From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --

The U.S. Senate in a brief session this morning approved a resolution in honor of former Sen. Ted Stevens.

The session began with an invocation by the Senate chaplain, retired Read Adm. Barry Black: "We are diminished by his sudden and unexpected death," Black said.

Stevens, who died in a Monday evening plane crash in Alaska, served for 40 years in the Senate.

Although the Senate is technically on recess until Sept. 13, it reconvened to fix a technical problem in a border security bill and pass the Stevens resolution. Both matters were handled by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"Ted helped secured statehood," Schumer said, "and never stopped fighting."

The resolution was introduced by Stevens' fellow Alaska Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski.