[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 49 (Thursday, April 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E543-E544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    JOSEPH BATTISTO HONORED FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN LEGISLATURE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 4, 2001

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my very 
good friend Joseph W. Battisto, who represented Monroe County with 
distinction in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1983 to 
2000.
  Since Joe and I had a shared constituency, I had the privilege of 
working with him on numerous occasions, and I am pleased to join with 
his many friends, who will hold a dinner in his honor April 19, to 
thank him for his exceptional service to the people of Monroe County 
and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
  Joe, who was born in 1931 in Mount Pocono, is a lifelong resident of 
the Poconos. He graduated from Stroudsburg High School in 1949, earned 
a bachelor's degree from East Stroudsburg University in 1956 and 
graduated with a master's degree from the University of Scranton in 
1966. He served his country in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955.
  Joe's dedication to education stems from his 23 years as an English 
teacher. At the end of his teaching career, he was the head of his 
department at Pocono Mountain High School.
  Before serving the people of Monroe County in Harrisburg, he served 
as a councilman in Mount Pocono Borough from 1970 to 1973 and as mayor 
from 1974 to 1981.
  Mr. Speaker, Joe's accomplishments in the Legislature are too 
numerous to list them all here, but a few examples will serve to 
illustrate his dedication to serving the people. Joe worked with 
Senator Frank O'Connell to preserve a rail line through the county that 
a company wanted to dismantle. He also worked to obtain funds to 
promote tourism in Monroe County, so that the Pocono Mountain Vacation 
Bureau consistently receives among the highest amounts of state dollars 
of the more than 50 agencies in Pennsylvania each year. He was a leader 
in establishing the Pocono Mountain Industrial Park, started the Monroe 
County Litter Control Program and a signage control committee to 
preserve the natural beauty of the Poconos.
  Joe's legislative accomplishments included authoring the Human 
Relations Act of 1991 that prevents discrimination in areas such as 
housing, employment and education, authoring a law to allow people 30 
days to return defective hearing aids for a full refund, and a law to 
allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work at ski facilities, which was of 
great importance to the

[[Page E544]]

Poconos. In addition, he started the influential House Bipartisan Anti-
Gambling Coalition.
  As chairman and leading Democrat on the House Transportation 
Committee, he worked to ensure the safety of all Pennsylvanians, 
writing a law that regulates the transportation of solid waste, with a 
ban on ``back hauling'' of garbage in trucks that transport food, and 
the teen driver licensing law that provides for increased instruction 
for young drivers.
  Working for Monroe County, Joe initiated the Route 209 project that 
is now beginning final design and right-of-way acquisition, obtained 
funding for all traffic control devices on Route 611 from Stroud 
Township to Mount Pocono for 15 years, and personally pushed PennDOT to 
have a church at the intersection of Shafer Schoolhouse Road and 
Business Route 209 moved and preserved to correct the dangerous 
intersection.
  And from his post on the Education Committee, he initiated School 
Performance Grants to reward schools that improve in areas such as the 
graduation rate and percentage of students who go on to higher 
education. He also helped to develop charter schools and the Early 
Intervention Education Program.
  Mr. Speaker, Joe Battisto was a devoted and enthusiastic legislator. 
He cared deeply about the impact that the actions of state government 
have on the lives of ordinary people, and he carefully studied every 
issue. I could always count on Joe to give me a thoughtful analysis of 
any issue affecting the people of Monroe County, and I knew that their 
interests were always uppermost in his mind.
  Unlike some politicians who try to justify their positions with one-
sided spin, Joe Battisto took the time to explain the pros and cons of 
every issue to demonstrate his reasoning. Students and senior citizens 
alike left a discussion with Joe Battisto with a deeper appreciation 
for the complexity of state issues.
  Joe and his wife, Virginia, have four children and five 
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to call to the attention of the House of 
Representatives the long history of Joe Battisto's service to the 
people of Monroe County and all of Pennsylvania, and I join his friends 
and neighbors in wishing him and his wife all the best.

                          ____________________