[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18778]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HONORING JOHN KATZ

  Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I rise today to commend the distinguished 
public service of a true statesman from my State of Alaska, John Katz. 
At the new year, John will step down as director of the State of 
Alaska's national office here in Washington, DC, after nearly three 
decades in that position. John Katz is an Alaska pioneer. He has been a 
key player in virtually every major public policy decision in Alaska 
for the past 40 years--and Alaska has only been a State for 52 years. 
John helped Alaska's transition to statehood in our formative years. He 
shaped and implemented key congressional laws, including the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands 
Conservation Act.
  John laid the foundation for Alaska's robust resource-based economy, 
which at one point was providing this Nation a quarter of its domestic 
oil. John has helped transform the Last Frontier into a modern society, 
bringing basic facilities like water, sewer, and phone service to a 
territory one-fifth the size of the lower 48 States. Overall, John has 
helped carefully manage Alaska's often strained relationship with the 
Federal Government. After working as a high school teacher and coach in 
Baltimore public schools, John began his long career of service to 
Alaska when he joined the staff of Alaska Congressman Howard Pollock. 
My dad, Nick Begich, succeeded Representative Pollock as Alaska's lone 
Member of the U.S. House.
  In 1971, John became a legislative assistant to then-Senator Ted 
Stevens. His wise counsel to Senator Stevens would continue until 
Senator Stevens' tragic passing last year. John worked in Alaska on 
Native claims issues and as counsel to the Joint Federal-State Land Use 
Planning Commission. The Commission didn't have a very sexy title, but 
it crafted important policy about the land management relations between 
the State and Federal Governments. From 1981 to 1983, John served as 
commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, arguably 
the most influential agency in Alaska State government. It oversees 
Alaska's 103 million acres of land and manages the resource base for 
our economy: oil and gas, mining, forestry, parks, and agriculture. In 
1983, John was asked by then-Governor Bill Sheffield to move to 
Washington to direct the State's office here. It was a position in 
which he would serve seven different Alaska Governors, as varied 
politically as Alaska is richly diverse.
  Democrats, Republicans, one Alaska Independent--all have relied 
heavily on John's encyclopedic knowledge of our State and his helping 
navigating the often choppy waters of Washington. Too often John's 
mission has been fighting against Federal encroachment into the lives 
of Alaskans. It is a battle we fight here every day. I, too, have 
relied on John's wisdom and insight, as mayor of our State's largest 
city, and now as I serve Alaska in this Chamber. After a distinguished 
career, John has cited what he called ``the increased polarization and 
deterioration of the public policy process at the Federal level.'' He 
says it is the worst he has ever seen in nearly half a century of 
thankless public service. I am saddened by this turn of events and sad 
to agree with John about the state of our national discourse.
  But I am heartened by John's dedication to the people of Alaska, to 
tirelessly working each and every day to educate non-Alaskans about the 
unique challenges and opportunities of our State. I also commend the 
contributions of John's longtime partner and wife, Sherry, and thank 
her for her sacrifice on behalf of Alaskans. John will be sorely missed 
as director of State and Federal relations for the State of Alaska. I 
only hope that he continues his distinguished service to Alaskans in 
the next phase of his life--and I wish him all the best.

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