[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 29, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE LIFE OF THE LATE ASSEMBLYMAN VINCENT J. GRABER, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 29, 2014

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the passing of 
a legislator, colleague and friend, the Honorable Vincent J. Graber, 
Sr., who passed away on July 2, 2014.
   Vince Graber was a public servant of the highest caliber and during 
his career was among the most effective lawmakers in the nation. 
Following his service on the West Seneca Town Board, Vince was elected 
to the New York State Assembly in 1974, displacing a Republican 
incumbent who, after election to the state senate, would go on to be a 
close friend, colleague and ally within the powerful Western New York 
legislative delegation. In time, Vince rose to chair the Assembly's 
Transportation Committee; this is where he made his most significant 
mark.
   Vince led the way in New York and in the nation in authoring 
legislation designed to make it safer to be a passenger in a motor 
vehicle in the state of New York. From landmark legislation mandating 
the use of safety seats for children to authorship of the first-in-the-
nation mandatory seat belt law, to legislation combating and reducing 
incidences of DWI, Vince Graber was a leader in transportation 
policymaking in the United States for better than a generation. It is 
not hyperbole to suggest that a great many Americans--thousands, to be 
sure--are alive today because of Vince's good work.
   Vince eventually rose to leadership in the State Assembly, ending 
his career as Speaker Pro Tempore, where he presided over the daily 
sessions of the Assembly. In so doing, Vince encouraged and facilitated 
an orderly and urbane atmosphere within the Assembly chamber, a 
sometimes difficult task in a legislative body known for occasionally 
raucous debate.
   I never served in the State Assembly with Vince, as his service 
predated my own service in that legislative body by a few years. But I 
came to know Vince well, first as a local elected official, and later 
as Vince would visit my office as a government relations official 
following his years of public service. Vince Graber was always 
knowledgeable and always prepared, and gave those to whom he was 
responsible--his family, his constituents and, later, his clients--the 
very best he had to offer.
   The son of the late Howard and Eileen Graber, Vince was a United 
States Army veteran of the Korean Conflict and was the recipient of 
countless honors and awards throughout his long career. Vince leaves 
behind a large and loving extended family, including his wife Patricia, 
their ten children and their own families.
   Mr. Speaker, our community, our state and, yes, this nation owes a 
great debt of gratitude to Vince Graber. His skill and his vision made 
New York a safer place for motorists, passengers and pedestrians. I was 
honored to call Vince Graber my friend, and I am similarly honored to 
remember and commemorate his many contributions here today.

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