[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 140 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1606-E1607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING RODERICK M. HILLS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDWARD R. ROYCE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 17, 2014

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege and honor to recognize 
Roderick M. Hills who passed away on October 29 of this year. Rod 
served our country through his efforts to strengthen relations between 
the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
(ASEAN).
  Thirty years ago, in partnership with Caltex (now Chevron) and IBM, 
Rod founded what is today the US-ASEAN Business Council, aided by a 
grant from the U.S. Department of State that was matched two to one by 
the private sector to establish an organization that would promote and 
support ASEAN. In 1985, as Chairman of the Council, Rod established its 
first office. He has played a critical role in supporting the Council 
ever since, whether providing guidance to subsequent chairmen or 
advising government officials of the United States and the ASEAN 
countries or leaders in the private sector.
  Today, the Council's members include more than 140 of the leading 
U.S. companies doing business in Southeast Asia, together representing 
over $6 trillion in annual revenue and more than 13 million employees.
  ASEAN has become America's fourth largest export market, supporting 
some 560,000 U.S. jobs through nearly $100 billion in goods and 
services exports to ASEAN. U.S. investment in ASEAN is greater than 
U.S. investment in Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. Investment 
by ASEAN in the United States has grown over 1,440 percent since 2001, 
creating new jobs across the country and on track to create even more.
  The past 30 years have seen a significant strengthening of ties 
between the United States and ASEAN. And Rod was there for every one of 
those years.
  Rod served the United States in many capacities throughout his life, 
including as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 
the Ford Administration, and he had an exemplary career in the legal 
profession. But his dedication and passion for Southeast Asia and his 
appreciation for the potential that ASEAN creates is a testament to the 
difference one person can make.
  Significantly, he founded and became chairman of the Hills Program on 
Governance that established Centers for the Study of Governance in 
academic institutions around the globe, including at the Asian 
Institute of Management in the Philippines and the University of 
Indonesia. This initiative aims to identify serious governance problems 
in both the public and private spheres, and it works to develop a 
better understanding of the corrupting influences that create such 
problems and organize efforts to reduce those influences.
  Ideas like this help change societies. They build the foundation on 
which security and opportunity can prosper. They pave the way for 
growth and resiliency. And Rod Hills created a lasting impact on the 
way in which the countries all over the world, and in Southeast Asia in 
particular, are embracing the realities of the 21st century and looking 
to the future.
  Again, I want to recognize Rod Hills for his service to the United 
States and in particular for his vision for and steadfast support to 
the US-ASEAN Business Council and the important work they have done for 
the last 30 years to advance business relations between ASEAN and 
America.

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