[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 31, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H320]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
        HONORING ``PAT'' DEON, SR., ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM SEPTA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor someone who has made a 
huge difference for Philadelphia and southeast Pennsylvania, Pat Deon, 
Sr. He recently retired after 29 years serving on the board of our 
transit agency, SEPTA, including 25 years as chairman of the board.
  While Pat and I are from different political parties, we have always 
worked together to get things done. We could use much more of this 
around here.
  When Pat was appointed to the SEPTA board in 1995, the agency was in 
a very different shape. It had a reputation for waste and was facing a 
$75 million deficit. He has brought the eyes of a businessperson to 
SEPTA, and he was instrumental in achieving legislative successes in 
Harrisburg. I know that because I was a legislative leader there during 
most of his time as chair.
  The Philadelphia region is the largest economic engine in 
Pennsylvania, and SEPTA is vital for making it work. Even the people 
who don't ride SEPTA benefit from less traffic on the roads and from 
the air being cleaner.
  Pat has led SEPTA through several difficult periods, including the 
Great Recession and the great pandemic. I want to thank him for all 
that he has done and for the leadership that he has provided and the 
fact that he realized that we must do things together. We honored him 
in the city of Philadelphia for his work and the dedication. He is 
truly an asset that we will really value.
  I thank Pat for all that he has done.

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