[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 128 (Friday, July 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1081-E1082]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO DAN MATHEWS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2017

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dan Mathews and 
thank him for his years of dedicated service to Congress and the 
American taxpayers. Dan has worked on the Hill for over 20 years, and, 
he has been a fixture on the staff of the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure as the Republican Staff Director of the Subcommittee 
on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management for 
the last 14 years. The Subcommittee has a wide area of jurisdiction 
covering federal buildings and courthouses, the General Services 
Administration, and GSA leases and capital projects, the Smithsonian, 
the Kennedy Center, the National Gallery of Art, and numerous other 
federal facilities. In addition, Dan also staffed the Select Bipartisan 
Committee to Investigate the Preparedness for and the Response to 
Hurricane Katrina in 2006. He was one of the primary authors of the 
Committee's investigative report, ``A Failure of Initiative,'' which 
led to the successful enactment of the Post-Katrina Emergency 
Management Reform Act, and later the establishment of the National 
Preparedness System and the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act.
   In his time with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
Dan has had a leading role in the enactment of major pieces of 
legislation related to public buildings and emergency management. Most 
notably, during his tenure, he has overseen the passage and the initial 
implementation of the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act (FASTA), 
which will shrink the size of government and help ensure savings by 
selling or redeveloping high value properties, consolidating federal 
space, and streamlining the disposal of unneeded assets; the Post-
Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, which gave FEMA clear guidance 
on its mission and priorities, and provided the legislative authorities 
needed to better partner with state, local, tribal, and territorial 
governments before, during, and after disasters; and the Sandy Recovery 
Improvement Act, which was the most significant legislative change to 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) substantive 
authorities since the enactment of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1974.
   Dan has also worked tirelessly to save taxpayer money by reducing 
the cost of federal real estate, reducing waste in the federal 
courthouse construction program, coordinating efforts by agencies to 
reduce leasing costs through space reductions and consolidations, and 
pushing GSA to negotiate the best lease deals for the taxpayer. It 
comes as no surprise given his experience and efforts, that the 
Administration has appointed him Commissioner of GSA's Public Buildings 
Service. I am confident in that role, Dan will continue the important 
work of ensuring GSA and other federal agencies continue to reduce 
costs and make smarter decisions in federal real estate to benefit the 
taxpayer.
   In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his family, his 
wife Lara and their two daughters, traveling, doing yoga, and rock 
climbing. Mr. Speaker, please join me in acknowledging Dan's 
achievements during his tenure here in the House of Representatives and 
in wishing Dan the best of luck with new endeavors.

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