[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E228-E229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE OF DAVID SCHAFFER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2004

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
congratulate one of our long-time staff members on the House 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on his retirement. David 
Schaffer is retiring as the Majority Staff Director and Senior Counsel 
of the House Aviation Subcommittee at the end of this month.
  David joined the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation 
in 1984 as Assistant Minority Counsel for the Subcommittee on Aviation, 
became the Minority Counsel of the Aviation Subcommittee in 1992 and 
then Majority Counsel in January 1995.
  Over the course of his 26 years in the federal government, including 
6 years with the Civil Aeronautics Board, his efforts have directly 
contributed to many of this Committee's significant legislative efforts 
to enhance the overall safety, efficiency, competitiveness and security 
of our Nation's aviation system.

[[Page E229]]

  During my tenure as Chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee from 1989 
through 1994, David was a fixture at our hearings, sitting at the elbow 
of my Republican colleagues John Paul Hammerschmidt and William 
Clinger. As we crafted some of the most important aviation law of our 
time, including the Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990 and the 
Aviation Noise and Capacity Act of 1990, David was always at the 
negotiating table, working with my staff and me toward the common goal 
of effective legislation.
  As the Majority Counsel for the Aviation Subcommittee, David was 
instrumental in crafting the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 
21st Century (AIR 21), Federal Aviation Authorization Act of 1996, the 
Aviation Medical Assistance Act, Pilot Records Improvement Act, 
Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act, and the Aviation and 
Transportation Security Act.
  His bipartisan, non-confrontational approach to crafting legislation, 
his painstaking attention to detail, and his mastery of the subject 
matter has been most impressive and has been greatly appreciated by my 
staff, and by me.
  I know that his work has required great personal sacrifice and I 
commend him for his unwavering commitment to excellence. I wish him 
nothing but the best as he moves on to the next phase of his exemplary 
career.

                          ____________________