[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 140 (Monday, October 30, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S11360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     FAREWELL TO BRIAN BENCZKOWSKI

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, at the end of this session of the 106th 
Congress Brian Benczkowski will be leaving my staff. Brian has worked 
on the Hill since his third year in law school. He started as an intern 
while still in law school, served as the senior analyst for judiciary 
issues for the Senate Budget Committee, and worked closely with my 
general counsel to develop, and enact, over the President's veto, the 
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
  Brian was my counsel for the second round of Whitewater hearings and 
was part of the team for the historic impeachment trial of President 
Clinton. Brian worked on Juvenile Justice legislation and helped me 
take on the Mexican drug lords.
  He learned the highway, airport and other infrastructure needs of New 
Mexico as well as any Highway and Transportation Secretary in any 
Governor's cabinet. He was knowledgeable on immigration issues and 
helped my caseworkers with the really tough, but worthy immigration 
problems that are a daily fact of life in a border state. Just to prove 
that Brian had a soft side, he was my staff person for Character Counts 
during the 106th Congress.
  Brian was instrumental in drafting the claims process legislation for 
the victims of the Cerro Grande fire. From the date that the fire first 
started to the day that the President signed the bill, complete with 
the $640 million to pay the claims, was fifty days. It is a good 
legislative product, and it proved that the delegation and the Congress 
could be bipartisan and act expeditiously in an emergency.
  Brian is a talented lawyer, a caring and hard working member of my 
staff.
  For a young man raised in Virginia, taught the law in Missouri with 
parents now living in Connecticut, he has made many New Mexico friends, 
developed a taste for green chile and amassed an understanding of the 
border. At one point I remarked that his Spanish was as good as any 
other staff member in my office.
  So what is it that such a talented young man would choose to do when 
leaving Capitol Hill?
  Banking legislative assistants and counsels with backgrounds in 
securities often end up at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the 
Commodities Futures Trading Commission or at one of the Wall Street 
firms. However, the typical career path wouldn't do for this 
untypically talented young lawyer. He is going to New York to work for 
the first, real sports stock market!
  This new sports stock market will list the baseball and other trading 
cards of today's marquee athletes and major league sports rising stars. 
Just like any major stock exchange, the exchange is a market maker. 
Just like E-trade or Ameritrade people will have sports brokerage 
accounts.
  Brian is a baseball fan, former baseball player and a font of 
knowledge when it comes to sports. As a former minor league baseball 
player myself, I know baseball and am a fan of most other sports. ESPN 
was a great invention that adds to most men's enjoyment of life, sports 
and the pursuit of happiness. Hopefully, this new sports stock exchange 
will add another dimension to the way we all follow sports.
  Many of us share a passion for sports, but very few of us get to take 
that passion, and merge it with the law, get a impressive title like 
Assistant General Counsel, receive a pay check and stock options. 
However, Brian is going to do just that at thePit.com. I wish him and 
his new company every success.

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