Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) will be honored for her bipartisan leadership by the Panetta Institute at its sixth annual Jefferson-Lincoln awards this Saturday evening. The event is being held at the Inn at Spanish Bay. More information about Saturday's dinner is available at (831) 582-4200.

“Many years ago I learned that some problems take conservative solutions, and some problems take progressive solutions, and that a decision-maker listens to both sides and then makes a decision and moves on. I also came to believe in diverse cities and states -- or nations for that matter -- that the center of the political spectrum can be the best place to govern from. I found this very true in my nine years as Mayor of San Francisco – perhaps one of the America’s most diverse cities. And I find this true today.”

“Let me thank Leon and Sylvia Panetta, and the Panetta institute for this recognition. I am honored by it, and I will continue to work to find bipartisan solutions for the challenges facing California and this nation.”

Senator Feinstein has a proven track record of reaching across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions to difficult problems. Among her bipartisan successes include:

• Calfed Legislation – Authorizing $395 million for a balanced program to increase California's water supply, reliability and quality and help restore sensitive water ecosystems.

• Healthy ForestsLegislation – Reducing the risk of catastrophic fire in our forests by expediting the thinning of hazardous fuels and providing the first legal protection for old-growth forests in our nation's history.

• Lake Tahoe Restoration Act– Preserving and restoring this treasured natural resource by authorizing $300 million in federal funds over 10 years to match investments by the States of California and Nevada and local authorities.  

• Border Security and Visa Entry Reform – Helping prevent terrorists from entering the United States through loopholes in our immigration system.

• Crime Victims Rights – Giving victims of violent crime a core set of procedural rights under federal law and ensuring that they have standing to assert their rights before a court.

In the 109 th Congress, Senator Feinstein continues this effort. She has introduced the following bills on a bipartisan basis.

• Stem Cell Research EnhancementAct – Specter/Harkin/Hatch/Feinstein/Kennedy
• Human Cloning Ban Act– Feinstein/Hatch
• Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization – Feinstein/Hutchison
• Combat Meth Act – Talent/Feinstein
• Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act – Feinstein/Hatch
• Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act – Feinstein/Warner/Schumer/DeWine
• Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act – Feinstein/Kyl
• Social Security Number Misuse Prevention Act – Feinstein/Gregg
• Unaccompanied Alien Children – Feinstein/Brownback
• Risk-Based Port Security Funding – Feinstein/Cornyn
• Loan Forgiveness for Head Start Teachers Act – Feinstein/Voinovich
• State Criminal Alien Assistance Program Reauthorization Act – Feinstein/Kyl
• Fraudulent Passports – Feinstein/Sessions
• HOV -lane exemptions – Feinstein/Allen
• SUV Loophole – Feinstein/Snowe
• Family Abduction Prevention Act – Feinstein/Hutchison
• Title I Integrity Act – Feinstein/Ensign
• Public Lands Corps Healthy Forests RestorationAct – Feinstein/Domenici
• San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act – Feinstein/Ensign  

Also being honored at the event are Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

“Let me extend my best wishes to tonight’s other honorees, my colleagues and friends -- Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman -- one of the great teams working in Washington today,” Senator Feinstein said. “They have a strong relationship as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. They put partisanship aside. And they work for the national interest. The way they work together should be a model for all other chairmen and ranking members to follow.”

The award winners were picked by a national committee composed of former Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee, former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton of Indiana and Panetta, a former Monterey congressman and White House chief of staff.