NO. 37

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

The Senate assembled at 11:00 A.M., the hour to which it stood adjourned, and was called to order by the ACTING PRESIDENT, Senator MASSEY.

The following remarks by Senator JACKSON were ordered printed in the Journal of February 23, 2021:

Thank you members of the Senate. Yesterday, I was in a conversation with our former colleague and my good dear friend Senator Robert Ford. If you know anything about Senator Ford, you know he loved telling me and other classmates of his what to do. One of the things he said to me yesterday which was actually one of his better ideas -- one of his few better ideas. He says, "Darrell, I think you need to call (and no disrespect but this is what he said), you need to call Luke and the two of you need to introduce a Resolution that honors all of those that have lost their life as a result of COVID." I told Senator Ford that is one of your better ideas. In fact, I said to him that is one of the only better ideas I have heard you give me in the last couple of years. I began to think about it. I began to think about it and it is a wonderful idea. Therefore, Mr. PRESIDENT, members of the Senate, I rise to pay tribute to all of those who have lost their lives as a result of COVID-19. We have now crossed a very sad milestone -- we have lost over 500,000 lives to COVID-19. In South Carolina alone, the numbers are over 4,000, perhaps over 4,700 lives. All of you I am sure know someone who's been touched in a sad way by this awful pandemic.

As it relates to COVID-19, I think it is really important and I hope that all of you will actually sign off on the Senate Resolution that Senator RANKIN and I will present later. Again, on a very personal note, just so you know that COVID touches everyone -- I lost an uncle and five cousins as a result of COVID. I have conducted probably over six different funerals, people who have lost their life from COVID. One of the saddest was a couple of weeks ago. I had to eulogize a pastoral friend of mine who went to a funeral of someone else who had COVID. As a result of that very small funeral, 29 people who were there contracted COVID. This one pastor lost his life as a result of that. My purpose is not to make this partisan. I hope no one here today makes this partisan. That is why Senator RANKIN and I decided to introduce this Resolution.

I do think we should pay tribute to those who have lost their lives. We have lost now as you have heard more people to COVID than we lost in World War I and almost as many as we have lost in World War I and World War II combined. That's the sad commentary. The good news is I do think we are turning the corner. The better news is that I think we can do it even more efficiently and quicker as we continue to work together as we did here in this Body just a couple of weeks ago. So Mr. PRESIDENT, I would like at the appropriate time to have a moment of silence for all of those who have lost their lives as a result of COVID-19 across the Nation, especially here in South Carolina.

At 11:04 A.M., on motion of Senator SCOTT, the Senate adjourned to meet next Tuesday, March 16, 2021, at 12:00 Noon.

This web page was last updated on Friday, March 12, 2021 at 11:03 A.M.