[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 13 (Monday, February 14, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E130-E131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


JOHN V. WELLS, PH.D., DEMOCRATIC STAFF DIRECTOR FOR RAILROAD ISSUES ON 
      THE GROUND TRANSPORTATION SUBCOMMITTEE, TRANSPORTATION AND 
                        INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 14, 2000

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a special member 
of the staff of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
Jack Wells, who is leaving us this week to accept an appointment as 
Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. On behalf 
of the Committee, I am pleased to express our gratitude to Jack for his 
effective and loyal service, and valued friendship.
  Jack has served on the Committee--and its predecessor, the Committee 
on Public Works and Transportation--since 1993, initially as the Staff 
Director of our Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee, and more 
recently as the Democratic Staff Director in charge of railroad issues 
on our Ground Transportation Subcommittee. As our resident expert on 
rail issues, Jack has been indispensable to me and all of the Members 
on our side of the aisle, advising us on rail safety, mergers and 
competition issues, and ensuring the survival of Amtrak's fair 
treatment of employees, and the development of high speed rail. Jack 
has the rare ability to explore problems in great death, while never 
losing sight of the overriding basic issues involved. His briefing 
memos were models of outstanding staff work.
  In the 104th Congress, Jack worked on the Interstate Commerce 
Commission Termination Act of 1995, which abolished the ICC, and the 
Railroad Unemployment Insurance Amendments Act of 1996, which increased 
daily unemployment benefits for railroad workers. In the 105th 
Congress, he worked on the AMTRAK Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 
and the rail title of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st 
Century (TEA-21). During his tenure, he drafted several bills dealing 
with railroad safety, labor and competition.
  Jack Wells, a native of Wilmington, Delaware, received his Bachelors 
Degree from Harvard and Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University. He 
originally came to the Committee from the United States General 
Accounting Office where he was the Assistant Director for Surface 
Transportation Infrastructure Issues. His expertise and reporting at 
GAO involved overall transportation policy, trucking competition and 
deregulation issues, antitrust and science technology policy, and 
general economics issues.
  Of direct interest to our Committee, Jack did a lot of the leading 
studies and analysis on airline deregulation and airline HUB issues. 
GAO routinely recognized Jack's abilities with meritorious service and 
outstanding performance awards. I remember reviewing Jack's

[[Page E131]]

resume which covered six pages--he did indeed need that much room just 
to get everything in--and being truly impressed with the multitude of 
official reports and publications Jack produced--extraordinary 
diversity that made him a perfect candidate to head up the Committee's 
investigations and oversight activities. Also, he has a wide range of 
teaching experience at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
  While carrying out his heavy congressional workload, Jack has also 
been actively involved in his community as a PTA treasurer, and a 
member of the Victorian Lyric Opera Company, and has supported his 
daughters' athletic activities. Jack has such a breadth of experience 
that the label ``Jack-of-all-trades'' aptly applies.
  I join with Jack's many friends in wishing him, his lovely wife Heidi 
Hartman, and daughters Katharine, Laura and Jessica, all the best. 
Jack, Godspeed and success in your career pursuits.

                          ____________________