[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H7057-H7058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE SERVICE OF KEVIN FITZPATRICK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Chabot) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, it is with a mixture of some sadness, but 
mostly appreciation, that I come to the floor today to recognize the 
contributions of my staff director at the Small Business Committee, 
Kevin Fitzpatrick, who is retiring at the end of this Congress. Kevin 
and I have worked together for a quarter century now, and he is the 
last remaining member of my original staff when I was first sworn into 
Congress back in 1995.
  While I am happy for Kevin that he will soon have more time to spend 
with his lovely wife, Pam, and his wonderful children, Spike, Katie, 
and Elizabeth, he will be impossible to replace. Over the years, Kevin 
has played an integral role in nearly every legislative accomplishment 
we have achieved for Ohio's First Congressional District and for the 
American people.
  Kevin Fitzpatrick is the kind of person who can build an instant 
rapport with anyone, a skill that is extremely valuable in politics. 
Whether it is a family here from back home in Cincinnati, a foreign 
dignitary, or even a political opponent, Kevin is always ready with a 
disarming story that puts others at ease.
  Although he has worked on the Hill for a long time, Kevin's roots are 
back in Ohio. He grew up with his loving family in Shelby, Ohio, and 
graduated from Miami University back in the days when not only the 
Washington professional football team but also Miami were known as the 
Redskins.
  Kevin nearly became a candidate for office himself when he was asked 
to consider running against a then young Ohio State Representative 
named Sherrod Brown. Had he not decided against it, Kevin might well be 
serving with me here in the House, rather than having this speech given 
in his honor today.
  I am actually the third Congressman Kevin has worked for. His first 
job in Washington was for legendary Ohio conservative Congressman John 
Ashbrook, who interestingly ran against Richard Nixon in the Republican 
Presidential primary in 1972.
  Later, Kevin worked for Congressman Duncan Hunter, Sr. on the 
Republican Research Committee, which was part of leadership at the 
time.
  When I ran and won my seat in Congress in 1994 in the Republican 
revolution, I was a Washington outsider and so were most of my 
supporters. I desperately needed someone who knew not

[[Page H7058]]

only Ohio, but also had the experience and understood how to get things 
done here in Washington. And that made Kevin Fitzpatrick a natural fit 
as my legislative director.

  I have served on three committees during my 25 years here in 
Congress: Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, and Small Business. Kevin has had 
a profound impact on my policy agenda on all three committees over the 
years.
  On Foreign Affairs, we have worked on more issues than I could 
possibly relate here, but some of our most significant accomplishments 
have been in advancing the relationship between the United States and 
our democratic ally, Taiwan, in the face of the existential threat 
posed by communist China. Kevin was instrumental in helping me create 
the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, along with former Congressmen Robert 
Wexler, Dana Rohrabacher, and then-Representative, now Senator Sherrod 
Brown.
  Over the years, we have pushed many pro-democracy and pro-Taiwan 
initiatives, one of the most significant being the Taiwan Travel Act, 
which will now allow diplomatic visits between top U.S. and Taiwanese 
officials.
  Judiciary. Throughout his life, Kevin has been a warrior for the 
unborn. He has played a significant role in the promotion of pro-life 
legislative initiatives. Those efforts ultimately led to the most 
significant Federal pro-life legislation enacted since the infamous Roe 
v. Wade decision, the Federal ban on partial birth abortion signed into 
law by President Bush back in 2003 and ultimately upheld to be 
constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Kevin was front and center in 
those efforts, and I know he is as proud of that accomplishment as I 
am.
  In recent years, Kevin has led the Small Business Committee as my 
staff director. In that role, Kevin has put together what I believe to 
be the best committee staff on the Hill: Jan Oliver, Joe Hartz, Rob 
Yavor, Delia Barr, Allison Kerman, Vivian Ling, and Rachel Emmons.
  Perhaps the greatest testament to Kevin's leadership occurred earlier 
this year with the creation and implementation of the Paycheck 
Protection Program, or PPP. This critical program saved millions of 
small businesses across America that would otherwise have gone under 
during the COVID-19 pandemic, and most importantly saved over 50 
million jobs.
  Finally, during the course of Kevin Fitzpatrick's career, he has 
hired, trained, and mentored so many people currently working both on 
and off the Hill. He has shared his knowledge, his experience, and his 
commitment to improving our country with each and every one of them.
  It will now be their turn to teach new staff members how to make the 
people's House truly work for the people.
  They couldn't have had a better teacher, a better mentor, or a better 
example than Kevin Fitzpatrick.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Kevin for his service, his dedication, and his 
friendship. He will be missed.

                          ____________________