[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26013]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  TRIBUTE TO BILL BARRETT OF NEBRASKA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. DAVID L. HOBSON

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 31, 2000

  Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my colleague 
from Nebraska, Congressman Bill Barrett. Bill and I had the distinction 
of coming to Congress in the same year, and I have always appreciated 
his enthusiasm toward issues we have worked on together.
  Bill is a fellow Member of Congress who knows the value of visiting 
constituents at home and where they work. Like me, he spends almost 
every weekend traveling in his home State so he can spend time with his 
constituents in their hometowns.
  In his first term, Bill was tapped by leadership for two key 
committees--the Agriculture Committee and the Education and the 
Workforce Committee. He has worked hard at these assignments and his 
increasing seniority has allowed him to take a leadership role on a 
host of pivotal issues including; small business, child care, senior 
citizens, education, health care, rural development, agriculture, and 
other important issues.
  As chairman of the General Farm Commodities Subcommittee, which he 
has chaired for three terms, and his assignment as vice-chairman of the 
Risk Management, Research, and Specialty Crops Subcommittee, Bill 
Barrett has been on the forefront of agriculture policy. Through the 
subcommittees and as vice-chairman of the full House Agriculture 
Committee, he played a vital role in overseeing the 1996 Federal 
Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act, which unleashed U.S. 
agriculture from antiquated programs and overbearing Federal intrusion.
  Bill has been a leader in balancing the Federal budget and reducing 
taxes. In the 106th Congress, he has worked to maintain fiscal 
discipline while paying down the national debt and ensuring the long-
term viability of Social Security. His priorities for agriculture have 
included export market development, further regulatory relief, and 
improved risk management options.
  In another parallel to my own experiences, Bill Barrett's public 
service didn't begin in the Nation's capital. He started at the 
grassroots level and has been active in local, State, and national 
politics for many years. He was a member of the Nebraska Unicameral 
Legislature from 1979-90 and served as Speaker the last four of those 
years.
  As Ohio's Seventh District Representative to the Congress of the 
United States, I take this opportunity to join with members of the 
Nebraska Congressional delegation and the rest of his colleagues in the 
U.S. House of Representatives to honor the efforts and the many 
outstanding achievements of Representative Bill Barrett. His many 
contributions as a Member of the House of Representatives will be long 
remembered in Congress and by the people of Nebraska.

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