[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7277]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DAVID E. BENOR

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I am honored to thank and congratulate 
one of my constituents and one of the Federal Government's unsung 
heroes, David E. ``Dave'' Benor, who is retiring on January 3, 2021, 
after more than 48 years of service as a public health attorney at the 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the General 
Counsel, HHS-OGC.
  After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1972, Mr. Benor began his 
career at HHS-OGC and never left, rising to positions of increasing 
responsibility throughout the years. Since 2004, he has served as the 
Associate General Counsel for Public Health. In this leadership role, 
he has led HHS-OGC's Public Health Division, a 100-person office within 
HHS-OGC that provides legal services to the Assistant Secretary for 
Health, the Surgeon General, and multiple agencies that comprise the 
Public Health Service, including the National Institutes of Health, the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Indian Health Service, 
the Health Services and Resources Administration, the Substance Abuse 
and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality. Mr. Benor has worked extensively on 
product liability, grant law, organ transplant, and vaccine issues, and 
has particular expertise with the Public Health Service safety net 
programs, in public health emergency response issues, and in 
implementing regulatory and compensation programs.
  Mr. Benor has dedicated his entire career to implementing HHS's 
mission to advance the health of all people. He has done this by 
providing authoritative legal advice on major health initiatives, 
including those related to bioterrorism preparedness, biomedical 
research, organ transplantation, vaccine development and liability, and 
the provision of healthcare to medically underserved populations 
through such programs as the community health center program, the Ryan 
White HIV/ AIDS Program, and maternal and child health grants. He has 
been a key legal adviser on the Department's international health 
initiatives, including Afghan and Iraqi reconstruction, global AIDS 
programs, and quarantine activities for diseases such as SARS, pandemic 
influenza, and monkey pox, and has been part of multidisciplinary teams 
working on the public health response to the War on Terrorism, 
including the response to anthrax attacks, smallpox vaccine 
development, COVID-19, and pharmaceutical stockpile development.
  Mr. Benor has received numerous awards throughout his career. In 
2012, President Barack Obama awarded Mr. Benor the Presidential Rank 
Award of Meritorious Executive, one of the highest awards that a career 
Senior Executive Service member may receive.
  Dave Benor's impact on public health will be felt for years to come 
both through his work on a wide variety of public health programs and 
by the inspiring example he has provided for the many attorneys with 
whom he worked and mentored. I was pleased to have a flag flown over 
the U.S. Capitol over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend as a symbol of 
our Nation's thanks to this outstanding public servant.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Dave Benor for 
his distinguished service to our country and to wish him all the best 
in the coming years as he enjoys his well-earned retirement.

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