[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 38 (Friday, March 21, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S2756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RETIREMENT OF BILL BREW

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to note the impending 
retirement of Mr. William E. Brew, who currently serves as the minority 
general counsel of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. As of April 
4, his retirement date, Bill will have served 19 years and 1 day as a 
loyal and dedicated staff member of the U.S. Senate.
  A veteran of the Vietnam war, Bill has held increasingly important 
positions of responsibility on the staff of the Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committee. Since he was hired by Senator Alan Cranston in 1978, 
Bill has served as associate counsel, associate general counsel, 
minority counsel, deputy general counsel, general counsel, and most 
recently, minority general counsel to the committee.
  Through the many political changeovers in the administration and 
Congress in his nearly two decades on Capitol Hill, Bill provided 
institutional continuity, serving as a source of reliable information 
and wise advice on legislation, policy, and procedure for Members of 
both parties.
  Bill was closely involved in developing all of the major veterans 
initiatives that were enacted by Congress during this period. Among his 
major accomplishments are legislation relating to agent orange 
compensation, establishment of judicial review of veterans claims, 
establishment of the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals, and creation of 
programs relating to the readjustment needs of Vietnam and post-Vietnam 
veterans.
  In addition to these special accomplishments, Bill worked hard to 
become the Senate's foremost authority on veterans health care matters. 
He served as an invaluable resource to members of the committee on the 
medical needs of the diverse, 27 million-strong veterans population as 
well as on the legal, administrative, and structural nuances of the 
hundreds of Department of Veterans Affairs' hospitals, outpatient 
clinics, nursing homes, and domiciliaries.
  Bill is well known for his logical, analytical, and deliberative 
mind. His patience and fairness are legendary, and few have been as 
adept at working in the heated, give-and-take atmosphere of the 
legislative process. His adherence to the very highest personal and 
professional standards has been a credit to the U.S. Senate. In short, 
Bill has been the veteran's veteran, that special individual whom 
Senators, professional staffers, administration officials, and veterans 
advocates have trusted to render an objective assessment on any 
particular veterans issue or to undertake any worthy cause in behalf of 
those who served.
  Mr. President, I believe that I have a special insight into the 
qualities of this outstanding individual. In the days and months 
immediately following my appointment to the U.S. Senate in 1990, Bill 
Brew was one of the experienced hands who helped indoctrinate me in the 
complexities of veterans policy and the doings of the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee. Since then, I and my staff have relied on him for advice on 
issues major and minor. Whatever success I have had in the way of 
veterans legislation is in great measure due to his assistance.
  Indeed, no one worked longer or harder to improve the condition of 
Hawaii's 120,000 veterans than Bill Brew. It was his experience and 
energy that fueled a series of committee investigations revealing VA's 
historical neglect of the Aloha State's veterans. As a consequence of 
these inquiries, VA established four new primary care clinics and 
readjustment counseling centers in Hawaii; tripled the size of the 
Honolulu outpatient clinic; began preparations to construct a VA 
medical center on Oahu; and, established a unique residential treatment 
center for Pacific-area veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress 
disorder.
  So, Mr. President, it is with great reluctance that I extend Bill a 
fond farewell. I offer him my deep gratitude for the service he has 
rendered me and other members of this body over the last two decades. 
No one has worked harder to advance the public interest than this 
stellar public servant. I wish him well in all his future 
endeavors.

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