[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 150 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2115-E2116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                A TRIBUTE TO REPRESENTATIVE TODD SALIMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 19, 2002

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor State 
Representative Todd Saliman for his exemplary public service in the 
Colorado General Assembly from 1995 through 2003. I would like to thank 
him in this forum, not only for his service to my state, but also for 
the example he has shown to young people all across America, that 
public service is not contingent on one's seniority.
  A native of Littleton, Colorado, Todd studied at the Unversite de 
Savoie in Chambery, France and graduated in 1989 from the University of 
Colorado in Boulder. He worked on the U.S. Senate campaign for Josie 
Heath and the Boulder County Field organization in 1990, the Local Open 
Space Sales Tax in 1993, the Executive Committees of the State and 
County Democratic parties for many years, and the Rocky Flats Local 
Impacts Initiative from 1991 to 1994.
  In 1994, Todd was elected to represent House District 11 in north 
Boulder and was one of the youngest members in the history of the 
Colorado General Assembly. His constituents overwhelmingly approved of 
his service and returned him to office by over 70% of the vote in every 
subsequent election. In the Legislature, he quickly earned the 
affection and respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle for 
his intelligence, good judgment, and keen analysis on a wide range of 
issues. Todd was a member of the Joint Budget and Appropriations 
Committees overseeing the state's $13 billion budget. He provided 
thoughtful and

[[Page E2116]]

skilled bipartisan leadership in the areas of budget policy, taxes, 
health care, higher education, children's issues and the environment. 
He served successfully on such diverse committees as Finance, State 
Affairs, Local Government and Transportation, and he co-chaired the 
Kid's Caucus. He was valued as an experienced voice on substantive 
policy issues when working on the Governor's 1996 Health Care Task 
Force and the 1997 Old Age Pension Plan Committee.
  From 1997 to 1999, I had the good fortune to be Todd's junior 
colleague in the State House of Representatives. I appreciated Todd's 
generosity and loyalty, his professionalism and his code of ethics. He 
has been unswerving in his commitment to policies that serve the 
environment, the education and the health of people, and principles of 
integrity and fairness. An important part of his legislative focus has 
been responsible growth management and environmental preservation.
  He has been especially effective in his support for early 
intervention and prevention for children at risk of abuse and neglect 
and for improving our public education by reducing class size and fully 
funding public education. He has been honored as Legislator of the Year 
by the Colorado Association of Nonprofit Organizations, the American 
Academy of Pediatrics, the Colorado Behavioral Health Care Council, the 
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, the Community Health 
Network, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Colorado Social 
Legislation Committee, the Colorado Community Center Boards, and the 
Sierra Club. Last year, he was honored for his distinguished service by 
the Colorado Children's Campaign. During his tenure as an elected 
official, Todd was also the Development Director for the People's 
Clinic and a policy consultant with the Bell Policy Center.
  I ask my colleagues to join with me in expressing our gratitude to 
Representative Saliman for his example of idealistic public service and 
the many contributions he has made to the people of Colorado. My family 
and I wish him, his wife, Michelle, and their son, Max, good health and 
happiness in their future together.

                          ____________________