[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 22, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION ON THE 50TH 
            BIRTHDAY OF ITS CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2003

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to 
congratulate the American Political Science Association on the 50th 
anniversary of its Congressional Fellowship Program.
  Since its inception, the program has brought more than 1800 talented 
political scientists, journalists, sociologists, domestic and foreign 
policy government specialists, Robert Wood Johnson health policy 
fellows, Native American Hatfield fellows, and international scholars 
to Capitol Hill for a hands-on understanding of the U.S. Congress at 
work.
  In my office, I have had the privilege to work with several 
Congressional Fellows. In 1991-92, Martynas A. Ycas brought with him 
valuable insights into the inner workings of the Social Security 
Administration. The following year, my office benefited from the 
exceptional experience Congressional Fellow Rosemary Ramsey had 
previously earned during her research on HIV/AIDS at the Centers for 
Disease Control of the Department of Health. In 1997, Kirsten Gerstner 
from Germany was the first international fellow I was able to host. Her 
work proved to be indispensable for the success of the Congressional 
Task Force on International HIV/AIDS, of which I am Chairman.
  Since January of this year, Mariana George-Nascimento from Chile and 
Lars Berger from Germany have been working on my staff. During the many 
foreign policy challenges Congress is currently facing, such as the 
free trade agreements with Singapore and Chile and the war in Iraq, 
they provided me with a unique Latin American and European perspective. 
I am very thankful to the Fulbright Commission and the German Marshall 
Fund of the United States for providing me with such a rare opportunity 
by generously supporting their fellowships. These days, international 
exchanges of this nature are of even greater importance than ever 
before.
  I know that in addition to their experience on the hill, all the 
fellows appreciated the additional education opportunities offered by 
the Wilson Seminar Series, the state-federal legislative comparative 
program organized by the University of Maryland-Baltimore County's 
Policy Institute at the State House in Annapolis, and the longstanding 
Canadian Parliamentary Exchange.
  I congratulate the American Political Science Association and Jeff 
Biggs, the Director of the Congressional Fellowship Program, on their 
extraordinary achievements and strongly encourage my colleagues to take 
advantage of their work in the same way I have done.

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