[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 96 (Friday, July 17, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  TRIBUTE TO JAN MEYERS, RECIPIENT OF 1998 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 16, 1998

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special 
tribute to the Honorable Jan Meyers, a former U.S. Representative and a 
personal mentor, who is the recipient of the 1998 Volunteer of the Year 
award presented by the Volunteer Center of Johnson County, Kansas.
  Ms. Meyers has spent her life volunteering for numerous projects 
aimed at benefiting our community. Her career as a public servant, both 
as an elected official and as a volunteer, has been focused on 
bettering her neighborhood, the nation, and the world.
  Her career started by working on local charitable and civic affairs 
including being an active member of the Overland Park, Kansas, City 
Council for five years. As a pioneer in Bi-State cooperation, Ms. 
Meyers was selected as the first Chair for the Mid-America Regional 
Council (MARC), our bi-state metropolitan planning organization. She 
then was elected to the Kansas Senate where she served for six years. 
In 1984, State Senator Meyers ran for the U.S. House Kansas 3rd 
District and won in a decisive victory. Once her career as an elected 
official began, she championed legislation that was important to her 
district, region, and the nation.
  Congresswoman Meyers succeeded to Chair the House Small Business 
Committee, the first Republican woman to chair a legislative committee 
in the House since 1954. Meyers also served with distinction on the 
International Relations Committee, Economic and Educational 
Opportunities Committee, and the Select Committee on Aging. In 1997, 
she retired from Congress after 13 years of distinguished service. 
Today, Ms. Meyers serves as a board member of the Metcalf Bank, the 
Johnson County Library Foundation, and the Johnson County Community 
College Foundation.
  While in the House, Congresswoman Meyers fought successfully to 
achieve fiscal responsibility. The Concord Coalition rated her in the 
top 10 percent of House members for her votes to cut the budget 
deficit.
  When I arrived in Congress in 1995, I had the honor of serving with 
Congresswoman Meyers on the Small Business Committee, where I looked to 
her as a mentor and friend for guidance of issues facing the Committee 
and the House. She remains a dedicated and respected public figure who 
continues to be a pioneer in business and community activities.
  The business and civic community have honored her with the Golden 
Bulldog Award for her fiscal votes to cut the deficit and eliminate 
wasteful spending, the National Taxpayers' Friend Award for her votes 
to cut spending and her opposition to tax increases, the Guardian of 
Small Business, the Entrepreneur's Perfect Partner Award, and the 
Outstanding Services Award from the Kansas Library Association.
  Before her career as elected official, Ms. Meyers was an original 
board member of the Johnson County Community College Foundation and the 
United Community Services. She also served as a member of the Board of 
the Johnson County Mental Health Association, and President of the 
Shawnee Mission League of Women Voters. Ms. Meyers was a key player in 
developing Overland Park's Legacy of Greenery Committee, and chaired 
the committee to expand and fund a system of streamway parks in Johnson 
County, Kansas.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Honorable Jan 
Meyers as the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year for 1998. It is an 
honor for me to recognize Jan for her hard work and dedication. I wish 
her well in her future endeavors and community activities.

                          ____________________