[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 105 (Wednesday, July 23, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E1486]]



           RECOGNITION OF PUBLIC SERVICE OF DR. THOMAS LARSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BUD SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 23, 1997

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank Dr. Thomas Larson for the 
vital contributions he has made to our Nation's transportation policy, 
most recently in the field of rail passenger transportation. Dr. Larson 
has had a long and distinguished career in transportation policy, 
including outstanding performance as the Secretary of Transportation of 
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and as administrator of the Federal 
Highway Administration under President Bush. In these earlier 
positions, Dr. Larson demonstrated broad expertise, an impressive 
ability to bring together people and organizations with different 
views, and a tireless dedication to achieving a sound, balanced, and 
steady national transportation policy.
  Earlier this year, knowing of Dr. Larson's outstanding credentials 
and record, I asked him to be the coordinator who would head the all-
volunteer Inter-City Rail Working Group established by the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to recommend policies to 
address the current critical situation and near-bankruptcy of Amtrak.
  As he always does, Tom approached this task with boundless zeal and 
determination. Like the other working group members, Tom served without 
any compensation and traveled to all working group meetings at his own 
expense. He met with the other 12 members of the working group, who 
represented both political parties and a wide range of transportation 
expertise--finance, rail operations, passenger service, labor 
relations, and more. Getting these people from various parts of the 
country together for discussions and deliberations was no easy task in 
itself. But Tom also managed to guide the discussions so effectively 
that the working group was able to coalesce around a single package of 
policy recommendations on an 11 to 2 vote. I consider this an 
outstanding accomplishment, but for Tom Larson, it is par for the 
course.
  Tom has continued to assist the Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee as we work to forge new legislation not only to reform inter-
city rail passenger service, but also to fashion the bill that will 
reauthorize the many surface transportation programs under the 
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act [ISTEA]. His counsel 
has been especially valuable, since Tom was the Federal Highway 
Administrator at the time Congress wrote the book in the original 1991 
ISTEA legislation.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I want to convey my heartfelt thanks and 
those of my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee to Dr. Tom Larson for his wise and valuable counsel and 
assistance. We do not yet know whether inter-city rail passenger 
service can be successfully reformed without the chaos of an Amtrak 
bankruptcy, but Tom and his colleagues have given us a much better 
framework for approaching this task as a result of their selfless 
public service. I can think of no better model or epitome of true 
public service than the career of Dr. Tom Larson.

                          ____________________