[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14559-14560]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO AL DAVIS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. GERALD D. KLECZKA

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 10, 2003

  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, on May 30th the House of Representatives 
lost one of its most brilliant and dedicated employees when Al Davis 
died of complications resulting from a traffic accident. We remember 
him today and offer our sincere condolences to his family, loved ones, 
and especially his long-time companion Mary Bielefeld.
  As my colleagues before me have attested, the facts and figures 
produced by Al Davis have provided an immeasurable benefit to the 
Democratic Members of the Ways and Means Committee--and often proved to 
be a thorn in the side of my friends across the aisle. What most of my 
colleagues don't know is that I was the beneficiary of Al's budgetary 
wisdom long before he came to Washington to work on the staff of the 
Ways and Means Committee or the House Budget Committee before that. In 
the late 1970s when I served as Chairman of the Wisconsin Legislature's 
Joint Committee on Finance Al was toiling away as an economist for the 
Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
  In his work for the Ways and Means Committee Al himself was often 
unseen and unheard by the public, but the information he produced was 
routinely cited in the media. Not only did Al author remarkably 
insightful memos and produce easy-to-understand charts for us to use in 
debate on the floor and in the Ways and Means Committee, he frequently 
briefed reporters and opinion leaders about the effects of arcane 
budget and tax matters before Congress. Even though Al routinely 
prepared Ranking Member Rangel and numerous other Members of Congress 
for television and radio interviews, I'm sure that his most proud 
achievement was coming up with the chart I used in my Spring 2001 
newsletter to the constituents of Wisconsin's 4th District.
  Al Davis was a kind and public-spirited man whose good work in this 
institution will not soon be forgotten. He was an expert in his field 
and earned the respect of his colleagues through his thoughtful 
analysis and wise counsel. Al simply had an answer for every 
conceivable question. One of his greatest attributes was his skill at 
explaining how tax and budget proposals would affect the working 
families and average Americans that we represent.
  His dedication to his work was unmatched. He would often e-mail memos 
to staff late into the night so that Members of the Committee would 
prepared for debate first thing in the morning. The Ways and Means 
Committee and this Congress as a whole will be at a loss without his 
vast expertise.

[[Page 14560]]

  I am proud to stand with my colleagues in the House today to honor 
and recognize the career of our friend Al Davis. His integrity, 
character, and expertise in all matters related to the tax code and the 
federal budget will be sorely missed by this body.

                          ____________________