[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14315-14316]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING AL DAVIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, Albert J. Davis was the chief economist on 
the Democratic staff of the United States House Committee on Ways and 
Means. He died Friday, May 30, 2003, of injuries caused by a car 
hitting him on May 19 in Arlington, Virginia, outside of the Metro stop 
on his way home from work. He was only 56 years old.
  Mr. Speaker, it would be impossible for me to list all of the people 
who have come up to me since the accident to tell me how much Al meant 
to them. He had such a personal one-on-one relationship with so many 
Members of this body, so many staff, so many journalists, that all the 
meetings I had last

[[Page 14316]]

week became times of reflection on Al's life. Whether I was meeting 
with other senior Democratic Members or columnists from a weekly news 
magazine or the experts on tax legislation, we forgot what we were 
meeting for so that we could pay honor to Al.
  I could not help thinking that it was indeed a blessing that Al could 
have touched so many people so deeply through his hard work, his 
intelligence, and his good humor. Al worked nearly 20 years for this 
great institution of democracy, first on the House Committee on the 
Budget staff, at least the last 5 years at Ways and Means. He was one 
of those staff members who, though he never had to answer directly to 
the voters, devoted every minute to bettering the lives of ordinary 
working people.
  Though he appeared soft spoken and cerebral, Al Davis was passionate 
about defending the interests of the working men and women of this 
country. Using charts and spread sheets and solid numbers, Al was a 
powerful fighter for economic justice.
  He loved his job. He loved providing information to Members. His 
analysis was so honest that Members from both sides of the aisle would 
ask him for information even though they would disagree with him.
  While Al was seldom quoted or mentioned in newspapers or on 
television, he had a profound effect in shaping legislation, 
publicizing poor policy, and changing minds.
  Al is survived by his companion of 20 years, Mary Bielefeld. Mary's 
an incredibly kind and strong woman in her own right. Her strength has 
given those of us who worked with Al strength. Like Al, Mary works in 
public service as an attorney at the United States Department of 
Justice. They never got rich serving the people of this Nation, but 
they had a full and rich life in each other's company.
  Al worked long hours when he worked here, often to midnight or 1:00 
a.m. in the morning on days. He loved the outdoors. He loved getting to 
know the wilderness, and he shared these experiences with Mary and his 
close friends.
  Most of all, Al valued honest government. He was mainly frustrated 
when people would cook books or fudge the numbers simply for political 
gain. Al believed that government in a democracy should be honest. He 
devoted his life to making sure that it was. He debunked myths whether 
they were Democratic or Republican. In a political environment too used 
to skirting around politically inconvenient facts, Al promoted honest 
opinion, honest budgets, and honest analysis.
  Al's death is a loss for the entire Nation.

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