[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13435]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             GRATITUDE FOR THE SERVICE OF MARIO V. DISPENZA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2009

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairman 
Bobby Scott and I would like to take this opportunity to thank one of 
the most productive and dedicated members of the Judiciary Committee 
staff, Mario Dispenza. For the past two years, Mario has served as a 
counsel for the Committee, working principally with the Crime, 
Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee.
  Mario came to the Judiciary Committee on a detail from the Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), where he has worked 
for 20 years. After graduating with honors from Kean University, he 
began his distinguished career with the ATF as a special agent in 
Cleveland, quickly moving up through the ranks to become a Program 
Manager in the Office of Professional Responsibility and Security 
Operations. While working for the ATF, Mario studied in the 
International Human Rights Programme at the New College of Oxford 
University, and earned his law degree with honors from The George 
Washington University Law School.
  Mario's tenure with the Committee included work on legislation of 
critical importance to our nation's criminal justice system. He ushered 
several important measures through the Committee and the full House, 
including during the 110th Congress: H.R. 923, the ``Emmet Till 
Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act,''; H.R. 1199, the ``Drug Endangered 
Children Act of 2007''; H.R. 1759, the ``Managing Arson Through 
Criminal History (MATCH) Act of 2007''; H.R. 1943, the ``Stop AIDS in 
Prison Act of 2007''; H.R. 2286, the ``Bail Bond Fairness Act of 
2007''; H.R. 2878, the ``Enhanced Financial Recovery and Equitable 
Treatment Act of 2007''; H.R. 3480, the ``Let Our Veterans Rest in 
Peace Act of 2007''; H.R. 3456/S. 231 to Reauthorize the Edward Byrne 
Memorial Justice Assistant Grant Program at Fiscal Year 2006 Levels 
through 2012; H.R. 3971, the ``Deaths in Custody Reporting Act of 
2008''; H.R. 4056/S. 2565, the ``Federal Law Enforcement Congressional 
Badge of Bravery Act of 2007''; H.R. 4238, the ``Literacy, Education 
and Rehabilitation Act of 2007''; H.R. 4300, the ``Juvenile Justice 
Accountability and Improvement Act of 2007''; H.R. 5057, the ``Debbie 
Smith Reauthorization Act of 2008''; H.R. 5938, the ``Former Vice 
President Protection Act of 2008''; H.R. 6083, To authorize funding to 
conduct a national training program for State and local prosecutors; 
H.R. 6295/S. 3598, the ``Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act of 
2008''; H.R. 6838, the ``Campus Safety Act of 2008''; H.R. 4110/S. 973, 
the ``Restitution for Victims of Crime Act of 2007'' and H.R. 845, the 
``Criminal Restitution Improvement Act.'' During the 111th Congress, 
Mario has been integral to the progress of: H.R. 738, the ``Death in 
Custody Reporting Act of 2008''; H.R. 748, the ``Center to Advance, 
Monitor, and Preserve University Security (CAMPUS) Safety Act of 
2009''; H.R. 503, the ``Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009''; 
H.R. 1741, the ``Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 
2009''; H.R. 1667, the ``War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2009''; and 
the Department of Justice reauthorization appropriations.
  We would like to thank the ATF for their generosity in lending such 
an able, responsible, and genial member of their team to the Congress. 
Mario will be missed, for he has become a trusted colleague, mentor, 
and friend to many members of the staff and Committee. We wish him the 
best of luck and extend our deepest gratitude for his service and 
professionalism.

                          ____________________