[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO BILL SHIELDS FOR HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE CONGRESS 
                             AND THE NATION

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is a privilege to pay tribute to Bill 
Shields of the Department of Defense, who is retiring after two decades 
of impressive service to the Nation. He is an outstanding attorney 
whose intellectual skills and dedication have helped to maintain and 
improve our country's military.
  Bill is a native of Buffalo, New York. He received his BA and JD 
degrees from the University of Buffalo, and a L.LM from the National 
Law Center at George Washington University.
  Bill then served in a number of legal positions in the Department of 
Defense, including assistant in charge of a legal office in Florida, 
counsel for an air station in Maine, and international law attorney in 
Japan.
  I first met Bill in 1987, when he joined my staff as a Congressional 
Fellow with the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. As 
Chairman of that Committee I was extremely impressed with Bill's work 
on the Polygraph Protection Act and the Minimum Wage Act. He spent 
endless hours researching these issues, drafting the statutory 
language, and preparing witnesses and Senators for hearings. His 
efforts were indispensable in obtaining enactment of those two critical 
pieces of legislation.
  After leaving the Committee, Bill served as Deputy Assistant for 
Civil Affairs and as Deputy Director of the Appellate Government 
Division in the Department of the Navy, and excelled in both 
assignments.
  In 1993, he became Legislative Counsel in the Secretary of the Navy's 
Office of Legislative Affairs. In that position, he worked closely with 
us on the Senate Armed Services Committee on key issues such as 
acquisition reform, the A-12 aircraft contract termination, and the 
Seawolf submarine.
  In 1994, Bill was appointed as Counsel and Special Assistant for 
Legislative Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In that 
position, he has been deeply involved in issues such as research and 
development, test and evaluation, acquisition policy, major weapons 
systems, and intelligence. Bill was primary liaison with Congress for 
the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, the 
Director of Defense Research and Engineering, the Director of Test 
Systems Engineering and Evaluation and the Director of the Defense 
Advanced Research Projects Agency.
  In this capacity, Bill worked with Senators and staff on a daily 
basis to ensure the effective use of scarce defense resources during a 
period of major defense restructuring. He was responsible for 
overseeing the authorization of $67 billion of the annual DOD budget 
for such projects as the F/A-18, F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter 
aircraft, the New Attack Submarine, the Commanche helicopter, numerous 
medical research projects and the Technology Reinvestment Program. On 
all of these issues, Bill's leadership, intelligence, and integrity 
have contributed significantly to the readiness and ability of our 
troops in the field.
  Congress and the nation owe a debt of gratitude to Bill Shields. His 
skillful leadership will continue to have a lasting impact on our 
national security for years to come. It has been an honor to be 
associated with this exceptional public servant. His distinguished 
service will genuinely be missed, both in the Pentagon and in Congress.
  All of us who know Bill are grateful for his leadership and his 
friendship. We wish him every success in his new position as General 
Counsel for the American College of Radiology. We know that his wife 
Maryann, and his three children, Andrew, Molly and Brian, are proud of 
him as he reaches this special milestone, and all of us in Congress are 
proud of him too.

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