[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 81 (Friday, June 23, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO BENARD KULIK, SBA'S ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR DISASTER 
                               ASSISTANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN J. LaFALCE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 22, 2000

  Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, all of us who are privileged to serve in 
the House work every day with senior managers in the Executive Branch, 
whether in connection with our oversight responsibilities, or in 
providing constituent services or because of federal offices or 
activities in our districts. Occasionally, we are fortunate enough to 
work with an individual who is so knowledgeable and effective in his or 
her area that it is difficult to imagine anyone else in their position. 
I rise today to report to the House the retirement of such a senior 
executive, Mr. Bernard Kulik, the long-time Associate Administrator for 
Disaster Assistance at the U.S. Small Business Administration.
  Berky, as he is known to his many friends, began his long and 
distinguished career in public service more than forty years ago. After 
serving in the corporate finance division of the Securities and 
Exchange Commission, he joined SBA in 1964. Although Berky has held a 
variety of senior positions at SBA, including Director of Field 
Operations, Associate Administrator for Procurement Assistance, and 
Associate Administrator for the Office of Investment, he is without 
question best known for managing since 1981 the agency's Disaster 
Assistance Program. As Associate Administrator for Disaster Assistance, 
Berky oversees this vital program which provides low-interest loans to 
both individual and business victims of natural and other disasters 
throughout the United States and its possessions. These loans are 
indispensable for the quick recovery of both disaster victims 
themselves and the long-term health of their communities. SBA has 
provided this assistance to homeowners and businesses in virtually 
every state in the Nation and all U.S. possessions.
  Kulik is a native of New York City and holds degrees in economics and 
law from New York University. He is the recipient of numerous 
prestigious awards. He has twice been awarded the rank of Meritorious 
Executive, by President Carter in 1980 and by President Clinton in 
1995. President Bush named him a Distinguished Executive in 1991. Berky 
has also received SBA's Gold Medal for distinguished service.
  My experience in working with Berky and SBA's Disaster Loan Program 
goes back more than twenty years to when the Committee on Small 
Business, on which I served, spearheaded an effort to reorganize the 
program's delivery system and personnel authorities. Later, SBA located 
one of its four nationwide disaster bases or ``Area Offices'' in 
Niagara Falls, where I am proud to say that my constituents continue to 
serve disaster victims not only in their own Northeastern U.S. region, 
but also in other areas throughout the country, backing up their three 
sister offices as needed when unexpected major disasters require quick 
redeployment of resources.
  It is no exaggeration to say that most of us here have experienced 
disasters of one type or another in our districts, and that we know how 
terrible their effects can be on our constituents. Hurricanes, floods, 
fires, tornadoes and other catastrophes strike quickly, often with 
little warning and devastating consequences. No matter how well we 
prepare, there will always be a need for us as a society to help our 
fellow citizens afflicted by disasters. Years ago, we here in Congress 
decided that it was wiser to have government disaster response programs 
ready in advance than to legislate anew with each unpredictable but 
inevitably recurrent catastrophe. Since the late 1970s, we have had 
such authorizations, programs and delivery systems in place before they 
were needed. SBA's Disaster Loan Program has been a key element in our 
response strategy and it has performed extremely well under Berky 
Kulik's leadership.
  I recently wrote Berky that his accomplishments should be a source of 
great pride. He has led SBA's Disaster Loan Program through difficult 
reorganization and development phases, and in doing so has taken an 
inherently unpredictable and difficult to manage program and made it 
one of the best-managed in government. He has brought tremendous 
expertise and professionalism to difficult policy and budget 
deliberations in Washington. He has developed a skilled and dedicated 
management team and a core group of professional disaster specialists. 
But perhaps most important are the extraordinary numbers of people 
whose lives he has touched--during Berky's tenure, literally hundreds 
of thousands of disaster victims have received the help they 
desperately needed to rebuild homes and businesses ravaged by disasters 
of every sort.
  Those of us who have worked closely with Berky on disaster issues 
will certainly miss that professional relationship, but all of us owe 
Berky our gratitude, not only for his efforts on behalf of our 
constituents, but for his exemplary dedication to the highest 
traditions of public service. I ask that all my colleagues join with me 
in wishing Berky the very best in his retirement after his long and 
distinguished career.




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