[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 119 (Friday, July 21, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10504-S10505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              APPRECIATION TO THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION

 Mr. JOHNSTON. Mr. President, despite the collapse of efforts 
to enact comprehensive and meaningful regulatory reform, there is 
credit and thanks that are due to many public-spirited organizations 
and individuals who gave selflessly of their time and talent to make S. 
343 a good, strong, credible bill. Perhaps no single professional 
organization did more to help the U.S. Senate in this regard than the 
American Bar Association and the incoming chair of the ABA 
Administrative Law Committee, Mr. Philip J. 

[[Page S10505]]
Harter. Administrative law is nowhere as simple as many would make it 
out to be. In the debate on S. 343, there were many unfortunate 
misstatements and misrepresentations regarding the most basic tenets of 
administrative law. Few persons were more willing to volunteer their 
time as a truth squad on such topics than Phil Harter. He gave days and 
perhaps weeks of pro bono time to educate my staff on the intricacies 
of the topics covered by the bill. He helped many other Senate staff as 
well. Many of the improvements that I was able to suggest to S. 343 
came about as a result of discussions with Mr. Harter and other input 
from members of the ABA Administrative Law Committee. The ABA continued 
to help Senators during the floor debate with a series of letters that 
provided staff and members with neutral, professional peer review of 
the relevant legal issues. When complex issues were under discussion, 
we could generally count on Phil Harter and the ABA's able Washington 
representative, Gary Sellers, to appear in the lobby for consultations 
with whomever was willing to avail themselves of their expertise. S. 
343 was a better bill for their tireless efforts. We owe Phil Harter 
and the ABA a great debt of thanks. My only regret is that their 
efforts did not result in a permanent improvement in our Nation's 
administrative law.


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