[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8556-8557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING RICHARD GABBERT ON HIS SELECTION AS A MANSFIELD FELLOW

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 10, 2016

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Richard 
Gabbert on his selection as a Mansfield Fellow. Mr. Gabbert is among 
ten federal government officials who will begin the year-long Mike 
Mansfield Fellowship Program in Japan this year. Congress established 
the Mansfield Fellowship Program in 1994 to build a corps of U.S. 
government officials with substantial Japan expertise. Since then one 
hundred and forty Fellows--representing twenty-seven U.S. government 
agencies, commissions and the U.S. Congress--have entered the 
Fellowship Program.
  Mr. Gabbert is a member of the twenty-first group of Mansfield 
Fellows, chosen through a selective recruitment and vetting process. 
Japan has long been an important part of Mr. Gabbert's life, and he is 
highly qualified for this unique professional development opportunity. 
He spent part of his childhood and early career in Japan, and continued 
this engagement during law school and in private practice.
  As a Senior Special Counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange 
Commission (SEC), Mr. Gabbert helped develop a cross-border regulatory 
framework for the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets and the 
global financial institutions active in those markets. His Mansfield 
Fellowship will give him the contacts and understanding needed to 
facilitate U.S. Japan coordination in this area, coordination that is 
critical for a smooth transition to this new regulatory framework in 
our countries and globally
  Mr. Gabbert will begin his Fellowship in Japan this summer with a 
seven-week homestay and language training in Ishiltawa Prefecture. This 
will be followed by ten months of practical experience in Japanese 
government offices in Tokyo. During his placements he will work side-
by-side with Japanese financial regulators. He will seek to understand 
the Japanese response to the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, 
particularly the legislative and regulatory reforms designed to 
increase transparency and stability in the OTC derivatives markets. He 
also will explore current issues in the implementation of these reforms 
in Japan, including the challenges of cross-border regulation and 
supervision of these markets, in order to support effective domestic 
regulatory efforts.
  As a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its 
Subcommittee on the Asia-Pacific, I understand the important role Japan 
plays in the global economy and the critical need to coordinate with 
Japan on

[[Page 8557]]

financial and other matters. Close coordination requires U.S. 
government officials like Mr. Gabbert who are prepared to develop the 
contacts and expertise needed to facilitate their agencies' work on 
Japan-related programs.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Gabbert on his 
selection as a Mansfield Fellow. I am confident his Mansfield 
Fellowship experience will enhance the work of the SEC and deepen its 
cooperation with Japan.
  I hope you will also join me in recognizing the value of the Mike 
Mansfield Fellowship Program and the opportunities it provides U.S. 
government officials like Mr. Gabbert to learn about Japan and its 
government and to strengthen the U.S. relationship with this important 
ally.

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