[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E160-E161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF MARK REITER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 10, 2020

  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a friend and a 
giant in the recycling industry--Mark Reiter.
  Mark was born and grew up in the Bronx--the South Bronx as he would 
say. Mark was an avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan. He later became a Nationals 
fan as a result of spending most of his life in Washington, D.C.; but 
make no mistake about it, Mark was a New Yorker through and through and 
never let you forget it.
  Mark originally came to Washington to work for the late Bella Abzug. 
Mark would often entertain people with stories about those years 
working in her office. Representative Abzug was proud of Mark and his 
tireless devotion to environmental issues, as well as his commitment to 
others, especially those who were less fortunate. Later, Mark worked 
for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, helping shape 
our nation's environmental policy at its earliest stages. While he was 
a reliable Democrat, many of his friends were very reliable 
Republicans. He knew how to get things done by working with others, 
understanding others, and of course, caring for others.
  One of Mark's great accomplishments was the enactment of the 
Superfund Recycling Equity Act (SREA), which provided environmental 
clarity for recyclers facing potential liability under Superfund. 
Because of SREA, recyclers today conduct due diligence to ensure their 
materials are used again in an environmentally responsible manner. SREA 
was a monumental achievement for responsible recycling and Mark was 
instrumental in its enactment.
  Mark was fiercely loyal and devoted to his family--his brother, 
nephews, nieces, and their children. Mark would visit them often 
wherever they lived and generously help whenever needed. He was very 
proud of them all. He often spoke of his admiration of his parents and 
how their hard work enabled him to succeed in ways they could never 
have imagined, especially as they were recent immigrants to this great 
country. Mark never forgot where he came from and the sacrifices his 
parents made for him and his older brother Eli.
  Mark helped so many colleagues from his beginnings on Capitol Hill 
through his long successful career at the Institute of Scrap Recycling 
Industries. Many of his colleagues have gone on to great careers of 
their own as a result of Mark's tutelage and deep caring for them. I 
know because I am one of those colleagues who learned so much and was 
helped by Mark over the years.
  Mark was also a man of faith. His Jewish faith helped him become a 
caring man to so many, whether they be family, friends, colleagues or 
strangers. People were simply people in Mark's eyes. Mark cared about 
how others were treated in our society and would speak up for them 
without reservation. He felt he had walked in their shoes before them 
and wanted life to be better for them.
  Madam Speaker, we lost a giant in the recycling industry, the 
environmental community, and the Jewish community. Mark was a great 
colleague, a mentor, and a friend to many. His family and friends are 
so proud of who Mark became and what he left behind--a world he helped 
make better through his devotion to others, his work and his actions. 
Mark will be missed by so many.

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