[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6372]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO PETER FISCHER

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor Peter 
Fischer, who is retiring from Senate service. Peter has been an 
essential member of my staff for more than a decade, and he currently 
serves as chief of staff for my Washington, DC, office. I cannot thank 
him enough for his dedicated counsel and friendship. Time and time 
again, he has provided helpful insight and contagious optimism that 
have been instrumental in overcoming even the most difficult 
challenges.
  I have been extremely blessed to have Peter as part of my team 
through multiple, valuable roles. He joined my 1998 Senate campaign as 
campaign finance director following his service as an economic 
development specialist with Idaho's department of commerce and 
industry. Then, in January of 1999, I was fortunate to have Peter join 
my congressional staff as State director for economic development. He 
utilized his economic development experience and profound understanding 
of the needs of Idaho communities to help communities navigate the 
Federal bureaucracy and identify partnership opportunities. He 
continued this outstanding advocacy after he moved to Washington, DC, 
nearly 2 years later, to become legislative director prior to becoming 
my Washington, DC, chief of staff.
  Peter has a remarkable ``can-do'' spirit and resourcefulness, and he 
has contributed greatly to advancing countless legislative and policy 
priorities for Idaho. For example, his commitment to the Owyhee 
Initiative played a major role in the successful passage of the 
authorizing legislation and continued implementation efforts. As a 
hunter, fisher and sportsman, Peter also provided valuable perspective 
in enactment of electronic duck stamp legislation. He has also been 
very active in representing me in countless ways on Capitol Hill. For 
example, he is a senior Stennis fellow, serves on the Steering 
Committee for the Bipartisan Chiefs of Staff organization, is the 
Republican chair of the bipartisan Foreign Policy Study Group,has 
attended numerous chiefs of staff retreats and manages my Washington 
campaign activities during his free time.
  A 1971 graduate of the University of California--Santa Barbara with a 
degree in history, Peter has a fascinating personal and professional 
life that has taken him across the country and around the world. His 
myriad of experiences in the private sector and across the globe has 
made him such an innovative economic development expert and a valued 
contributor to me. Peter is kind and courteous to a fault. We would be 
hard pressed to find anyone who has met him who doesn't like him. He 
has a great capacity to put people at ease, and people just generally 
like to be around him, as evidenced by his multitude of friends and 
acquaintances. It is probably because the best friendship qualities run 
deep in Peter: He is loyal and can be tough when needs be, but he is 
also a cheerful encourager.
  Peter has been a great asset to me, my staff and the Senate 
throughout his service to Idaho and the Nation, and I will miss him 
greatly. However, I wish my friend and his wife Kris great happiness 
throughout his retirement. I am hopeful that retirement will provide 
them more time to spend with their family, including their two children 
Katy and Paul, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. 
Peter's retirement is a well-deserved respite for his years of hard 
work for Idahoans and our country. Thank you, Peter, for your great 
service and extraordinary friendship.

                          ____________________