[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E918-E919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO PAUL E. DWYER OF CRS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 1, 2007

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to one of the Congressional Research Service's (CRS) finest employees; 
Paul E. Dwyer, who will retire on May 3, 2007, from his position as 
Specialist in American National Government after a distinguished career 
of 39 years service to Congress and the Nation.
  A native of Texas, Paul Dwyer received a Bachelor of Arts in History 
and Political Science from Baylor University, in Waco, in 1967, and 
went on to earn a Masters in Political Science from George Washington 
University, here in Washington, in 1968. While finishing his course 
work at GW, Paul worked part time in the office of Congressman W. R. 
(Bill) Poage, one of the legendary Texans who served with such 
distinction in the House of Representatives in the 20th century. Paul's 
work experience on Capitol Hill convinced him to enter the profession 
of public service, and he applied for a position with what was then 
known as the Legislative Reference Service shortly after graduation. He 
began his career at the Library of Congress, on October 8, 1968 as 
analyst in American National Government.
  Paul Dwyer began his CRS career with the basics--his first years 
constituted an apprenticeship during which he received assignments in a 
wide range of policy issues. He identified and progressively mastered 
the sources of information needed to respond to requests for 
information and public policy analysis by Members and committees of 
Congress and their staff. This was in the pre-internet era, when the 
instant desktop availability of information resources was a futuristic 
dream, and research often meant hours of digging for obscure sources in 
the Library's great collections, in other libraries, executive branch 
agencies, the National Archives and non-governmental organizations, as 
well. It took dogged persistence, careful organizational skills, plenty 
of shoe leather, and a limitless supply of number two lead pencils to 
do the work.
  It was during this period that Paul also had an active role in 
supporting Congress as this body investigated the greatest political 
scandal in 20th century American history--Watergate--and undertook the 
ensuing impeachment inquiry that led to Richard Nixon's resignation as 
President of the United States. Paul served on the CRS teams that 
provided assistance to the Senate Select Committee on Presidential 
Campaign Activities, Senator Sam Ervin's famous ``Watergate 
Committee.'' He and his colleagues again provided invaluable assistance 
to the Judiciary committee of this House of Representatives as it 
pursued its impeachment inquiry. CRS added further laurels when it 
provided crucial information on the nominations of Gerald R. Ford and 
Nelson A. Rockefeller as Vice President, the historic first 
implementations of Section One of the 25th Amendment. These were, to 
borrow from Doris Kearns Goodwin, ``no ordinary times,'' and Congress 
came to depend again and again on the accuracy, dedication and 
professional skill of the Congressional Research Service and staff 
members like Paul Dwyer.

  Paul Dwyer's research portfolio was broad in those years, and 
included many diverse areas, including presidential elections and the 
Electoral College, the presidency and presidential terms of office, 
American political history, U.S. political parties, and voting trends 
in Congress, to name a partial list. Beginning in the early 1970s, Paul 
moved into the area for which he would become justly respected 
throughout Congress and the Capitol Hill community. He learned and 
mastered the many elements of the internal governance of the Congress 
and its supporting agencies and organizations. His areas of 
unquestioned expertise include an intimate knowledge of the legislative 
branch budget in all its many ramifications; salaries, benefits and 
retirement programs for Members of Congress and their staff; 
congressional support agency budgets; contingent expenses in both the 
House and Senate; Member memorials; committee funding; the Capitol 
Visitor Center, and the all-important area of Capitol security and the 
safety of those who work in the Capitol Complex, and the millions of 
citizens who visit the Hill every year.
  He has become the ``go-to'' staff person at CRS on the legislative 
budget, where the depth and breadth of his knowledge, his attention to 
detail, judgment, and perspective are universally recognized. This 
trust has been well-earned--Paul has worked professionally and amicably 
with Members and staff of both political parties, and is respected by 
all his clients. The House Committee on House Administration, the 
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the legislative 
branch appropriations subcommittees of both chambers have benefited 
from his keen analytical skills. He has worked closely with the office 
of the Architect of the Capitol, the Sergeants at Arms of the House and 
Senate, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House, and the Chief of 
U.S. Capitol Police. As coordinator of and primary contributor to the 
CRS annual Report to Congress on legislative branch appropriations 
sinceits inception, he has provided a valuable source of record for 
over a decade.
  Aside from hundreds, if not thousands, of personal meetings, 
telephone briefings and email colloquies over the years, the volume and 
scope of his written work is impressive. He is the author or co-author 
of 21 active or archived CRS Reports for Congress, and during the 39 
years of his career, he has written over 450 additional CRS Reports, 
Issue Briefs, and confidential memoranda for Congress. On a personal 
level, in the past decade, he has also provided expert and sensitive 
mentoring to a new generation of CRS analysts, generously sharing his 
knowledge and perspective with them, and helping them develop their own 
interests and expertise.
  Paul's fine work and dedication first came to my attention soon after 
I was appointed Ranking member of the Committee on House Administration 
in 2003. As the Representative from the Nation's insurance capital, 
Hartford, and as the former owner of an insurance company, I wanted to 
be sure that the House was getting the maximum possible advantage from 
the money spent on insurance and other benefit programs for members and 
staff. Paul quickly assembled a team of CRS experts from the various 
CRS divisions which were assigned to cover these issues to bring me, 
the Committee staff, and the other members of the Committee up to speed 
on the programs and helped us analyze their merits. Paul was also an 
invaluable resource for us when we were dealing with the myriad of 
other issues which came before the Committee, especially the funding of 
the other House committees. He has also played an instrumental role in 
helping to write the story of the Committee, which was one of my first 
requests of CRS upon becoming Ranking member. Paul has continued to be 
a primary resource for me in my new position as Vice Chair of the 
Democratic Caucus and has provided me with superior reports and memos 
on member compensation, Legislative Branch appropriations, and the 
duties of the House officers, to name a few. While I wish Paul well in 
his retirement, my staff and I will certainly miss his prompt and 
thorough responses for research and information.
  Paul Dwyer has been recognized by CRS and the Library of Congress 
again and again for the quality of his work. His performance 
evaluations routinely noted his commendable and outstanding level of 
performance. He has been honored with 13 Library of Congress Special 
Achievement Awards during his career.
  In a sense, Paul's career coincides with the era in which CRS came to 
maturity, evolving, under congressional guidance and stewardship, into 
the world's finest legislative policy institute, the envy of world 
parliaments and our

[[Page E919]]

own executive branch, and the close adviser and trusted resource of the 
United States Congress. Paul exemplifies the best characteristics of 
this tradition: knowledge, perspective and judgment, and a commitment 
to providing Congress with information and analysis that is correct, 
complete, balanced and non-partisan. CRS, Congress, and in the larger 
sense, the American people, will lose a tireless and dedicated public 
servant when Paul E. Dwyer retires. Madam Speaker, I would like to urge 
my colleagues to join me in thanking Paul for his 39 years of exemplary 
service, and in offering him every good wish as he begins his 
retirement.

                          ____________________