[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 118 (Thursday, September 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COLLEAGUES PRAISE CHAIRMAN SHUSTER'S LEADERSHIP AT TRANSPORTATION 
                             COMMITTEE HELM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2000

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the 
greatest committee chairmen we have seen during the past few years in 
the House. He has served in the House of Representatives for 28 years, 
6 of those as Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee, the largest and most productive committee in the Congress.
  Following the committee's final full committee meeting Wednesday of 
this week, my colleagues and I surprised Chairman Shuster with the 
presentation of a plaque to him commemorating his achievements as 
Chairman.
  During that presentation and speaking on behalf of Committee 
Democrats, Ranking Member Jim Oberstar (D-MN) said:

       Mr. Chairman, a few short moments ago we passed a bill 
     designating a courthouse for President Theodore Roosevelt.
       I quote Roosevelt's ``The Man in the Arena'' speech:
       ``It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points 
     out how other strong men stumbled or how the doer of deeds 
     could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is 
     actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat 
     and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short 
     again, and again, because there is no effort without some 
     error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasm, the 
     great devotion, who, spends himself for a worthy cause; who 
     at best, knows in the end the triumph of the high 
     achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he 
     fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be 
     with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor 
     defeat.''
       Mr. Chairman, you are a man in the arena--and your 
     achievements as Chairman speak for themselves. Everyone in 
     this room knows the enormous accomplishments of TEA 21, AIR 
     21, and trust fund firewalls. Some may not know the 
     ``smaller'' accomplishments that do not get the headlines--
     such as reauthorization of the Economic Development 
     Administration and the Appalachian Regional Commission--
     ``little'' programs that make a real difference in the lives 
     of our people. We all serve on this Committee because we 
     believe that its transportation, infrastructure, and 
     environmental programs make a real difference in our 
     constituents', and all American's lives.
       Mr. Chairman, part of the joy of serving on this Committee 
     is the way in which we work together to develop bipartisan 
     bills. In this Congress, the Committee has: Held 114 
     hearings; reported 98 bills, 30 percent of bills reported by 
     all Committees in the House (325); passed 92 bills, 22 
     percent of all bills passed by the House (427); and 30 
     Transportation Committee bills have become law, 11 percent of 
     all public laws enacted in the 106th Congress (269).
       And that is the record only so far--I can say with 
     confidence that many more Transportation Committee bills will 
     become law before the 106th Congress adjourns.
       Mr. Chairman, we, as a Committee, have worked 
     extraordinarily well over the last 6 years under your 
     leadership. We do not know what the elections hold this 
     November and I am not here to predict. However, under current 
     House Rules, you will be unable to chair the Committee in the 
     107th Congress. I did not want this opportunity to pass 
     without recognizing your effective bipartisan leadership of 
     this Committee.
       On behalf of our Committee's Democrats and particularly 
     myself, I present you with a plaque to commemorate your 
     chairmanship. For the 104th and 105th Congresses, it lists 
     the number of hearings held, Committee bills passed by the 
     House of Representatives, and bills that have become law. It 
     has a spot for the 106th Congress; we will fill that in when 
     we have completed our work.
       It also has a gavel--a gavel that you have wielded so well 
     for these 6 years. Congratulations, Mr. Chairman.

  In addition to Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Thomas Petri (R-WI), Chairman of the 
Ground Transportation Subcommittee, said, ``Chairman Shuster's historic 
leadership deservedly has been recognized by the prestigious 
Congressional Quarterly which named him one of the five top 
`Legislative Drivers' in the Congress, (the other four being U.S. 
Senators), and the National Journal recently reported that `Shuster has 
chalked up a remarkable record. Not surprisingly, his colleagues regard 
him as one of the last great chairmen on Capitol Hill.' We all salute 
Chairman Shuster for his extraordinary accomplishments. This has been 
the 6 most productive years in the Committee's history.''
  I have said many times that if a young Member of Congress wanted to 
see how to get things accomplished in the Congress, he should follow 
Chairman Bud Shuster for awhile.
  Chairman Shuster is respected by everyone, on both sides of the 
aisle, and staff as well as Members.
  Chairman Shuster has spent his career building America. The fruits of 
his work can be seen all over this Nation, and improvements that he 
started will be going on for many years.
  Our economy is much stronger, and, more importantly, lives are being 
saved because of projects which owe their genesis in major part to Bud 
Shuster.
  I personally appreciate the kindness shown to me by Chairman Shuster. 
I could not have been the Chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee, the 
highlight of my service in the Congress, if it had not been for Bud 
Shuster.
  I owe him a great personal debt, but I believe our country does as 
well. I believe that this Nation is a much better place today because 
of Chairman Bud Shuster, and I am very proud to call him my friend and 
my leader.