[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 137 (Tuesday, September 27, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    HONORING CHAIRMAN TIM VALENTINE

                                 ______


                            HON. TIM ROEMER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 27, 1994

  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, in the waning hours of the 103d Congress, it 
is appropriate to note that several departures from this body will 
leave the House without some of its heroes.
  Today, I want to take just a moment to recognize one of my heroes, 
Congressman Tim Valentine. In my short career here in the House, I have 
had the good fortune to serve on the Technology, Environment and 
Aviation Subcommittee of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, 
which Mr. Valentine chairs.
  This panel has conducted an extraordinary amount of quality work, and 
it has been an honor to be a part of these efforts. Chairman Valentine 
has led us through a complicated and important agenda that features 
lasting developments in U.S. competitiveness, urgent investment in 
airline safety research, timely investment in environmentally friendly 
technology, and the ability of our Nation to commercialize cutting-edge 
technology.
  Mr. Speaker, this is just a snapshot of the many efforts and 
accomplishments Chairman Valentine has staked out for our panel. He is 
not one who comfortably basks in compliments, but I want the public to 
know that he is leaving a great hole in the fabric of congressional 
talent by his departure.
  Chairman Tim Valentine is often heard to protest that he is just ``a 
simple country lawyer,'' and that he may be. But he is also a shrewd 
and effective planner for the Nation's competitive future, and he has 
earnestly sought to guide judicious investments of our Nation's 
resources toward a productive and prosperous future.
  He is probably as surprised as anyone to learn that he is one of 
Congress' leading environmentalists, a designation he deserves for 
laying the tracks for private investment in important, new green 
technologies. And we may not realize it yet, but the competitiveness 
bill that we have been working on for over 3 years, and which will 
become law in the foreseeable future, will be recognized years from now 
as one of the most landmark pieces of legislation produce by this 
Congress in recent memory.
  Mr. Speaker, we are losing a great leader in the departure of 
Chairman Valentine. He deserves to go back to a simpler life and enjoy 
the company of his friends and family. He certainly leaves Congress the 
better for his having served here. But we will miss him, as friend, as 
colleague, and as mentor.
  I am please to add these words today in tribute to Tim Valentine, and 
I know all my colleagues join me in wishing the very best to him and 
his family.

                          ____________________