[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15172]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNITION OF RETIRING REPUBLICAN DOUG BEREUTER

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I was sorry that I was unable to join my 
colleagues last Thursday in saluting our departing Member, the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter). He is everybody's model 
legislator. He is quiet and thoughtful, a serious man but with a light 
touch that sometimes one has to scratch the surface to reveal.
  But he is, first and foremost, a policy maker, a policy maker by 
training, with a temperament and commitment to make things better 
within the limits and responsibilities of government. He represents a 
very exclusive cohort, he has graduate degrees from both the Harvard 
Graduate School of Design and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, 
who over 30 years ago was working in the heartland dealing with 
planning and promoting economic development for the State of Nebraska.
  I think of him still as an intelligence officer with an insatiable 
quest for information and direct contact. He is a tireless worker on 
his various committees, always a full participant whether it is the 
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure, Committee on International Relations, or Committee 
on Financial Services, or some of the other activities that related to 
his work like the American Parliamentary Union. The list has been as 
extensive as it is impressive and important.
  The gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) has always been someone in 
this chamber who understands how to make things happen, whether it is 
as a junior or a senior Member of this body, whether in the majority or 
the minority, he understood what it took to be an effective Member of 
Congress. He would push against political currents, willing to debate 
those who are more interested in ideology and politics than they are in 
understanding and representing the unique interests of the broad 
public.
  He was willing to be unpopular with some in the political class but 
he struck a resonant chord for both Houses of Congress, in the media, 
with staff, and with Americans everywhere, but, most of all, election 
after election, in his home state of Nebraska.
  It is also important to note that he understood how to work with the 
outstanding men and women who are of his staff who make things happen. 
For over 26 years in his office, committees, interns and fellows, he 
helped launch hundreds of the best and brightest into careers in and 
out of government.
  For 6 years it was my pleasure to work with him on a particular 
issue, reforming our Federal flood insurance program. Some may think it 
somewhat esoteric, but it had profound effects in terms of the Federal 
budget, the environment, and in the lives and livelihood of people who 
were unnecessarily at risk.
  I must confess that I think I learned more about the legislative 
process working with the gentleman from Nebraska on this single bill 
than I did previously in law school and my own experience as a policy 
maker before coming to Congress. He is a master at his craft which is 
making public policy and bringing people together.
  One of my colleagues referenced my notion that the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) is the glue that helps hold Congress together 
in occasionally fractious times.
  One cannot reflect on his career without mentioning his spouse 
Louise, herself an educator and artist, in addition to playing the 
valuable role of congressional spouse.
  It was my privilege to travel and share experiences with the 
Bereuters. I came to appreciate their insights into what a critical 
role is played by a congressional family. A life partner plays a 
critical role at home, with children, dealing with politics, providing 
their partner with insights and, generally, contributing to the well-
being of this body.
  We in Congress will miss them both, but our loss is good news for 
many because he and Louise relocate to the West Coast and look forward 
to assuming a new position as president of the Asia Foundation in 
September.
  I know we all join in wishing them well and look forward to working 
with them in this new chapter in their lives. In the meantime, we thank 
them for enriching ours lives for over two decades.

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