[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 201 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    TRIBUTE TO JACQUELINE S. GILLAN

 Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate the career 
and accomplishments of an exceptional public safety advocate and a dear 
friend, Jacqueline S. Gillan. Jackie is a legend in the public health 
and public safety community. As both a public servant and as the 
president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, she has championed 
the three cornerstones of traffic safety: safer drivers, safer 
vehicles, and safer roads. Her career in public service began in the 
government affairs office of the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 
the Carter administration. She went on to hold senior policy positions 
in the U.S. Senate and with three State transportation agencies, New 
Jersey, California, and the great state of Ohio, which is when I first 
met Jackie.
  After leaving public service, she continued to fight for safer roads 
for all Americans. Jackie helped to launch Advocates nearly three 
decades ago and has been at the helm of Advocates since 1990. She has 
led with extraordinary vision, dogged determination, and keen political 
judgment.
  Jackie helped pass numerous Federal and State laws advancing motor 
vehicle and motor carrier safety standards. She was instrumental in 
achieving major advances, including requirements for airbags, 
electronic stability control, and back-up cameras. Her advocacy efforts 
had a significant impact on a dozen major transportation bills, ranging 
from the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act in 1991 to 
the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act in 2015.
  A decade ago, after a tragic accident killed five members of Ohio's 
Bluffton University baseball team, I worked together with Jackie, 
Congressman John Lewis, Senator Kay Bailey-Hutchison, and many brave 
families--including John and Joy Betts--whose loved ones were killed in 
motorcoach crashes to enact the Nation's first comprehensive motorcoach 
safety law, the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act. It took longer than it 
should have to pass this commonsense bill into law, but Jackie was 
there every step of the way, helping us fight for these lifesaving 
safety improvements.
  A native Californian, Jackie's introduction to public service began 
at home. Her father, Henry Gillan, served on the city council and was 
elected mayor of El Cerrito. Now, after decades fighting for the safety 
of ordinary Americans, Jackie has earned a long and happy retirement 
spent with her husband, Ernie Beyard; her children, Kristin Beyard and 
Alex Beyard; and Barkley, an exuberant English springer spaniel who is 
frequently sighted on walks around Capitol Hill.
  There is no question countless lives have been saved and injuries 
averted and that many families will enjoy the upcoming holidays safely 
together because of Jackie's work. We are so grateful.

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