalization of communities 
        across the State;
Whereas Senator Riegle led an investigation into the illnesses being experienced 
        by veterans of the Gulf War and in 1994 released The Riegle Report to 
        the United States Senate, which concluded that United States Gulf War 
        veterans were likely exposed to low-level chemical and biological agents 
        and called for further Government investigation into, and recourse for, 
        war veterans suffering from Gulf War syndrome;
Whereas Senator Riegle was known for his independence, integrity, and 
        willingness to work across party lines in the interest of the people of 
        the United States;
Whereas, after leaving public office, Senator Riegle continued to contribute to 
        public life through his work in academia, policy, and civic engagement;
Whereas Donald W. Riegle, Jr., passed away on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the age 
        of 88, leaving behind a legacy of dedicated public service and 
        commitment to the people of Michigan and the United States;
Whereas Senator Riegle is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Lori Hansen 
        Riegle, 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandson; and
Whereas Senator Riegle is remembered by his family, friends, former colleagues, 
        and all those who benefited from his leadership and service: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the 
        announcement of the death of Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former 
        member of the Senate;
            (2) honors the life and legacy of former United States 
        Senator Donald W. Riegle, Jr., for his decades of service to 
        the State of Michigan and the United States, and expresses its 
        deep condolences to his family and loved ones;
            (3) directs the Secretary of the Senate to communicate this 
        resolution to the House of Representatives and transmit an 
        enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of Donald W. 
        Riegle, Jr.; and
            (4) when the Senate adjourns on the date of the adoption of 
        this resolution, the Senate stands adjourned as a further mark 
        of respect to the memory of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr.
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