[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING CONGRESSMAN STEVE SCHIFF

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I learned this 
evening of the death of my friend, my congressional classmate, and my 
colleague, Steve Schiff. His family and close friends in New Mexico and 
across the country are certainly all in our prayers.
  Mr. Speaker, I wanted to speak briefly about this. I was not able to 
be here during the memorial resolution because of the duties of the 
Committee on Rules. I think it is important that those of us who knew 
Steve well have an opportunity to reflect, even briefly.
  Steve possessed a trait in Washington that is all too rare. His word 
was simply as good as gold. He was certainly one of the most 
conscientious Members I have every worked with. He was responsible, 
hardworking, and I think he made an extraordinary contribution to every 
project that he participated in.
  I know he was very well regarded by his colleagues. That was 
certainly one of the reasons why he was asked to take on the difficult 
services of a job in the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, a 
responsibility that I shared with him during one of perhaps the most 
tumultuous episodes in this House's recent history.
  In his work of the House to resolve what I would call difficult and 
sensitive matters, Steve proved to have necessary skills: experience, 
judgment, guidance, a good shoulder to lean on, a lot of rational 
demeanor, and above all, principles, very solid principles that never 
moved, the principles that got the job done.

                              {time}  1900

  He was the right person in the right place at the right time for this 
House, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude and thanks for that very 
difficult assignment.
  It turned out that Steve's work on the Ethics Committee, ironically 
was one of his last high-profile accomplishments in Washington. And it 
was not something that he or any of us particularly enjoyed. It was a 
duty, as with all his duties, that he discharged with integrity and 
accountability. I will say that he was an inspiration for all of us 
during those long and frustrating hours and days and weeks. And it was 
a time, incidentally, when he was sick and we did not know it.
  And all through that period this was true. For his entire public 
service career, Steve ably and thoughtfully represented the people of 
New Mexico's First Congressional District. It is quite a record and a 
great legacy.
  I am honored to have served with Steve. I will miss him. I extend my 
deepest sympathy to his family.

                          ____________________