The Almanac of the Unelected 2008: Staff of the U.S. Congress

The Almanac of the Unelected Staff of the U.S. Congress 2008 21st Edition Edited by Lisa Friedman Foreword by Senator W...

Author: Lisa Friedman

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The Almanac of the Unelected Staff of the U.S. Congress

2008 21st Edition Edited by Lisa Friedman Foreword by Senator William H. Frist, M.D.

The Almanac of the Unelected 2008 21st Edition

Staff of the U.S. Congress

CONTRIBUTORS

John Filar Atwood Bernard A. Becker Katherine Boyle Matt Brady Elizabeth Brotherton Dena Bunis Thomas Burr Matt Canham Joe Cantlupe Michelle R. Davis Josh Drobnyk Mike Doyle Ed Epstein Kirsten Fedewa Evan Lehmann Jennifer Linn Lauren Markoe Christa Marshall John McArdle John E. Mulligan Emily Pierce Mary Shaffrey Mike Soraghan Suzanne Struglinski Peter Urban Jessica Wehrman Dana Wilkie

The Almanac of the Unelected 2008 21st Edition

Staff of the U.S. Congress Edited by Lisa Friedman

Lanham, MD

Published in the United States of America by Bernan Press, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200 Lanham, Maryland 20706 Bernan Press 800-865-3457 [email protected] www.bernan.com Copyright © 2008 by Bernan Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-59888-184-4 ISSN: 1047-0999 @ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Manufactured in the United States of America.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

vii

Foreword by Senator Bill First, M.D.

ix

United States House of Representatives Leadership

1 3

Committee on Agriculture

57

Committee on Appropriations

79

Committee on Armed Services

99

Committee on the Budget

117

Committee on Education and Labor

131

Committee on Energy and Commerce

151

Committee on Financial Services

169

Committee on Foreign Affairs

181

Committee on Homeland Security

201

Committee on House Administration

217

Committee on the Judiciary

225

Committee on Natural Resources

239

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

259

Committee on Rules

275

Committee on Science and Technology

289

Committee on Small Business

305

Committee on Standards of Official Conduct

317

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

325

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

351

Committee on Ways and Means

365

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

389

Energy Independence

393

United States Senate

395

Leadership

397

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

441

Committee on Appropriations

463

The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

v

Committee on Armed Services

491

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

505

Committee on the Budget

521

Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

541

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

565

Committee on Environment and Public Works

593

Committee on Finance

617

Committee on Foreign Relations

639

Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

649

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

667

Committee on the Judiciary

679

Committee on Rules and Administration

697

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

701

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

713

Select, Special, and Other Committees Committee on Indian Affairs

727

Special Committee on Aging

733

Select Committee on Ethics

741

Select Committee on Intelligence

745

Joint Committees

751

Joint Committee on the Library

753

Joint Committee on Printing

757

Joint Committee on Taxation

761

Joint Economic Committee

767

Name Index

vi

727

775


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the movies, Hollywood depicts congressional aides who scheme and plot on their boss’s behalf. Turn the pages of The Almanac of the Unelected for the real story. Inside this book, and inside the halls of Congress, you will ﬁnd the hundreds of dedicated men and women who help craft the country’s laws, policies, and annual budget. Many have devoted their adult lives to becoming experts in everything from tax policy to after-school programs, and the work that they do—almost entirely away from the limelight—affects all of our lives. Even more than the lawmakers whose faces appear regularly on the nightly news, these aides are the ones who make Congress tick. Each year The Almanac of the Unelected strives to give them their due, explain the work they perform, and describe the issues they will face in the coming session. These days, House and Senate committee staff are settling in to their new roles after the 2006 Democratic takeover. But with the presidential election just around the corner, all are waiting to see what a new administration—be it Republican or Democrat—will mean come 2008. A big debt of gratitude goes to the staff members who patiently took the time to explain their roles, helping us get behind the scenes to tell the real stories of how legislative work gets done on the Hill. Thanks to the tireless team of Almanac writers who tracked down aides, made repeated phone calls and endured endless, nagging e-mails from me, you are all fantastic.

Thank you. Lisa Friedman


vii

FOREWORD Long after most Washingtonians have retired for the evening, American flags fly high above the House and Senate chambers. As they dance in Capitol’s lights, dozens of senior staff members roam the Hill’s corridors, toiling late into the night to ensure elected officials are armed with the tools and information necessary to serve the American people. But who are these talented men and women? And why do they elect to work in the halls of Congress, where staff members often endure a grueling pace in return for wages far below their peers in the private sector? During my two terms in Senate and four years as majority leader, I came to deeply respect and admire the professionals who act as surrogate eyes, ears, and mouths for those serving in Congress. Staff members, often among the most gifted minds in their respective fields, play a critical role in carrying out the people’s business. They provide the background shaping crucial decisions. They represent members in front of constituents, interest groups, and the press. They work between offices and across party lines to ensure vital issues receive proper debate on the House and Senate floors. They do all this—and much, much more—not in search of fame and riches, but from a sense of duty. Congressional staff members recognize the privilege and reward of public service. They carry out their responsibilities while making countless personal sacrifices, often forced to trade time with family and friends for mind-boggling hours in their offices. Yet despite seemingly endless days and scarce acknowledgement of their achievements outside the halls of Congress, the men and women of Capitol Hill continue to serve the American people, playing an essential role in each and every facet of the legislative branch. Senators and congressmen and their staffs form a team throughout the workday, collaborating in a professional manner to achieve goals and meet the needs of the American people. But they also grow to know one another in far more personal ways, sharing incredible joys and tremendous pains that extend far beyond the workplace. They form a family, and those relationships often provide a strength that eases the sacrifices staff members make in the name of public service. One of the most rewarding aspects of my Senate tenure remains enjoying the strong bonds built within our team. I feel forever indebted to those who lent their expertise and dedication to assist me as I served the people of Tennessee and the United States. I know many of my colleagues share that sense of gratitude. In truth, the brilliant, devoted men and women of congressional staffs are the unsung heroes of Capitol Hill. —Senator William H. Frist, M.D. U.S. Senate Majority Leader (2003–2007) The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

ix

United States House of Representatives

“All Members of Congress rely on the hard work and dedication of our professional staff to help ensure that the priorities of everyday Americans—good jobs, better access to health care, the best education for our children, a clean environment, and a safe and secure America—are heard in the halls of Congress.” —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

“Professional staff members are essential to making Congress work efficiently and effectively. They provide vital information and support that allows Members of Congress to conduct the nation’s business and represent their constituents.” —House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

“Without the vital work performed every day by congressional staff on behalf of the American people, the modern United States Congress simply could not function. The work of the House and Senate is enhanced on a daily basis by congressional staffers who are driven by a unique commitment to public service and the ideals in which they believe.” —House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio

2


Leadership http://www.house.gov/

MAJORITY MEMBERS Nancy Pelosi, CA-8th, Speaker of the House Steny Hoyer, MD-5th, Majority Leader James E. Clyburn, SC-6th, Majority Whip Rahm Emanuel, IL-5th, Chairman, Democratic Caucus John Larson, CT-1st, Vice Chairman, Democratic Caucus Rosa DeLauro, CT-3rd, Co-Chairman, Democratic Steering Committee George Miller, CA-7th, Co-Chairman, Democratic Steering Committee John Lewis, GA-5th, Chief Deputy Majority Whip G.K. Butterfield, NC-1st, Chief Deputy Majority Whip Joe Crowley, NY, Chief Deputy Majority Whip Diana DeGette, CO-1st, Chief Deputy Majority Whip Ed Pastor, AZ-4th, Chief Deputy Majority Whip Jan Schakowsky, IL-9th, Chief Deputy Majority Whip John Tanner, TN-8th, Chief Deputy Majority Whip Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL-20th, Chief Deputy Majority Whip Maxine Waters, CA-35th, Chief Deputy Majority Whip

MINORITY MEMBERS John Boehner, OH-8th, Minority Leader Roy Blunt, MO-7th, Minority Whip Eric Cantor, VA-7th, Chief Deputy Minority Whip Tom Cole, OK-3rd, Chairman, National Republican congressional Committee Adam H. Putnam, FL-12th, Chairman, Republican Conference Thaddeus G. McCotter, MI-11th, Chairman, Republican Policy Committee Jeb Hensarling, TX-5th, Chairman, Republican Steering Committee


3

HOUSE LEADERSHIP The 110th Congress started out making history as Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as the nation’s first woman speaker of the House. Power has changed hands many times before, from party to party, but never had the gavel been laid in the hands of a woman. Pelosi, holding her infant grandson, accepted the gavel from Republican Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, “in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship.” In 2008, history and ceremony has given way to politics and the day-to-day responsibilities of governing. The barriers have been broken are on the presidential campaign trail, and Congress has been relegated to the back burner in the national consciousness as the nation decides who should reside on Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House. The promises of bipartisanship held for a time in 2007 as Pelosi pressed her “New Direction” theme. Democrats won bipartisan votes to enact their “6 for 06” legislative program. But as Democrats turned to their signature issue, ending the Iraq war, nearly all vestiges of bipartisanship were wiped out. The bitterness grew through an appropriations process in which President Bush declined to negotiate his top-line spending levels and Democratic leaders were forced to bend. This year, the attention has turned from Iraq to the economy. The year began with growing concern about an economic slowdown. Laying out her plan for the year before the National Press Club in January, Pelosi wasted little time in declaring, “Now, we must strengthen Americans’ faith in the economy.” Economic worries united the two parties once again as Pelosi and Boehner together hammered out an economic stimulus package. The final package of tax rebates and tax incentives for business was hailed by many as a triumph of bipartisanship, and proof that Washington is not broken. But Pelosi quickly let it be known there is more she wants to do. She has plans to help out more people hit by the economic slowdown with increases in food stamp and unemployment benefits. She convened experts to discuss large-scale investments in infrastructure. And fellow Democrats are looking for ways to resolve the subprime mortgage crisis. Iraq and national security remain a thorny issue for Democratic leaders. Last year’s legislative battles left them wary of spending time and political capital on Iraq legislation that President Bush can wave off with a stroke of his veto pen. But despite the reduction in violence in Baghdad, the Democratic leaders remain critical of Bush’s handling of the war and eager to change it. They plan to continue their aggressive oversight activities and look for opportunities to challenge Bush legislatively. All of this plays out against the volatile backdrop of the 2008 presidential election. Along with the leadership team of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina, Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, and Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman John Larson of Connecticut, Pelosi will have to craft a message and strategy that meshes with the Democratic nominee. For Republicans, 2007 began a process of self-examination that continues into 2008. They say they have a single-minded goal—reclaiming the majority in the November elections. But that goal has gotten tougher as the Republican president’s poll numbers have dropped and more than 20 GOP House members resigned or retired. Last year, Republican leaders worked to define Democrats as eager to tax and weak on national defense. Through floor tactics and a steady message drumbeat, they believe they had an impact. But as they head into this year’s elections, Republicans are interested in defining themselves for voters in order to get a second chance at the ballot box.

4


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Daniel Beard Chief Administrative Officer H-30, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-6969

Expertise: Managing large organizations. Daniel Beard quickly became known last year for the “Greening the Capitol” initiative he undertook on the orders of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But the chief administrative officer of the House has more changes in mind as he looks for ways to improve the way the House does business. Beard is planning to make 2008 the first part of a two-year effort to improve the benefits package for House employees. He says House benefits are antiquated and insufficient compared to other federal employees. “It’s like Rip Van Winkle,” Beard, the chief administrative officer of the House, said. “For the past 30 years, House employees have been left in the dust.” For example, House employees are currently paid only once a month. Beard said he’s found that’s a hardship on younger employees, and he’d like start paydays every two weeks or twice a month. He wants to increase transit benefits and reimburse employees for professional fees and educational costs. He is also seeking to start a “Wounded Warriors” initiative to hire severely injured military veterans for jobs in the House. Pelosi asked him to start such a program in November, he said. He also plans to step up the “Greening the Capitol” to tackle some of the more complicated problems. The basic idea of the program is to find ways to save energy and cut pollution by instituting the most up-to-date industry and government standards for green building and green operating procedures.

Personal: Born 04/14/1943 in Bellingham, Wash.

Education: B.A., Western Washington University, 1966. M.A., University of Washington, 1969. Ph.D., University of Washington in Seattle, 1973.

Professional: 1970–1974, analyst, environmental policy, congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. 1975–1976, Rep. Sidney Yates, D-Ill./Subc. on the Interior, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 1976–1978, assistant director, domestic policy staff, Executive Office of the President. 1978–1981, dept. assistant secretary, Dept. of the Interior. 1982–1984, chief of staff, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. 1985–1991, staff director, Subc. on Water & Power, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 1992–1993, staff director, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 1993–1995, commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Dept. of the Interior. 1996–2002, senior vice president and chief operating officer, National Audubon Society. 2002–2006, senior adviser, Booz Allen Hamilton. 2007–present, chief administrative officer, U.S. House of Representatives.


“It’s one thing to replace light bulbs,” Beard said. “It’s another to replace the overhead fixtures.” Beard holds one of three positions elected by the full House and is responsible for all non-legislative and non-security related functions in the House. This includes management of the 700 employees who provide finance, accounting, payroll, retail, logistical, and information technology services to all members of Congress, their staffs, and the various House offices. Beard has more than three decades of experience as a leader in policy affairs and management issues working in the private sector and government. A Washington state native, Beard has worked in Congress, the White House and the private sector. He was staff director of the Interior Committee and was commissioner of reclamation under President Clinton. Immediately prior to becoming CAO, he served as a senior adviser with the private consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton.

5

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Stacey Farnen Bernards Communications Director House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer H-107, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3130 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Stacey Farnen Bernards knew Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was going places when she signed up to work for him in 2001. He’d already been talked about as a candidate for leadership if Democrats took the House in 2000. When Hoyer ran successfully for minority whip in 2002, Bernards was there, and she’s been there for every leadership race since, including the challenge from Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., after Democrats took the House. The leadership races, she says, have been “intense spurts” that interrupt the policy and partisan engagements that typify her job. As communications director, Bernards serves as Hoyer’s spokesperson and adviser. She interacts with reporters, serving as a link between the Democrats’ floor operation and the press. She is also the primary liaison to the press staffs of House members and committee staffs. Most Tuesdays, she oversees Hoyer’s widely attended “penand-pad” session, which lays out the week's agenda and is attended by nearly all national news outlets with a presence in the Capitol. Each Friday, she runs a meeting for the communications directors of committees and leadership members, looking at the week ahead. With an election looming, Bernards said that a key aspect of her job is “communicating that we’ve been an effective majority, and communicating that we’ll be able to have more effective change if we have more Democratic members.”

Personal: Born 08/11/1974 in Albany, N.Y.

Education: B.A. foreign affairs; French, University of Virginia, 1996.

Professional: 1998, field coordinator, Wisconsin Democratic Coordinated Campaign. 1998–2000, deputy press secretary and legislative correspondent, Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wis. 2000–2001, associate and senior producer, Home Front Communications. 2001–2002, press secretary, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. 2002–2006, press secretary, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. 2007–present, communications director, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Last year, her role with Hoyer put her in the middle of all the major issues, including the fight over Iraq policy, the fight over spending bills and negotiations on renewing the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan, or SCHIP. She started of this year engaged in the high-stakes feud between President Bush and congressional Democrats over surveillance laws and renewal of the Protect America Act. She expects to be involved in communications on the budget, because fiscal responsibility is a top priority for Hoyer and he has gotten involved in developing the Democratic budget since joining leadership. Bernards thinks SCHIP could come up again this year. Last year, Hoyer and other Democrats negotiated with Republicans for weeks after the House passed a second version of the popular initiative, but they couldn’t reach agreement, and when Bush vetoed it a second time, they still couldn’t muster the votes to override him. Bernards is also likely to play a part as Hoyer is takes a lead role in the debate over re-authorizing the Americans with Disabilities Act. Hoyer helped pass the bill in 1990. This year, he’s the lead sponsor of the bill commonly referred to as the ADA Restoration Act. “He considers passage one of his main accomplishments,” Bernards said.

6


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Neil L. Bradley Policy Director House Republican Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. H-307, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0197 Fax: (202) 226-1115

Expertise: Budget, tax and spending matters, legislative process. Neil Bradley continues to serve as policy director for House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., coordinating the overall policy positions for the office as Republicans work to win back the House. With Republicans in the minority, part of Bradley’s job is to help the GOP whip highlight weaknesses in proposals put forward by the majority and offer alternatives that are appealing to the Democrats most likely to cross the aisle. In addition, Bradley helps the whip identify areas in which Republicans and Democrats can work together on advancing legislation. Bradley works closely with other leadership offices, House members and committees, Senate offices, and the Bush administration to achieve those goals. Bradley has said House Republicans see Blunt as a “principled leader who stands firm for Republican ideals.” Fostering that perception helps Blunt and his team to develop policy proposals that can be supported by a unified Republican Conference. Bradley served for four and a half years as the executive director of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of more than 90 social and fiscal conservatives within the House.

Personal: Born 10/29/1975 in Sapulpa, Okla.

Education: B.A., Georgetown University, 1998.

Professional: 1995–1999, various positions, Rep. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. 1999–2004, executive dir., Republican Study Cmte. 2004–present, policy dir., House Republican Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

That came in handy in 2005, when RSC members threatened to derail the Republican budget if their demands on spending rules weren’t met. National Journal reported at the time that Bradley played a “pivotal” role in the negotiations, speaking for the leadership, but with an understanding of the conservative group’s point of view—and a compromise was worked out. Bradley’s path to Capitol Hill began in a speech and debate classroom in junior high school in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, where he grew up. “It taught me to really get involved in current-events issues and be able to articulate ideas based on principles and the facts as you know them,” he told the Sapulpa Daily Herald in 2006. “It encouraged the ability to understand an issue quickly, which has been a key in my success, and delve into it and understand it enough to make a recommendation.” He came to Washington to attend Georgetown University where his roommate was well-known Democratic staffer Israel Klein, the Joint Economic Committee’s majority spokesman. CQ wrote this year that the two still catch up at Georgetown alumni events and around the Hill. “The politics doesn’t become personal,” Bradley said. “We remain good friends to this day.” A graduate of Georgetown University, Bradley is married to Kiki Bradley (formerly Kless).


7

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

George Canty Director of Planning and Policy Development House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-2204

Expertise: Economic issues, strategic planning. George Canty is one of several staff members who remained on House Republican Leader John Boehner’s leadership staff after the midterm elections gave control to the Democrats. He joined in the work of adjusting to the minority and is a key part of efforts to win back the majority in the House. That will be no easy task given the political atmosphere surrounding the election. More than 20 Republicans have retired and the Republican president’s popularity is near record low levels. The Republican leadership spent last year seeking to define Democrats and the differences between the two parties on key issues like national security, health care and taxes. This year, they say, they will need to go on offense, showcasing what the GOP would do if it regained the majority in the House. One of the first attacks of the year was over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, modernization bill. Boehner and Republicans staged a walkout over Democrats’ delay in bringing the measure to the floor. Canty, who had served as counselor to the former House majority leader, is now the director of planning and policy development. A variety of projects always seem to pop up under these umbrellas, he said. “Mr. Boehner is a huge believer in building strong teams,” Canty said. “A key part of that is making sure our conference team has a plan, supports the plan, and is working together to execute the plan.

Personal: Born 03/30/1962 in New York, N.Y.

Education: B.A., English, University of California, Berkeley/George Washington University. J.D., Pittsburgh School of Law.

Professional: 1995–1996, legislative assistant, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. 1996–2001, legislative director, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. 2001–2006, counselor to the chairman, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2006–present, director of planning and policy development, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

8

“That’s fundamentally what we’re doing with strategic planning. It provides a way for us to take the best ideas from the entire conference, tie them to goals the conference supports, and implement them broadly. Ultimately, our conference is strongest when the full talents of our members are efficiently engaged toward common goals, and that’s what we’re trying to do with strategic planning.” Previously, Canty served as counselor to then-Chairman Boehner on the House Education and the Workforce Committee from 2001 to 2006. From 1995 to 2001, he worked in Boehner’s personal office, including five years as legislative director. A lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, Canty is a native of New York, although he has lived in several states, including Wisconsin, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, and California.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Daniel P. Coughlin

Expertise: Public speaking.

Chaplain, U.S. House of Representatives

For the past eight years, Daniel P. Coughlin has aimed to bring a spirit of prayer to Capitol Hill and to keep the peace among the members of the House of Representatives.

HB-25, The Capitol

Coughlin was appointed in March 2000, the first Roman Catholic priest to serve as House chaplain. Since then he has been sworn in for four subsequent Congresses and has become part of the Chamber’s fabric, providing spiritual guidance and ministry to members and staff. The United States, a nation that separates church and state, does not have a national church or chaplain. But as the 59th House chaplain, Coughlin is a voice in Congress on spiritual affairs.

Phone: (202) 225-2509 Fax: (202) 225-0204

Coughlin said that since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he has sensed how deeply lawmakers value prayer and the presence of the chaplain in the halls of Congress. This understanding, he said, has brought a further gravity to his duties. Coughlin sees to it that each formal session of the House opens with a prayer. The House chaplain provides pastoral counseling to the House community, coordinates the scheduling of guest chaplains, and arranges memorial services for the House and its staff. In the 110th Congress, he has also had the duty of attending to the deaths of six members, an unusually high number. Coughlin actively promotes the guest chaplain program in which members of Congress invite clergy from their congressional districts to offer the daily prayer. Coughlin said it the program highlights the richness of America’s spiritual heritage.

Personal: Born 11/08/1934 in Ill.

Education: S.T.L., sacred theology, St. Mary of the Lake University, 1960. D.D., pastoral studies, Loyola University, 1968.

Professional: 1960–1965, associate pastor, St. Raymond Parish (Mount Prospect, Ill.). 1965–1968, associate pastor, Holy Name Cathedral (Chicago, Ill.). 1969–1984, director, Office for Divine Worship, Archdiocese of Chicago. 1984–1985, sabbatical, scholarin-residence, North American College (Rome, Italy). 1985–1990, pastor, St. Francis Xavier Parish (La Grange, Ill.). 1990–1995, director, Cardinal Stritch Retreat House (Mundelein, Ill.). 1995–2000, vicar for priests, Archdiocese of Chicago. 2000–present, chaplain, U.S. House of Representatives.


“Welcoming guest chaplains is one of the very rewarding things I do. It shows the breadth and depth of the religious experience in the U.S. and is a shining beacon of religious liberty,” Coughlin said This man of the cloth also oversees his office’s Web site, which lists the daily prayer offered before the House, a listing of local worship services and a list of upcoming activities of spiritual interest on the Hill. Prior to his appointment in the House, Coughlin served as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Chicago and as director of the Office for Divine Worship for the Archdiocese. He has served on many national and international committees regarding issues related to spirituality and renewal in prayer. Coughlin has a graduate degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University in Chicago. During a sabbatical in the mid-1980s, he lived with the Trappist monks of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, served overseas with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta and worked as a scholar-in-residence at North American College in Rome.

9

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Brendan Daly Communications Director House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. H-232, The Capitol Phone: (202) 226-7616 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, trade, gun control. The office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi puts out a lot of words every day, from press releases to speeches and talking points for other members. Every word gets approved by Pelosi’s communications director, Brendan Daly. Running the House’s top communications team for Pelosi, Daly is charged with minding public image and crafting the message of the Democratic leader. Daly has run Pelosi’s communications office since 2002, when Democrats were in the minority. In 2006, his operation played a key role in hounding Republicans out of the majority with a refrain of “incompetence, corruption, and cronyism.” This year Daly is in charge of developing and maintaining a message that can keep Democrats in power even help them enlarge their slim majority. Daly manages a 13-person operation. He oversees interactions with the press, dealing directly with reporters from the larger media outlets, and advises the speaker on other press matters, like allocation of space among the different “galleries” of reporters in the Capitol. He also supervises Pelosi’s messaging operation, which develops and distributes talking points for members on key bills and seeks to explain to the larger public what Pelosi is trying to accomplish. The 2006 campaign yielded Pelosi’s “6 for ‘06” agenda, a legislative plan that started with enacting the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The Democrats made their deadlines and four of their six priorities were enacted into law.

Personal: Born 07/12/1962 in Chevy Chase, Md.

Education: B.A., political science, Duke University, 1984.

Professional: 1984–1987, reporter, Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American. 1987–1993, reporter, The Patriot (Quincy, Mass.) Ledger,. 1993–1996, press secretary, Rep. Gerry Studds, D-Mass. 1996–2000, press dir., Peace Corps. 2000–2001, assistant representative for public affairs, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 2001, communications dir., Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. 2003–2006, communications dir., House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2007–present, communications dir., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

10

This year, Daly said, Iraq will remains at the forefront, but Democrats are tempering their expectations based on experience. “We’re realistic about what we can achieve,” Daly said. The Iraq issue has been joined by the economy at the top of voters’ minds. Pelosi took a lead role in Congress’s swift passage of an economic stimulus package this year. But Daly says Pelosi would like to do more, turning attention back to the proposals for “ increased unemployment insurance and food stamp benefits, low-income heating assistance and public works projects” that were dropped from the first package for the sake of speedy passage. He also expects to see a big push for a bill addressing climate change that includes a cap-and-trade provision. Pelosi calls climate change her “flagship” issue as speaker. Daly comes from a family of journalists. He started out as a reporter, and all three of his brothers are reporters.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Marta David Director of External Affairs House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. H-107, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3130 [email protected]

Expertise: External relations. Marta David used to be Minority Whip Steny Hoyer’s outreach director. When Hoyer became majority leader last year, David’s job title changed to director of external affairs. But the job remains largely the same, linking Hoyer with the constituent groups that have concerns about the legislation coming before the House, and getting the two sides talking to each other. She decides who should be in the room when Hoyer holds meetings on key issues. For example, one issue that will be big for Hoyer this year will be renewal of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He is the lead sponsor of what’s called the ADA Restoration Act. Hoyer believes the scope of the protections provided by the bill have wrongly been narrowed by court rulings, and the bill seeks to change that. “It’s something Mr. Hoyer is very passionate about and he was very involved when it passed,” David said. David sets up meetings between Hoyer and disabilities groups. Veterans’ groups are an important constituency on ADA, David said, because they were not a big part of the debate when the bill was passed. Now, veterans are coming home from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries and their concerns are more prominent. “It’s necessary to pull in groups who were not involved when this first passed,” she said. At some point, the small meetings advising Hoyer turn into bigger meetings like rallies and the discussion turns from shaping legislation to mobilizing to get it passed.

Personal: Born 06/27/1950 in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Education: B.A., English literature, Catholic University, 1972.

Professional: 1974–1978, staffer, Democratic National Committee. 1978–1985, deputy director, AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education. 1997–2002, senior policy advisor on labor, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo. 2003–2006, outreach director, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. 2007–present, director of external affairs, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

On other issues, like foreign policy and national security, David prefers to call the gatherings she organizes “think tanks” rather than meetings. “We’ve brought in small groups of experts to talk on those things, to vet things, to serve as sounding boards,” she said. Considered more moderate than many members of the caucus, Hoyer was not opposed to the war at the start. But he has harshly criticized President Bush’s subsequent actions and has eagerly promoted congressional inquiries into war spending, contracting and other matters. This year, Hoyer started off taking a lead role in the standoff between congressional Democrats and President Bush on foreign intelligence surveillance law and renewal of the Protect America Act. David came to Hoyer’s office in 1997 from Minority Leader Dick Gephardt’s office with a background in organized labor. She worked for 12 years at the AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Brad Dayspring

Expertise: Media relations, new media, political strategy.

Communications Director

Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, named Brad Dayspring as the RSC’s first fulltime communications director in an effort to aggressively promote the conservative agenda in the House.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas 132 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8582 [email protected]

Hensarling, who won his third term in November 2006, was elected to serve as the RSC leader a month later. He said the RSC will lead the effort to retake the majority in 2008 as the top member services organization on both the legislative and communications side. Hensarling has called Dayspring “one of the most skilled communications strategists in Washington, D.C.” and said his role is to help the RSC hold Democrats accountable for their actions while communicating positive messages of “faith, family, free enterprise, and freedom.” Dayspring’s background includes communications and media relations experience in the private and public sector, at the White House and on Capitol Hill. He served as the White House deputy director for press advance, handling communications, logistics, and scheduling for the White House press corps. In that capacity, he traveled to 46 states and over 25 foreign nations with the president and White House correspondents. The experience gave him a better understanding of, and appreciation for, journalists, he said. He also worked on then-Governor George W. Bush’s presidential election campaign in 2000, serving as West Virginia director of communications.

Personal: Born 03/10/1977 in Patterson, N.J.

Education: B.A., political science, Villanova University, 1999.

Professional: 1999–2000, deputy press secretary, House Budget Cmte. Chairman John Kasich, R-Ohio. 2000, West Virginia director of communications, Bush/Cheney 2000. 2001–2003, deputy director of press advance, White House. 2004–2005, director of media relations, National Restaurant Association. 2005, communications director, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. 2006, communications director, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. 2007–present, communications director, Republican Study Cmte.

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The National Restaurant Association recognized Dayspring’s media savvy when they hired him in 2004 as the industry group’s manager of media relations. “With a background that includes communications and media relations experience at both the White House and on Capitol Hill, Brad has strong knowledge of how the press works,” the association’s CEO Steven C. Anderson said at the time, adding, that Dayspring’s addition to the staff “enhances our efforts to promote the association’s message.” Dayspring said he came to Capitol Hill out of college, hoping to land a position on the staff of former Budget Chairman John Kasich, R-Ohio, and was thrilled to get job in the Budget Committee chairman’s press shop. A native of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, Dayspring was captain of Villanova University’s hockey team. He is a lifelong New York Yankees, New York Rangers, and New York Jets fan.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Nadeam Elshami Deputy Communications Director House Speaker Nancy Pelosi H-163 Phone: (202) 226-7616 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, media relations, political communications. Nadeam Elshami really did work his way up from the mailroom to the highest profile leader on the Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. After graduating college in 1991, Elshami worked in the Senate mailroom in the afternoons. In the mornings, he went to work as an intern, first in the office of Rep. Bob Clement, D-Tenn., then for former Rep. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky D-Iowa. It was a long way from there to Pelosi’s office. Elshami joined Pelosi as deputy communications director in 2007, shortly after she’d been sworn in as the first female speaker in U.S. history. “It is an honor to be working for the first female speaker, for me that remains a historic opportunity, particularly as the father of a daughter,” Elshami said. As deputy communications director Elshami works with Communications Director Brendan Daly to develop a message and communications strategy. Elshami focuses on the day-to-day operations, and ensuring a rapid response to criticism and developments. “Every day is absolutely different,” Elshami said. “You try to be proactive.” In 2007, Elshami focused on pushing forward the message, agenda and accomplishments of Pelosi’s “New Direction Congress.” He worked closely with Democratic members of the caucus and their staffs to help explain to constituents back home what the new Democratic-controlled Congress is doing.

Personal: Born 04/29/1970 in Nashville, Tenn.

Education: B.A., international business, University of Evansville, 1991.

Professional: 1992–1994, staff assistant, Senate Mail Room. 1994–1999, staff assistant, deputy press secretary, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 1998, deputy communications director, Boxer for Senate. 1999–2005, press secretary, deputy chief of staff, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. 2004, communications director, Up for Victory. 2005, national press secretary, Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill. 2006–2007, deputy communications director, senior communications adviser, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 2007–present, deputy communications director, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

He also spent a lot of time dealing with Pelosi’s efforts to force a change in policy on Iraq. This year, he expects Iraq to continue to be a major issue. But it has been joined by an issue that began to emerge on Capitol Hill late last year: the economy. He will spend his time this year honing that message and continuing to provide members of the Democratic caucus with the info and materials they need to provide that message in their districts. As a communications leader for the highest-profile Democrat in Congress, he’s also charged with working to retain and expand the Democratic majority. “When Republicans stand in the way of getting things accomplished, you can’t just say ‘Oh well, then we won’t,’” Elshami said. “The best thing you can do is elect more Democrats.” Elshami has an international background, having spent much of his childhood in Egypt. He was born in Nashville, but his family returned to Egypt when he was an infant. His family and he returned to Tennessee when he was in the eighth grade. A graduate of the University of Evansville, he also previously worked for Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Immediately before working for Pelosi, Elshami served as deputy communications advisor for Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.


13

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Sarah Feinberg Communications Director House Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. 202-A Cannon Phone: (202) 225-1400 Fax: (202) 226-4412 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Sarah Feinberg hasn’t stayed in one place very long during her career in politics. But she seems a little more settled in now in her job as communications director for House Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. Feinberg is part of Emanuel’s sharp focus on the new members he recruited to run in 2006 as the Democrats won the majority in the House. He has aimed to create a “one-stop leadership shop” for freshman members, and Feinberg’s communications office is a key stop at the shop. She consults with new members’ press offices, develops talking points and creates sample press releases. “We make sure they can take a lead role in legislation and help them get a lot of credit at home,” she said. “This office has sort of become a catch-all for them.” Beyond that, she handles Emanuel’s leadership press and coordinates with the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other leadership offices to craft a national message for House Democrats. Last year, Emanuel took a lead role promoting the Democratic legislation that would expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to 10 million children. The House and Senate passed the legislation twice, but couldn’t muster the votes to override President Bush’s veto.

Personal: Born 10/03/1977 in Charleston, W.Va.

Education: B.A. Politics, Washington and Lee University, 1999.

Professional: 1999–2000, staff asst., Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. 2000, press secretary, Gore-Lieberman Campaign, West Virginia. 2001, associate, Maple Creative, Charleston, W.Va. 2001–2002, press secretary, Environmental Working Group. 2002, communications dir., South Dakota Democratic Party. 2003, deputy dir., Senate Democratic Communications Committee. 2003–2004, national press secretary, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 2005–2006, press secretary, Democratic congressional Campaign Committee. 2007–present, communications director, House Democratic Caucus.

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This year, the economy will be a top priority. Congress passed a stimulus package with tax rebates for workers and tax incentives for business in February. But many Democrats want to go further, with more spending for food stamps and unemployment insurance, along with doing more to address the subprime mortgage crisis. “I don’t know that we’ve done everything we need to do on subprime,” she said. And as Democrats struggle with the right approach to take in an election year on Iraq, she said Emanuel wants to make a priority out of what he calls “America’s vulnerability.” In February, for instance, he issued a list of examples of National Guard shortfalls in 16 states hurting their ability to react to natural disasters or terrorist attacks. “The National Guard and Reserve are strained,” she said. “We need to look at military readiness, making America more protected at home.” Feinberg met her husband Dan Pfeiffer working on Al Gore’s 2000 campaign. This year, he has been off in Chicago, working as deputy communications director for Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Antonia Ferrier Communications Director House Minority Whip Roy Blunt R-Mo. H-307, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0197 Fax: (202) 226-1115 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. After years spent working in the Senate, Antonia Ferrier left Congress for a public relations firm in downtown Washington in early 2007. But it wasn’t long before she found herself missing the action on Capitol Hill. “The entire time, I was focused back on the Hill,” Ferrier said. “I realized I wasn’t done.” So, before the year was out she returned as communications director for House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., replacing Burson Taylor Snyder. Ferrier serves as the chief spokeswoman for Blunt, the No. 2 Republican in the House. She handles the day-to-day press operations and strategies for the whip’s office, coordinating closely with her counterparts in the House and Senate Republican leadership offices as well as members of the House Republican Caucus. “What we do is create a sharp contrast between the majority and what we believe,” Ferrier said. The top priority this year is winning back the House. She allows that the “conventional wisdom” is that Republicans can’t re-take the House this year, but says “my boss has a pretty convincing argument that we can.” While many worry that congressional races will be smothered by coverage of this year’s presidential campaign, Ferrier says she thinks the national contest will help Republicans get their message out. “It’s our job to convince the American people that we have learned from our mistakes, that we are fully capable, and ready to lead,” she said.

Personal: Born 10/04/1973 in Bristol, United Kingdom.

Education: B.A., American University, 1996.

Professional: 1997–1999, assistant to associate, IEP Advisors, Barbour Griffith and Rogers. 1999–2001, associate, Shepardson, Stern + Kaminsky. 2001–2002, deputy communications dir., National Republican Senatorial Cmte. 2002–2003, deputy communications dir., Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. 2003–2007, communications dir., Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. 2007, vice president, Manning, Selvage & Lee. 2007–present, communications dir., House Republican Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

She said being a “newbie” who was off the Hill when Republicans lost the majority allowed her to take a fresh look at the message the office was delivering. But after years in the dignified Senate, she said she did have to adjust to the more rough-and-tumble ways of the House. “You’re forced to be more aggressive over here,” Ferrier said. “Doing that in the Senate is considered sort of unseemly.” Beyond recapturing the majority, Ferrier also wants to build a profile for Blunt on free trade and energy. Trade is an abiding interest of Blunt’s and he chairs the House Energy Action Team, a group of lawmakers that speak out on energy issues. “He is a man who keeps his eyes on the prize,” Ferrier said. “It’s just a pleasure to watch him do what he does.” Ferrier was born in England, grew up in Massachusetts and always took an interest in world affairs. In junior high school, she subscribed to The Economist and got her family to start reading it. She said it wasn’t until Econ 101 at American University that she “started having a real problem with government telling people what to do with their money” and found that her loyalties were with the Republican Party.


15

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Brian Gaston Chief of Staff House Republican Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. H-307, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0197 Fax: (202) 226-1115 [email protected]

Expertise: House procedures, taxes, labor, trade, financial services. Brian Gaston is a 24-year Capitol Hill veteran who has been at the forefront of the conservative movement in Congress, starting with work on the “Contract with America” in 1993. As chief of staff to House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, he is the top aide to the No. 2 Republican in the House and is considered to be Blunt’s right-hand man. Leading a team of deputy and assistant whips, Gaston is integral to enforcing discipline among the GOP ranks. Like other Republicans, he has had to adjust to life in the minority, where success isn’t measured in passing legislation, but stopping it or at least forcing a reaction from the majority. “In the minority, the objective is how do we round up enough votes to stop what they’re trying to do,” Gaston said. “And when your party is in the White House, it’s just getting the 150 or so votes needed to stop a veto override.” But as Republicans try to reclaim the majority, Gaston said his party is getting back to thinking more about playing offense in the policy arena.

Personal: Born 03/13/1961 in Steubenville, Ohio.

Education: B.S., international economics (cum laude), Georgetown University, 1983.

Professional: 1984, legislative corresp., Sen. Charles Percy, R-Ill. 1985, legislative asst., Rep. Harris Fawell, R-Ill. 1986–1989, legislative dir., Rep. Harris Fawell, R-Ill. 1989–1993, administrative asst., Rep. Jan Meyers, R-Kans. 1993–1994, dir. of member services, House Republican Conference Chairman Dick Armey, R-Texas. 1995–1998, deputy chief of staff and policy dir., House Republican Conference Chairman John Boehner, R-Ohio. 1999–2002, policy dir., House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas. 2003–2004, policy dir., House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. 2004–present, chief of staff, House Republican Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

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“We don’t want to just be against them,” Gaston said. They are looking for opportunities to show how Republicans would handle the economy and how they believe Democrats would handle health care and taxes. Primarily, that means emphasizing that Republicans want to keep the Bush tax cuts that are set to expire, and Democrats don’t. It also means coordinating with Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Gaston started his Capitol Hill career in 1984 as a legislative correspondent for an Illinois senator. After Republicans won control of the House in the 1994 elections, Gaston served as policy director for then-GOP Conference Chairman John Boehner, R-Ohio. While working in policy positions for Blunt, Armey, and Boehner, Gaston primarily handled tax, trade, financial services, labor, and budget issues. Gaston considered passage and enactment of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which narrowly prevailed in the House, as one of his and Blunt’s major achievements in the 109th Congress. While most Republican leaders were initially reluctant to move forward with CAFTA, Blunt and his staff started early in 2005 in laying the groundwork and building a strong coalition effort for a successful House vote on CAFTA later that year. Gaston also considers passage of the 2001 Bush tax cuts another major accomplishment. A native of Steubenville, Ohio, Gaston graduated cum laude in 1983 from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a degree in international economics. He is a member of Augustana Lutheran Church in Washington, D.C., and resides in Old Town Alexandria.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Kristie Greco Communications Director House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C. H-329, The Capitol Phone: (202) 226-3210 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Kristie Greco spends a lot of time explaining that her boss isn’t a “hammer.” As communications director for House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., she says he doesn’t “whip” votes the same way as Tom DeLay, the former Republican whip known as “the hammer” for his disciplinarian approach. “A lot of people want to compare him to Tom DeLay,” Greco said. “But they’re very different people. My boss is more of a consensus builder than a hammer.” Greco came with Clyburn from the House Democratic Caucus as he built a new whip operation intended to sound out members’ objections to legislation early and address their concerns. Much of the system is built around the eight caucuses that form the larger Democratic Caucus, such as the congressional Black Caucus and the Blue Dog Coalition. While the process may seem unwieldy, she says it produces better legislation. “My boss has to fish in each of those ponds to get to 218,” Greco said, noting the number of votes that constitutes a majority in the 435-member House. “While it’s a challenge it’s also a blessing, because our caucus better reflects America and it helps create legislation that better reflects America,” she said. That operation faced its first strong test last year with an Iraq supplemental spending bill that included an “end-date certain” deadline for withdrawal. Conservative Democrats felt it went too far, while progressives deemed it too timid. In the end, it passed.

Personal: Born 02/21/1975 in Voorhees, N.J.

Education: B.A., English, Villanova University, 1997.

Professional: 1995, intern, The White House. 1996, intern, Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa. 1997, associate, Goodyear Government Relations. 1998–2000, legislative correspondent, Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa. 2000–2006, press secretary, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. 2006, communications director, House Democratic Caucus Chairman James Clyburn, D-S.C. 2007–present, communications director, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C.

Greco is in charge of explaining this process to the media. Last year, she took a lead role in a Democratic leadership effort to get lawmakers to hold at least three media events in their districts to tout Democratic accomplishments in their first year. Clyburn’s office was assigned to whip the operation to ensure all offices participated. She has also arranged the media component of Clyburn’s high-profile trips to the hurricane-shattered Gulf Coast. Clyburn has made Gulf Coast recovery a top priority of his office. The major issue for Katrina recovery this year will be dealing with housing, Greco said. More broadly, she expects the top priorities for Congress and the Democratic caucuses to be the economy, education and health care. Greco grew up not far away from Washington, in Springfield, Virginia, and says her interest in politics was piqued growing up in the shadow of the Capitol. “When we were studying the Constitution in school we went to see the Constitution,” Greco recalled. “When we were studying Congress, we went to see Congress in session. It made it very exciting and immediate.”


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Karen Lehman Haas Executive Director Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam, R-Fla. 1420 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5107 Fax: (202) 225-5117

Expertise: Rules, House procedures, administration. In American history, the House of Representatives has had 60 speakers, but just 35 clerks—and one of them was Karen L. Haas, who served in that position during the 109th and 110th Congresses. Nearing the end of her tenure in the clerk’s office, Haas— who had left the Hill before to work in the private sector at ABC and Disney—said she gave a great amount of thought to what she would do next, but kept coming back to her appreciation for the place she had worked for two decades. “The House is a historic place. It’s easy to form an attachment to it and its people, not just the people working here and the members they serve, but the people all around the country watching us make history,” Haas said. And so on Feb. 15, 2007, she accepted an appointment from chairman Adam Putnam, R-Fla., to serve as executive director of the House Republican Conference. Putnam had become the third leading House Republican in November 2006, just 10 days after he was elected to a fourth term as representative of Florida’s 12th congressional district. “I knew early on I wanted to have on our team folks with a visceral understanding of what it takes to navigate these hallowed halls, both in terms of our members hearing us, and more importantly, us hearing them,” Putnam said. “I could think of nobody better to help make that happen for us than Karen.”

Personal: Born 04/13/1962 in Baltimore, Md.

Education: B.S., University of Maryland, 1984.

Professional: 1984–1994, executive legislative assistant, Minority Leader Robert H. Michel, R-Ill. 1995–1998, dir. of government relations, ABC, Inc. 1998–1999, senior legislative analyst, The Walt Disney Company. 1999–2005, director of GOP Steering Committee, Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. 2005–2006, clerk of the House, U.S. House of Representatives. 2007–present, executive director, Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam, R-Fla.

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As executive director, Haas provides advice and counsel to Putnam and the conference’s chief of staff, Seth Webb, on all matters relating to strategic planning and operations. In addition to managing all of the conference’s special projects, Haas consults with all member offices on modernizing their operations. “When members have a question, if we don’t know the answer, then we’ll find out,” Webb said in explaining the office’s member services imperatives. Haas’s career in the House of Representatives began in 1984, when she served for 10 years as the executive legislative assistant to then-Minority Leader Bob Michel, R-Ill. She became the director of government affairs for ABC/Cap Cities in January of 1995, and became the senior policy analyst for Disney in August of 1998 before returning to the House of Representatives. Haas graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in economics. She lives in Maryland with her husband of 20 years, Mark Haas, and her two children.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Jaime Harrison Director of Floor Operations/Counsel Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C. H-329, The Capitol Phone: (202) 226-3210 [email protected]

Expertise: Floor operations, policy. Jaime Harrison found himself in some heady company in 2007 while helping his boss, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., steer the South Carolina presidential primary to prominence. At one point, when the calendar was getting scrambled, he stood in for Clyburn on a conference call and discovered he was on the line with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. “I was in some pretty interesting conversations,” Harrison said. “It was a very interesting process.” It was a long way from the poverty of his youth in rural South Carolina. Harrison told a reporter this year that many of his childhood friends are dead or in prison. But Orangeburg, South Carolina, is also where Harrison met Clyburn when the veteran lawmaker was a new congressman. Harrison invited Clyburn, the first African American from South Carolina elected to Congress since Reconstruction, to speak at his high school. The two stayed in touch. After Harrison won admission to Yale and returned to Orangeburg to teach high school, the relationship landed him a job in Clyburn’s personal office on Capitol Hill. He has been one of Clyburn’s most trusted aides as he climbed the leadership ladder. In the past four years Clyburn has rocketed from Democratic caucus vice chairman, to caucus chairman, and now majority whip.

Personal: Born 02/05/1976 in Orangeburg, S.C.

Education: B.A., Yale College, 1998. J.D., Georgetown University, 2004.

Professional: 1998–1999, geography teacher, Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. 1999–2003, chief operations officer, College Summit. 2003–2005, policy adviser, counsel, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. 2006, executive director, House Democratic Caucus. 2007–present, director of floor operations/counsel, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C.

As director of floor operations, it’s Harrison’s job to help make the whip operation run smoothly. He describes his job as making sure Democrats have enough votes to pass their bills on the floor. That’s not so simple with 233 Democrats who represent a broad ideological spectrum. Harrison is also the whip’s office general counsel. Harrison says that Clyburn employs a collaborative approach to being whip that involves more than just enforcing party discipline. “We sit down and talk with everybody,” he said. “When you have a 15-seat majority, there’s not a lot of threatening you can do.” That approach was put to the test last year when Clyburn and Harrison were called on to round up the votes for an Iraq spending bill that set timelines for withdrawal. Conservatives felt the bill went too far, and liberals found it too timid. In the end, it passed. “That was by far the most taxing moment for me as a person who counts the votes,” Harrison said. “It had gotten personal.” This year, Harrison expects to continue working on Gulf Coast hurricane recovery issues, on which Clyburn has taken a lead role, in addition to crucial basics like the budget and appropriations. Coming from a largely rural district, Harrison said, Clyburn takes an interest in energy bills as a way to get farmers more involved in producing biofuels.


19

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Jerry Hartz Director of Floor Operations House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. H-232, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100

Expertise: Floor procedure, House rules, appropriations, labor, health. Jerry Hartz started off last year as a witness to history when his boss, Nancy Pelosi, was sworn in as the first female speaker of the House. This year, he started off with a coldeyed look at the business of legislating. “We’re past opening day and into the nuts and bolts of running this place,” Hartz said. Hartz has been part of Pelosi’s floor team since 2001, and he is now the director of floor operations. With 20 years of Hill experience, Hartz is well-versed in the most arcane aspects of House procedure. Hartz plays a “gatekeeper role for the floor.” He assists Pelosi with all of her responsibilities on the floor, including serving as her eyes and ears and helping other members manage floor debate. He also serves as the liaison to the Rules Committee, known as “the speakers’ committee,” which shapes the floor debate on contested bills. The job gives him a hand in every major bill to come to the House floor. He coordinates with other Democratic leaders as a big floor vote nears, checking with the whip’s office on vote counts and the majority leader on scheduling. This year, the two main focuses Hartz sees are efforts to end the war in Iraq and legislative responses to an economy weakened by the housing crunch. “How to get things going again will be central to a Democratic strategy,” Hartz said.

Personal: Born 03/30/1958 in Pleasantville, Iowa.

Education: B.A., history, Central University of Iowa, 1980.

Professional: 1981–1986, legislative dir., Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy. 1987–1991, associate staff, House Rules Cmte. 1991–2001, executive floor asst., Democratic Whip David Bonior, D-Mich. 2001–2002, executive floor asst., Democratic Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2003–2006, executive floor asst., Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2007–present, director of floor operations, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

The House last year passed measures addressing the foreclosure crisis, but Hartz expects those measures to be coming back from the Senate this year, and it will be a Democratic priority to get them to the president’s desk. Hartz added that Democratic congressional leaders will be coordinating with the party’s presidential nominees as the election gets closer. “As each party picks a candidate, a lot of coordination will go into how we proceed,” Hartz said. In 2007, he notes, four of the “6 for ‘06” Democratic agenda items were enacted into law in 2007 along with an energy bill. He had a hand in guiding each, along with the appropriations bills, to initial passage on the House floor, and then steering the omnibus spending bill that wrapped them together to final congressional passage. Pelosi called Democrats’ failure to force changes in war policy through spending bills her “biggest disappointment.” But the bills all passed the House floor before they were either vetoed or bogged down in the Senate. He helped coordinate the jurisdictional issues on multicommittee bills like the energy bill and the bill incorporating the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Hartz joined Pelosi’s office when former Democratic Whip David Bonior, D-Mich., stepped down in 2001 to run for governor.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Aranthan Jones Policy Director House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C. H-226, The Capitol Phone: (202) 226-3210 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative policy. Aranthan “A.J.” Jones is the “fix-it” guy for House Democrats. It is his job to fix the problems and issues that emerge as a bill heads for a vote and “ensure that what hits the floor passes.” On major bills, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, DS.C., sends out a whip questionnaire to see how members of the Democratic caucus feel about a bill, and identify “hiccups” that is, members or entire caucuses with objections or concerns. As Clyburn’s policy director, Jones contacts the policy staffers to see where the problems can be worked out. That can mean changing the base bill before it gets to the floor, or allowing a member to put up an amendment on the House floor, to see if members support it. “I work for an incredible member, and these are exciting times,” Jones said. “There’s talk of increasing the House majority and a Democratic president. There’s a lot of issues that have been sitting around for a decade and a half where things are ready to happen.” This year, Jones said, the thorniest issues will be tax issues, such as finding ways to pay to address the alternative minimum tax and renewable energy tax breaks that are a priority of the Democratic leadership. And he expects a supplemental spending bill for the Iraq war to be a top priority, noting it will also include money for Katrina rebuilding and other domestic priorities.

Personal: Born 07/31/1975 in Fayetteville, N.C.

Education: B.S. anthropology, sociology, Iowa State University, 1999. M.P.H., George Washington University, 2002.

Professional: 1999–2000, college coordinator, University of Illinois, Chicago. 2000–2001, research associate, Johns Hopkins University. 2001, consultant, World Health Organization. 2002–2005, health policy director, congressional Black Caucus. 2005–2006, chief of staff, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. 2006–2007, policy director, Democratic Caucus Chairman James Clyburn, D-S.C. 2007–present, policy director, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C.

Before coming to Clyburn’s office, he was the top aide to Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., where he had a front-row seat as the hurricane-shattered Gulf Coast started to rebuild from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “My day might start with a meeting with Karl Rove and go right into another one with the governor of Louisiana,” recalled Jones. But in 2006 he found himself in the center of a new storm when Jefferson was hit with corruption allegations. “I tell people I had three hurricanes [Katrina, Rita and the FBI],” he said. After the indictment Jefferson lost his coveted seat on the House Ways and Means Committee. Jones’s position was shared with the committee, so Jones moved to Clyburn’s office. He remains at the center of reconstruction issues, as Clyburn heads the congressional “Katrina-Rita Working Group.” Jones brings a background in health policy to his job. He holds degrees in anthropology and sociology, a master’s degree in international health policy and worked at the World Health Organization before coming to the congressional Black Caucus to do health policy. He was recognized on the floor in February as a the highest ranking AfricanAmerican health policy adviser in the House by fellow Iowa State graduate, Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Peter Kirkham Executive Director, National Republican congressional Committee NRCC Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla. 320 First Street SE Phone: (202) 479-7095 Fax: (202) 863-0693

Expertise: GOP politics, political management. Pete Kirkham has a difficult job this year as executive director of the National Republican Campaign Committee. Coming off the loss of the majority in 2006, there has been a wave of retirements among House Republicans; the committee’s Democratic counterpart came into 2008 with a 7-to-1 cash advantage; and the committee is undergoing a forensic audit after alerting the FBI that a former aide had faked a bank audit in 2006. As if that wasn’t enough, his boss, NRCC Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla. is feuding with the top Republican in the House, Minority Leader John Boehner—and Boehner himself has reportedly tried to force out Kirkham. The Politico reported in September that Boehner told Cole in a meeting that Boehner wanted to replace Kirkham and another aide with more “aggressive” people. The stakes are high. After 12 years in control of the House, Republicans got down to 198 members in March, 20 seats short of a majority. Cole, a congressman from the fourth district of Oklahoma, was elected to take over the NRCC chairmanship vacated by Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y. And Cole remains optimistic about his party’s prospects in the November elections. “I will bet [Democrats] start with a pretty big lead in the spring and hold it through the summer,” Cole told The Hill. “All of a sudden, it will start narrowing, and we will be like a football team with the wind at our back in the fall, and our candidates will have that as well.”

Personal: Born 07/20/1967 in Newport News, Va.

Education: B.A., political science and history, West Virginia University, 1989. M.A., international public policy analysis, West Virginia University, 1991. B.S., metals science and engineering, Penn State University, 1999.

Professional: 1992–1997, legislative director, legislative assistant and legislative correspondent, Rep. Herb Bateman, R-Va. 2000–2003, metallurgist, Ryerson Tull. 2002–2003, legislative director, Rep Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Rep. Wes Watkins, R-Okla. 2003, legislative director, Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-Penn. 2003–2007, chief of staff, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. 2007–present, executive director, National Republican congressional Committee.

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Kirkham has noted that Cole also served as NRCC executive director in the 1992 cycle, and NRCC picked up 10 seats that year despite the defeat of President George H.W. Bush’s re-election bid. Kirkham’s responsibilities include managing the day-today operations and overseeing a staff of professionals with expertise in campaign strategy development, planning and management, research, communications, fundraising, administration, and legal compliance. Prior to his tenure as Cole’s top aide, Kirkham worked as a legislative director for Reps. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., and Sam Graves, R-Mo., as well as for former Reps. Wes Watkins, ROkla., and Herb Bateman, R-Va. He became chief of staff to Cole in 2003, after his first election to Congress, and remained in that post until his recent appointment to the NRCC’s top staff job. Kirkham, a native of Yorktown, Virginia, received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from West Virginia University. He also received a bachelor’s degree in metals science and engineering from Penn State University and worked as a metallurgist.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

George Kundanis Deputy Chief of Staff House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. H-232, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100

Expertise: Democratic politics. George Kundanis has worked in the Democratic leadership for so long that members and aides affectionately joke that he, like the furniture, comes with the office. For more than 30 years, including 12 years spent in the minority, Kundanis has worked in leadership as a top aide for then-minority leader and now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; former Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo.; and former House Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash. In today’s Washington, Kundanis is a bit of an anomaly. While many staffers put their time in on the Hill as the means toward a lucrative private sector job, Kundanis has spent the past three decades on Capitol Hill and brings almost unparalleled institutional memory to the Speaker’s office. Known for his grasp of both Democratic policy and politics, Kundanis is one of the most respected House staffers and has built a reputation as a go-to man for leadership for advice and political strategy. As the number two staffer in Pelosi’s office, he is a trusted confidante of the Speaker and tuned in to the Democratic Caucus as a whole. “I tell members what she’s thinking and keep her informed of what they’re thinking,” Kundanis said. As part of that intermediary role, he serves as a high-level contact for members with concerns and requests. Kundanis is both a proud institutionalist and a loyal partisan. He is a master of floor procedure, a key player in building Democratic message strategies, and an able tactician on crafting policies that can pass a closely divided House.

Personal: Born 02/13/1950 in Chicago, Ill.

Education: B.A., Northwestern University, 1971. M.A., University of Wisconsin, 1972. Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1982.

Professional: 1976–1977, fellow, American Political Science Association. 1977, legislative asst., Rep. Thomas Foley, D-Wash. 1977–1980, asst. to the chairman, House Democratic Caucus. 1981–1986, floor asst., House Majority Whip Thomas Foley, D-Wash. 1986–1989, executive floor asst., Majority Leader Thomas Foley, D-Wash. 1989–1994, executive dir., House Democratic Steering and Policy Cmte. 1995–2002, special asst., House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. 2002–2006, special asst., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2007–present, deputy chief of staff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.


This year, he is expecting the Iraq war to again be a top issue. House Democrats succeeded in passing measures last year that set timelines for withdrawal, but could not override President Bush’s veto. As the Iraq issue settled into stalemate last year, the economy emerged on the radar screen. After working with the administration to pass an stimulus package early in 2008, Pelosi hosted an economic forum and has indicated she will consider yet another package later this year. She also vowed to hold a forum on public works projects, which many Democrats feel should be part of any new proposal. “Last year we began the process of addressing whatever slowdown there is in the economy,” Kundanis said. “We’re transitioning this year to making that a top priority.” A Chicago native, Kundanis holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

John A. Lawrence Chief of Staff House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. H-232, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100 [email protected]

Expertise: Democratic politics, education, environment and energy, labor. John Lawrence, chief of staff for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, is in charge of ensuring that all aspects of policy creation, communications, and other activities of the office operate effectively. Lawrence is the top Democratic aide on the House side. There is very little that falls outside of his job description. Lawrence played a major role in developing the Democrats’ “6 for 06” policy agenda, then took charge of enacting it last year when his boss became the highest ranking official in the House. Four of the six bills were enacted into law, generally with bipartisan support. This year, he expects a major focus on the economy. The first foray into this arena, a stimulus package with benefits for business and low-income workers, was signed in January. Lawrence expects more work on this topic, in areas that won’t get Republican agreement as easily. Pelosi, D-Calif., wants to extend unemployment insurance, and many Democrats have called for increasing food stamp benefits. Iraq has been a point of frustration for Democrats. When they tried last year to force withdrawal from Iraq in a spending bill, Bush simply vetoed the bill. Late last year, he even vetoed a defense bill that included a raise for military personnel, citing a provision that allowed U.S. courts to freeze Iraqi assets.

Personal: Born 07/05/1949 in Paterson, N.J.

Education: A.B., Oberlin College, 1970. Ph.D., history, University of California at Berkeley, 1979.

Professional: 1971–1974, research and teaching asst., University of California, Berkeley. 1975–1993, administrative asst. and legislative dir., Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. 1979–1983, staff dir., Subc. on Labor Standards, House Cmte. On Education and Labor. 1983–1989, associate staff, House Cmte. on the Budget. 1993–1994, staff dir., House Cmte. on Resources. 1995–2005, staff, Democratic Policy Cmte. 1997–2000, Democratic staff dir., House Cmte. on Resources. 2001–2005, Democratic staff dir., House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2005–2006, chief of staff, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2007–present, chief of staff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

“Nothing Congress can pass will be signed by the president, as we saw when he vetoed a raise for the troops,” Lawrence said. “I’m just being realistic.” That said, he expects Democrats to forge ahead with assertive oversight of the war, look at rebuilding the military and possibly use legislation to counter Bush’s security agreement with Iraq. Pelosi has also indicated that global warming legislation that includes a “cap-and-trade system” will follow last year’s increase in fuel efficiency standards. All of this will be done with an eye toward increasing the Democratic majority in the House and electing a Democratic president. But Lawrence said it’s not the role of his office to coordinate directly with the campaigns of the candidates or the nominee, though they can coordinate with a nominee’s Senate office. “We don’t do coordination with the political side out of this office,” he said. “The presidential candidates will go beyond where we can go and that’s how it should be.” A Hill veteran of more than 30 years, Lawrence succeeded longtime Pelosi chief of staff George Crawford in the fall of 2005, when Pelosi was the minority leader. He came to Pelosi’s staff after working for years for her close friend and political ally, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. Lawrence, who was born in New Jersey, came to Washington in 1975 with Miller, the same year Miller first took office.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Terry Lierman Chief of Staff House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. H-107, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3130 [email protected]

Expertise: Health care, policy, management. Terry Lierman returned to Capitol Hill in 2007 after 26 years away from politics in the private sector to be chief of staff to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. He replaced William Cable, who retired after a year as Hoyer’s chief of staff and decades in public life. Lierman is one of the few Hill staffers who has run for Congress himself. In 2000, he narrowly lost a challenge to Rep. Connie Morrella, R-Md. As the top staffer for the second-ranking official in the House, Lierman is in charge of nearly everything in Hoyer’s political life. Lierman runs not only Hoyer’s leadership office, but his personal congressional office and his regional staff. He takes an interest in Hoyer’s political fortunes also. Lierman describes the priorities of his job as making sure things go well on the House floor, making sure legislation is ready when it gets to the floor, ensuring that all members have input into the legislation and being responsive to members. “The best part of the job is the combination of policy with politics and management,” Lierman said. “There’s very few jobs in the world where you can do all three.” Managing the floor is a key role of the majority leader, and Lierman notes, “If it goes well, nobody notices.” This year’s priorities for Lierman start with the basics, getting the budget and appropriations bills done on time. He notes that Hoyer is also very interested in human rights issues, health, education, and energy.

Education: B.A., political science, Winona State University, 1969. M.A., University of Wisconsin, 1971.

Professional: 1971–1972, management intern, National Institutes of Health. 1972–1973, Administrative Officer for Drug Research and Development, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. 1973–1975, staff member, Office of the Director, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. 1975–1977, professional staff member, Senate Subc. on Labor Health and Human Services Appropriations. 1976–1979, staff director, Senate Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations. 1979–1981, staff director / chief clerk, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 1981–1984, director of Washington office, Carley Capital Group. 1984–2001, founder and president, Capitol Associates, Inc. 1990–2002, vice chair, Employee Health Programs. 1994–2001, partner, TheraCom. 1999–2000, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District of Maryland. 2001–2004, managing partner, Health Ventures. 2003–2004, national finance co-chair and state organizer, Howard Dean for President Campaign. 2004–2007, state chair, Maryland Democratic Party. 2007–present, chief of staff, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

A less well-known priority for Hoyer is a major overhaul of the Americans With Disabilities Act, called the ADA Restoration Act. Hoyer feels that courts have wrongly narrowed the protections of the law he helped pass in 1980. Looming over all of this is the general election in November that will see a new president elected and provide the first electoral test of the Democrats’ new majority. “When we have a presidential nominee, Congress has to be consistent with the message of the campaign,” Lierman said. Lierman and Hoyer met decades ago when Lierman was a Senate staffer and Hoyer was active in Maryland politics. Lierman left his job as staff director of the Senate Appropriations Committee the year that Hoyer was sworn in to his first term. After leaving, Lierman built a health care lobbying firm, Capitol Associates, Inc., then left it to run for Congress. In 2003, he became national finance co-chair for the Howard Dean for President Campaign. And in 2004, he became chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party, where he served until coming to work for Hoyer. “I’ve been training for 25 years to come work for him,” he said, then corrected himself. “Make that 30 years.”

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Wilson Livingood Sergeant at Arms H-124, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-2456

Expertise: Security. When the House changes hands from one party to another, nearly everything changes. But when the House changed hands in 2006, its top cop stayed the same. Wilson Livingood started as House sergeant-at-arms under Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. Gingrich was looking for a non-political, non-partisan person with a law-enforcement background. That reputation was born out when Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asked him to stay on in 2007 after Democrats won back the majority. “The Speaker called up and said, ‘You’ve been non-political and non-partisan. We’d like you to stay,’” Livingood recalled. With that decision, Livingood became the first sergeant-atarms to open a session of Congress with the words “Madame Speaker.” For Livingood, security is job number one. He aims to make sure the Capitol complex is as safe and secure as possible, while still being open to the public. He is the Capitol’s bodyguard, working with Capitol and Washington, D.C., police to make sure America’s central seat of government and the community around it is protected. He works with the Capitol Police to ensure the personal security of every member of Congress and all who visit the Capitol and House office buildings. He also travels on congressional delegation trips when there is a potential threat of terrorism.

Personal: Born 10/01/1936 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Education: B.S., police administration, Michigan State University, 1961.

Professional: Positions included (34 years): special agent, U.S. Secret Service, Dallas Field Office. asst. to the special agent in charge, U.S. Secret Service, Presidential Protective Division. asst. special agent in charge, U.S. Secret Service, Office of Protective Forces. special agent in charge, U.S. Secret Service, Office of Protective Forces. inspector, U.S. Secret Service, Office of Inspection. special agent in charge, U.S. Secret Service, Houston Field Office. deputy asst. dir., U.S. Secret Service, Office of Training. 1989–1995, executive asst. to the director, U.S. House of Representatives. 1995–present, sergeant at arms, U.S. House of Representatives.

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In the 110th Congress, he also has had the grim task of assisting the families of six members of Congress who had died in office during this Congress. Livingood’s office works with the family on arrangements and makes any presentation from Congress to the family. “We’re involved the minute there’s a death,” he said. This year Livingood will be assisting with the security at both major political party conventions to protect the members who attend. He’s also working on a new strategic plan for his office that lets congressional officials know what his office’s needs are for the next five years. And he is also looking forward to the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center, currently scheduled for late this year. Security is Livingood’s calling. He graduated from Secret Service school the day President Kennedy was shot, and protected three other presidents: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and George H.W. Bush. He counts the investigative and counter-intelligence skills he learned in the Secret Service as among the most applicable to his current job. He’s also the chief protocol officer of the House, which is why he has the role of announcing the president’s name during the State of the Union address. In addition, Livingood is keeper of the “mace,” the ebony and silver rod topped with a silver eagle that represents the authority of the House.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Lorraine C. Miller Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. H-154, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-7000

Expertise: Administration. When Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tapped Lorraine Miller to be clerk of the House of Representatives in 2007, it was a historic moment—Miller is the first African American to ever serve as a House officer. But Miller remained modest about the appointment, telling the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call that her goal is to help members of Congress do their best. “My job is to make my principal look good,” Miller said. “It’s the old school, but it’s the way we did things. And I like that, and I still adhere to it.” The clerk is charged with maintaining the day-to-day legislative business of the House. Miller oversees operations on the House floor, including the recording of votes, the creation and certification of all legislative documents and sending and receiving official messages from the Senate and the White House. Miller certainly has a wide-range of institutional experience. Before becoming clerk, she served as an aide to Pelosi and former Speakers Tom Foley, D-Wash., and Jim Wright, D-Texas. Miller also worked in the executive branch, including a stint in the White House as President Clinton’s liaison to the House of Representatives. Outside of government, Miller is president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the NAACP, fighting to bring opportunities to the next generation of Americans.

Personal: Born in Fort Worth, Texas.

Education: B.A., political science, North Texas State University. Senior manager’s in government certificate, John F. Kennedy School of Government. Executive master’s degree, business, Georgetown University.

“The NAACP is really a part of me,” she told Roll Call. “I believe in it. I still think racism is prevalent, it’s just taken a different course. It’s about making sure there’s equal opportunity for everyone, not just for African Americans, but for all people.” The clerk also oversees the House’s art collection and the House Page Program—something that kept Miller busy at the end of 2007.

Professional:

Four pages were expelled from the program in the fall, two for allegedly shoplifting and two others for allegedly engaging in public sex acts. In the aftermath, Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., resigned their positions from the House Page Board, arguing that the program was flawed and improperly managed.

2004–2007, president, Washington, D.C., branch of the NAACP. 2007–present, clerk, U.S. House of Representatives.

A Texas native, Miller holds an executive master’s degree from the Georgetown School of Business. At the request of Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, House inspector general James Cornell investigated the page program, finding that additional supervision was needed at the page dorm, located just off the congressional campus. Miller carried out the report’s recommendations, and the page board created a new deputy clerk position to specifically oversee the program.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Paula Nowakowski Chief of Staff House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4000 Fax: (202) 225-5117

Expertise: Legislative, communications and floor strategy. Chief of staff Paula Nowakowski is in the second year of a two-year effort to help House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, prove that House Republicans are capable of serving as America’s majority party again after the 2006 election fallout. A key part of that is Boehner’s “rebranding” effort that began in 2007 as an effort to craft a new agenda for the GOP and define a new image for House Republicans. While party leaders have united behind general themes of “freedom” and “security,” they will expand this year into developing policies to support that brand. “We sell it,” Nowakowski said. “We’re going through a process that corporate America goes through. You identify needs, identify the product to fill those needs and identify how to sell that.” The 2008 election is an opportunity to regain seats and possibly even the majority. But an election year also offers unique challenges for congressional leaders, especially presidential years. The congressional calendar has less floor time and much of the attention is focused on the presidential race. Nowakowski said she sees little downside in the limited schedule, noting it means less time for majority Democrats to “expand government.” But the presidential race could force changes in how Boehner and Nowakowski get the Republican message across.

Personal: Born 07/1963 in St. Clair Shores, Mich.

Education: B.A., Cornell University, 1985.

Professional: 1984–1995, political operative, Republican National Committee, various GOP political campaigns. 1995–1998, communications dir., House Republican Conference. 1998–2000, senior vice president for public affairs, American Insurance Association. 2001–2006, staff dir., House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2006– present, chief of staff, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.

“It will be interesting to see whether House Republicans are holding Democrats accountable for the positions of their nominee or vice versa,” Nowakowski said. Nowakowski was appointed to her current position as chief of staff to then-Majority Leader Boehner in February 2006. She helped Boehner win a post-election challenge to his job as Republican leader after the 2006 change of power. After going through “the seven stages of grief,” Nowakowski found that life in the minority actually came with expanded responsibilities for the “institutional” role of the office. For example, she and Boehner suddenly found themselves dealing with the Capitol Visitor Center. “I knew the Capitol Visitor Center was a big hole out there; that’s a big shift,” she said. And then there’s “managing the process” of not being in charge. “We still have members who complain to us about the schedule,” she said, noting that her boss doesn’t control the calendar. “You don’t want to be a compliant minority, but you have to adjust your expectations.” Nowakowski previously served for four years as communications director for the House Republican Conference and has held various other positions, including research director at the Republican National Committee. A graduate of Cornell University, Nowakowski is a “persistent” golfer, an avid reader of history and biographies, and an enthusiastic hockey fan.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Joe Onek

Expertise: Constitutional law, civil liberties, health care.

Senior Counsel

Joe Onek came to the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a more extensive resume than most congressional staffers. After graduating first in his class from Yale Law School, Onek clerked for Supreme Court Justice William Brennan in 1968 and 1969.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif. H-232, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100 [email protected]

When he became Pelosi’s senior counsel in 2007, he’d already worked in all three branches of government, been a partner in a major Washington law firm and was a widelyquoted legal mind on many of the questions he deals with now, such as the reach of government power after September 11, 2001. He was in a senior position at George Soros’s Open Society Institute, but he wanted to join Pelosi’s team because saw the Democratic takeover of Congress and Pelosi’s ascension as the first woman speaker, as a “new moment in history.” He also saw the Democrats performance in Congress as crucial to the 2008 presidential elections. “It’s important from my point of view to help ensure that the way the House acts increases the possibility of electing a Democratic president,” he said.


Education: A.B. History, Harvard University, 1962. M.A., London School of Economics, 1964. L.L.B., Yale Law School, 1967.

Professional: 1967–1968, law clerk, D.C. Circuit, United States Court of Appeals. 1968–1969, law clerk, U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan. 1969–1971, assistant counsel, Senate Labor and Public Welfare Cmte. 1971–1976, attorney/director, Center for Law & Social Policy. 1976–1977, adjunct professor, University of Maryland Law School. 1976–1977, director, Health Care Policy Analysis, Carter Mondale Transition Planning Group. 1977–1979, associate director for health and human resources, White House Domestic Policy Staff. 1979– 1981, deputy counsel to the president, White House. 1981–1991, Partner, Onek, Klein & Farr. 1991–1997, partner, Crowell & Moring LLP. 1997–1999, principal deputy associate attorney general, U.S. Dept. of Justice. 1999–2001, senior coordinator for the rule of law, U.S. State Dept. 2001, consultant, World Bank Legal Department. 2001, consultant, Population Services International. 2001–2005, senior counsel and director, The Constitution Project, Liberty and Security Initiative. 2005–2007, senior policy analyst, Open Society Institute. 2007–present, senior counsel, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

As senior counsel, Onek advises the Speaker on some of the thorniest legal issues she faces, including surveillance, immigration and the ongoing investigation into the administration’s firing of several U.S. attorneys. The outcome of two of those issues last year were disappointing for Pelosi. The Senate failed to pass an immigration plan, essentially ending efforts to create a “comprehensive” immigration law. And even the Speaker criticized the wiretapping law, called the Protect America Act, passed by her own House under pressure from President Bush. “It’s not a big secret that the Speaker was not happy about the process or the substance of what was passed in July,” Onek said. But that wasn’t the end of the debate. The Protect America Act expired this year, reopening the debate between those who want increase surveillance powers for the government and civil libertarians. Key to the dispute is whether telecom companies who participated in the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program should be given immunity from lawsuits. The investigation into the U.S. attorneys firing dropped from the public radar screen for a time last year. But it returned earlier this year as the House voted to hold two White House officials in contempt. The vote sparked a standoff between the branches because the Bush administration said it would not enforce the contempt citations. Onek also expects the immigration debate to resurface despite last year’s collapse. He thinks legislators are likely to take on more focused aspects of immigration policy, like visas for overseas workers.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Jim Papa Adviser to the Chairman and Director of Member Services House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. 202-A Cannon Phone: (202) 225-1400 [email protected]

Expertise: Member services. Jim Papa brings experience as a campaign staffer, press secretary and chief of staff to his job, where he is in charge of making sure freshman Democratic members get everything they need. Papa runs the member services operation for House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. Before taking over as head of the caucus, Emanuel engineered the 2006 Democratic takeover of Congress as chairman of the Democratic congressional Campaign Committee, or DCCC. Because of his work recruiting and encouraging new people to run for Congress in 2006, Emanuel’s caucus operation has a unique focus on freshman members. They’re the ones House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dubbed the “majority makers.” “My time is spent working with new members,” Papa said. “These are the folks who are thirstiest for advice.” Papa serves as a point of contact for any freshman member’s chief of staff who has a problem or needs advice. He holds a weekly meeting with freshman members’ chiefs of staff. There, he tries to address “big picture” items, like each member’s legislative program, constituent service operation, outreach efforts and communications. “Anything a chief of staff deals with, we support,” he said. “Every day there’s something that pops up that I don’t expect.”

Personal: Born 01/26/1974 in Binghamton, N.Y.

Education: B.S., communications, Cornell University, 1996. J.D., Georgetown University, 2005.

Professional: 1996, finance director, Bill Finch for Congress. 1997–1998, press assistant/ deputy director, Senate Democratic Technology and Communications Cmte. 1998–2000, communications director, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. 2000–2002, staff director, Assistant to the Minority Leader Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. 2003–2007, chief of staff, Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J. 2007–present, adviser to the chairman and director of member services, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.

Emanuel’s operation can also help members develop their interests into specific legislation. When he started, the new members were still assembling their staffs. This year they’re facing re-election. But he said the new members he has been working with have put themselves in a good position. Many of the ones who were considered top targets, he said, have since been deemed safe by political handicappers. “This year, we’re doing the same things, just more and better,” he said. “These guys have significant policy accomplishments. They have significant case work accomplishments. They have terrific communications programs.” Congressional issues, he notes, tend to get drowned out nationally by the presidential campaigns in a presidential election year. But Papa said that member’s hometown voters, newspapers and television stations are still closely monitoring the progress of their members for the November elections. Papa was first offered a job with Emanuel in 2006, when he was chief of staff to Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., but he was expecting a new baby at home and felt like it was the wrong time to jump into a campaign. But when he got another offer in 2007, it was too hard to pass up. “It was something I’ve always been interested in doing,” he said.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Alejandro Peréz Floor Director House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. H-107, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3130 [email protected]

Expertise: Parliamentary procedure. Alejandro Peréz rose to become floor director for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., this year, replacing Rob Cogorno, who left for the private sector after 25 years on Capitol Hill. Peréz knows the job well, having served as Cogorno’s deputy for five years. “For the last five years, Alejandro has done an excellent job as Rob’s deputy and he clearly knows the responsibilities, duties and challenges of his new position,” Hoyer said in announcing Peréz’s promotion. There is perhaps no more critical job in Hoyer’s office than floor director, as the chief responsibility of the majority leader is to run the House floor. Peréz is responsible for scheduling the floor calendar, coordinating with committees and other leadership offices, ensuring that deadlines are met. More broadly, he says, he needs to watch for attacks from Republicans, interact with stakeholders and help the floor leader “adopt legislation that reflects the priorities of the majority.” The floor has also been the scene of House Republicans most daunting attacks on the Democratic agenda. The minority used procedural tactics called “motions to recommit” to stymie several bills last year and have indicated they will continue to do so this year. “Someone has to be watching these details, pre-empting potential challenges,” Peréz explains.

Personal: Born 05/11/1972 in McAllen, Texas.

Education: B.A., government, University of Texas, 1995. M.A., international relations, Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship, 2000.

Professional: 1995–1997, immigration counselor, Catholic Charities Immigration Counseling Services. 1998, intern, U.S. State Department. 1998–1999, intern, congressional Hispanic Caucus. 1999–2002, legislative assistant/executive director, congressional Hispanic Caucus. 2002–2006, floor assistant, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. 2006–2007, deputy floor director, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. 2008–present, floor director, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Like many Democratic staffers, Peréz said he spent last year adjusting to the new majority while at the same time implementing many of the priorities that had been bottled up for years in a Republican Congress. As deputy floor director, Peréz’s direct responsibility was the suspension calendar, a fast-track route for less controversial bills that must pass with a two-thirds supermajority. In 2007, nearly 800 bills were passed under his care. When he took the job, he sought out people who’d done it before. Their advice was to keep the partisan battles in perspective. “I learned to try to have things not reach the level where things become personal,” he said. Assisting Peréz in his former post as deputy floor director will be Alexis Covey-Brandt, who’d been deputy director of member services. Peréz brings a background in the congressional Hispanic Caucus to Hoyer’s office. He was executive director of the caucus for three years before joining Hoyer’s team, and he says the relationships he developed there are still crucial to how he does his job. “You contribute with whatever background you’re coming from,” he explains. In addition to his new responsibilities on the Hill this year, Peréz has new responsibilities at home. He and his wife Naomi, a lawyer at the Department of Labor, have a new baby boy, Emilio.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Jay Pierson Floor Assistant House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio HB-13, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4768

Expertise: Floor procedures. Jay Pierson has been serving House Republican leaders on the floor for nearly 30 years. He started in the journal clerk’s office in 1978 under then Minority Leader John Rhodes and now serves as floor assistant to House Minority Leader John Boehner. In that role, he’s the in-house expert, instructor, and coach for Republican members on the traditions, history, rules, and procedures of the House. That kind of knowledge has been crucial to Republicans in the minority. They seized on procedural maneuvers to confound and sometimes even defeat Democrats on the floor. “I can help with how to cause problems,” Pierson said. “We know they’re in charge. But, if there’s no consultation, sometimes you cause problems. I know how to do certain things.” Pierson served in the minority in his current position for many years prior to the 1994 Republican take over of the House, then enjoyed life in the majority for 12 years. The key difference from life in the majority, he said, is that Republicans no longer control the schedule for the floor, so he has to ask Democratic leadership staff to find out about order of bills, vote timing, adjournment expectations, and similar matters. Every day he writes up a description of each vote and posts a daily and weekly tip sheet (his educated guess on the floor calendar) so that members can plan their own schedules.

Personal: Born 06/25/1947 in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Education: B.A., English literature, Westmont College, 1969. M.A., English literature, California State University, Long Beach, 1972. Ph.D., English literature, University of Maryland, 1978.

Professional: 1978–1979, journal clerk, House Minority Leader John Rhodes, R-Ariz. 1979–1986, asst. manager, Republican cloakroom under John Rhodes, R-Ariz., and Bob Michel, RIll. 1986–1994, floor asst., House Minority Leader Bob Michel, R-Ill. 1995–1998, floor asst., House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. 1999–2006, floor asst., House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. 2007–present, floor assistant and parliamentarian, House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

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Each year, Pierson holds a “mock session” of the House to help Republican staff become more familiar with floor procedure. Pierson holds a doctorate in English literature and wrote his dissertation on the Scottish preacher and writer George MacDonald, a major influence on famed author C.S. Lewis. As he was graduating, Pierson’s wife—who worked for then-House Minority Leader John Rhodes, R-Ariz.—tipped him off to an opening on the House floor under the minority leader. Originally intending to teach English, one of the things Pierson said he likes most about his job is telling the congressional pages, the high school students who come to Congress for their junior year or summer, about the history and traditions of the Capitol and those who work there. He said he enjoys learning about their experiences in Washington and their families. Pierson learned the intricacies of House rules and procedures firsthand, beginning in the journal clerk’s office, keeping the official minutes of the House, in 1978. In 1979, he began a seven-year stint in the House Republican cloakroom. From 1986 to 1994, he worked as a floor assistant to House Minority Leader Bob Michel, R-Ill.—a job he also held under former House Speakers Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Reva Price Advisor to the Speaker House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif. 419-B, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100 Fax: (202) 226-0938 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, Jewish issues. Reva Price brought years of advocacy in the Jewish community to her role as adviser to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Price handles outreach for Pelosi, a job termed “public liaison” at the White House and “director of external relations” in other congressional offices. “My job is to talk to groups, coalitions and individuals who are working on our priority issues,” Price said. “I want to make sure we hear from them, especially on what’s happening with their grassroots.” The Jewish Daily Forward called Price “the policy matchmaker between the Jewish community and Democratic lawmakers,” but she says her role is much broader than simply Jewish groups. She has also worked closely with women’s groups and other faith groups, and has served as a provider of guidance on human rights issues and national security. She also worked with environmental groups on last year’s energy bill. “I came to the Hill having worked with coalitions,” Price said. “That gives me knowledge of how coalitions work off Capitol Hill. I think that translates into any advocacy situation.”

Personal: Born in Kisco, N.Y.

Education: B.A., history; Jewish studies, State University of New York—Binghamton, 1982.

Professional: 1984–1987, administrator, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. 1987–1997, associate director, B’nai B’rith International Center for Public Policy. 1997–2005, Washington director, Jewish Council for Public Affairs. 2005–present, adviser to the Speaker, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Last year she “hit the ground running” with Pelosi’s “First 100 hours” legislation, checking in with advocacy groups as Democrats pushed through legislation increasing the minimum wage and enacting the recommendations of the 9-ll Commission. She also worked on the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan and the energy bill that increased fuel efficiency standards for the first time in 32 years. “I think the victories we had, particularly on the energy bill, were huge,” Price said. “I don’t think people understood how big that was and how much that will change.” This year she expects to continue working on energy and climate change. Pelosi has said that a climate change bill creating a cap-and-trade system will be a priority. She also expects to see action on health care and ending the Iraq war, though she notes that in an election year, “it will be tough to move things.” Price came to Pelosi’s office in 2005 after years building up the Washington office of the JCPA, an umbrella Jewish organization focused on public policy. According to the Forward, Pelosi’s office sought to make the Jewish portfolio a higher-profile position, and applicants were told they were seeking a “Reva Price type.” Then Price sought out the job herself. “Reva’s wealth of talent, political savvy, and more than 20 years of experience working for Jewish organizations will be invaluable as expand our outreach to the Jewish community and women’s groups across the country,” Pelosi said at the time.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Wendell E. Primus Senior Policy Adviser House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif. H-232, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100 [email protected]

Expertise: Federal budget, Medicare, Medicaid and health issues, welfare, income and poverty issues. As the senior adviser for health and budget issues for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Wendell Primus has been at the center of some of the biggest issues in the 110th Congress. He was the point man for Pelosi in negotiations over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. Pelosi and Democrats wanted to expand the program to cover 10 million children. It was passed in the House and the Senate with bipartisan support. But President Bush vetoed it, calling it a costly expansion of government health care. Intense negotiations sought but failed to garner enough Republican votes to override the veto. “It was a disappointment we didn’t get it done,” Primus said. Primus moved from that partisan stalemate to the biggest bipartisan achievement of the Congress—taking the lead for Pelosi on the economic stimulus package. Negotiating with House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Pelosi came up with a package of tax rebates for workers and incentives for business that sped to Bush’s desk in short order. “I’ve never seen a bill where two people negotiate a bill and in five weeks it becomes law,” Pelosi said. “It was an unusual procedure, but it was warranted given the crisis and slowdown that we’re facing.” Primus said the SCHIP could surface again this year, but he doesn’t see any change that would get the expansion passed into law.

Personal: Born 1946 in Eldora, Iowa.

Education: B.A., economics, Iowa State University, 1968. Ph.D., economics, Iowa State University, 1975.

Professional: 1975–1976, part-time consultant, House Agriculture Cmte. 1977–1986, staff economist, House Ways and Means Cmte. 1987–1993, chief economist, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1991–1993, staff dir., Subc. on Human Resources, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1993–1996, deputy asst. secretary for Human Services Policy, Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1997–2003, dir. of income security, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. 2003–2004, Democratic staff dir., Joint Cmte. on Economics. 2005–2006, senior policy adviser, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2007–present, senior policy adviser, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif.

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Still, Primus expects that much of his work in the rest of 2008 will involve significant changes in health care policy. Mental health parity is a priority for Pelosi. Rep. Henry Waxman, R-Calif., has a bill to allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. Many Democrats want to block new Medicaid regulations they say will shift billions of dollars in costs to the states. And a Medicare reimbursement plan that the last Congress extended into this year will come up again. Primus is well known and well regarded among Democrats. As Joint Economic Committee staff director, he led a staff of 10 economists and researchers. From 1993 to 1996, Primus worked in the Clinton administration as deputy assistant secretary for human services policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. There, Primus focused on child development, welfare, employment, child support, and retirement and disability assistance programs and policies. Primus has also done a stint in academia, as an assistant professor of economics at Georgetown University. His favorite pastime is hiking the “Billy Goat Trail” along the Potomac River.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Ellen Qualls

Expertise:Media relations.

Senior Advisor for Strategic Planning

While most congressional staffers engage in daily ground combat on policy and politics, Ellen Qualls gets to work from the envied “30,000-foot level.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif.

Qualls is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s senior adviser for strategic planning. She looks to the future for opportunities for Pelosi to make points about the larger issues the Democratic leader wants to address.

H-227, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100 [email protected]

“I have the luxury of thinking of the bigger picture and looking ahead,” Qualls said. “I’m looking long-term on the calendar for events, speeches around certain events at certain times.” She also looks for issues that will work for the Democratic leadership that aren’t obvious to those fighting below that 30,000-foot level. It’s her job, for example to come up with themes like Pelosi’s “New Direction for Congress.” Last year, Qualls’s priority was helping to define Pelosi as a leader. She sought to communicate that Pelosi’s “6 for ’06” agenda was a “mainstream government agenda.” She also sought to highlight that Democrats were “restoring accountability.” This year, she sees opportunities in fiscal responsibility, climate change, economic security and national security. “The economy will be the obvious message. I try to come and backfill with things the Democratic leadership is strong on,” Qualls said.

Personal: Born 05/04/1966 in Concord, Mass.

Education: B.A. English, University of Virginia, 1988.

Professional: 1987–1988, staff writer, The Cavalier Daily. 1990, reporter, WCHV-AM Radio, Charlottesville, Va. 1991–1993, reporter-anchor, WINA-AM Radio, Charlottesville, Va. 1993–1994, Danville bureau chief, WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, Va. 1994–2001, Statehouse bureau chief, WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, Va. 2002–2005, press secretary, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. 2005–2006, communications director, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. 2006, senior communications advisor, Forward Together PAC. 2007–present, senior advisor for strategic planning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.


President Bush has proposed a record $3.1 trillion budget that would see the budget shoot from $162 billion to $410 billion. Pelosi rejected the plan as “misguided.” Pelosi has said that a climate change bill creating a capand-trade system will be a priority. “Global warming is a giant problem, but something democrats have an advantage on,” Qualls said. Pelosi has said she wants to build on the stimulus package for the economy passed earlier by increasing unemployment insurance and food stamp benefits. National security has been a thorny issue for Democrats. They’ve been unable to override Bush’s vetoes of their effort to set withdrawal deadlines in Iraq and they’ve been divided on how to respond to Bush’s policies on warrantless eavesdropping. But Qualls sees opportunities because, “We have a clearly different national security agenda than the Bush Republicans. We’re for more diplomacy, more training rotations that work, trying to properly equip and find the right size for our fighting forces.” Qualls came to the speaker’s office with experience in Virginia politics and broadcasting. She was Statehouse Bureau Chief for Roanoke’s WDBJ-TV for seven years. In 2002, she became press secretary to Gov. Mark Warner, then joined his political operation in 2006.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Dave Ransom

Expertise: Communications, policy.

Senior Communications and Policy Adviser

As senior communications and policy adviser to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Dave Ransom handles nearly all written materials going out of Hoyer’s office.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

That includes writing speeches, statements and op-ed articles for newspapers. It can also involve reviewing many other documents before they head out the door as well as developing an array of written materials for other Democratic members to use in their offices.

H-107, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3130 [email protected]

“We are trying to have a critical mass of advocacy materials” for rank and file members, he said. That helps with Ransom’s top priority for the year—helping to Democrats get re-elected and expanding the party’s majority in the House. “We want to utilize every opportunity to move a Democratic agenda,” he said. “And come November, we hope we’ve empowered our people to go home and be reelected.” But he recognizes that it will be difficult for Congress to get media attention this year as the presidential campaign shifts the spotlight from Congress.

Personal: Born 01/08/1961 in Waterloo, Iowa.

Education: B.A., political Science and Journalism, University of Iowa, 1983. J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minn., 1991.

Professional: 1988–1983, reporter, Waterloo Courier and other Iowa newspapers. 1992–1999, deputy communications director, Association of Trial Lawyers of America. 1999–2002, minority communications director, House Administration Committee. 2003–2006, communications director, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. 2007–present, senior communications and policy adviser, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

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Looking ahead to the coming year, Ransom thinks the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan, or SCHIP, could come up again. Hoyer was deeply involved in negotiations on the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan, or SCHIP, legislation last year. Hoyer and other Democrats negotiated with Republicans for weeks after the House passed a second version of the popular initiative, but they couldn’t reach agreement, and when Bush vetoed it a second time, they still couldn’t muster the votes to override him. On the war in Iraq, he expects to see Democrats focus on oversight measures that look at the conduct of the war. Considered more moderate than many members of the caucus, Hoyer was not opposed to the war at the start. But he has harshly criticized President Bush’s actions and has eagerly promoted congressional inquiries into war spending, contracting and other matters. “Democrats are going to continue to focus on accountability,” Ransom said. “For the first time with Democrats you had effective oversight of the president’s policy and where this is going.” Ransom is also likely to play a part as Hoyer is takes a lead role in the debate over re-authorizing the Americans with Disabilities Act. Hoyer helped pass the bill in 1990. This year, he’s the lead sponsor of the bill commonly referred to as the ADA Restoration Act. Ransom has a background writing for newspapers. He started his career writing for the Waterloo Courier and other papers in his home state of Iowa before heading to law school. That landed him at the American Trial Lawyers Association before linking up with Hoyer.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Robert V. Remini Historian 247 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-5525 Fax: (202) 226-2931

Expertise: U.S. history. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi settles into her role as the leader of the House, it’s time for House historian Robert Remini to look back at the tenure of her predecessor, J. Dennis Hastert. “His administration is now complete,” Remini said. “That needs to be evaluated and analyzed.” Remini’s book, The House: The History of the House of Representatives, was published in 2006 and won the George Pendleton Award given by the Society for History in the federal government. It essentially ends with the ascension of Hastert, though he was able to include information about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and their aftermath. In recent speech to the American Historical Association, Remini noted that when he first started delving into congressional history, he found a trove of information on the U.S. Senate - including the venerable West Virginia Democrat Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s three-volume set—but little on the lower body. “After my book was published, we went to Senator Byrd and said `Here, we have it. A history of the House.’ Byrd responded, `it’s only one volume,’” Remini said to appreciative laughter. Still, he told historians that day, is remains concerned that it remains political scientists more than historians who delve into the rich history of the House. “It’s unbelievable what the history of the House has,” he said, “And so few historians are studying and writing about it.”

Personal: Born 07/17/1921 in N.Y.

Education: B.S., Fordham University, 1943. M.A., Columbia University, 1947. Ph.D., Columbia University, 1951.

Professional: 1943–1946, lieutenant, U.S. Navy. 1947–1991, instructor, assistant professor, Fordham University. 1959–1991, associate professor, professor, University of Illinois-Chicago. 1991–present, professor emeritus, University of Illinois-Chicago. 2005–present, historian, U.S. House of Representatives.

Now Remini says it’s time to get to work updating his book, one of several initiatives he is undertaking in 2008. A Guggenheim fellow, Remini was appointed by members of the House in 2005 to study and document the history of “the Peoples’ House.” If you want to know about Andrew Jackson, ask Remini. The House historian wrote a three-volume biography, The Life of Andrew Jackson, which won the National Book Award in 1984. In the coming year, Remini’s office is beginning a joint program with the Capitol Historical Society to bring scholars to Washington to study the history of the House. Projects currently underway by the four-person office are oral history interviews with House members past and present, an updated history of the Ways and Means Committee, archiving old photographs from the House Office of Photography, and a Web site that will eventually compare with the Senate’s extensive online archive. He also wants to launch a Web site to increase the House Fellows program. The office also works to accommodate requests for information they get from House members, the media, and scholars, though Remini says the numerous requests strain the resources of his office. Remini said his office is strictly nonpartisan, and he hopes to provide quality resources for all members and the public.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Brian Romick Member Services Director House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. H-107, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3130 [email protected]

Expertise: Member services. Brian Romick has spent his entire career working with Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., coming on board as a campaign volunteer while he was still in college at the University of Maryland. “I was interested in working on the Hill and I knew the best way to do it was to volunteer on a campaign,” he explained. The strategy worked, and Romick is now one of the top aides to the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives. As member services director to the House majority leader, Romick’s job is to keep the more than 230 Democratic members happy with Hoyer. “Any time a member has any kind of request, it flows through us,” Romick said. The member services operation is especially important to Hoyer, who has been engaged in repeated fights for the hearts and minds of rank and file members in leadership contests. Chief of staff Terry Lierman lists responsiveness to members as one of Hoyer’s top priorities. During the last such challenge, when Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., challenged Hoyer for majority leader after the 2006 elections, Romick was floor assistant to Hoyer. Hoyer beat Murtha handily.

Personal: Born 11/10/1976 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Education: B.A., government and politics, University of Maryland, 1998.

Professional: 1996, campaign volunteer, Hoyer for Congress. 1998, field director, Hoyer for Congress. 1998–2002, special assistant, House Administration Cmte. 1998, staff assistant, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. 2002– 2006, floor assistant, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. 2007–present, member services director, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Since the majority leader’s office runs the House floor, the requests that Romick deals with often involve getting floor time for speeches or legislation, or scheduling non-controversial bills for the fast-track “suspension” calendar which requires a two-thirds vote to pass. Last year, nearly 800 bills were passed on suspension. Last year, Romick spent a lot of time helping new members develop their legislative profiles. New members are an especially important constituency for House leaders, as they constitute the margin that put Democrats in the majority, and many come from Republican-leaning districts. “I spend more time with them than anyone else,” he said. He also works closely with members of the Blue Dog Coalition, comprised of conservative and moderate House Democrats. Hoyer has served as leadership’s liaison to the Blue Dogs, sharing their message of fiscal responsibility. Romick also found himself awash in new requests last year after the Democrats took the majority after years out of power. “In the majority, everyone’s got something they can accomplish,” he said. An Ohio native, Romick graduated from the University of Maryland in 1998.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Amy Rosenbaum Policy Director House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif. H-227, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative policy Amy Rosenbaum started 2007 with a clear agenda: “pass House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ‘6 for ‘06’ agenda,” the bills she’d promised voters that Democrats would pass if given the majority. Along with the energy bill, the six elements of that platform were the core of her job as policy director last year. All six initiatives passed the House and four became law. The energy bill that passed raised fuel economy standards for the first time in 32 years. “Last year was a pretty clean year for us, policy wise,” Rosenbaum said. This year, Pelosi has many priorities “climate change, health care, jobs, the economy, ethics and Iraq. But there’s less floor time, and every floor fight has added layers of partisanship ladled on by the congressional and presidential contests. Rosenbaum directs a policy staff of seven people. Each has a specific policy area. She takes direct responsibility for ethics issues, such as last year’s lobbying reform overhaul and the proposal this year to allow outsiders to file ethics complaints against members, screened by an independent ethics office. Ethics is a subject she should know well, as she worked for years for Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., the author of the “Shays-Meehan” campaign finance reform bill. The proposal to create an independent ethics office this year proved a difficult sell to Pelosi’s own Democratic caucus.

Personal: Born 11/03/1971 in Boston, Mass.

Education: B.A., political science, Cornell University, 1993. Ph.D., American politics, Johns Hopkins University, 2003.

Professional: 1993–2000, staff assistant, legislative director, Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass. 2000–2002, research analyst, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Assistant to the Minority Leader. 2002–2004, special assistant to the chairman, House Cmte. On Education and the Workforce. 2004–2007, policy coordinator, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2007–present, policy director, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif.

As policy director, she and her staff consult regularly with committee chairs, committee staff and others about major bills moving toward passage to talk about how they reflect the speaker’s agenda. Pelosi wants a bill addressing in climate change with a “cap and trade” provision, calling climate change her “flagship issue.” On health care, the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan legislation is stuck in a stalemate with President Bush, who has twice vetoed Congress’s attempt to expand it. But Rosenbaum says there is still work to be done on mental health parity and creating a common electronic medical record for every American. “There’s some things to work out, but they’re both doable,” Rosenbaum said. On the economy, Pelosi wants to follow up this year’s bipartisan stimulus package with increases in unemployment insurance and food stamp benefits, along with greater investment in infrastructure. Iraq is less clear. It was a huge part of last year’s s policy effort, but Democrats were unable to get past President Bush’s veto of any attempt to change his policy on the war. “We’ll have to find out what we can do,” Rosenbaum said.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Patrick J. Rothwell Chief of Staff Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter, RMich. B-58 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6168 Fax: (202) 225-0391

Expertise: Legislative strategy, policy research. After Rep. Thaddeus G. McCotter, R-Mich., was elected chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in 2006, he appointed Patrick J. Rothwell as executive director of the committee to take it in a new direction. McCotter tasked Rothwell with helping to increase Republican rank-and-file member participation with the committee. Membership now includes the elected leadership, regional representatives, and committee representatives. McCotter believes that ideas are the key to winning back the majority and that ideas must be “member-driven to succeed.” Rothwell, who worked for McCotter as the legislative director in his personal office from 2004 to 2005, said the policy committee is now organized in a completely new way reflecting McCotter’s priorities. In years past, the policy committee was structured as a standing committee; but the new committee uses a host of task forces to allow more members to be active in their own areas of interest. The Policy Committee has a membership of 20 percent of the Republican Conference. It is intended to help Republican legislators develop their ideas into legislation. “The Policy Committee offers a unique opportunity for participation by members whose legislative ideas do not in every case coincide with their committee assignments,” the committee’s Web site says, “as well as an especially useful mechanism for addressing important issues that cut across committee jurisdictions.”

Personal: Born 08/27/1977 in Harrisburg, Pa.

Education: B.A., political science, Hobart College, 2001.

Professional: Jan. 2002–Dec. 2002, legislative correspondent, Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga. Jan. 2003–Aug. 2005, legislative assistant/legislative director, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich. September 2005–Dec. 2006, manager, government relations, Van Scoyoc Associates. Jan. 2007–present, chief of staff, House Republican Policy Cmte.

Through its policy advisory boards, the policy committee stays in touch with the nation’s leading think tanks, scholars, and private-sector experts on the issues before the Congress. McCotter believes the policy committee will be a key venue to help members formulate a new GOP agenda. Toward that goal, Rothwell helps research and draft “thinking points” and acts as support staff for chairmen of the subcommittees and task forces to develop briefings, hearings, discussions, and other documents on pertinent issues. Rothwell is also responsible for facilitating McCotter’s agenda and arranging weekly meetings, often with guest speakers, for members to discuss potential items to develop into formal policies. He also works closely with the GOP leadership team to develop new policies that resonate with historically conservative but recently disenfranchised constituents. In his spare time, Rothwell said he is a “huge Red Sox fan” and an avid hunter and angler. He hails from Norfolk, Massachusetts.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

David Michael Schnittger Deputy Chief of Staff House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4000 Fax: (202) 225-5117 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications strategy, member services, coalitions. David Schnittger brings a communications perspective to the post of deputy chief of staff to House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. He also has an in-depth understanding of the issues that are important to the Republican leader, having worked for Boehner long before he joined leadership. Schnittger moved to Boehner’s leadership office in 2006 when the congressman won an upset victory to replace Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, as the leader of the House Republicans. Schnittger said the primary focus of his job is making sure that all the components of the Republican leader’s office are “functioning together smoothly and successfully,” and integrating properly with the office’s floor and policy operations. “Our challenge this year is proving that Republicans are ready to lead again, and reclaiming our mantle as the party of reform,” Schnittger said. “Washington is broken, and we need to give Americans reasons to believe we can fix it.” Boehner has made earmark reform a major component of his effort to regain that trust. And that effort led to one of Schnittger’s proudest moments in 2007. He said Republicans united to block the Democratic leadership’s plan to pass appropriations bills “loaded with slush funds for secret earmarks.” Democratic leaders said they were simply delaying making the earmarks public so that they could be vetted first by staff.

Personal: Born 1/22/1971 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Education: B.A., political science and economics, University of Dayton, 1993.

Professional: 1993, executive dir., Montgomery County, Ohio, Republican Party. 1994–1996, field rep., Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio. 1996– 2000, press secretary, Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio. 2000, regional communications coordinator, Republican National Committee Victory 2000. 2001–2005, communications dir., House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2005–2006, chief of staff, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. 2006–present, deputy chief of staff, House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio/ House Minority Leader John Boehner, ROhio.


“That moment set the stage for bolder action by House Republicans this year, such as our call for a total moratorium on all taxpayer-funded earmarks,” Schnittger said. “Slowly but steadily, we are returning to our roots as the party of reform and fiscal discipline.” This year, Boehner is leading an effort to get majority Democrats to agree to an “earmark moratorium.” While Democrats have not accepted, GOP leaders are insisting that House Republican members follow standards to eliminate “wasteful, pork-barrel” spending. GOP lawmakers were able to force a procedural vote that would have imposed an immediate temporary ban, but the vote failed. Boehner has vowed to push on. Schnittger said Boehner has demonstrated an ability to reach across party lines when necessary, having spent years as committee chairman seeking bipartisan support for bills that reflected Republican principles. Schnittger grew up in West Chester, Ohio, in the heart of Boehner’s congressional district, and attended the same high school Boehner attended, Archbishop Moeller High School.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Brian Schubert Communications Director House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam, R-Fla. 1420 Longworth Phone: (202) 226-9000 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Brian Schubert rose to become communications director for the House Republican Conference this year when his predecessor, Ed Patru, left to join the conservative advocacy group Freedom’s Watch. Schubert had been the deputy communications director since Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., took over as conference chairman in 2007. In that role, he’d assisted Patru and Putnam in starting a rapid-response communications shop to serve as a counterpoint to the new Democratic majority’s agenda—both nationally and locally. The House Republican Conference is the general communications apparatus of House Republicans. Its job is to coordinate the party’s message among leadership, rank-and-file members, and other Republican stakeholders, and disseminate a unified message to member offices, the media and the public at large. The conference also provides communications services to Republican members in their individual communications efforts, including graphics and Web page design, workshops for staff, speechwriting, and other written materials. The conference provides a radio and television-booking operation for Republican members, and provides training for rank-and-file GOP press secretaries and communications directors.

Personal: Born 07/18/1979 in New Britain, Conn.

Education: B.A. Political Science, Boston College, 2001.

Professional: 2001–2002, staff writer, New Britain Herald and The Herald Press. 2002, communications director, Committee to Re-Elect Nancy L. Johnson. 2003– 2006, press secretary, Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn. 2007–present, deputy communications director, House Republican Conference.

Last year, the conference created a “Radio and Blog Row” operation in the Capitol around the time of key votes. Communications staff brought equipment that allowed members to do rapid-fire radio interviews with hometown radio stations and sit down with bloggers who come to Washington for the event. “A member can walk into the room and knock out half a dozen radio interviews in half an hour,” Schubert said. The Republican Conference message, Schubert said, focused around “an energy plan that actually provides energy,” keeping taxes low and “supporting troops in harm’s way.” “We will continue to drive those messages,” Schubert said. “It’s absolutely clear that with the differences on our economic agendas, an economic debate is a debate that House Republicans will win.” An election year like this one can make it difficult to develop a message and get it across. Schubert acknowledges that the situation is “challenging.” To get through to constituents, Schubert said he plans to reach past the “national media echo chamber” and tap into local newspapers, radio and television stations that directly serve constituents. “We want to use regional media to circumvent the beltway clutter, to make sure they hear an uncluttered, positive message,” Schubert said. Schubert came to Congress to work for Rep. Nancy Johnson R-Conn. He joined Putnam’s shop when Johnson lost her 2006 election.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Kevin Smith Communications Director House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4000 Fax: (202) 225-5117 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications strategy. Kevin Smith is the chief communications strategist for House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. He supervises the overall development of Boehner’s internal and external communications strategies with the ultimate goal of drawing a sharp contrast between two parties’ governing philosophies. Boehner has had a high profile in the media, beginning with rise to House majority leader in February 2006, helping steer House Republicans through a volatile year, and through the mid-term elections as well. After the GOP’s election year defeat, Boehner articulated the GOP’s communications goals. “From a strategic communications standpoint, Republicans were effective in exposing the tax and spend and weak on national security agenda of the Democrats last year,” he said. “We were very effective in defining who they were.” Last year Boehner was attacked by Democrats for saying on CNN that the cost of the war in Iraq “will be a small price if we’re able to stop Al Qaeda here.” Smith quickly moved to smooth things over for his boss, telling Politico, “to attempt to put a dollar figure on what we are doing in Iraq does a disservice to the work our troops are doing to make our children and theirs safer.” This year, he said, Republicans need to stake their claim for regaining the majority by focusing on GOP solutions for health care, energy, border security, and taxes.

Personal: Born 12/30/1971 in Springfield, Ore.

Education: B.S., political science and business administration, Oregon State University, 1995.

Professional: 1995–1996, legislative assistant, Rep. Randy Tate, R-Wash. 1997–1999, legislative analyst, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, House Republican Conference. 2000–2001, senior editor, Voter.com. 2001–2005, senior communications adviser, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2005–2006, communications director, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2006– present, communications director, House Majority/Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.


“This year, we have to not only define the Democrats, but show the American people that we’re up to task of governing in the majority,” he said. Smith said the strategy of his communications operation is to reach past the capital beltway and into the homes of regular Americans to deliver the Republican message. That entails engaging media at every level from local to national, he said. Smith works closely with Michael Steel, who replaced Brian Kennedy as Boehner’s chief spokesman and press secretary. Smith and Kennedy oversee the broader GOP message and work in concert with House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam, R-Fla., and his staff. Before joining the Ohio lawmaker’s leadership staff in February 2006, Smith had been Boehner’s communications director on the Education and the Workforce Committee since July 2005. Before that, he had served as the committee’s senior communications adviser since Boehner’s election as chairman in January 2001. A native of Springfield, Oregon, Smith earned a degree in political science and business administration from Oregon State University before coming to Washington in 1995. He previously worked for Internet startup Voter.com and for former Rep. Randy Tate, R-Wash.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Mike Sommers Policy Director House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4000

Expertise: Agriculture, trade policy. Policy director Mike Sommers develops strategies to oppose legislation advanced by the Democratic majority and promotes new Republican solutions on issues such as fiscal accountability and budget reform, making permanent the Bush tax cuts, and funding U.S. defense priorities. Sommers’ job will be especially important this year. In 2007, as Republicans sought to find their footing as a minority, their aim was to define Democrats and impede their agenda. In this election year, Republicans say they need to put forth policies that show how they would govern if they got the majority back. Sommers was appointed to his current position in February 2006, shortly after Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, became majority leader. He stayed on Boehner’s staff when party control switched after the 2006 election. Sommers prepares the agenda for the weekly meeting for Republican leaders and is responsible for the leadership effort on Republican amendments on bills that come to the House floor. Boehner’s policy staff also coordinates Republican committee efforts at hearings and markups. Sommers, an expert on agriculture and trade policy, works with chief of staff Paula Nowakowski and deputy chief of staff David Schnittger to help promote 21st century competitiveness. Sommers, an expert on agriculture and trade policy, also served as special assistant to the president for national economic policy at the White House.

Personal: Born 01/30/1975 in Westchester, Pa.

Education: B.A., political science, Miami University (Ohio), 1997.

Professional: 2000–2002, legislative director, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. 2002–2005, chief of staff, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. 2005–2006, special assistant to the president, White House National Economic Cmte. 2006– present, policy director, House Majority/ Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

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Prior to his White House experience, Sommers worked for Boehner in various roles, including legislative director and chief of staff in Boehner’s personal office. As Boehner’s chief of staff, Sommers was named one of Capitol Hill’s most influential staff members, making the “35 Under 35” list in The Hill in 2006 and the Roll Call “Fabulous Fifty” list. Sommers started at the West Chester Township Republican’s office as an intern in 1997, moved up to legislative director, and became chief of staff in 2002. Sommers, who lives in Alexandria, Virginia, is married to Jill Maycumber Sommers. Nominated by President Bush to serve as a commissioner on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, she previously worked as a lobbyist for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Jo-Marie St. Martin General Counsel/Director of Legislative Operations House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4000 Fax: (202) 225-5117 [email protected]

Expertise: Parliamentary procedure. As general counsel and director of legislative operations to House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Jo-Marie St. Martin sees herself as the gatekeeper for ensuring the protection of the rights of the House minority. Last year, that resulted in a strategy that bedeviled the majority Democratic leadership for most of the year. St. Martin orchestrated the aggressive use of the procedural tactic called “motion to recommit.” The motions, generally sprung at the last minute on the floor, allowed Republicans to force Democrats into tough votes on issues such as security, immigration and gun rights On occasion, it even force leaders to pull bills from the floor, such as the “D.C. vote” bill that would have given congressional representation to the District of Columbia. The legislative language of two of the motions were even signed into law. She said she had expected 2007 to be a terrible year for Republicans because “there was so much anger and remorse over the last year of the majority.” But she was buoyed by the tactical successes and found instead that it turned out to be “an amazing year.” This year, St. Martin’s aim is helping her party turn those tactical successes into electoral gains. “My boss’s goal is to earn back the majority,” she said. “That’s my mission statement.”

Personal: Born 02/10/1960 in Kingsport, Tenn.

Education: B.S., Phi Beta Kappa, final honors and highest distinction, Mary Washington College, 1982. J.D., University of Tennessee, 1985.

Professional: 1985–1986, attorney/adviser, The Honorable E. Earl Thomas, U.S. Dept. of Labor. 1986–1992, minority education counsel, House Cmte. on Education and Labor. 1992–1995, Wilson, Worley & Gamble (Tenn. 1995–1998, parliamentary counsel, House Cmte. on Education and Labor. 1998–2006, general counsel, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2006–present, general counsel/director of legislative operations, House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio

In the minority, Boehner’s responsibilities—and consequently her responsibilities—have expanded into institutional issues such as steering committees and member placement on committees. St. Martin said she also spends a good deal of time helping the leadership team develop and promote Republican policies through amendments and motions in the House. During his two recent leadership races, Boehner championed his work as chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, particularly the landmark Leave No Child Behind legislation that was signed into law by President Bush in 2001. St. Martin was a part of that bipartisan effort. Other achievements of the committee under Boehner’s leadership included the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and pension reform. During her tenure as general counsel for the House Education and Workforce Committee, St. Martin played a role in handling nearly every piece of legislation that came through the committee, ensuring that proper parliamentary procedures were used and that mark ups, floor schedules, and House rules were conducted properly. She also advised then-chairman Boehner on how to handle procedures. St. Martin has worked for the Ohio Republican since 1998. St. Martin also served as a general counsel to the House Education and Labor Committee and worked briefly in private practice in Kingsport, Tennessee.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Michael Steel Press Secretary House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4000 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Michael Steel replaced Kevin Madden as the House Republican leader’s chief spokesman and press secretary in January 2008. Steel is a part of a high-profile GOP communications operation whose goal is to effectively communicate the ideas and legislative solutions offered by House Republicans to drive their effort to “earn back” the majority. Steel works in tandem with Boehner’s communications director, Kevin Smith, to oversee the broader GOP message and coordination with the White House, Senate, and the House Republican Conference. As chief spokesman for the House’s No. 1 Republican, Steel explains the basics of his job rather simply. “I’m the point of contact for reporters seeking contact from the Republican leader,” Steel said. “I spend a lot of my time going to meetings and talking to policy staff so I know what to say when the phone rings.” This year, Boehner’s operation is geared toward the difficult task of regaining the majority lost in the 2006 elections. Getting out the message of congressional Republicans is made even more difficult because the presidential campaign is taking the spotlight away from Congress. “It makes it harder to get reporters and people to focus on the debate,” Steel said. “On the other hand, it gives us the opportunity to illustrate the differences between the two parties.”

Personal: Born 02/05/1977 in Durham, N.C.

Education: B.A., journalism, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1999. M.S., journalism, Columbia University, 2003.

Professional: 2000–2002, editorial assistant, correspondent, National Journal News Service. 2003–2005, press secretary, Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. 2005–2006, comm. dir., Republican Policy Cmte. 2006, press secretary, Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La. 2007, Republican communications dir., House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2008–present, press secretary, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

He sees the primary issues for Republicans this year as being health care, taxes and national security. Some Republicans have complained that Republican leaders should not have fought against the popular Democratic proposal to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to 10 million children. But Steel said the fierce debate has highlighted what he describes as the Republican’s common-sense position on health care. “It’s given us a great opportunity to contrast the Republican vision of concentrating on poor kids, with the Democratic approach, which is to radically expand government health care,” Steel said. The national security debate started out this year with an intense debate about warrantless wiretapping. Republicans criticized Democratic leaders for allowing the Protect America Act, a revision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act passed last year, to expire. Republicans are still waiting to see how the Democrats will approach other key national security issues like Iraq, he said. “Their overriding goal is surrender,” Steel charged. On taxes, Republicans are pushing Democrats to renew the tax cuts enacted by President Bush. It’s an issue Steel knows well, having served as communications director for the Ways and Means Committee’s Republican staff in 2007. Steel grew up in Durham, North Carolina. He started out in journalism, working for National Journal news service and even getting a masters in journalism from Columbia before heading to Capitol Hill to be a press secretary.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Jonathan Stivers Senior Adviser House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif. H-232, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100 [email protected]

Expertise: Foreign policy, democratic politics. When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on the floor of the House, chances are Jonathan Stivers is not far behind. When she talks with a fellow lawmaker, it is his job to follow up and make sure what they talk about gets done. “A key part of my job is to know the concerns of every Democratic member,” Stivers said. The speaker, he said, “is very concerned about that.” For example, when plans for an economic stimulus package began to take hold earlier this year, many members came to Pelosi with suggestions. Stivers was the one to keep track of them, but he found his boss was often a step ahead. “I have to write it down, but she knows it by heart,” he said. As a conduit between the Speaker and Democratic members, he is responsible for issues related to the internal politics of the Democratic Caucus, the Steering and Policy Committee, committee assignments, member requests, and the Speaker’s appointments to boards and commissions. He also serves as a foreign policy adviser, and in that capacity he handles U.S.-China relations, human rights, foreign assistance, global health including HIV/AIDS, poverty, and international family planning. Stivers joined Pelosi’s office in 1999 as senior legislative assistant focusing on her role as the ranking member on the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. Even now he remains her point-person on a number of issues in the foreign aid bill, like assistance to Armenia and sanctions against Burma.

Personal: Born 12/10/1973 in Birmingham, Mich.

Education: B.S., international relations, Michigan State University, 1992. Masters of International Policy & Practice (MIPP), Asian Relations, George Washington University, 2008.

Professional: 1996, campaign assistant, David Bonior for Congress. 1997–1999, floor staff assistant, House Minority Whip David Bonior, D-Mich. 2000–2001, legislative director, senior press secretary, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2002, policy advisor, House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2003–2006, advisor, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2007–present, senior adviser, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif.

Stivers also helped count votes in Pelosi’s successful 2001 campaign for Democratic whip. When he became legislative director, Stivers helped organize the legislative campaign against granting permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to China. He also worked on Pelosi’s efforts to increase funding global AIDS, debt relief for poor countries and emergency humanitarian funding. A Michigan native, Stivers started in politics working for Rep. David Bonoir’s, D-Mich., re-election campaign out of college. He later came to Bonoir’s congressional office in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a floor assistant before joining Pelosi’s office. In 2006, the Village of Beverly Hills, Michigan, passed a proclamation honoring Stivers for what the city council called “outstanding contributions to society.” In honoring Stivers, the council credited him with writing amendments increasing funding for USAID’s bilateral AIDS program as well as one funding debt relief to poor countries; and also met with the Dalai Lama to discuss negotiations with the Chinese government. “Stivers has used his advocacy and research skills to play instrumental roles in key domestic and foreign policy issues that have made a difference in quality of life issues for many peoples,” the council said.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Michele Stockwell Policy Director House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. H-107, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3130 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative policy. Michele Stockwell brings a centrist approach to Democratic issues to her role as policy director for House majority leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Prior to joining Hoyer’s office, she was director of family and social policy for the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, where she closely examined the effects of America’s entertainment culture on children. Before that, she worked for Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, then still a Democrat, in his Senate office and his 2004 campaign. In her job as policy director, Stockwell monitors major legislation while it’s being developed and going through committee. Her job is to make sure she knows where the different factions of the caucus stand on the bill, and what their concerns are. She tries to know what stance Republicans will take on it. Then when it comes to the floor, she can help decide where it fits on the calendar and try to anticipate what controversies will arise. Last year, that meant a lot of work on the energy bill, which threatened major splits in the caucus between party liberals and members from industrial states. Hoyer also took a major role in negotiations over expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan.

Personal: Born 07/07/1970 in Norman, Okla.

Education: B.A. political science, Spanish, University of Kansas, 1992. M.A., public policy, University of Oklahoma, 2000.

Professional: 1992–1994, legislative aide, Rep. Dave McCurdy, D-Okla. 1995, associate, Murray, Scheer and Montgomery. 1996–1999, special programs officer, Association of Central Oklahoma Governments. 1999– 2003, legislative aide, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. 2004, policy director, Lieberman for President. 2005–2007, director of family and social policy, Democratic Leadership Council. 2007–present, policy director, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

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Hoyer and other Democrats negotiated with Republicans for weeks after the House passed a second version of the popular SCHIP initiative, but they couldn’t reach agreement. Democrats went ahead and extended the program, as is, through 2009. But Stockwell said it could come up again this year, along with other health care issues like Medicare reimbursement, mental health parity and the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act. This year Stockwell will be dealing with a shorter legislative calendar as she and Hoyer deal with health care and some other issues that were also at the top of the list last year national security, spending and the economy. As majority leader, Hoyer was part of the negotiations on the economic stimulus plan that led to tax rebates of roughly $600 per person this year. But it left out increases in food stamps and unemployment insurance, which many Democrats want to revisit. “There are goals people want to meet,” Stockwell said. She said there’s also interest in using budget reconciliation measures to deal with Medicare reimbursement and the alternative minimum tax, which, if left unaddressed, would hit 26 million taxpayers in 2009. Stockwell is also likely to wind up working on a major revision of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a personal priority for Hoyer. He helped pass the bill in 1990, and believes that since then, courts have improperly reduced the protections for the disabled.


HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Steven Stombres Chief of Staff Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va. H-305, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0197

Expertise: Military affairs, legislative policy. As the top lieutenant to Republican Whip Roy Blunt, RMo., House Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., has a seat at the House Republican Leadership table—and Steven Stombres, Cantor’s chief of staff, is at his side. Stombres was named to the post in January 2003 by Cantor, soon after the congressman was selected to serve as the highest-appointed leader in what was then a Republicancontrolled House of Representatives. Stombres also works closely with the whip team and members of the House Republican Conference to deliver critical votes to advance the GOP agenda, which includes developing pro-growth/jobs policies, making permanent the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, funding for the war in Iraq, homeland security, and other issues. Stombres also serves as the defense policy adviser for Blunt, managing all operations of the Office of the Chief Deputy Republican Whip and overseeing the operations of Cantor’s congressional office, including his work on the Ways and Means Committee. Cantor is serving his fourth term in Congress, and was named chief deputy whip in 2002. His focus early in 2008 has been blasting Democrats on the economy, attacking the part as a “D.C. dinosaur” that wants “taxing and spending at the expense of middle-class American families who cry out for change and transformation in their representative government.”

Personal: Born 06/23/1970 in Washington, D.C.

Education: B.A., Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1993.

Professional: 1987–present, intelligence officer, U.S. Army Reserve. 1993–1994, staff asst., House Cmte. on Science. 1994–1995, legislative corresp., Rep. Bob Walker, R-Pa. 1995–1997, legislative asst., Rep. Bob Walker, R-Pa. 1997, legislative asst., Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif. 1997–1998, legislative asst., Rep. Herbert Bateman, R-Va. 1998–2001, legislative dir., Rep. Herbert Bateman, R-Va. 2001–present, chief of staff, House Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va.


As Cantor’s chief of staff, Stombres formulates policy decisions and coordinates Cantor’s whip efforts with the Republican whip. The Virginia lawmaker holds a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has direct jurisdiction over taxes, trade, Social Security, Medicare, prescription drugs for seniors, health care, and welfare reform. Stombres previously served as Cantor’s legislative director and then as chief of staff for Cantor’s congressional office for two years. Stombres is equally comfortable on Capitol Hill and on a rifle range. He went into Army basic training on his 18th birthday. He credits his military experience for his organizational skills, and says his background has helped him carve out a career as a defense expert on congressional staffs. His army career has been ongoing since 1987 and he currently serves as an intelligence officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This year, Stombres took on his own campaign, running for city council in Fairfax, Virginia. His campaign biography notes that “He enjoys reading, playing golf, water and snow skiing, training Cooper [the family dog], and spending time with his family.” The election will be held May 6.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

John V. Sullivan Parliamentarian H-209, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-7373 [email protected]

Expertise: Parliamentary procedure, military affairs. House parliamentarian John Sullivan shuns publicity, but he found himself in the middle of one of Congress’ bigger fracases last year. With the roll call tied at 214-214 on an agriculture spending bill in August, House majority leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., stepped to the rostrum. According to a CQ account of the incident, Hoyer jabbed his finger at Sullivan and shouted “We control this House, not the parliamentarians.” The issue was taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants. Republicans complained that Hoyer was improperly pressuring the House parliamentarians. It became the subject of a special House inquiry. The issue demonstrated the central role played by Sullivan. He serves in a nonpartisan capacity with the consent of the Speaker of the House, advising members of both parties. The complexity of the job requires years of apprenticeship, and the leaders of both chambers have respected the institutional experience necessary to perform the job well. Sitting parliamentarians hire their own assistants, and for decades those assistants have advanced to the position of parliamentarian when a vacancy has occurred. Sullivan continues to serve the 110th Congress under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., after serving under Republican speakers since 2004. He presides over a staff of attorneys and clerks who follow each day’s House proceedings. One of the attorneys is on the House floor at all times while the body is in session. At least one other attorney is usually watching the proceedings on closed circuit television

Personal: Born 1952 in Chicago, Ill.

Education: B.S., U.S. Air Force Academy, 1974. J.D., University of Indiana School of Law, 1977.

Professional: 1974–1984, active duty, U.S. Air Force. 1984–1987, counsel, House Armed Services Cmte. 1987–1994, assistant parliamentarian, U.S. House of Representatives. 1994–2004, deputy parliamentarian, U.S. House of Representatives. 2004–present, parliamentarian, U.S. House of Representatives.

Sullivan’s responsibilities go beyond advising on floor proceedings. He and his staff also counsel on House committee proceedings. They review drafts of bills and amendments to ensure they comply with House rules. They also assign every bill to a committee or committees. As parliamentarian, Sullivan is also a historian, charged by law to update the rulings of his office. Three volumes are produced by the parliamentarian’s office: The House Rules and Manual, which is published every Congress; House Practice, which is a condensed version of current practices and rulings; and Precedents of the House. Because of the specific nature of their work, House parliamentarians tend to stay in the job for long stretches, frequently after serving as assistant parliamentarians. The previous parliamentarian, Charles Johnson, served for 10 years before Sullivan took over. William Holmes Brown served as parliamentarian for the 20 years before Johnson was appointed to the post, and Lewis Deschler held the job for the 46 years before Brown. Sullivan resides in Virginia with his wife, Nancy, and their three children.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Sean Sweeney Staff Director House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. 202-A Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-1400

Expertise: Democratic politics. Sean Sweeney heads a House Democratic Caucus operation that is uniquely focused on helping new members of Congress learn the ropes and win re-election. Sweeney is the top aide to the House Democratic Caucus chairman, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. Emanuel rose to that position after orchestrating the Democratic takeover of Congress in 2006 as chairman of the Democratic congressional Campaign Committee. As caucus chairman he has put his energy into making sure the candidates he recruited and coached to election as head of the DCCC get the resources they need in Congress. At the DCCC, Sweeney was Emanuel’s political director. At the caucus, Sweeney is executive director, which entails overseeing a staff of 10. Emanuel has set up the office to be a one-stop shop for new members, where they can get help in setting up an office, pre-written press releases and learn the basics about introducing a bill and building their legislative programs. Last year, Emanuel took a lead role promoting the Democratic legislation that would expand SCHIP to 10 million children. The measure passed with bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate, but President Bush vetoed the bill. Democrats negotiated with Republicans for weeks after the House passed a second version of the popular initiative, but they couldn’t reach agreement, and when Bush vetoed it a second time, they still couldn’t muster the votes to override him.

Professional: 1998, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. 2000, Hillary Clinton Senate Campaign. 2001–2004, legislative assistant, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. 2004–2006, chief of staff, Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y. 2006, political director, Democratic congressional Campaign Cmte., Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. 2007–present, staff director, House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.

This year, the economy will be a top priority. Congress passed a stimulus package with tax rebates for workers and tax incentives for business in February. But many Democrats want to go further, with more spending for food stamps and unemployment insurance. When Democrats held an economic forum in March, Emanuel hinted that Democrats might be prepared to do a second stimulus. “Washington is ready to respond in a prudent focused way,” he said. Emanuel also wants to make an issue out of the fact that Americans need to save more money. And as Democrats struggle with the right approach to take in an election year on Iraq, Emanuel wants to make a priority out of what he calls “America’s vulnerability.” In February, for instance, he issued a list of examples of National Guard shortfalls in 16 states hurting their ability to react to natural disasters or terrorist attacks. Sweeney was listed among Roll Call’s “Fabulous 50” top staffers last year. The Washington Post’s Capitol Briefing cast that as an indication that Roll Call’s list-makers had elevated Emanuel above the House Government Reform Chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., in prominence.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Anne Thorsen Deputy Director of Floor Operations House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4000 Fax: (202) 225-5117

Expertise: Legal and legislative affairs. Anne Bradbury Thorsen is deputy director of floor operations for Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, a position she also held during Boehner’s short stint as majority leader. She held the same position for former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. Thorsen, who has worked on Capitol Hill for three years, is a part of Boehner’s floor team, which coordinates their GOP counterparts, including the floor assistants for Republican Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Deputy Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va. As Boehner’s deputy floor manager, Thorsen helps manage daily floor activity and coordinates with the Republican committee staff with regard to floor schedule. She also manages all the requests for Republican bills to be scheduled under suspension and helps members on the floor who have questions about procedure and schedule. While Paula Nowakowski, the chief of staff, and the policy team help shape and implement the Republican leader’s policy goals, it is Thorsen, along with floor director Jo-Marie St. Martin, who tries to push votes forward. The team has emerged as one of Boehner’s most effective weapons against the majority, derailing several Democratic initiatives with procedural maneuvers called “motions to recommit.” The tactic forces Democrats from marginal districts to make tough votes on issues like national security and gun rights. Several times, the majority has pulled high profile bills when confronted with one of the procedural motions.

Personal: Born 12/09/1976 in San Jose, Calif.

Education: B.A., University of Richmond, 1999.

Professional: 2001–2003, legislative director, Association of Builders and Contractors. 2003–2004, Office of Congressional Affairs, Small Business Administration. 2004, deputy director, external/government affairs, Republican National Convention. 2005, legislative director, Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La. 2005, deputy director of floor operations, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. 2006–present, deputy director of floor operations, House Majority John Boehner, R-Ohio.

“My job is to do all the mechanics of it, how to offer it, when to offer it,” Thorsen said. “If you don’t say the right thing on the floor, you don’t get the right vote.” She also advises members on how to stay within the rules of the House when speaking on the floor. And she stays upto-date on the views and concerns of rank-and-file House Republicans, who depend on leadership floor managers to ensure that their time in Washington is spent productively. In this election year, members are expected to spend less time on the floor and more time in their districts campaigning. “It’s going to be a little slower on the floor,” she said. “But the floor will also be a stage for surrogate fights in the presidential campaign. It should be really interesting.” Prior to her work on the leadership staff, Thorsen worked as legislative director for Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., and served as deputy director of external relations for government affairs at the Republican National Convention. Thorsen married Carlyle P. Thorsen, a former DeLay staff member, in August 2005. They live in Chevy Chase, Maryland. They welcomed a son in October.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Russell Vought Executive Director Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas 132 Cannon Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8581 Fax: (202) 226-1633 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget. Russ Vought was named executive director of the Republican Study Committee, an organization of over 100 conservative Republican House members, in January 2007. The group is chaired by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. Vought also serves as the group’s principal adviser on a broad range of issues, specializing in budget, appropriations, Social Security, legislative procedure, entitlements, health care, and tax policy. Vought, who was named in 2006 by The Hill as one of the “top 35 staffers under age 35,” previously held the position of policy director for two years. Hensarling believes that the RSC needs to be at the forefront of taking back the majority by helping the Republican Party regain its brand as the party of fiscal responsibility. Vought’s job is to make sure that occurs on a day-to-day basis, helping connect members, their staffs and the RSC. When he named Vought executive director, Hensarling praised the longtime RSC aide as having provided an “impeccable level of service” to the organization since 2004. Vought, for his part, said the RSC has the “great responsibility to keep the flame of conservatism burning bright in the House,” and vowed to dedicate himself to “tirelessly articulate the case for freedom at every turn.”

Personal: Born 03/26/1976 in Mt. Vernon, N.Y.

Education: B.A., history and political science, Wheaton College, 1998. J.D., George Washington Law School, 2004.

Professional: 1999–2002, legislative staff, Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas. 2002–2003, legislative assistant, Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebr. 2003– 2004, policy director, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. 2004–present, executive director, Republican Study Cmte.


Prior to joining the RSC, Vought served in Hensarling’s personal office, managing many of the same issues and helping to craft the Family Budget Protection Act, comprehensive legislation aimed at reforming the federal budget process and limiting federal spending. He has a known track record for compiling large spending reduction plans, such as the RSC’s “Operation Offset” (to pay for the cost of hurricane relief) and the “Contract with America Renewed,” the group’s budget alternative from 2006. Vought arrived on Capitol Hill in 1998 and worked briefly for retiring Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., before joining the legislative staff of Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, for four years. He also worked briefly for Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebr. Vought graduated with a bachelor of arts in history and political science from Wheaton College in Illinois in 1998 and his law degree from the George Washington University Law School in 2004. A native of Connecticut, he is the youngest of seven children and a die-hard New York Yankees fan. He currently lives in Washington, D.C. His family resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Yelberton Watkins Chief of Staff House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C. H-329, The Capitol Phone: (202) 226-3210 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications strategy, legislative policy. Yelberton Watkins has worked for Rep. Jim Clyburn, DS.C., since the day Clyburn was sworn in back in 1993. A year later, he became Clyburn’s chief of staff, and has remained his top staffer as the congressman ascended the ranks of leadership. Watkins is now the chief of staff to the House majority whip, in charge of making sure the Democratic leadership has the votes to pass its agenda. Watkins also oversees Clyburn’s personal office. Watkins, who is often referred to by his nickname, “Yebbie,” spent last year putting together a whip operation, figuring out the best way to win votes. It also involved melding Clyburn’s collaborative style with an office that under Republicans had been known for cracking heads and enforcing discipline. The title of whip, Watkins said, “is a strong term for Jim Clyburn. He’s got a more consensus approach. He empowers members. He wants members to be a part of everything.” So he and Clyburn set out to find an approach that would work, and settled on an intensive schedule of meetings with the caucuses that make up the larger Democratic caucuses. He said in any given week, he and the whip’s staff meet with two or three of the Democratic caucuses. Another key element, he said, was determining the best way to get accurate information about the mood of the caucus. “The trick is to stay in touch,” he said. “People are more inclined to tell you where they are if they feel that it’s going to matter.”

Personal: Born 05/19/1964 in Columbia, S.C.

Education: B.S., biology, Duke University, 1986. J.D., Georgetown University School of Law, 1991.

Professional: 1986–1987, staff assistant, Sen. Terry Sanford, D-N.C. 1991–1992, staff attorney, Washington, D.C., City Council. 1993– 1994, staff assistant, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. 1994–2006, chief of staff, House Democratic Caucus Chairman James Clyburn, D-S.C. 2007–present, chief of staff, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C.

He notes with pride that in the first year of the Democratic majority, Clyburn did not lose a major vote on the floor. His approach was put to the test last year on an Iraq spending bill that set timelines for withdrawal. Conservatives felt the bill went too far, and liberals found it too timid. In the end, it passed 218–212. This year, he says, will be affected in important ways by the looming election. The need for campaigning brings a shorter legislative calendar. And a large group of freshmen are up for re-election. “Those first-time elections are often the most difficult,” he said. Watkins grew up in Clyburn’s district. In fact, he used to visit Clyburn’s house as a friend of the congressman’s daughter, Mignon. He said he first thought of Clyburn not as a powerful figure, but “more as Mignon’s dad.” Watkins started off heading for a career in medicine, getting a degree in biology from Duke University. But he visited some of his friends in Washington who were working on Capitol Hill. He got interested, “pounded the pavement,” and landed a job with Sen. Terry Sanford, D-N.C. “My career has been one of opportunities rather than grand design,” he said.

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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Seth Webb Chief of Staff House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam, R-Fla. 1420 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5107 Fax: (202) 226-0154 [email protected]

Expertise: Floor strategy, rules/procedure, committee jurisdiction, House/Senate conferences. Seth Webb gained intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the House serving as the “eyes and ears” of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. He brought that experience to the House Republican Conference last year. Webb is chief of staff to the House Republican Conference chairman, Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., who was elected to serve as the third-leading house Republican shortly after winning his own re-election bid in 2006. Webb works with a staff of nearly twenty, spread out among five divisions: Member Services, Policy, Operations, New Media, and Member Services and Communications. For Putnam, regaining the trust of the American people is priority number one. He envisions the conference to be an agile, one-stop shop for member services and communications. Putnam wants members to feel that they could avail themselves of the conference’s resources for whatever was on their radar screen, and he wants to create a communications operation that served as an effective and rapid response-oriented counterpoint for the Democratic majority both nationally and regionally. To that end, the conference has developed a regional media strategy to reach past Washington and national media to local media to deliver the House Republican message. That could be especially helpful with a presidential race this year. “We want to make sure to get our message out, even when the national news is dominated by events that aren’t necessarily House-related,” Webb said.

Personal: Born 12/03/1969 in Marblehead, Mass.

Education: B.A., political science/history, Muskigum College, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1999, legislative asst., Rep. Bob Portman, R-Ohio. 1999–2002, deputy staff dir., House Rules Cmte. 2003–2006, senior floor asst., Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. 2007–present, chief of staff, House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam, R-Fla.

Webb said he wants to stay away from promoting “beltway gotcha” type stories, and highlight the policy differences on issues like taxes and wiretapping that make a clear contrast between Republicans and Democrats. The conference team also rebuilt the conference Web site, GOP.gov to include a daily “media audit” of the day’s stories, a legislative digest and videos like the “America at Risk” short Republicans developed to attack Democrats’ stance on warrantless wiretapping. The site won a Golden Mouse award this year from the congressional Management Foundation. “We want everyone to be able to go to our Web site and figure out what’s going on,” Webb said. As senior floor assistant for Hastert, Webb shepherded through many of the major legislative proposals of the Republican majority’s 12-year run, from the Medicare prescription drug plan to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Webb a Boston Red Sox devotee who tries his best to get home at night to see his kids, Tyler and Adam, graduated from Muskingum College in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and history.


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HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Brian Wolff Executive Director, Democratic congressional Campaign Committee Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. 430 South Capitol St. Phone: (202) 863-1500 Fax: (202) 485-3436

Expertise: Political strategy, communications, fundraising. As the top staffer in charge of retaining and expanding the Democrat’s majority in the House, Brian Wolff is heading into this year’s election with a significant fundraising advantage and a wave of Republican retirements. Still, history has him worried. He knows that after the “Republican Revolution” switched the House to GOP leadership in 1994, the majority lost seats. That happened despite a demoralized Democratic Party and a similar bout of retirements. “We are fighting history,” Wolff said. “There is always a snap-back.” Wolff became the executive director of the Democratic congressional Campaign Committee after the successful 2006 election that brought Democratic majorities to Congress. Before that, he was deputy executive director of the DCCC and spent six years as a top political adviser and fundraiser for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who remains one of the best individual fundraisers in the nation for the Democratic Party. Wolff will continue as Pelosi’s political director, as well as the top staffer to DCCC chairman, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. Wolff’s elevation to executive director was viewed on Capitol Hill as a subtle signal that Pelosi intends to continue to play a major role at the campaign operation. Wolff is responsible for making the campaign operation run smoothly, a broad job description that includes everything from recruiting candidates, grassroots organization, incumbent retention, fundraising, and coordinating message strategy.

Personal: Born 1968 in Litchfield, Ill.

Education: B.A., University of Arkansas, 1989.

Professional: 1989–1990, assistant producer, CNN. 1990– 1992, legislative correspondent, Sen. David Pryor, D-Ark. 1992–1996, scheduling and advance team, Bill Clinton for President. 1998–2000, northwest finance director, Al Gore presidential campaign. 2000–2006, political director, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. 2007–present, executive director, Democratic congressional Campaign Committee. 2007–present, political director, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Though the political winds would seem to be at his back, Wolff moved quickly to keep the advantage. He said he built up fund-raising early, since he knew he’d be competing with presidential and senatorial campaigns for attention. He also created what he believes to be the largest opposition research operation in Washington. The 16-person tea, he said, was created to respond when events happen, “not wait for a book from a consultant.” Wolff is helping defend more than 60 Democrats holding seats considered Republican, and contending for many of the well over 20 seats vacated by Republican incumbents since the 2006 election. A Little Rock, Arkansas native, Wolff is a campaign veteran. He worked on both of former President Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns as well as Sen. Hillary Clinton’s, D-N.Y., campaign. He also did a stint in former Sen. David Pryor’s, D-Ark., office as well as former Vice President Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign before joining Pelosi’s team. He also briefly worked at CNN and “Larry King Live.” “People know Brian because of his fundraising work at the DCCC. But if you work with him, you know he’s incredibly smart politically,” former DCCC Chairman, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., told Roll Call in January 2007. “He’s a very astute political player.” Heading into the next election cycle, the DCCC is working to bolster its grassroots field program as part of their effort to raise money and defend vulnerable incumbents. House Republicans have already started plotting a campaign strategy to target the approximate 60 Democrats who currently represent conservative-leaning districts that elected President Bush in 2004.

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Committee on Agriculture 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2171 Fax: (202) 225-8510 http://agriculture.house.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 25/21 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Collin C. Peterson, MN-7th, Chairman

Bob Goodlatte, VA-6th, Ranking Member

Tim Holden, PA-17th, Vice Chairman Mike McIntyre, NC-7th Bob Etheridge, NC-2nd Leonard L. Boswell, IA-3rd Joe Baca, CA-42nd Dennis A. Cardoza, CA-18th David Scott, GA-13th Jim Marshall, GA-3rd Stephanie Herseth, SD-At Large Henry Cuellar, TX-28th Jim Costa, CA-20th John T. Salazar, CO-3rd Brad Ellsworth, IN-8th Nancy E. Boyda, KS-2nd Zachary T. Space, OH-18th Timothy J. Walz, MN-1st Kirsten Gillibrand, NY-20th Steve Kagen, WI-8th Earl Pomeroy, ND-At Large Lincoln Davis, TN-4th John Barrow, GA-12th Nick Lampson, TX-22nd Joe Donnelly, IN-2nd Tim Mahoney, FL-16th

Terry Everett, AL-2nd Frank D. Lucas, OK-6th Jerry Moran, KS-1st Robin Hayes, NC-8th Timothy V. Johnson, IL-15th Sam Graves, MO-6th Jo Bonner, AL-1st Mike Rogers, AL-3rd Steve King, IA-5th Marilyn N. Musgrave, CO-4th Randy Neugebauer, TX-19th Charles W. Boustany Jr., LA-7th John R. (Randy) Kuhl Jr., NY-29th Virginia Foxx, NC-5th K. Michael Conaway, TX-11th Jeff Fortenberry, NE-1st Jean Schmidt, OH-2nd Adrian Smith, NE-3rd Tim Walberg, MI-7th Robert Latta, OH-5th


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HOUSE AGRICULTURE JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Adulteration of seeds, insect pests, and protection of birds and animals in forest reserves. Agriculture generally. Agricultural and industrial chemistry. Agricultural colleges and experiment stations. Agricultural economics and research. Agricultural education extension services. Agricultural production and marketing and stabilization of prices of agricultural products and commodities (not including distribution outside of the United States). (8) Animal industry and diseases of animals. (9) Commodity exchanges. (10) Crop insurance and soil conservation. (11) Dairy industry. (12) Entomology and plant quarantine. (13) Extension of farm credit and farm security. (14) Inspection of livestock, poultry, meat products, and seafood and seafood products. (15) Forestry in general and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain. (16) Human nutrition and home economics. (17) Plant industry, soils, and agricultural engineering. (18) Rural electrification. (19) Rural development. (20) Water conservation related to activities of the Department of Agriculture.

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HOUSE AGRICULTURE For much of 2007, there has been one major program on the minds of the House Agriculture Committee members—preparing for the massive Farm Bill. In his second year as committee chairman, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., took on the sweeping legislation that sets policies for crop subsidies, conservation, food stamps, market competition and more for the next five years. Peterson vowed to send a bill to the full House by 2007, and he did just that. In July 2007 the House passed a sweeping measure that Peterson said made “historic investments” in fruit and vegetable products, conservation, and renewable flue. It put in place mandatory country-of-origin labeling for fruit, vegetables, and meat; it expanded the Agriculture Department’s Snack Program, which helps provide healthy snacks to schoolchildren during after-school activities; and expanded access to food stamps, among other areas. Federal commodity programs make up a cornerstone of the bill. The Agriculture Committee leaned toward reauthorizing the Commodity Trading Commission. The commission was last authorized in 2000, with passage of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. The act is the principal legislation governing the trading of commodities and futures in the United States. But the House Farm Bill also was $14 billion over the spending limit, or baseline, set by budget formulas. The Senate then passed its own version, and that Farm Bill was more than $20 million over baseline. President Bush vowed to veto both versions, saying that he believed too much money was added to the bill. Other issues to be resolved in Congress include commodity payments, food stamps, rural development, livestock disaster assistance, and energy. House and Senate negotiators have worked around the clock to make improvements to the bill as President Bush approved extending the deadline on the current 2002 measure through April. Peterson and the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., have worked hand in hand in developing the legislation. They appear to continue the friendly relationship that was helpful in modeling the 2002 Farm Bill between two Texans, the then-chairman, Rep. Larry Combest, R-Texas, and the then– Ranking Member, Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Texas. Peterson and Goodlatte teamed up in early February 2008 to write a letter to the Farm Bill community, noting that they have limited goals. “We do not believe that any strategy involving a veto will be good for the country. We encourage everyone involve din this process to look realistically at what can be accomplished,” the congressmen said. “We know that this sense of realism will disappoint some people who wanted more out of the Farm Bill. We wanted to do more too, but reality tells us that the possibilities are limited.” Peterson said he has carried out a more transparent processing involving the panels’ subcommittees. The committee also passed a comprehensive energy bill with a strong renewable fuel standard that will ensure the continued growth and development of the renewable fuels industry.


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HOUSE AGRICULTURE

Andrew W. Baker Counsel 1002 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3069 Fax: (202) 225-8510

Expertise: Trade, international development, legal issues. Last session, House Committee on Agriculture counsel Andrew Baker spent most of his time watching over foreign trade talks that ended in a draw. With the 110th Congress, it’s about the Farm Bill, and so far things look much better. The foreign trade talks collapsed in the faltering Doha round of World Trade Organization negotiations. Named for the Qatar city where the negotiations began, the talks were an attempt to bolster U.S. agricultural exports through lowering trade barriers. The Bush administration has insisted the United States needs to reform its farm policy even without an agreement. The talks, held under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, were suspended indefinitely on July 24, 2007, after negotiators from member countries filed to bridge major differences—particularly with agriculture. If a global trade accord is eventually concluded, it likely would require the United States to reduce substantially agricultural subsidies over farm exports. Committee members described the measure passed by the House in July as making historic investments in fruit and vegetable production, conservation, nutrition and renewal energy. Yet House and Senate negotiators continue to haggle over how to merge their versions of the $286 billion, five-year measure expanding farm and nutrition programs. President Bush has vowed to veto the bills, which he has criticized as paying too many subsidies to wealthy farmers. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer has said Bush would “stand hard” on the point.

Personal: Born 03/16/1961 in Shreveport, La.

Education: B.A., University of Virginia, 1983. J.D., University of Georgia, 1986.

Professional: 1986–1988, attorney-adviser, Office of Administrative Law Judges, Dept. of Labor. 1988–1990, trial attorney, Office of the General Counsel, Dept. of Agriculture. 1990–1997, Democratic professional staff member/associate counsel, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1998–2005, deputy Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2005–present, Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

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The proposed bills increase subsidy limits from their current levels, which is at odds with the movement to slash farm support among Doha negotiators. Some Doha talks, meanwhile, also are still ongoing. Baker, who served as the Democrat counsel during the 1990 and 1996 Farm Bills, came to the committee in 1990 after spending two years at the Department of Labor. Just before serving on Capitol Hill, he worked two years as a trial attorney at the Department of Agriculture. A Louisiana native, Baker is a graduate of the University of Virginia.


HOUSE AGRICULTURE

Aleta Botts

Expertise: Agriculture issues.

Staff Director

Aleta Botts joined the Agriculture Committee just in time for the debate over the Farm Bill.

Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development and Foreign Agriculture

“The Farm Bill reauthorization has occupied my time since joining the committee and will occupy it early this year,” Botts said.

1305 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-0029 Fax: (202) 225-0917 [email protected]

Both the House and the Senate passed their own versions of the Farm Bill. President Bush has threatened to veto both versions of the bill. The president said that he believed both bills were too expensive. House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and ranking member Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., have said they want to work with the Senate leadership to identify the amount of spending that would be necessary to allow a conference committee to continue in the debate process. Peterson and Goodlatte believe that a Farm Bill could include $6 billion in new spending and be signed by the president. Botts, as staff director for the subcommittee on Specialty Crops Rural Development and Foreign Agriculture, works on specific aspects of the Farm Bill legislation, such as the peanut and sugar programs. That, she said, is what she loves. The subcommittee was previously known as the subcommittee on specialty crops and foreign agriculture, but the rural development was added to the subcommittee’s portfolio at the start of the 110th Congress.

Education: B.S., agricultural economics, University of Kentucky. M.S., agricultural economics, University of Kentucky.

Professional: 2001–2002, legislative asst., Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.Dak. 2002–2007, legislative director, Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.Dak. Feb. 2007–present, staff director, Subc. on Specialty Crops, Rural Development and Foreign Agriculture, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

The current sugar program would extend until 2012 including the nonrecourse loan program and the authority for marketing allotments. The subcommittee also has taken steps that could lead to the reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). It has worked on many aspects of the Farm Bill, including a draft that reauthorized the Department of Agriculture Rural Development programs that facilitate the financing of essential infrastructure, including public water and waste disposal systems. It also establishes grant and loan programs for rural health care facilities and entrepreneurship and microenterprise assistance. The draft changes program eligibility requirements to improve access to Broadbent telecommunications services in rural areas and would establish a National Center for Rural Telecommunications Assessment. Before joining the agriculture committee, Botts spent several years working for Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.Dak., as his legislative director.


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HOUSE AGRICULTURE

Claiborn H. Crain Senior Professional Staff Member 1336 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4652 Fax: (202) 225-0051 [email protected]

Expertise: Agriculture issues. This is Claiborn Crain’s second time around on Capitol Hill, having worked on the legislative side about a dozen years ago before leaving for the Department of Agriculture. Crain returned last year to be senior professional staff member on the House Agriculture Committee. Some things don’t change much, he said. Some things, he added, don’t stop changing. “[Bills] are worked out the same,” he said. “It seems to be more complicated with more outside factors involved. There’s no central legislation anymore. No matter how simple you think a bill is, once they perform, it takes time.” Crain was lured back to Capitol Hill in July 2007 from the Rural Utilities Service at the Department of Agriculture. He said it was the chance to work on the massive 2008 Farm Bill that did it. President Bush has threatened to veto both the House and Senate version of the Farm Bill, both of which passed versions of the five-year legislation providing $286 billion to expand farm and nutrition programs. The administration argues that both bills were too expensive and raise taxes to pay for subsidies. House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., have said they want to work with the Senate leadership to identify the amount of spending that would be necessary to allow a conference committee to continue in the debate process. Peterson and Goodlatte believe that a Farm Bill could include $6 billion in new spending and be signed by the president.

Professional: 1972, district press aide, Rep. Graham Purcell, D-Texas. 1977–1983, legislative aide, Rep. Jack Hightower of Texas, DTexas. 1983–1987, agriculture adviser, Gov. Mark White, D-Texas. 1994–1995, Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn. 1995–2007, legislative and public affairs adviser, Rural Utilities Services, Dept. of Agriculture. July 2007– present, senior professional staff, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

While the Farm Bill continues to occupy much of the committee’s time this year, it isn’t the only matter Crain has on his agenda in 2008. “I expect the Agriculture Committee will look at some of the organization issues and how programs are delivered within the U.S. Department of Agriculture when the Farm Bill is finished,” Crain said. Crain has long legislative experience—inside and outside Capitol Hill. Crain worked for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., in 1994 and 1995, serving as legislative aid for agriculture and small business issues before going to the USDA to serve as legislative and public affairs advisor for the Rural Utilities Service. Previously, he worked as legislative aid for agriculture and appropriations to former Rep. Jack Hightower, D-Texas, and as district press aide to former Rep. Graham Purcell, D-Texas. He started his career in the 1980s serving as an agriculture to then-Texas Gov. Mark White (D) and associate administrator to the state-federal regulations office of the state of Texas. He also worked for the private sector. “I’m close to retirement and enjoy working on this last Farm Bill,” Crain said.

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HOUSE AGRICULTURE

Bryan Dierlam Senior Professional Staff Member 1305 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2171 Fax: (202) 225-8510 [email protected]

Expertise: Commodities, crop insurance. Bryan Dierlam spent several years off Capitol Hill before returning. In the past year, he’s gone from being professional staff to senior professional staff for the Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee. The bottom line, however, Dierlam said he is still doing what he enjoys in the “same mix of issues and duties.” Dierlam will be working on the same issues that topped his priority list in the first session of the 110th Congress: the commodity programs and the Crop Insurance and Commodity Exchange Act in the Farm Bill. The commodity programs have represented the core of the Farm Bill. The committee in December 2007 approved a bipartisan measure to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-N.C., said the measure reauthorizes the CFTC until 2013 and strengthens the commission’s authority over retail foreign exchange trading, increases civil penalties and implements the commission’s recommendations in improving oversight of exempt commercial markets. “Whether the issue is energy trading, foreign currency trading, or trading in other commodities, the bottom line is keeping derivatives markets functioning properly to benefit our economy and the American public,” said Etheridge, the chairman of the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee. “I believe the legislation passed by the committee does just that,” he said.

Personal: Born 06/26/1970 in Victoria, Texas.

Education: B.S., Texas A&M University, 1992. M.B.A., Texas A&M University, 1994.

Professional: 1995–1998, trader, Koch Industries. 1998–2005, lobbyist, National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. 2005–2006, professional staff, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, sr. professional staff, House Cmte. on Agriculture.


In 2007, both the House and the Senate passed their own versions of the Farm Bill and this year negotiations between the bodies are coming to a head. President Bush threatened to veto the bill saying that there was too much new money added to the measure. And while the White House has indicated it will support a proposed compromise that adds only $6 billion in new spending, major farm organizations have criticized that plan as being under-funded. For Dierlam, the twist of his career and his specialization in general on farm commodities on the House Agriculture Committee has helped him in his current role. The Texas native spent three years in Kansas and the Mountain West trading farm commodities for the agriculture division of Koch Industries, an oil and gas refining giant. “I wouldn’t say it was backwards, but I did do it in reverse order,” Dierlam said. “I bring a lot of attributes to a job on the Hill, because I understand how the real world works.”

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HOUSE AGRICULTURE

John J. Goldberg Senior Professional Staff Member 1002 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2171 [email protected]

Expertise: Animal and plant health, food safety, dairy issues. The Farm Bill is a sum of its many parts, and John Goldberg, senior professional staff member on the House Agriculture Committee, has worked on many of them. There were other things on his plate as well in 2007—the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act among them. But, he said, “we are all-Farm Bill, all-the-time, and we will be for the foreseeable future.” Goldberg’s purview within the Farm Bill is vast. He works on dairy, research, animal and plant health, animal welfare, livestock, agriculture security, organic architecture, and pesticide policy—just to name a few items in his portfolio. He also is a key staffer on dairy issues and an expert in animal science. Within five-year, $286 billion Farm Bill, there is a push from the processing industry to reform the Federal Milk Marketing Order to address fair pricing. Others have also urged Congress to strengthen the safety net for dairy producers by extending the Milk Income Loss Contract program and encouraging greater investment in the dairy industry. President Bush has vowed to veto both the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill, arguing they spend too much and raises taxes to pay for subsides. He has agreed to sign a one-month extension of the existing Farm Bill, pushing the expiration to April 18. The 2002 law originally expired September 30 and has been continuously extended while the House, Senate, and White House wrangle over differences.


Education: B.S., Rutgers University, Cook College, 1988. M.S., University of Vermont, 1991. Ph.D., University of Vermont, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1994, postdoctoral research associate, Pennsylvania State University. 1994–1995, congressional sciences fellow, Federation of American Societies of Food Animal Science. 1995–2006, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, senior professional staff member, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

After doing postdoctoral research at Pennsylvania State University, Goldberg, a Philadelphia native, came to the committee on a fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1994. In 1995, he came to the House Agriculture Committee. Goldberg is perhaps best known in the halls of Longworth for his dog Angus, a former detector dog for the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The Agriculture Committee, led by then-Chairman Larry Combest of Texas, adopted the now-famous beagle from the service in 2000—the same year that Congress passed a bill prohibiting harming the animals used for the agency’s inspections. Goldberg has become the dog’s primary caretaker. Angus “still comes to work with me everyday as well as Harley,” Goldberg said of a 9-year-old reddish brown dog that belongs to a neighbor but stays with Goldberg.

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HOUSE AGRICULTURE

Chandler Goule Staff Director Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry 1010 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2407 Fax: (202) 226-0970 [email protected]

Expertise: Livestock, dairy, animal science, specialty crops. There are many facets to the 2007 Farm Bill and Chandler Goule, staff director of the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, specializes in the area of the dairy program. As Goule sees it, the House wants a fair and balanced approach to livestock and dairy issues and that’s why they are working closely with the Senate. Congress is looking at streamlining federal milk market orders and forming a commission to look at the dairy industry while looking at price settings and marketing orders. In 2007, both the House and the Senate passed their own versions of the $286 billion, five-year Farm Bill. President Bush threatened to veto the bill, saying that there was too much new money added to the measure. He has, however, agreed to sign a one-month extension of the existing law while lawmakers work toward a compromise. One of the big Farm Bill successes, Goule said, is a provision to implement mandatory country-of-origin labeling for meat. That’s important for consumers, he said.

Personal: Born 03/24/1977 in Dumas, Texas.

Education: B.A., animal science, Texas A&M University, 1999. M.A., political management, George Washington University, 2002.

Professional: 2000–2003, professional staff member, Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn. 2003–2004, professional staff member, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn. 2005–2006, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, staff director, Subc. on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, House Cmte. on Agriculture.


Another important aspect that the Agriculture Committee may consider once the Farm Bill is done—to improve the system—is implementing a comprehensive national animal identification program, he said. Currently a voluntary program exists that allows state health departments to trace an animal within 48 hours after the detection of a disease. House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., who has been called the “driving force” behind the National Animal Identification System, believes the program should be mandatory with every animal in the U.S. Goule is beginning his 10th year on the Hill. He said he enjoys working in the area, and coming with a strong animal agriculture background makes it that much more enjoyable, he said. Goule said food safety—particularly in the wake of the largest meat recall in U.S. history—would be one of the key issues that the committee may be dealing with after the Farm Bill is completed. Other areas that will be examined include the treatment of animals and the use of antibiotics, he said. Yet while Goule’s legislative focus is land-locked, his interests aren’t. He is preparing for crew season and hopes to dive more in the summer and fall. A Texas native, he graduated from Texas A&M University on a 4-H scholarship earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science.

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HOUSE AGRICULTURE

Craig Jagger Chief Economist 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-1130 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget and cost analysis, economic and policy analysis, commodity programs. Craig Jagger, the chief economist for the House Agriculture Committee, has worked for both Republicans and Democrats. On both sides, there’s one big commonality: numbers. “As far as I’m concerned, there aren’t Democratic numbers or Republican numbers,” Jagger said. “There are simply the best, most accurate estimates that we can develop or find.” Jagger began his eighth year as chief economist for the House Agriculture committee in February 2008. Six of those were spent working for Republican former chairman Larry Combest and Bob Goodlatte. When Democrats in 2007 reclaimed a majority in the House, Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., asked Jagger to switch sides and work for him. The 2008 Farm Bill is the fourth that he has worked on, and his second for the Agriculture Committee. He served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency when the 1990 measure went into effect, and was at the congressional Budget Office for the 1996 Farm Bill. In addition to advising on economic and policy issues, Jagger is the committee’s budget expert. He described that part of the job as “daunting this year as funding issues have been a major stumbling block to completing what was supposed to be the 2007 Farm Bill.” Jagger noted that the committee spent more than a year on the 2008 Farm Bill, but as of February still doesn’t know how much funding is needed to write the bill.

Personal: Born 08/16/1952 in Salina, Kans.

Education: B.A., Kansas State University, 1974. M.S., Kansas State University, 1982. Ph.D., Cornell University, 1986.

Professional: 1985–1987, agricultural economist, Economic Research Service, Department of Agriculture. 1987–1989, agricultural economist, General Accounting Office. 1989–1995, agricultural economist, Farm Service Agency, Department of Agriculture. 1995–2001, principal analyst, congressional Budget Office. 2001–present, chief economist, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

“Most people agree that, to pass the bill, we need more funding than is in the committee budget,” he said. “Other committees, understandably, have not been real enthusiastic about giving up some of their funding,” Jagger added. Communication, he said, is the key. “ A lot of what I do is work with my former colleagues in terms of trying to communicate clearly,” Jagger said. Jagger grew up on a wheat farm in north central Kansas that his great-grandparents homesteaded more than 140 years ago. He started his education in a two-room country school without indoor plumbing. He earned a B.A. in technical theater at Kansas State University and did two national tours with a theater company before returning to his farm roots. He then earned an M.S. in agricultural economics at Kansas State and a Ph.D. at Cornell. His wife, Joy Harwood, heads an economist group at USDA’s Farm Service Agency where Jagger worked during the early 1990s. The couple finds joy beyond work; raising their two daughters, Margaret, 7 and a half, and Caroline, 3 and a half. Both girls were adopted from China when each was about one year old. The couple’s trip to China in 2002 to pick up Margaret was delayed by two weeks because of Jagger’s work. Yes, you got it: the Farm Bill.

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Alise Kowalski Republican Communications Director 1305 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-0029 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, agriculture issues. Alise Kowalski is an informer—for everyone and anything associated with the 2007 Farm Bill. She’s a positive person who knows that in the world of Washington, things aren’t positive so often. During the crafting of the Farm Bill, she said her mission was to clearly inform farmers and other interested parties about the progress being made. Over the years, Kowalski acknowledged, the Farm Bill has changed—with budget cuts and traditional crop producers worried not only about diminishing federal support but also concerned about producers who do rely on federal payments. Last year Kowalski spent much of her time at field hearings, where lawmakers heard from farmers, packers, producers and others with a stake in the $286 billion, five-year legislation. This year the action is inside the halls of Congress, where House and Senate negotiators were hard at work early in the year under a veto threat from President Bush who contends the bill spends too much money. After meeting with administration officials in March, committee chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn, and ranking member Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., both said they believe that the bill could authorize $6 billion in new spending and meet the president’s demands. Once the House and Senate conferees agree on a spending level, final decisions can be made about the final version of the Farm Bill, lawmakers said.

Personal: Born in Weyers Cave, Va.

Education: B.S., James Madison University, 2002.

Professional: 2002–2003, assistant dir., Illinois Connection, Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 2003–2004, account asst., Business Office, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 2004–2006, press secretary, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, Republican communications dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture.

As the process moves forward, “my role is keeping my finger on what’s said in the media,” Kowalski said, adding: “Never very positive.” Kowalski grew up on a small poultry farm and graduated from James Madison University in 2002, where she studied communications and marketing. She came to Capitol Hill in 2004, working as a press secretary before being promoted to Republican communications director for the committee. “The urban sentiment toward farm programs—it’s a little bit disheartening,” she said. “You’ve got to look at the whole picture. It’s frustrating to see the same kind of (negative) things.” Some of the problem is the reduced number of agricultural specialty writers, and those in the business section who may not have a complete understanding of the farm needs, she said. When she’s not working on the Hill, Kowalski is taking pictures. She specializes in taking photos of families and children.


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Kevin Kramp Republican Chief Counsel 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-0025 [email protected]

Expertise: Operations, nutrition, forestry, pesticide oversight. Kevin Kramp is keeping his eye on the 2007 Farm Bill, especially in areas of commodity, energy and nutrition issues. With the Republicans in the minority, it is a different scene for him than during previous Farm Bill debates. Energy aspects of the current legislation are among his major concerns, including new authority for the Commodity Trade Commission. By March the House and Senate were still negotiating on the $286 billion, five-year Farm Bill under a veto threat from President Bush. Kramp offered no predictions on the future of the legislation, though lawmakers said they are confident an end to the stalemate soon. Like others on the Agriculture Committee, Kramp works as many hours as it takes to see through the end of the process, weekends included. And sometimes that process by its very nature involves “political fights,” he said. Staffers do their jobs and sometimes wait for the political tug-of-wars to reach conclusions. President Bush has agreed to sign a one-month extension of the current Farm Bill, which would take it to mid-April. But both House Agriculture Committee chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., have maintained that the status quo can not hold. Said Goodlatte recently, any extension “fails to address the real impact the Farm Bill void on farmers and ranchers.”


Education: B.A., Cornell College (Mt. Vernon, Iowa), 1991. J.D., Catholic University of America, 2002.

Professional: 1991–1993, staff asst., Rep. Jim Nussle, R-Iowa. 1993–1994, systems manager, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. 1994–1996, agriculture legislative asst., Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. 1997–2000, staff dir., Subc. on Dept. Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2003–2006, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, Republican chief counsel, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

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Kramp’s priority on the Farm Bill, federal commodity programs, make up a cornerstone of the legislation. The Agriculture Committee has leaned toward reauthorizing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which was last reauthorized in 2000 with passage of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. The act is the principal legislation governing the trading of commodities and futures in the United States. The measure strengthens the Commission’s authority over retail foreign exchange trading and increases civil penalties in an attempt to identify and prevent market manipulation and fraud. Kramp has longevity on the committee, having worked there 15 years. He’s worked with the majority and minority. Through it all, “it’s been a fantastic place to work,” he said. Once the Farm Bill, is completed, there are things on his mind beyond Capitol Hill—but it’s still on the sprawling field. Kramp will be coaching baseball for his three sons.


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Rob Larew Chief of Staff Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn. 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-1301 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative affairs. Rob Larew’s second year as chief of staff of the House Agriculture Committee centered on the Farm Bill. He was the go-to person for the staff. Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., wanted to open debates on legislation about the bill. That was a big change. Previously, former Chairman Larry Combest, R-Texas, and then-Ranking Member Charlie Stenholm, D-Texas, relied on their close relationship to sort out details. The committee spent more than a year wrangling over the 2007 Farm Bill, which resulted in passage of different versions by the House of Representatives and the Senate. The two bodies are hammering out differences in the $286 billion, five-year bill, but it faces a veto threat from the White House. Peterson, however, hailed the version passed by the House in 2007 as making historic investments in fruit and vegetable products, conservation, nutrition and renewable energy. Peterson, a member of the financially conservative “Blue Dog” coalition, supports maintaining current farm policy and its system of subsidies for producers of major row crops. Peterson and ranking Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia teamed up in early February 2008 to write a letter to the Farm Bill community, noting that they have shared goals. President Bush has agreed to sign a one-month extension of the current bill, taking it into April. But lawmakers have said they know the status quo can not hold for farmers.

Personal: Born 1966 in Greenville, W.Va.

Education: B.S., dairy science, Virginia Tech, 1989. graduate study, Pennsylvania State University, 1992.

Professional: 1994–1996, legislative assistant/press secretary, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn. 1996, legislative assistant, Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn. 1997–2004, legislative director, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn. 2004–2005, congressional and pub. affairs director, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. 2005–2006, Democratic staff director, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, chief of staff, House Cmte. on Agriculture.


“We do not believe that any strategy involving a veto will be good for the country. We encourage everyone involve din this process to look realistically at what can be accomplished,” the congressmen said. “We know that this sense of realism will disappoint some people who wanted more out of the Farm Bill. We wanted to do more too, but reality tells us that the possibilities are limited,” they added. Larew got his start on Capitol Hill in the early 1990s, working for Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa., after serving in the Peace Corps in Tanzania, which he had described as “one of the best experiences of my life.” He is a native West Virginian. He left the Hill in 2003 to work as the congressional liaison at the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. There he was briefly at the center of the “mad cow” storm, when UPI discovered that the Agriculture Department had ordered inspectors in Texas not to talk about the disease with outside parties, and instead direct all inquiries to Larew. The gag order was issued in the wake of a case against a Texas beef processor in which a cow displaying signs of brain disorder was not tested for mad cow disease.

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Pam Miller Senior Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-1097 [email protected]

Expertise: Fruits and vegetables, honey and bees. Pam Miller has left some of the prairie behind—for fruits, vegetables and honey and bees. For the second session of the 110th Congress, Miller is changing the manner in which she is working for the House Agriculture Committee because of a change in the subcommittee structure. Miller focuses on fruits and vegetables, honey, and bees— no longer concentrating on cattle and hog issues as she previously did for the panel. For its part of the Farm Bill, the Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture sought to expand the specialty crop block grant program, double the amount of U.S. Agriculture purchase of fruits and vegetables for use in school lunch and other programs. It also extends the honey marketing loan program, requiring the USDA to continue monitoring and search for a solution to address Colony Collapse Disorder in honey bees. In addition, it funds the USDA’s cost-sharing program for organic products seeking certification and other issues. The Colony Collapse Disorder is killing off bees used to make honey and pollinate fruit. “This subcommittee was created out of a need to focus more attention on organic agriculture than specialty crops,” said chairman Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif. Negotiations have been tough going between Congress and the White House—President Bush had vowed to veto any bill that raised taxes to pay for farm programs—but lawmakers of late said they are closing in on a deal.

Personal: Born 05/09/1976 in Emporia, Kans.

Education: B.S., Texas Tech University, 1998.

Professional: 1998–1999, legislative corresp., Rep. Larry Combest, R-Texas. 1999–2003, legislative asst., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2003– 2006, staff dir., Subc. on Livestock and Horticulture, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, senior professional staff member, Subc. on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

“We almost see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Cardoza told the Organic Trade Council in February. This year, fruits and vegetables will dominate Miller’s work as committee members craft the 2007 Farm Bill. Farm programs are heavily structured in favor of commodity crops like cotton, wheat and corn, but growers of fruits and vegetables also seek government support. Miller expects lobbying for an increased specialty crops block grant program like the one that gave growers $7 million in 2005. Miller has risen quickly through the ranks of agriculture positions on Capitol Hill. She became staff director of the Livestock and Horticulture Subcommittee after the 2002 retirement of her first boss in Congress, Rep. Larry Combest, R-Texas. A Texas native herself, Miller was born in rural Kansas, and moved south during elementary school. Like many farm committee staffers, she’s a farm kid herself. “Sheep and goats and hogs, 4-H and FFA, all of that,” she said.

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HOUSE AGRICULTURE

William E. O’Conner Republican Staff Director 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2171 [email protected]

Expertise: Agriculture policy. After working several years on Farm Bills, Bill O’Conner knows about the essence of compromise. He also knows about reacting as minority representative to what the majority leaders are proposing. The 2007 Farm Bill is O’Conner’s fifth. He doesn’t expect many surprises. The process doesn’t often move quickly. This year is no different. Ranking member Bob Goodlatte, R-Va, and Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kans., have introduced measures to extend the current Farm Bill for a year while the House and Senate hammer out language to resolve the plan. Meanwhile, President Bush has agreed to extend it to mid-April while differences are resolved. “While the 2007 Farm Bill reauthorization remains stymied in the Senate, farmers and ranches throughout the nation are already feeling the negative effects of the bill’s expiration and more severe consequences will soon be realized,” said Goodlatte and Moran. Without the reauthorization, the lawmakers said, the farm policy will revert to permanent statutes established in 1938 and 1949 laws that are drastically different from the current programs. “Farmers and ranchers depend on agriculture policy and they depend on the Congress to ensure they have the tools they need to operate on a high risk environment,” the lawmakers said. The Senate’s inability to move “forward with their bill is starting to take a real, potentially devastating (impact) on American agriculture,” they added.

Personal: Born 01/26/1947 in Bartlesville, Okla.

Education: B.A., Wichita State University, 1970. M.A., Wichita State University, 1975. Doctoral work, Ohio State University.

Professional: 1979–1981, analyst, Republican Conference. 1981–1983, executive dir., Republican Research Cmte. 1983–1991, deputy minority staff dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1991–1993, chief of staff, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. 1993–1995, minority policy coord., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1995–1999, policy dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1999–2006, staff dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, Republican staff dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture.


O’Conner told Politico in late 2007 that he was shocked to see a hard-fought compromise melt away in July when a tax package was added to the Farm Bill on the House floor. “I had never seen anything like it,” O’Conner told the paper. O’Conner is a farm policy veteran with more than 20 years of experience with agricultural issues and policy analysis. He joined the committee in 1983 as deputy minority staff director and rejoined the panel as the Republican policy coordinator after a two-year stint at the Department of Agriculture during the first Bush administration. O’Conner hails from Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He is married, with one son. In a 2006 profile on O’Conner, the High Plains (Kansas) Journal described him as a 10-hour-a-day worker “surrounded by his trademark cigarettes and a can of Pepsi,” and, while seemingly-imposing, “actually an old softy,” according to a former coworker.

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Clark Ogilvie Subcommittee Staff Director Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-0720 Fax: (202) 225-5612 [email protected]

Expertise: Commodity payments, crop insurance, commodity exchanges. Clark Ogilvie was always interested in farm policy. And he’s in the thick of it now. As staff director of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, he deals with the financial aspect of farming—as well as crops, of course. Ogilvie grew up in Memphis, where he could see barges pull cotton on the Mississippi River from nearby farms to international ports. He went to Washington, D.C., right after graduating from Rhodes College. The Subcommittee on General Commodities and Risk Management oversees crop subsidies for cotton and the other traditional crops—corn, rice, soybeans and wheat. As such, it serves as a lightning rod for criticism from farmers who worry about the future and structure of federal government subsidies and from free trade advocates and budget hawks who argue that crop payments distort free trade and waste money. Legislation authorizing the Commodities Futures Exchange Commission, which regulates speculative trading in farm products, expired in 2005. The House passed a reauthorization by voice vote during the 109th Congress, but the full Senate did not take up a corresponding bill. In the 110th Congress, the House committee approved a bipartisan measure to reauthorize the CFTC.

Personal: Born 02/14/1969 in Memphis, Tenn.

Education: B.A., Rhodes College, 1991. J.D., George Washington University, 2004.

Professional: 1992–1995, legislative asst., Rep. Jim Sasser, D-Tenn. 1995–1998, dep. dir. of correspondence, Vice President Al Gore. 1998–2000, legislative analyst, Hogan & Hartson law firm. 2000–2005, legislative asst., Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-N.C. 2005– 2006, professional staff, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, subc. staff dir., Subc. on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

“The CFTC reauthorization bill is a solid bill that strengthens CFTC’s authority to deny and prevent market manipulation and fraud,” said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., the full committee’s ranking Republican. “The committee has done a good job of building on the language that was passed by the House in the last Congress and incorporated provisions to address the concerns that were voiced to the committee earlier this year. Last year the subcommittee also held a hearing to examine the integrity of the federal crop insurance program. It came on the heels of an inquiry that Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., made in his House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where he examined federal audits finding $10 billion in waste over the past decade. According to the GAO report Waxman cited, the agency wasted 40 cents on every dollar in the program—giving it to private insurance companies rather than farmers. Rep. Bob Ethridge, R-N.C., came to the program’s defense in the June hearing before the House Agriculture Committee that Ogilvie staffed. “Before anyone makes broad generalizations or comparisons of the Federal crop insurance program and before someone accuses the program of being wasteful, they not only need to have the facts right, they need to make sure that they are accounting for the uniqueness of the crop insurance system,” he said.

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John Riley Deputy Chief of Staff 1305 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7987 [email protected]

Expertise: Crop insurance, dairy policy, futures markets. John Riley continues his work on crop insurance, the Farm Bill and the Commodity Exchange Act. As deputy chief of staff for Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee, Riley was deep into both the Farm Bill and the Commodity Exchange Act last year. Both remain high on his agenda in 2008. The panel in December approved a bipartisan measure to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-N.C., reauthorizes the CFTC until fiscal year 2013. The commission provides regulatory oversight of the futures and options industries, requiring all futures and options to be traded on organized exchanges. “The futures industry impacts our lives every single day, affecting almost everything from the price of corn, wheat, and soybeans that goes into our food products to the interest we pay on our mortgages,” Etheridge said at a September hearing to examine the reauthorization. Whether the issue is energy trading, foreign currency trading or trading in other commodities, the bottom line is keeping derivatives markets functioning property to “benefit our economy and the American public,” Etheridge later said. The measure, however, has not yet passed either the House or the Senate.

Personal: Born 12/01/1958 in Orange County, Calif.

Education: B.A., government, The College of William and Mary, 1981. M.A., economics, Virginia Tech, 1991.

Professional: 1981–1983, legislative asst., Rep. Claude Pepper, D-Fla. 1983–1989, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Rules. 1989–2006, Democratic senior professional staff member, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, deputy chief of staff, House Cmte .on Agriculture.

Farm Bill negotiations, meanwhile, may be coming to a head. While President Bush had vowed to veto any measure that raises taxes to pay for farm programs, a compromise on the reauthorization may be looming. In early March, the committee chairman, Rep. Colin Peterson, DMinn., assured 600 members of the Farmers Union that he is optimistic about an agreement and a bill-signing by midApril. The bill is expected to go about $10 billion above its $280 billion baseline. “We’re moving slowly ahead, at least not backwards and we’re close to getting a final resolution,” Peterson said. Etheridge, meanwhile, has warned that tinkering from the Senate Finance Committee could prove to be a major sticking point. Riley provides expertise for the committee, drawing on his knowledge of futures market regulation, dairy programs, tax policy, and agricultural and rural economic development. A Hill veteran of more than two decades, he has participated in the crafting of three Farm Bills. The California native started out as a legislative assistant to the late Rep. Claude Pepper, D-Fla., and has served on the committee staff since 1989.


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Anne Simmons Senior Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-1494 Fax: (202) 225-0970 [email protected]

Expertise: Commodity, conservation, farm credit programs. Anne Simmons is a key player on the Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research Subcommittee who has been an expert on commodity crops and conservation. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over soil, water and resource conversation, small watershed programs, energy and biobased energy production, rural electrification, agricultural credit and agricultural research, education and extension services. For Simmons, 2007 was a cross-section of work between the Farm Bill and the comprehensive energy bill. The $286 billion, five-year Farm Bill is still the subject of fierce haggling between House and Senate negotiators and the White House. The energy bill, meanwhile, passed overwhelmingly in the House and was signed into law by President Bush in December. Agriculture Committee Chairman Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., applauded the energy bill for including a strong renewable fuel standard that will strength and expand the growing market for ethanol and bodies fuels. The RFS provision establishes a minimum content of renewable fuel that refiners must use, beginning with 9 million gallons in 2008 and increasing to 36 billion gallons each year by 2022. It also includes a separate mandate for biodiesel and encourages use of cellulosic sources for biofuels. “A strong renewable fuel standard will ensure the continued growth and development of the new fuels industry,” said Peterson. “This forward looking bill builds on the success of our current ethanol and biodiesel industries.”

Personal: Born in Spencer, Iowa.

Education: B.S., Cornell College, 1986.

Professional: 1987–1988, staff assistant, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 1988–1993, legislative assistant, Rep. Tim Johnson, D-S.Dak. 1993–1994, staff director, Subc. on General Farm Commodities, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1994–1995, staff dir., Subc. on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development, and Research, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1995–1996, consultant, Subc. on Resource Conservation, Research, and Forestry, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1997–2004, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2005–2006, senior professional staff member, Subc. on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development, and Research, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, senior professional staff, Subc. on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

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Meanwhile, in another area of Simmons’s expertise, specialty crop interests continue to raise concerns about the Farm Bill. This year a national coalition of more than 120 organizations representing 350 specialty crops criticized extending the current measure as a “missed opportunity” to improve nutrition. For many years the Farm Bill has provided subsidies for commodity crops like corn, wheat, rice, and cotton that are not made available to specialty crops like fruits and vegetables. The tension is at the heart of years of disputes over the Farm Bill. Simmons grew up on a farm, raising corn, soybeans, and livestock in Iowa. A Cornell College graduate, she has been on the committee staff since 1993, serving as staff director for subcommittees dealing with general farm commodities, environmental programs, credit programs, and rural development.


HOUSE AGRICULTURE

April Slayton Communications Director 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6512 Fax: (202) 225-8510 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. April Slayton, as communications director for the House Agriculture Committee, knows her staff lately has focused on two words: Farm Bill. Having worked in public affairs for the panel since 2003, Slayton is as adept at dealing with reporters who specialize in agriculture as those who do not. She can go from talking about something as inside-baseball as the impact of crop prices on the budget baseline to explaining the very basics of the Farm Bill to a newbie. Despite all the requests for some of the same information, Slayton doesn’t mind going to the center of the details. It keeps her focused, she said, and helps her to be “clear and help people explain the process” to the public. “The Farm Bill is more than just farms and has impact for all consumers,” she said. By March, the House and Senate were moving toward reconciling differences in their respective versions of the $286 billion, five-year bill that President Bush has threatened to veto if various tax provisions and increased spending measures are not removed. The committee worked on agricultural assistance for 2005– 2007 in the emergency supplemental bill passed in May. Conducting oversight hearings that provide insight into issues including food safety, port security data security and other issues related to the Department of Agriculture. She has said the biggest difference of having the Democrats in the majority is having a bigger staff and larger budget. A larger staff, she said, means it could be easier to shape the debate and get the views of committee chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., out to the public.

Personal: Born 02/10/1978 in Charlotte, N.C.

Education: B.A., journalism and mass communications, University of North Carolina, 2000. M.A., media and public affairs, George Washington University, 2003.

Professional: 2000–2002, policy and program specialist, American Veterinary Medical Association. 2002–2003, program and legislative manager, American Veterinary Medical Association. 2003–2005, public affairs specialist, Dept. of Agriculture. 2005–2006, Democratic staff press secretary, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, communications dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture.


Peterson, Slayton said, has expressed “interest in continuing the increased oversight of the Agriculture Department that he has engaged in his first year of chairmanship. The chairman wants to ensure that the agency’s structure and processes are as efficient and effective as they need to be.” Slayton noted that oversight of the USDA is a critical function of the panel. “You are looking at a really big department spread across the country,” she said. Yet while government issues are important, Slayton said she still remains constantly intrigued by talking to the people who are directly impacted by the committee’s policies—the farmers themselves. Through them, she said, lawmakers hear “always the war stories, the farms and fascinating stories.”

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Pelham Straughn Senior Professional Staff Member 1002 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4916

Expertise: Conservation, tobacco, and peanuts. As a senior professional staff member for the Agriculture Committee, Pelham Straughn concentrates on several areas, including one of the most important areas of the Farm Bill: conservation. The conservation title of the Farm Bill is designed to reward farmers with payments for reducing nitrogen and phosphorous runoff from their fields using environmentally sensitive techniques. Spending for conservation has been a hot button issue among various groups. The government “should focus on renewing stewardship of the land by placing a greater emphasis on working lands, communities and fostering a new generation of conservative minded-farmers and rangers,” members of the Agriculture and Wildlife Working Group of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservative Partnership wrote earlier this year. The group was worried that Congress could pass legislation that “may contain provisions detrimental to the conservation reserve program.” The same group said that the 2002 Farm Bill “recognized this obligation and made great strides in this regard by increasing the funding level to conservation programs.” Proposed spending for the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program increased from $97 million per year to $240 million per year for 2012 forward. And spending for the Conservation Reserve Program would increase from $1.3 billion per year to $1.9 billion per year to 2012 forward.

Personal: Born 03/21/1975 in Birmingham, Ala.

Education: B.A., Hampden-Sydney College, 1997.

Professional: 1997–1998, legislative corresp., Rep. Terry Everett, R-Ala. 1998–2001, legislative asst., Rep. Terry Everett, R-Ala. 2001–2006, staff dir., Subc. on Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2007–present, sr. professional staff, House Cmte. on Agriculture.

The House and Senate are poised to spend about $5 billion total in new conservation programs, an amount that Democrat leaders have called still insufficient to meet farmers’ needs but a “critical step in the right direction.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has urged that if the tax provisions written into the bills—which have drawn a veto threat from President Bush—are ultimately eliminated, negotiators should find another way to retain the conservation funding. Straughn added conservation to his portfolio last year in addition to his other responsibilities overseeing tobacco and peanut programs. In the 109th Congress, he was responsible for overseeing the tobacco buyout program that he helped craft with the Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs Subcommittee chairman, Rep. Bill Jenkins, R-Tenn. Straughn has called the art of crafting farm policy as creating programs that don’t bloat the budget. “It is to streamline these programs we’ve added on an ad hoc basis,” he said.

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HOUSE AGRICULTURE

Pete Thomson Senior Professional Staff Member 1301 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-0029

Expertise: Food safety, livestock issues, budget. Pete Thomson was a Navy brat, who lived in many places around the country. Professionally, he has been settled in as a senior professional staffer for the House Agriculture Committee. Thomson is expert on animal health, which has been a key factor in Farm Bill negotiations throughout 2007. He also has worked on country-of-origin labeling, animal health protection laws, funding for socially-disadvantaged farmers and biotechnology education. “There is a lot of activity in the food safety area,” Thomson said. The $286 billion, five-year Farm Bill, which is still being hammered out by House and Senate negotiators after President Bush gave lawmakers a one-month extension, includes a compromise provision on country-of-origin-labeling. Under the provision, meat products may be given a U.S. label if it was derived from an animal that was exclusively born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. Much of Thomson’s work consists of reacting to reports of disease outbreaks, such as avian influenza, and meat inspection and other food-related regulatory issues. The beef recall in early 2008 of more than 143 pounds of beef from Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. in Southern California spilled over significantly into the Farm Bill. While the secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer, has said he is not in favor of making any immediate changes to meat regulations and wants to wait for the results of an investigation, safety advocates have pressed for more funding for programs and inspectors that protect food safety.

Personal: Born 09/01/1957 in Norfolk, Va.

Education: B.A., Virginia Tech, 1980. M.P.A., Virginia Tech, 1982.

Professional: 1983–1990, legislative asst. and legislative dir., Rep. Bob Smith, R-Ore. 1990–1993, minority staff member, Subc. on Conservation, Credit, and Rural Development, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1994–1995, minority consultant, Subc. on Dept. Operations and Nutrition, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1995–1997, staff dir., Subc. on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1997–1999, legislative dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1999–present, senior professional staff member, House Cmte. on Agriculture.


When he was embarking on a career path, Thomson didn’t think he’d be going into the agriculture. But, Thompson said, he “started out in agriculture and found my way.” A Virginia native, he came to Capitol Hill in 1983 to work for an Oregon congressman and moved to the committee staff in 1990. “Farmers and ranchers,” Thompson said, “there’s a certain romance of the cycle of the seasons and a challenging way to earn a living.” After the Farm Bill is passed, there will be more to do, particularly in the area of food safety hearings and oversight, Thomson said. In 2006, Thomson worked to reauthorize mandatory price reporting for livestock. Meatpackers and some producers opposed mandatory pricing because of the costs involved.

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Committee on Appropriations H-218, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2771 http://appropriations.house.gov/

Ratio: 37/29 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

David R. Obey, WI-7th, Chairman

Jerry Lewis, CA-41st, Ranking Member

John P. Murtha, PA-12th Norman D. Dicks, WA-6th Alan B. Mollohan, WV-1st Marcy Kaptur, OH-9th Peter J. Visclosky, IN-1st Nita M. Lowey, NY-18th José E. Serrano, NY-16th Rosa L. DeLauro, CT-3rd James P. Moran, VA-8th John W. Olver, MA-1st Ed Pastor, AZ-4th David E. Price, NC-4th Chet Edwards, TX-11th Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, AL-5th Patrick J. Kennedy, RI-1st Maurice D. Hinchey, NY-22nd Lucille Roybal-Allard, CA-34th Sam Farr, CA-17th Jesse L. Jackson Jr., IL-2nd Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, MI-13th Allen Boyd, FL-2nd Chaka Fattah, PA-2nd Steven R. Rothman, NJ-9th Sanford D. Bishop, GA-2nd Marion Berry, AR-1st Barbara Lee, CA-9th Tom Udall, NM-3rd Adam Schiff, CA-29th Mike Honda, CA-15th Betty McCollum, MN-4th Steve Israel, NY-2nd Tim Ryan, OH-17th C.A. Ruppersberger, MD-2nd Ben Chandler, KY-6th Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL-20th Ciro Rodriguez, TX-28th

ßC.W. Bill Young, FL-10th Ralph Regula, OH-16th Harold Rogers, KY-5th Frank R. Wolf, VA-10th James Walsh, NY-25th David L. Hobson, OH-7th Joe Knollenberg, MI-9th Jack Kingston, GA-1st Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, NJ-11th Todd Tiahrt, KS-4th Zach Wamp, TN-3rd Tom Latham, IA-4th Robert Aderholt, AL-4th Jo Ann Emerson, MO-8th Kay Granger, TX-12th John E. Peterson, PA-5th Virgil H. Goode, VA-5th Ray LaHood, IL-18th Dave Weldon, FL-15th Michael K. Simpson, ID-2nd John Abney Culberson, TX-7th Mark Steven Kirk, IL-10th Ander Crenshaw, FL-4th Dennis R. Rehberg, MT-At Large John Carter, TX-31st Rodney Alexander, LA-5th Ken Calvert, CA-44th Jo Bonner, AL-1st


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HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4)

Appropriation of the revenue for the support of the government. Rescissions of appropriations contained in appropriations Acts. Transfers of unexpended balances. Bills and joint resolutions reported by other committees that provide new entitlement authority as defined in section 3(9) of the congressional Budget Act of 1974 and referred to the committee under clause 4(a)(2).

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HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS The committee shall include separate headings for “Rescissions” and “Transfers of Unexpended Balances” in any bill or resolution as reported from the committee under its jurisdiction specified in subparagraph (2) or (3), with all proposed rescissions and proposed transfers listed therein; and shall include a separate section with respect to such rescissions or transfers in the accompanying committee report. In addition to its jurisdiction under the preceding provisions of this paragraph, the committee shall have the fiscal oversight function provided for in clause 2(b)(3) and the budget hearing function provided for in clause 4(a). As keeper of the purse strings, the House Appropriations Committee is powerful enough. But as far as the committee is concerned, it takes on greater meaning with the war in Iraq, and its demand for increasing oversight in federal programs and military spending. As such, the committee chairman, Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., believes the committee must have greater oversight, using hearings, investigations and appropriations as its tools. With Democrats in charge since 2007, the committee and the White House have battled over the budget. Obey has criticized Bush for spending $200 billion in the federal budget for Iraq, and also on domestic spending, which Obey believes has fallen short. Congress passed the $459 billion defense bill last year and $50 billion more in war funding, but the committee also approved additional funds for equipment and training for soldiers while engaging in a fierce—and unsuccessful—battle over a plan to bring troops home from Iraq by December 2008. The Appropriations Committee also sought billions of dollars more to spend for veterans health care to spending across the board for energy efficiency projects. There are more battles ahead. Obey is seeking earmark reform, insisting that previous congressional efforts have not resulted in any meaningful changes. And facing stepped-up attacks from Republicans calling for changes to the way lawmakers draw federal money for pet projects, Obey and Pelosi are considering a moratorium on the practice altogether. Obey also has made it clear he wants to increase oversight of intelligence with the creation of a Select Intelligence Oversight Panel of the Committee on Appropriations. The new panel will review budget request sand make recommendations for defense appropriations. For the past year, there have been parallel subcommittee structures for the House and Senate Appropriations committees. Both have 12 subcommittees. The new Financial Services and General Government panels have jurisdiction over federal organizations such as the Treasury Department and the federal judiciary.


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HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS

Kirstin B.E. Brost Spokeswoman 1016 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2771 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. The House Appropriations Committee—one of the most powerful in Congress—has a lot to say, and Kirstin Brost says it. Brost sits in a chair on the edge of a hearing room and talks about the wonder of it all: she loves dancing from topic to topic. And there are issues aplenty with the Appropriations Committee. That’s part of the thrill, she says. That’s part of the thrill, she says. Brost says she also loves working for chairman Dave Obey, D-Wis., and works to help him send out the sometimes blunt language to the media that he uses to say what he wants. As the committee turns the corner in this 110th Congress, Brost is working with Obey to hammer home reform in earmarks, the legislative process in which lawmakers insert special favor marks into particular pieces of legislation. Using the candid language he’s known for, Obey observed about the GOP: “For the Republican leadership to belatedly give us lectures on earmarks in my view akin to reform alcoholics giving lectures on temperature.” She is fully behind Obey as he starts clamping down on earmarks. At one point, he threatened to pull earmarks from the appropriation bills, and she simply reinforces Obey saying, “removing earmarks is not an idle threat,” according to media reports.

Personal: Born in Chippewa Falls, Wis.

Education: B.A., political science, George Washington University, 1999.

Professional: 1999–2000, press secretary/field staff, Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign. 2001, press consultant, Service Employees International Union. 2001–2002, communications director, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. 2003–2005, communications director, Washington State Democrats. 2005–present, spokeswoman, Democratic staff, House Appropriations Cmte.

In response to President Bush’s 2009 budget proposal, Brost released a simple “fact check” about the president’s State of the Union address, and his 2009 budget request. “Below is a chart comparing what he said in his State of the Union address with what he did last year in his 2008 budget,” she wrote. The statement added another blunt message from Obey: “The omnibus appropriations bill is totally inadequate to meet the long term investment needs of the country, but it's a whole lot better than the country would have without a Democratic Congress.” Brost repeatedly says she learned on the “fly” about her work as spokeswoman for the Democrats. She reiterates that she will carry out the reform-minded agenda of Obey. Before coming to Washington D.C., and working for the committee in 2005, Brost worked for the Democratic Party in Washington State. In some ways, her style hasn’t changed much from her burgeoning years. Then she was described on the Internet as “bombarding” reporters with understated press releases. Brost has a background in politics and roots in Wisconsin. She proudly notes that she was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, which is in Obey’s district. She interned in Obey’s office while in college and worked all over the country for the Democrats. She worked for Al Gore during the 2000 campaign, and was the communications director in Washington State in 2004 during the close gubernatorial election that was won by Democrat Christine Gregoire after a recount.

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Elizabeth Dawson Republican Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies H-143, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3481

Expertise: Appropriations, housing. Liz Dawson began 2008 under a new boss on the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies. In January, Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., an 11-year veteran of the committee, was named ranking member of the panel. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over $64.7 billion in federal spending for the Department of Defense, military construction, base realignment and closure, the NATO Security Investment Program, the Department of Veterans Affairs and other related agencies like the American Battle Monuments Commission, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, the Civil Cemeterial Expenses, Army and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Wamp said in a statement he wants to ensure “quality of life for those serving” in Iraq and Afghanistan. “While I haven’t served our country as a member of our Armed Forces, the highest honor I have is to serve those who serve,” Wamp said. “Being the top Republican on this panel gives me the opportunity to ensure that the promises we’ve made to take care of our veterans are being kept and that the quality of life for those serving is as good as possible.” Wamp was named to the position after Rep. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., resigned from the House to serve in the Senate. Dawson specifically works on projects involving the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and National Guard and Reserve forces and housing for military families.

Personal: Born 10/12/1958 in Ft. Rucker, Ala.

Education: B.S., George Mason Univ., 1980.

Professional: 1983–1986, aide, Rep. Mickey Edwards, R-Okla. 1986–1991, aide, Rep. Bill Lowrey, R-Calif. 1991–1995, Republican staff, Subc. on Military Construction, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 1995–2001, clerk, Subc. on Military Construction, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2001–2005, staff assistant, Subc. on the Legislative Branch, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–present, Republican professional staff member, Subc. on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations.


With the growing number of veterans coming back from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dawson is busy in 2008 working on housing improvements for soldiers and their families. Dawson was previously with the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, which funds the U.S. Capitol grounds, the congressional office, the congressional Budget Office, and the Library of Congress. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, criticized the White House budget that he said would “cut VA medical research and hospital construction this year and cut medical care” by October 2009. “It is also wrong for this administration to propose burdening veterans with an additional $5.2 billion in increased fees over the net 10 years. Haven’t our veterans already sacrificed enough?” Edwards asked. The White House approved the release of $3.7 billion in additional funds veterans above the budget for 2008 as emergency funds. Overall, the bill increases funding for veterans health care and benefits by $6.6 billion above the 2007 level, the largest single increase in the 77-year history of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Martin Delgado Clerk Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies 2362-A Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2638 Fax: (202) 225-2535 [email protected]

Expertise: Appropriations. After four years working on the Agriculture Subcommittee, Martin Delgado moved this year to the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies. Subcommittee chairman Chet Edwards, D-Texas, publicly welcomed Delgado to the panel early this year as he convened the year’s first hearing on military quality of life. The year promises to be a heavy one for Delgado as he moves from food safety to military benefits. The panel’s jurisdiction is sweeping, holding the purse strings to funding construction throughout all branches of the military including family housing and the accompanying funds; Base Realignment and Closure; the NATO Security Investment Program; the Department of Veterans Affairs; and a host of agencies like the American Battle Monuments Commission and the U.S. Court of Appeals. Not three months into the year, Edwards had already convened 13 hearings on the various military budgets, as well as on the Arlington National Cemetery and United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery and the Armed Force Retirement Home. He slammed President Bush’s 2009 VA budget request, noting it cuts medical research and hospital construction while adding $5.2 billion in increased fees over the coming decade. “Haven’t our veterans sacrificed enough?” Edwards asked.

Personal: Born 07/15/1962 in Santa Rosa, N.Mex.

Education: B.A., New Mexico Highlands University.

Professional: 1997–1998, professional staff asst., Subc. on Interior, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 1998–2003, staff asst., Subc. on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2004–2008, clerk, Subc. on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2008–present, clerk, Subc. on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations.

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Edwards, along with other Democrats, unveiled their own budget proposal, which includes $3.2 billion more than Bush requested for the VA to improve mental health care and other benefits. It’s a budget that Delgado and other staff on the subcommittee are charged with trying to move forward. A New Mexico native, Delgado joined the Appropriations Committee in 1997 and one year later moved to the Agriculture Subcommittee, where he worked on a range of issues including country-of-origin food labeling; boosting funding for food inspection; and improving the generic drug approval process at the Food and Drug Administration. A former budget analyst at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at the Department of Agriculture, Delgado worked at the USDA from 1989 to 1997. In moving to the Military Construction Subcommittee, Delgado is not the only new face around the dais. Also this year Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., was named ranking Republican, replacing Rep. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who was appointed to the Senate to succeed Sen. Trent Lott.



Nisha Desai

Expertise: International development and foreign policy.

Democratic Clerk

As clerk for the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Nisha Desai works on foreign operations. The job is bigger, but there are still the same basic concerns over foreign affairs.

Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs HB-26, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-2041 [email protected]

In her position, Desai assists both the Appropriations Committee chairman, Rep. David Obey, D-Minn., and the subcommittee chairwoman, Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., on everything from war funding to international AIDS funding. Desai said that Lowey anticipates the priorities this cycle will continue to be funding for Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war on terror. Late last year Lowey praised the Omnibus Appropriations measure Congress passed, saying its foreign aid funding—including $6.5 billion for global health, $796 million above what President Bush had requested—“limited the damage that President Bush’s misplaced priorities could have caused.” And while Lowey expressed disappointment that a provision allowing international health organizations to receive donated contraceptives to prevent disease and unintended pregnancies and reduce abortions was dropped from the bill, she said it was an overall positive step for investments in international relief and economic security. The foreign operations bill provides funding for U.S. foreign policy interests around the world and provides about two-thirds of the government’s international spending. It funds the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Peace Corps, the World Bank, and several State Department programs.

Personal: Born 1968 in Gujarat, India.

Education: B.A., international relations, University of Virginia, 1989.

Professional: 1995–1999, special assistant to the administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development. 1999–2002, professional staff member, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2002–2005, director of public policy, InterAction. 2005–2006, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, House Cmte. On Appropriations.


Desai said the committee will be responsible for “keeping with the expanded jurisdiction of this subcommittee, examining our public diplomacy programs and the diplomatic readiness of our embassies and consulates abroad.” She said she expects other committee priorities in 2008 will include funding for initiatives related to HIV and AIDS, and global health and development programs, which will also include education and programs designed to empower women. Desai joined the committee in June 2005 after spending three years as the director of public policy at InterAction, the largest coalition of U.S. private voluntary organizations working on international relief and development. She worked on the House International Relations Committee from August 1999 through June 2002 and at the U.S. Agency for International Development prior to that.

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Martha Foley Clerk Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Room 2362-A Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2638 [email protected]

Expertise: Appropriations. With the Farm Bill up for reauthorization, Martha Foley has provided much oversight in assisting her boss, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. DeLauro has been at odds with the White House over funding for everything from the Food Safety and Inspection Service and Food and Drug Administration salaries and expenses to crop insurance, livestock competition, renewable energy, nutrition and services to rural areas. “We must transform the way we meet our obligation to protect the public health,” DeLauro said last year in marking up a funding bill that provided nearly $1 billion over President Bush’s request. In 2008 she began the year by pillorying the budget again. In a hearing to examine President Bush’s $97 billion request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, DeLauro told Secretary Ed Schafer that the proposed cuts for everything from nutrition to conservation programs “are going in the wrong direction.” She also accused the White House of using the budget to undermine the Farm Bill, noting that while the White House has proposed expanding a key conservation program, the budget included significant cuts. She also pointed out that nutrition programs were zeroed out while others were capped, allowing for no growth. “The list goes on—examples of a budget that flies in the face of the Farm Bill, the administration’s rhetoric, and our nation’s priorities,” DeLauro said.

Professional: 2001–2005, Democratic staff asst., Subc. on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies/Subc. on Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–2007, Democratic staff asst., Subc. on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies/Subc. on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, clerk, Subc. on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations.

When she assumed the chairmanship after Democrats regained the majority in 2007, DeLauro promised to work to restore the oversight functions of the subcommittee by examining the nation’s food safety system and ensuring that federal agencies such as the FDA and the Department of Agriculture prioritize science and the public interest. She has said that she will work to make more investments in renewable energy technologies, expand rural development programs, and support specialty crop initiatives. “This is what the committee hopes will be the first step in a fundamental transformation in the regulation of food safety at the FDA,” DeLauro added. The committee has directed the FDA to submit a plan to begin changing its approach to food safety for the 2009 budget process. She noted that the FDA could have saved 22,000 lives had the agency removed the drug Traslol from the market two years ago when a study revealed widespread deaths associated with it. Foley brings high-level executive branch experience to the House Appropriations Committee as a former adviser to President Clinton. While at the White House, she held the positions of senior adviser to White House chief of staff Leon Panetta and deputy assistant to the president and associate director for legislative affairs in the Office of Management and Budget.

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Tom Forhan Staff Clerk Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch H-147, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-2771 [email protected]

Expertise: Appropriations. After the House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee was revived under the new Democratic leadership at the start of the 110th Congress, the panel’s new chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., brought aboard appropriations veteran Tom Forhan to serve as staff clerk. Forhan had worked for more than a dozen years on the Democratic staff of the Appropriations Committee, focusing mainly on military construction issues but also handling some of the Capitol campus issues that fall under the legislative branch subcommittee. The Legislative Branch Subcommittee is responsible for managing the annual budget request of the House of Representatives and its many agencies, including the Capitol Police Department, the Library of Congress, the Architect of the Capitol, the Government Printing Office, and several others. Under Wasserman Schultz, the panel’s single highest priority was to reestablish strong congressional oversight on the behind-schedule and over-budget Capitol Visitor Center project. At more than 580,000 square feet the underground CVC is the largest addition in the history of the Capitol. When the Architect of the Capitol broke ground on the project in the summer of 2000 the new facility was expected to open in January 2005 at a cost of about $250 million. By early 2007 the cost had soared to about $550 million and no real completion date was in sight.

Personal: Born in Lewiston, Maine.

Education: B.A., University of California, San Diego.

Professional: 1984–1987, professional staff member, Joint Economic Cmte. 1987–1994, professional staff member, National Science Foundation. 1995–2006, Democratic staff asst., Subc. on Military Construction, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, staff clerk, Subc. on the Legislative Branch, House Cmte. on Appropriations.


CVC progress updates made up a large part of the 18 hearings the legislative branch panel held during 2007. By September of last year the Architect of the Capitol and auditors at the Government Accountability Office were able to agree on a final opening date of November 2008 and a price tag of about $621 million. Construction crews were also able to meet a November 2007 date for the completion of substantial construction work. Now most of the work that remains at the facility involves operational and staffing issues. Wasserman Schultz has promised to continue to make CVC oversight a top priority of the committee. The committee is also expected to continue it’s focus on addressing health and safety concerns on the Capitol campus. The committee will also work to fund ongoing maintenance and space issues that come with the growth and aging of the Capitol. Funding for neglected maintenance projects on Capitol Hill helped account for a 17.4 percent increase in the fiscal year 2009 legislative branch appropriations request. But Congress usually appropriates far less than what is asked for in that request. In 2008, the legislative branch received only a 3 percent hike in funding over the previous year.

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David M. Gibbons Republican Staff Assistant Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies 1016 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2771

Expertise: Housing and budget issues. David Gibbons is Republican staff assistant to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, which deals with a vast array of issues that makes up the heart of budget battles on domestic issues between the White House and Congress. His boss, Rep. Jim Walsh, R-N.Y., has announced he will retire at the end of the year. But in the meantime, budget battles are as fierce as ever along partisan lines. Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, D-Wis., pilloried President Bush’s proposed 2009 budget when it came out this year, particularly in areas of social and domestic programs. He noted a $1.2 billion or 10 percent cut to the Department of Labor “as our nation fights the specter of a recession and workers struggle to compete in the global market.” He took particular aim at cuts to job training programs for disadvantaged youth as well as to a program that puts low-income senior citizens to work in their communities. He also objected to a $66 million cut to the International Labor Affairs Bureau, which helps eliminate child labor and promotes labor standard. On the health and human services end, Obey criticized a total of $1 billion in cuts to health care access programs, including to medical research at the National Institutes of Health; preventive health grants; health monitoring and treatment of World Trade Center workers and nearby residents; and a $199 million cut to substance abuse and mental health programs.

Professional: 2006, clerk, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, Republican staff assistant, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations.

And Obey took special aim at secretary of Education Margaret Spellings when she came before the committee to defend the agency’s $24.5 billion budget proposal for No Child Left Behind, saying the administration could either compromise or turn the remaining months of 2008 into a “waste of time.” Walsh came to Spellings’ defense, saying the appropriations committee is “the body that has the power of the purse” and dismissing Obey’s comments by noting that annual battles over education funding is part of the “game.” Gibbons, since January, has staffed more than a dozen hearings on those topics and others in the budget, including the disability backlog at the Social Security Administration and the implications of cutting the World Trade Center health monitoring program. Before coming to the Hill, Gibbons was budget director at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and then moved to the staff of the House Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, where he was responsible for the HUD spending bill.

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Kate Hallahan Clerk Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia 2358 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2141 [email protected]

Expertise: Transportation appropriations issues. Hallahan sees some of the same challenges as clerk of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development that she saw in the last Congress. There are challenges in Congress “that the budget presents us, to fill in the (budget) holes that the president presents,” she said. Her boss, subcommittee chairman John Olver, D-Mass., has said the president’s fiscal year 2009 HUD budget “cuts many vital affordable housing and community development programs.” The Indiana native moved from Washington State to Washington D.C., 15 years ago and thought she’d stay for a few years, but stayed longer. She has been a Democratic staffer since 2006. There are issues that directly affect the populace, and an aging population, she said. The committee deals with a combination of “aging” issues—infrastructure coupled with an aging workforce. “There are lot of challenges out there,” Hallahan said. She noted that one challenge facing the subcommittee this year is the Federal Aviation Administration programs that are up for reauthorization. She predicted changes ahead in the manner in which the programs are financed.

Personal: Born 1962 in Clarksville, Ind.

Education: B.A., political science, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, 1985. B.A., speech communication, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, 1985.

Professional: 1989–1993, sr. legislative asst. Secretary for Public Affairs, Rep. Al Swift, D-Wash. 1994–1995, professional staff member, Subc. on Transportation and Hazardous Materials, House Cmte. on Energy. 1995–1996, sr. Congressional relations officer, U.S. Dept. of Transportation. 1996–1997, special asst. to the secretary, U.S. Dept. of Transportation. 1997–2000, sr. policy advisor to deputy secretary, U.S. Dept. of Transportation. 2000–2001, deputy asst. administrator, Office of Govt. and Industry Affairs, Federal Aviation Administration. 2001–2006, professional staff member, Subc. on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2006–2007, professional staff member, Subc. on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, clerk, Subc. on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

Hallahan said that another area of concern for appropriators and authorizers is the current state of the Highway Trust Fund, which is projected run in the red 2009. Because of this looming problem, she said appropriators need to take great care with the fiscal year 2008 bill so that, in her words, “this issue doesn’t fall through the cracks.” Hallahan said the committee also is encouraging a stronger relationship between transportation and housing officials to improve the spirit of discussions. Hallahan had held a similar position as a transportation staffer for Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on the Senate Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee. Hallahan’s transit background comes from her work in legislative policy and congressional affairs at the Federal Aviation Administration and in the office of the secretary of transportation. She has said there is an intense aspect in the appropriations process to the House compared to the Senate and that hasn’t changed. When the pace slows down, Hallahan gets to play the violin, “a completely different thing to do, a sort of gratifying outlet.”

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David LesStrang Deputy Staff Director 1016 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3481 [email protected]

Expertise: Member services, communications, appropriations. David LesStrang is deputy assistant staff director for the Appropriations Committee, working for the Republicans. He has had a long professional relationship with the ranking member, Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif. In the past year, LesStrang has concentrated on the Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The panel handles all matters involving the Interior Department and related agencies, the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and cultural agencies such as the Smithsonian Institution, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and other facilities. The committee has been charting a new direction with a new majority in place, taking up land management, water and energy development and especially funding for firefighters. A year after the scandals over spending at the Smithsonian, the committee is reviewing programs there closely. LesStrang will be monitoring what the Democrats are doing.

Personal: Born 02/22/1963 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Education: B.A., Hillsdale College (Mich.

Professional: 1985–2002, press secretary/legislative dir., Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif. 2002–2005, government affairs manager, EMC Corporation. 2005–present, deputy staff dir., House Cmte. on Appropriations.

In addition, subcommittee ranking Republican Todd Tiahrt of Kansas has expressed concerns over reductions in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, while praising the agency for aiding a town in his district with leaking underground storage tank. Democrats under the subcommittee chairman, Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., meanwhile, have criticized it as the smallest budget for that agency in a decade. And while LesStrang’s boss on the subcommittee is Tiahrt, the longtime appropriations aide comes to the committee via Lewis. LesStrang has served Lewis on both the public and private sectors, first working for the congressman in his personal office in 1985. He then served as the congressman’s press secretary, legislative director and deputy chief of staff. He left Capitol Hill in 2002 to become a government affairs manager at EMC Corp. LesStrang also manages the committee’s external communications and serves as the committee’s liaison to the California congressional delegation and the California governor’s office. In addition, he handles the committee’s member services operation, working with new and politically vulnerable members to navigate the process of getting funding.

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Carol Murphy Clerk Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies H-143, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3047 [email protected]

Expertise: Military construction. Carol Murphy is clerk for the subcommittee that oversees appropriations for military construction and veterans’ affairs, the launching pad for a battle between Democrats and the White House over key spending policies. The committee oversees Pentagon construction projects and health care and benefits for veterans. And there are questions over funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. All those issues are fair game for disputes. “American veterans deserve better than a budget that would cut VA medical research and hospital construction this year and cut medical care starting in October 2009,” said Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, the panel’s chairman. He also criticized the administration for what he termed imposing “additional $5.2 billion in increased fees over the next 10 years.” When Democrats took control of Congress in 2007, Edwards said the party made the health care needs of veterans a top priority and provided an $11.8 billion overall for increased funding for veterans health care and benefits programs. “Our veterans have earned every dime of this through their service and sacrifice for this country.”

Personal: Born 06/1960 in Little Falls, N.Y.

Education: B.A., University of Maryland, 1982.

Professional: 1984–1985, secretary, Food and Drug Administration. 1985–1999, budget analyst, Food and Drug Administration. 2000–2004, professional staff, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2004–2006, clerk, Subc. on Military Quality of Life and Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, clerk, Subc. on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations.


So far this year, Murphy has staffed hearings in the subcommittee delving into the budget as well as military quality of life issues. Edwards this year lauded Murphy as part of “critically experienced” staff, and in trying to locate Murphy specifically to thank her for her service, Edwards noted that she is “always working.” He also made a point of noting that Murphy as well as the other subcommittee staff members, were there to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. “One of the proud traditions of this subcommittee ... is our tradition of working on a bipartisan basis,” Edwards said. “When it comes to taking care of veterans and our troops and their families, there is not a Democratic or a Republican program. It is programs for the great men and women who are sacrificing so much for our country.” Overall, the jurisdiction of the subcommittee is the Department of Defense, Military Construction, Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), Air Force, Defense-Wide, and Guard and Reserve Forces, Chemical Demilitarization, Construction, Defense, Military Family Housing, Base Realignment and Closure Accounts, the NATO Security Investment Program, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and all related agencies. Murphy has a bachelor’s degree. from the University of Maryland and has worked for the Appropriations Committee since 2000.

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Rob Nabors Staff Director B-307 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5834 [email protected]

Expertise: Appropriations. One thing about Rob Nabors, Democratic staff director, he is the “even keeled” opposite of his boss, the “fiery” Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the Appropriations Committee. So says Politico, in describing Nabors as one of the top committee members to watch. “The well-respected Nabors is even-keeled—the opposite of his boss, the fiery [Obey],” says the political journal. It’s a good thing that Nabors is even-tempered, as he has a lot on his plate this year. President Bush has proposed freezing most discretionary programs in his 2009 budget, with nearly all of the $46.2 billion increase going toward national defense, homeland security, and foreign aid. One of the big issues that Obey is concentrating on is the issue of earmarks—pet projects that Congress allots much money for—that Obey wants to reform. He said the committee intends to step up oversight of federal programs and military activities, including Iraq. The issue of whether or not to ban earmarks entirely is an issue that could be settled by spring with a vote on the 2009 budget resolution. In mid-March Obey started sending out forms to House members asking them to weigh in on the possible moratorium. In the meantime, each party has taken stabs at the other’s committment to reform.

Personal: Born 1971 in Fort Dix, N.J.

Education: B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1993. M.A., University of North Carolina, 1996.

Professional: 1996–1998, program examiner, Office of Management and Budget. 1998–2000, senior adviser to the director, Office of Management and Budget. 2000–2001, assistant dir. for administration and executive secretary, Office of Management and Budget. 2001–2002, Democratic staff asst., Subc. on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2002–2004, Democratic staff asst., Subc. on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2004, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2004–present, Democratic staff dir., House Cmte. on Appropriations.

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“For the Republican Party leadership to belatedly give us lectures on earmarks is in my view akin to reformed alcoholics giving lectures on temperance,” Obey remarked. Nabors joined the committee in 2001. He brought extensive budgeting experience with him, having worked in several capacities at the Office of Management and Budget from 1996 through early 2001. When he came to Capitol Hill, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., now majority leader, described Nabors as “extraordinarily knowledgeable,” adding that he “has been a valuable asset to not only our side of the aisle but, I think, to the committee as a whole.” Upon taking up the reins of the majorit in 2007, Nabors told the Washington Post that his goal is to make sure that bills “strike the right balance between investing in critical programs and being financially responsible, a Democratic theme.” Nabors is from Fort Dix, New Jersey, and was at the Office of Management and Budget for five years before joining the committee in 2001. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina.



Beverly Pheto Clerk Subcommittee on Homeland Security B-307 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5834 [email protected]

Expertise: Transportation, homeland security. As Democratic clerk on House Appropriations Subcommittee for Homeland Security in 2008, Beverly Pheto has a front row seat in the dispute between Democrats and the White House over spending for the Department of Homeland Security and its oversight. A former budget director at the Department of Transportation and a transportation analyst at the Office of Management and Budget, Pheto is widely regarded among lawmakers for her broad knowledge of a range of policy issues. The subcommittee chairman, Rep. David Price, D-N.C., singled Pheto out for praise last year when the House passed the Department of Homeland Security appopriations bill. “Beverly Pheto has been an exemplary clerk. Her mastery of the issues facing the Department and each of its components has been invaluable,” Price said on the House floor. The House bill contained $36.3 billion in discretionary funding—about $2 billion (or five percent) above President Bush’s request. In both money and policy, that bill set the tone for the 2008 fight. When the White House released its 2009 request in February, Price immediately attacked the administration for using fuzzy math, saying its claim of a 7 percent increase at DHS was “not credible” because the calculations failed to take into account $2.7 billion in border emergency funding that Congress provided for the previous year.

Personal: Born 1958 in Methuen, Mass.

Education: B.A., Boston University, 1980. M.P.A, Columbia University, 1985.

Professional: 1985–1991, transportation budget analyst, Office of Managment and Budget. 1991– 1992, financial analysis branch chief, Administrative Office of the Courts. 1992– 1993, CFO, Peace Corps. 1993–1995, CFO, Eurasia Foundation. 1996–2001, budget dir., Dept. of Transportation. 2001–2005, Democratic clerk, Subcs. on Transportation and Homeland Security, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Homeland Security, House Cmte. on Appropriations.


In particular he criticized cuts to state and local grant programs as well as the US-VISIT exit/entry program. Price also this session is questioning the need to build a 300-mile fence on the border between the United States and Mexico. The fence would be paid for by DHS. Price questioned the cost and whether the fence was the best use of funds. “Whether we are talking about the technology challenges facing the Project 28 effort in Arizona or decisions about where to place border fencing, it is important not just to do it, but to get it right,” he said. The Homeland Security Subcommittee’s responsibilities include DHS operations, security, enforcement and investigations, immigration enforcement, U.S. customs and border protection, the Transportation Security Administration and aviation security, the U.S. Coast Guard, and disaster relief. In his book published in 2007, Raising Hell for Justice: The Washington battles of a Heartland Progressive, the House Appropriations Committee chairman, Rep. David Obey, DWis., cited Pheto as one of his homeland security experts who helped him come to the conclusion after 9/11 that a reorganization of executive agencies that deal with homeland security were “peripheral to our main security problems.”

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David J. Reich Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies H-218 Capitol Phone: (202) 225-2771 Fax: (202) 225-3509 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget, appropriations. As Democratic chief counsel, David Reich has been involved in the White House and congressional clash over the 2009 budget. “The President’s budget is a dreary and irresponsible re-run of those whe have seen for the past eight years, missed opprotunites, misplaced priorites and fiscal fairy tales,” Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., said when Bush unveiled his 2009 budget proposal. The president hides “the full war costs,” by asking for only $70 billion for efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009, Obey said. But he insists that total costs would be much higher in the long run—since the administration requested nearly $200 billion for 2008. Obey has complained that the president is reducing programs totaling $18 billion. Among them are education, health care, law enforcement and highway infrastructure programs, he said. Obey wants to concentrate on ferreting out earmarks, special funding proposed by members of Congress for pet projects. “The previous Republican leadership was notorious for using earmarks as enticements in order to get their membership to vote for bills that individuals would otherwise not be included to vote for,” Obey said. “Under the Republican leadership, the cost of earmarks quadrupled and we were treated to stories about” members of Congress and others who faced criminal charges for abusing the process, he added.


Education: B.A., economics, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1975. M.A., economics, American University, 1978. J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1991.

Professional: 1976–1979, analyst, Dept. of Labor. 1979– 1981, acting dir. and economist, Center to Protect Workers Rights. 1981–1987, legislative analyst, House Democratic Study Group. 1987–1991, research dir., House Democratic Study Group. 1991–1993, associate, Shea & Gardner. 1993–1996, chief counsel, House Cmte. on the Budget. 1996–2006, Democratic staff asst., Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–2008, Democratic staff asst., House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2008–present, Democratic chief counsel, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations

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Obey noted that Democratic leaders suspended the earmark process for a year “over the fierce objections of as many members of the Republican Party as we saw in my own party.” “When Democrats took over the House, until we could reform the process, we suspended earmarks for a year over the fierce objections of as many members of the Republican Party as we saw in my own party.“ Reich’s had been welfare policy adviser on the Labor and Health Subcommittee. He went to the full committee when Obey, then subcommittee leader, became committee chairman. Since Reich joined the panel, both the House and Senate Appropriations committees announced a change in the number of subcommittees in each body. There were 10 subcommittees in the House and 12 in the Senate with different jurisdictions. But this approach resulted in delays in completing action on appropriations bills. As a result, the House and Senate committees now have 12 subcommittees each, including a new Financial Services and General Government panel in the House.



Michael Ringler Clerk Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies 1016 Longworth Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3481 [email protected]

Expertise: Appropriations, commerce, justice, and science programs, international affairs. Michael Ringler has a lot of “10s” going on these days. Not only is he working for the 110th Congress, he has more than a decade of experience on the job. Ringler, a Republican staff member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, is working on the shuttle, which is due to retire in 2010, as well as the 2010 decennial census. Dress rehearsals—that’s what they are officially called—for the next census are already taking shape Last fall, U.S. Census Bureau director Louis Kincannon told Congress that the Census has been having a tough budgetary time. Kincannon discussed the impact of a continuing budget that funds government programs at previous fiscal year levels. That’s specifically important to the Census Bureau because its budget nearly doubles as it prepares for the 2008 dress rehearsal and gets ready for the 2010 Census operations. The Census Bureau will be testing new hand-held computers and data capture operations, a top priority, officials said. Ringler will focus also on the funding for space exploration and the successful transition following retirement of the space shuttle program. The shuttle will be eventually replaced by a new space vehicle. The White House budget request for fiscal year 2009 keeps NASA on its path to transition from the space shuttle to the Constellation program and puts more emphasis on robotic science missions, according to Spaceflight Now.

Personal: Born 1963 in Rector, Pa.

Education: B.S., Georgetown University, 1985. M.P.I.A, University of Pittsburgh, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1989, presidential management intern, U.S. Information Agency. 1989– 1996, program and budget officer, U.S. Information Agency. 1996–1997, budget officer, Broadcasting Board of Governors. 1997–2001, staff asst., Subc. on the Depts. of Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2002–2004, clerk, Subc. on the Depts. of Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–2006, clerk, Subc. on Science, the Depts. of State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, clerk, Subc. on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations.


The exploration divison will receive more funding than the shuttle program under the new budget program, Spaceflight Now says. About $2.6 billion would be set aside during the next five years to purchase transportation to the space station. This year he also is staffing hearings on cuts to the popular COPS program as well as the budgets of the federal Department of Prisons and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Several of Ringler’s responsibilities changed when the committee was reorganized. Most duties involving the State Department were delegated to the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. The Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Small Business Administration, and the Securities Exchange Commission now fall under the jurisdiction of the Financial Services Subcommittee.

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John Shank Minority Clerk Subcommittee on Defense 1001 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2847

Expertise: Appropriations. John Shank, as a minority clerk, keeps watch on the evolving Democrat agenda over the military as the GOP also weighs in with its own. While the war in Iraq is paramount, John P. Murtha, DPa., chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, has begun the 2008 oversight hearings on the Defense Department budget requests. Murtha said he wants to restore “accountability and oversight at the Department of Defense and to work with them to meet the needs of our troops and their families.” Meanwhile, Shank’s boss, ranking Republican Bill Young, R-Fla., has said he is deeply concerned about rebuilding the U.S. military once the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are behind the country. “It’s essential that we do that quickly, and it’s essential that we do it properly, but we also have to do a lot of rebuilding with the most important part of our military capability, and that is the men and women who wear the uniform and who use the equipment that we’re talking about,” Young said at a February 2008 hearing before the subcommittee. Overall, Republicans have blasted Democrats’ criticism of the administration’s efforts in Iraq. Stll, Young said he believes the subcommittee will continue to work in a bipartisan manner. Even in 2007, with debates raging over a withdrawal from Iraq, Young told Department of Defense leaders, “it did not affect the ability of this subcommittee to provide ... [what was] needed for the security of the country.”

Personal: Born 03/27/1955 in Seattle, Wash.

Education: B.S., Willamette University, 1977.

Professional: 1979–1980, staff member, Rep. Al Ullman, D-Ore. 1982–1995, professional staff member, Subc. on Commerce, Justice, and State, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 1995–2004, professional staff member, Subc. on Foreign Relations, Export Financing, and Related Programs, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2004–2005, clerk, Subc. on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–present, clerk, Subc. on Defense, House Cmte. on Appropriations.

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Of course, not everything is rosey between the two parties. Appropriations Committee ranking member Jerry Lewis, RCalif., a former chair of the Defense Subcommittee, blasted Democrats for proposing to spend $80 billion over the 2007 enacted levels. “I would sumit to you that this represents exactly the kind of unfettered spending that so closely identifies the difference of our philosophies,” Lewis said, charging Democats with holding the philosophy of “If you see a problem, throw money at it.” The Defense Subcommittee is the largest of the 10 Appropriations subcommittees, controlling about one-half of the discretionary spending in the federal budget. It is usually among the first spending bills to clear Congress. Shank is heading into his fourth year as a Republican clerk for the subcommittee. He has worked for the committee since 1995, and had served as clerk of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee. Prior to that, Shank spent 12 years on the Senate Appropriations Committee, serving on the Commerce, Justice, and State Appropriations Subcommittee. Shank began his career on Capitol Hill in 1979 as a staff member to Rep. Al Ullman, D-Ore.



Jeff S. Shockey Deputy Staff Director 1016 Longworth House Office Bldg.

Expertise: Budgets. Jeff Shockey might be the only congressional staffer to have his own entry on Wikipedia. Shockey, who now serves as minority staff director of the House Appropriations Committee, has made headlines in recent years while serving former chairman and now ranking Republican Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif. And while his name has become synonymous inside the Beltway with criticisms surrounding the “revolving door” between K Street and Capitol Hill, Shockey continues to work for Lewis two years after the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked the Justice Department to investigate the relationship between Lewis and Copeland Lowery, citing Shockey’s history of working for Lewis and the firm. Lewis has denied there being any problems or wrongdoing and described Shockey as a “fabulously talented individual (with) a long record of principled service.” In moving to minority staff director, Shockey replaces Frank Cushing, who served as manager of the Republican staff and has since retired. Shockey had previously worked for Lewis when the congressman became chairman in 2005. Shockey left the firm of Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez Denton and Shockey after six years serving as a lobbyist. Despite reports of investigations, the headlines have abated in recent years.

Personal: Born 02/14/1966 in Wiesbaden, West Germany.

Education: B.A., California State University at San Bernardino, 1988. M.P.A., California State University at San Bernardino, 1994.

Professional: 1991–1999, legislative asst., legislative dir., Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif. 1999–2005, partner, Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton & Shockey. 2005–present, deputy staff dir., House Cmte. on Appropriations.

In 2006 Time called Shockey’s career a “case study in how the game works”—discussing the so-called revolving door on Capitol Hill between lobbyists and staff members. Lewis’s name surfaced in the inquiries, and also during the hoopla over the Justice Department’s firing of eight U.S. attorneys. Carol Lam, one of the attorneys fired, successfully prosecuted former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., for corruption and was said to be on the trail of Lewis’s connection to other lobbyists. While the Justice Department and congressional investigators continue to carry out inquiries, Lewis continues as Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, blasting the Democrats on subjects ranging from Iraq to federal spending. Shockey has had long ties to Lewis. Before becoming a lobbyist, Shockey worked for Lewis in 1994 during an era of budget rescissions, and has said lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are reluctant to cut popular programs, especially those that benefit their home states. Shockey, who was born in Germany, graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from California State University at San Bernardino. He first worked for Lewis in 1991 as a legislative assistant.


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Michael A. Stephens Clerk Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies B-308 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3081

Expertise: Appropriations. The heart of appropriations work, says Michael A. Stephens, isn’t just dealing with the taxpayers’ money. “It’s the give and take of negotiations,” said the 31-year veteran House Appropriations Committee staffer, who currently serves as clerk of the Subcommittee of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in the 110th Congress. “I think we have an open and collegial relationship between the two parties and the House and Senate and the executive branch agencies, and there is an environment to reach complicated and difficult compromises,” Stephens said. Or as Stephens likes to put it: “A river with many rapids in it and many turns.” Stephens began in 1976 on the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, where he worked as a staff assistant and then as clerk, a position that he held until the Republicans took the majority. The committee has been charting a new direction with a new majority in place, taking up land management, water and energy development and especially funding for firefighters. A year after the scandals over spending at the Smithsonian Institution, there were “lots of things that came out last year. We believe the Smithsonian has righted itself and the top three people resigned and the regents are meeting on a more regular basis,” Stephens said. “We’re approaching this with cautious optimism. We’ve put in place checks and balances.”

Personal: Born 09/16/1945 in Akron, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Duke University, 1968. M.P.H., University of North Carolina, 1973.

Professional: 1976–1987, staff asst., Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 1987–1994, clerk and staff dir., Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 1995, Democratic staff asst., House Cmte. on Appropriations. 1996–2000, vice president, Van Scoyoc Associates. 2000–2004, Democratic staff asst., Subc. on Veterans’ Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–2006, Democratic staff asst., Subc. on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, clerk, Subc. on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations.

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Stephens spent most of his tenure with the Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and the Subcommittee on the Interior. It handles all matters involving the Interior Department and related agencies, the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and cultural agencies such as the Smithsonian Institution, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, and others. The subcommittee also oversees the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Stephens’ work can be wrapped around the grand museums in Washington D.C. and sometimes he enjoys himself by taking time to peek inside places such as the American Indian Museum or the Kennedy Center. Sometimes, too, Stephens and his staff will bring in representatives of the museums to do a “show and tell for staff” to give them an idea what they are doing. In his rare spare time, “I like to play bridge, but we won’t get into that.”


Committee on Armed Services 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4151 Fax: (202) 225-9077 http://armedservices.house.gov/ Ratio: 34/28 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Ike Skelton, MO-4th, Chairman

Duncan Hunter, CA-52nd, Ranking Member

John M. Spratt, SC-5th Solomon P. Ortiz, TX-27th Gene Taylor, MS-5th Neil Abercrombie, HI-1st Silvestre Reyes, TX-16th Victor F. Snyder, AR-2nd Adam Smith, WA-9th Loretta Sanchez, CA-47th Mike McIntyre, NC-7th Ellen O. Tauscher, CA-10th Robert A. Brady, PA-1st Robert Andrews, NJ-1st Susan A. Davis, CA-53rd Rick Larsen, WA-2nd Jim Cooper, TN-5th Jim Marshall, GA-3rd Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU Mark Udall, CO-2nd Dan Boren, OK-2nd Brad Ellsworth, IN-8th Nancy Boyda, KS-2nd Patrick Murphy, PA-8th Hank Johnson, GA-4th Carol Shea-Porter, NH-1st Joe Courtney, CT-2nd David Loebsack, IA-2nd Kirsten Gillibrand, NY-20th Joe Sestak, PA-7th Gabrielle Giffords, AZ-8th Niki Tsongas, MA-5th Elijah Cummings, MD-7th Kendrick Meek, FL-17th Katherine Castor, FL-11th


Jim Saxton, NJ-3rd John M. McHugh, NY-23rd Terry Everett, AL-2nd Roscoe G. Bartlett, MD-6th Howard (Buck) McKeon, CA-25th Mac Thornberry, TX-13th Walter B. Jones, NC-3rd Robin Hayes, NC-8th W. Todd Akin, MO-2nd J. Randy Forbes, VA-4th Jeff Miller, FL-1st Joe Wilson, SC-2nd Frank A. LoBiondo, NJ-2nd Tom Cole, OK-4th Rob Bishop, UT-1st Michael R. Turner, OH-3rd John Kline, MN-2nd Candice S. Miller, MI-10th Phil Gingrey, GA-11th Mike Rogers, AL-3rd Trent Franks, AZ-2nd Bill Shuster, PA-9th Thelma D. Drake, VA-2nd Cathy McMorris Rodgers, WA-5th Michael K. Conaway, TX-11th Geoff Davis, KY-4th Doug Lamborn, CO-5th

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HOUSE ARMED SERVICES JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4)

Ammunition depots; forts; arsenals; Army, Navy, and Air Force reservations and establishments. Common defense, generally. Conservation, development, and use of naval petroleum and oil shale reserves. The Department of Defense generally, including the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force generally. (5) Interoceanic canals generally, including measures relating to the maintenance, operation, and administration of interoceanic canals. (6) Merchant Marine Academy and State Merchant Marine Academies. (7) Military applications of nuclear energy. (8) Tactical intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the Department of Defense. (9) Armed Services aspects of merchant marine, including financial assistance for the construction and operation of vessels, the maintenance of the U.S. shipbuilding and ship repair industrial base, cabotage, cargo preference, and merchant marine officers and seamen as these matters relate to the armed services. (10) Pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and privileges of members of the armed services. (11) Scientific research and development in support of the armed services. (12) Selective service. (13) Size and composition of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. (14) Soldiers’ and sailors’ homes. (15) Strategic and critical materials necessary for the common defense.

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HOUSE ARMED SERVICES With the “surge” in troops to Iraq coming to an end, the House Armed Services Committee’s agenda will be dominated with questions about how many service members to redeploy and when to deploy them. Democrats who took control of Congress partially on their opposition to the war had little success in bringing it to a close in the first session of the 110th Congress. But chairman Ike Skelto, D-Mo., remains steadfast in his belief that the U.S. military presence there needs to be drastically reduced. Skelton has criticized secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who said he expected to “pause” the redeployments when the force reaches 130,000, near the same force level as before the surge began. Republicans on the committee, led by ranking member Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., have opposed redeployment efforts; instead saying Congress should follow the recommendations of Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. Commander in Iraq. “With the lives and the heroic efforts of our troops, we have tried to buy time for the Iraqis to bring their country together through reconciliation. Unfortunately, the Iraqis have failed to take advantage of this opportunity and little progress is apparent. In the meantime, our Army has become overstretched and becomes more overextended with each passing day,” Skelton said. Despite this ongoing and rather contentious debate, Skelton said the committee would not focus on Iraq policy alone. He is calling for more oversight of “the forgotten war” in Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban has sparked a wave of violence. Skelton wants to see a U.S. command post created in Kabul to track reconstruction efforts, focusing particularly on the Afghanistan security force, which doesn’t have the financial resources that exist in Iraq. President Bush did not provide a full fiscal year budget for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, creating contention among the committee and ensuring a lively debate on how to handle the war funding, with a new president slated to take over in January. The military is also struggling to keep up with recruitment goals and a dearth of personnel and equipment has decreased the capabilities of the U.S. Army to reaction to the nation’s defense needs. In the annual National Defense Authorization Act, Congress authorized the creation of a Defense Material Readiness Board to ensure that there are no roadblocks to getting troops the equipment they need. Skelton has asked Gates to implement this board and report on its process.


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Paul Arcangeli Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Readiness 2340 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4158 Fax: (202) 225-3623 [email protected]

Expertise: Military readiness. Paul Arcangeli leads a staff of four that tracks the U.S. armed forces to make sure that enough skilled and trained personnel have the equipment to respond to any mission the government asks of them. With recruitment troubles, longer deployments and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Readiness Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, is feeling the pressure. Ortiz, along with Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., are so concerned about the military’s readiness that they sent a letter to secretary of Defense Robert Gates in January. The letter was in response to repeated reports by the U.S. Army of equipment and personnel shortages. “We must not allow strategic weakness to exist or we risk emboldening those who would seek to do us harm,” the letter reads. “We simply are taking unacceptable risks in our ability to protect our nation and our interests.” In the fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill, Congress mandated the creation of a Defense Material Readiness Board, which would ensure that no obstacles stand in the way of providing the necessary equipment to troops on the ground. The bill also sought the creation of a special $1 billion fund to give the Pentagon quick access to funds when pressing needs arise. The bill also provided billions of dollars to the Army and Marine Corps to purchase new equipment.

Personal: Born 1965 in Huntsville, Ala.

“In spite of being a nation at war, the United States has not fully mobilized to respond to the needs of our military to meet the current mission and to maintain U.S. military readiness,” Skelton said.

Professional:

Arcangeli said the Readiness Subcommittee will work on new ways to address this concern throughout the year by attempting to restore combat capabilities. They will also look into $200 billion in military construction and operations and maintenance needs, which are two of the subcommittee’s areas of interest. Arcangeli’s staff also keeps tabs on the Department of Defense’s training programs, environmental programs, and the budget.

1987–1999, United States Army. 2001– 2004, dir. of humanitarian demining training, Dept. of Defense. 2004–present, professional staff member, Subc. on Readiness, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

Ortiz in particular has criticized the Defense Department’s budget for facilities maintenance, noting that the fiscal year 2009 budget request funds daily maintenance at 90 percent of the requirement.

Education: B.S., biology, North Georgia College, 1987. M.S., information technology management, United States Naval Postgraduate School, 1997.

“This means that 10 percent of the things that are broken will not be repaired. Imagine if we only fixed 90 percent of the critical problems in our own homes every year. It wouldn’t take long before our houses were in a state of disrepair,” he said. Arcangeli joined the committee in 2004 after leaving as the Department of Defense as the director of the Humanitarian Demining Training Center in Fort Leonard Wood, Miss. An Alabama native, he spent 13 years in the U.S. Army serving in explosive ordnance disposal, information technology, and maintenance and logistics.

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John D. Chapla Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces 2340 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6521 Fax: (202) 226-0789 [email protected]

Expertise: Personnel readiness. John D. Chapla is a retired Army officer and a Civil War history buff. He is also a key staff member on the Subcommittee on Air and Land forces. This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the U.S. Army and Air Force, deep strike bombers, the National Guard, and efforts to modernize the reserve forces. These are key areas as Congress tries to work with President Bush on a plan to increase the size of the Army and the Marine Corps while also staying on top of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The committee passed a defense bill that would increase the size of the Army by 36,000 troops and the Marine Corps by 9,000, a first step in a multi-year effort. The goal is to decrease the lengths of deployments for service members sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom have been gone for 15 months or longer. Some on the subcommittee, such as chairman Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, have repeatedly called for an end to the U.S. occupation in Iraq. “I believe the clearest expression of support for our men and women in uniform is to bring them home,” Abercrombie said after voting against a war funding bill. Chapla assisted Abercrombie and other lawmakers during a series of hearings on military equipment last year, including the aerial refueling program, unmanned aerial intelligence programs, and the need for more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to reach the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The committee approved $4.1 billion for these armored vehicles.


Education: B.A., Virginia Military Institute, 1968. M.A., University of North Carolina, 1978.

Professional: 1968–1990, retired as lt. colonel, U.S. Army. 1990–1994, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 1995– present, professional staff member, Subc. on Tactical Air and Land Forces, House Cmte. on Armed Services.


Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., thanked staff members including Chapla on the House floor for work on the Wounded Warrior Act. This provision creates a Department of Defense ombudsman responsible for providing information and assistance to injured service members and their families, creating a single point of contact. It also requires the Pentagon to create a comprehensive plan to address traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The Military Officers Association of America gave Chapla the 2007 Col. Paul W. Arcari meritorious service award for their support of military personnel. Chapla retired as a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel in 1990 after serving for 23 years. He is also an author of three books in the Virginia Regimental Histories series, focusing on the 42nd, 48th, and 50th infantry units. He has also worked to recover the remains of American servicemen lost in Laos during the Vietnam conflict.

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Erin C. Conaton Staff Director 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4158 Fax: (202) 225-3623 [email protected]

Expertise: National security policy, military strategy, nonproliferation. House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., wants to see the troops out of Iraq, more attention paid to Afghanistan and more effort spent to improve the readiness of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. With such an auspicious agenda, the second session of the 110th Congress appears to be a busy one for Erin C. Conaton, whose job it is to manage the committee staff. Conaton is the second female staff director of the House Armed Services Committee. She oversees a staff of about 70 focused on all areas of the military and national defense. She touts the bipartisan nature of the committee staff, telling Politico that the entire staff “is dedicated to doing all that we can to support our military forces. “In times of war and conflict, the national security focus of [the committee] is paramount,” Conaton said. “I [am] honored by the opportunity to be able to serve the members of the committee and, indirectly, our men and women in uniform.” Skelton lauded President Bush’s budget request for fiscal year 2009, which calls for a 7.5 percent increase for a total budget that tops half a trillion dollars. “With our forces still overcommitted in Iraq and with the real war in Afghanistan under-resourced, we must step up to the plate and fully fund our national security needs, both for today and for the future,” Skelton said during a committee hearing. “It is now Congress’s constitutional obligation to ensure that the resources are allocated properly.”

Personal: Born in Rutherford, N.J.

Education: B.S.F.S., Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, 1992. M.A., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, 1995. Ph.D., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

Professional: 1998–2001, research staff director, U.S. Commission on National Security. 2001–2005, Democratic professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 2005–2007, Democratic staff director, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 2007– present, staff director, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

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He wants more attention spent on Afghanistan, including the creation of a military command focused on reconstruction. He is also requesting the Pentagon create a plan to build and sustain the Afghanistan security forces, which don’t have the benefit of oil profits, like the government in Iraq. Conaton joined the committee in 2001 as a Democratic staff member working on improving the relationship with American allies. Her background in law and diplomacy helped prepare her for her initial committee work. She previously served on the U.S. Commission on the National Security for the 21st Century, better known as the HartRudman Commission. This bipartisan panel recommended the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. She worked as a financial analyst for Salomon Brothers, Inc., in New York and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the National Collegiate Conference Association, which sponsors the Model United Nations program.



Kevin Coughlin Counsel 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5540 Fax: (202) 226-0789 [email protected]

Expertise: Military personnel. Kevin Coughlin brings experience to the House Armed Services Committee that few other staffers can match. He has been stationed in Iraq. Coughlin spent eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a military lawyer before joining the committee in 2006. He is now the committee’s counsel responsible for military voting, the service academies, citizenship and naturalization, drugs/alcohol, hate crimes, family programs, The Montgomery GI Bill, POW/MIA issues and more. He uses his first-hand experience to help chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., handle the multitude of issues that surround the reconstruction of Iraq. Coughlin was first deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 serving as a company commander responsible for the headquarters that coordinated combat support and reconstruction. He returned in 2004, this time going to Fallujah, where he was a battalion staff judge advocate with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, providing counsel on everything from financial claims to the Geneva Convention. Coughlin wrote the “Martial Law Decree” for combat operations in Fallujah and worked with local government leaders to re-establish the civil and criminal justice system. He also oversaw a detention facility, processing detainees. His first encounter with the Armed Services Committee came during one of his deployments. He was working with to get U.S. visas for some of the Iraqi translators who were assisting American military officers. He said this experience strongly influenced his decision to consider a career on Capitol Hill when he left the Marine Corps.

Personal: Born 05/17/1976 in Farmingdale, N.Y.

Education: Officer Candidate School, MCB, Quantico, 1997. B.A., Bucknell University, 1998. J.D., St. John’s University School of Law, 2001. The Basic School, MCB, Quantico, 2002. Naval Justice School, 2002.

Professional: 1998–2006, active duty, U.S. Marine Corps. 2006–present, counsel, House Cmte. on Armed Services.


Now on the committee, Coughlin accompanied members to Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf in November 2007, forgoing the normal comforts afforded a congressional delegation (CoDel) to get a less scripted look at the reemergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Skelton, who did not go on the trip, has tried to bring more attention to the fighting going on in Afghanistan, which he has dubbed “the forgotten war.” He is calling for the Department of Defense to establish a three-star U.S. military headquarters in Kabul to help coordinate the military, political and economic assistance needed in the area. Before joining the committee, Coughlin has used his legal experience stateside as a Pentagon prosecutor and a defense attorney. He represented Marines charged with attempted rape, sexual assault, computer crimes, and drug offenses.

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Robert DeGrasse Deputy Staff Director 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4151 Fax: (202) 225-6890 [email protected]

Expertise: Strategic forces, ballistic missile defense, DOE national security programs (except nonproliferation). Robert DeGrasse is one of the House Armed Services Committee’s leading experts on nuclear defense programs and ballistic missiles. He is the deputy staff director, who works quite closely with the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, led by chairwoman Ellen O. Tauscher, D-Calif. In the first half of the 110th Congress, the subcommittee called DeGrasse to be a witness as it held a hearing on the National Defense Authorization Act. He answered the questions of members on U.S. nuclear detection systems on satellites. The subcommittee is working on replacement warheads for the nation’s aging fleet of ballistic missiles and is still considering how to replace the Trident ballistic missile submarines. Members also called for a congressionally appointed bipartisan commission to re-evaluate the U.S. nuclear force posture. “This commission is designed to help frame the debate over the future direction of our nuclear weapons program and place it in the context of related strategic consideration,” Tauscher said.

Personal: Born in Calif.

Education: B.A., Stanford University, 1976. M.A., Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, 1984.

Professional: 1985–1986, legislative assistant, Rep. John M. Spratt Jr., D-S.C. 1987–1989, legislative director, Rep. John M. Spratt Jr., D-S.C. 1989–1993, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services, special panel on Dept. of Energy. 1993–1995, special assistant to secretary for arms control, nonproliferation, and defense programs, Dept. of Energy. 1995–1999, director, Office of Worker and Community Transition, Dept. of Energy. 1999–2001, principal deputy assistant secretary for operations, DOE Office of Defense Programs. 2001–2007, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 2007–present, deputy staff director, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

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The subcommittee also has jurisdiction over the Department of Energy’s national security programs, an area where DeGrasse has first-hand knowledge. The California native, who was educated at Stanford and Harvard, spent a number of years in the department during the Clinton administration, including a stint as the principal deputy assistant secretary for operations within the Office of Defense Programs. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was then the energy secretary, called DeGrasse “exceptionally wellprepared to oversee the efficient and effective operation of the department’s nuclear defense programs.” He has also worked as a legislative assistant and later as the legislative director to Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., now the second-ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. DeGrasse joined the Armed Services Committee staff in 2001 and was promoted to deputy staff director when the Democrats took control following the 2006 elections. In 1983, DeGrasse wrote a book called Military Expansion, Economic Decline: The Impact of Military Spending on U.S. Economic Performance, which used government statistics to show that increases in military spending harm the U.S. economy. He was a fellow at the Council on Economic Priorities at the time.



Lorry M. Fenner Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-5048 Fax: (202) 225-7102 [email protected]

Expertise: Military, intelligence. Lorry M. Fenner, a retired military intelligence officer, saw her duties shift in the first half of the 110th Congress. She is now the lead staff member of the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee, responsible for delving into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Pentagon operations. She previously described herself as a “utility player” for the larger House Armed Services Committee, moving from subcommittee to subcommittee focusing on policy issues. Fenner has spent considerable time working on the persistent problem of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, in Iraq. In 2007, she participated in a thorough review of the Iraqi Security Forces, which resulted in a 200-page report and a number of hearings calling for better information sharing between the Pentagon and Congress. She has begun work on a study of Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan, which help with area economic development. The subcommittee plans to present case studies of these teams during the second half of the 110th Congress. The panel is also examining the incentives and disincentives provided to government civilians deployed in the war zones, including their medical benefits. Generally, the subcommittee will focus on Iraq, Afghanistan and general military readiness, a big issues with President Bush calling for an expansion of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps.

Personal: Born 11/21/1957 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Education: B.A., Arizona State University, 1979. M.S., history, Unversity of Michigan, 1985. Ph. D., history, Unversity of Michigan, 1995. M.S., national security studies, National War College, 1998.

Professional: 1980–2006, officer, United States Air Force. 2006–present, professional staff member, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Armed Services.


Fenner’s last assignment in the Air Force was as a chief of the intelligence force development division at the Pentagon’s Air Staff headquarters. She retired as a colonel in 2006. She has previously worked as a fellow at the U.S. Supreme Court and she spent a year as a leading contributor to the National Commission to Investigate Terrorist Attacks on the United States, more commonly known as the 9/11 Commission. Earlier in her career, Fenner trained in various aspects of space operations and intelligence systems. She used this training to help with her varied military commands. She was an intelligence division chief, who also focused on foreign military sales. She was a Vice Wing Commander of the 70th Intelligence Wing, where she was detailed to the Scowcroft Commission and contributed to a comprehensive review of U.S. intelligence in 2001. Fenner has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in history. She has taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the National War College. She has also written a number of scholarly articles about civil-military relations and the role of women in the military.

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Michael R. Higgins Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Military Personnel 2339 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7560 Fax: (202) 226-0789 [email protected]

Expertise: Military personnel. Michael Higgins’s job as a professional staff member and military personnel specialist is to keep an eye on the Americans fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, making sure they are paid appropriately. He also keeps track of recruitment numbers during a time when the military is finding it increasingly difficult to sign up new members. He has worked for both Republicans and Democrats since joining the committee staff in 1995. Recruitment and retention has been his biggest issue, is his biggest issue and will continue to be his biggest issue. He said the military did reach its recruitment goals in 2007. “Those successes came at a higher cost in bonuses and special pays,” he said. “Recruit quality continues to be an area of concern, particularly for the three Army components—active Army, the Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve. Ensuring adequate funding for recruiting and retention and giving oversight to the continued erosion of recruit quality will be two areas of great concern to the Congress during fiscal year 2008.” While the Army has met its recruitment goals for the past several years, officials acknowledge they have not met thier target for recruits with high school diplomas. It also has accepted more soldiers who require waivers for past criminal behavior.

Personal: Born 05/23/1947.N.J.

Education: B.A., Davis and Elkins College, 1969. M.S., Troy State University, 1978.

Professional: 1970–1990, personnel officer (retired as lt. col.), Military Personnel Center/Office of the Secretary, Legislation Liaison Division, U.S. Air Force. 1990–1993, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 1993–1994, professional staff member, Subc. on Readiness, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 1995–present, professional staff member, Subc. on Military Personnel, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

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For the ninth year in a row, last year Congress passed an enhanced pay raise of about 3.5 percent, which was part of the Defense Authorization Act. This time Congress combined that raise with major reform of the bonus and special pay programs to help kick start an effort to not only maintain the size of the military but to greatly expand it. President Bush wants to increase the strength of the Army and the Marine corps by 92,000 people during the next five years. Committee leaders know this expansion will be difficult, but they believe it is crucial because it will let the Marines and the Army increase the amount of time troops have to train and rest at home between deployments, which have been 15 months long as of late. The Pentagon plans to reduce the active fighting force in Iraq to about 130,000 troops during 2008 as the “surge” called for by Bush comes to an end. Higgins said that troop reduction will help ease a great burden felt by military families. “The excessively high operations tempo in recent years is taking a toll on the force,” Higgins said. “Any changes to deployment schedules that gives relief for service members and their families would be welcome.”



Andrew P. Hunter

Expertise: Acquisition policy.

Professional Staff Member

Andrew Hunter leads the policy staff for the House Armed Services Committee, which gives him access to the full spectrum of military policy, from contracts to military readiness to the complex realities in Iraq and Afghanistan. He leads a team that reports directly to Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo.

Phone: (202) 225-6703 Fax: (202) 225-7102 [email protected]

Their big legislative accomplishment in the first half of the 110th Congress was the Acquisition Improvement and Accountability Act, which Hunter described as a “conglomeration of legislative changes” meant to improve the oversight and accountability of military contracts. The act created a wartime contracting commission and required private security contractors to follow regulations established by the Department of Defense. Hunter said the committee staff was already working on the provision when an incident in which Blackwater guards were alleged to have shot civilians created an uproar. “The Blackwater incident just confirmed the need. It certainly made us feel that we were on the right track,” he said. Skelton also led the committee to take an in-depth look at the ongoing fighting in Afghanistan. He felt more oversight was needed into what he has called “the forgotten war.” The committee created a special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction and increased the reporting requirements for the Pentagon. Hunter said an issue of increased importance is how the U.S. military plans to equip and sustain an Afghanistan security force for the long term. The federal government will have a more difficult time creating a security force in Afghanistan than in Iraq.

Personal: Born in Tallahassee, Fla.

Education: B.A., social studies, Harvard University, 1994. M.A., applied economics, Johns Hopkins University, 2001.

Professional: 1994–1999, legislative assistant, Rep. John M. Spratt, D-S.C. 1999–2005, appropriations associate, Rep. Norman D. Dicks, D-Wash. 2005–present, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services.


“The Iraqi government doesn’t function well but it has a lot of money. Afghanistan doesn’t have a lot of money. That is an issue,” Hunter said. The committee has requested the Pentagon to plan for redeployment of the military and to present reports, which Hunter and his staff will track closely. He said it is not as simple as bringing troops home. “There is just a mountain of equipment in Iraq that is owned by the U.S. taxpayer,” Hunter said. Hunter began his career on Capitol Hill in 1993 interning in the offices of Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., and Rep. Pete Peterson, D-Fla. He got his first policy job the next year. He has worked for Armed Services since 2005, after leaving the office of Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Wash., where he worked on appropriations.

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Mark R. Lewis Professional Staff Member 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-4295 Fax: (202) 225-9077 [email protected]

Expertise: National defense policy, defense transformation, joint professional military education. When House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., needs advice, he turns to Mark R. Lewis, his senior policy adviser and a former Army infantry officer. Lewis has worked as a professional staff member on the committee since 2004, assisting on a number of issues impacting national defense policy, combatant command and overall defense transformation. The second half of the 110th Congress will once again be dominated by the war in Iraq and the competing strategies of the Democrats and Republicans. The Pentagon is planning a drawdown from the troop surge of 2007, but the exact number of troops who will head home remains up for debate. The U.S. commander in Iraq, David Petraeus, will once again address the Armed Services committee. He wants to “pause” the drawdown at pre-surge levels, while Skelton wants to keep it going. But Lewis has said Skelton also doesn’t want the committee focused solely on Iraq to the detriment of the war in Afghanistan and other national security interests. “A rigid focus on Iraq that blinds us from other critical national security concerns does not protect American interests,” Skelton said in a statement after Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced in February that he would support a temporary halt of the withdrawl of U.S. troops from Iraq in the summer.


Education: B.S., Georgetown University, 1991. M.A., Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, 2003.

Professional: 1984–1990, infantryman, United States Army. 1991–1999, infantry officer, United States Army. 1999–2000, defense policy analyst, BAI, Inc. 2000–2004, research staff member, Institute for Defense Analysis. 2004–present, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

“We have tried to buy time for the Iraqis to bring their country together through reconciliation. Unfortunately, the Iraqis have failed to take advantage of this opportunity and little progress is apparent,” Skelton said. Skelton is worried the protracted fight in Iraq combined with other needs has endangered the “overall health of our force.” Lewis expects to spend considerable time strengthening partnerships with foreign nations “to counter terrorism and promote security.” In 2007, he worked on a measure that helped train and equip foreign forces, including the Pakistani Frontier Corps. He will also track the emergence of the U.S. Africa Command, which is expected to be fully operation at the end of September 2008 Before joining the committee, Lewis worked as a research staff member at the Institute for Defense Analysis focusing on strategy, forces and military resources. Lewis served 11 years on active duty with the Army, rising from the infantry ranks to become a non-commissioned officer and later an officer who, among other assignments, led a Ranger special operations unit. He is a Russian speaker who holds a master’s degree in national security studies and has published scholarly articles about the status of the military in several journals such as Joint Force Quarterly and Armed Forces & Society.

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Paul Oostburg-Sanz General Counsel 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg Phone: (202) 225-4151 Fax: (202) 225-6890 [email protected]

Expertise: International legal issues, foreign assistance. The House Armed Service Committee has a dynamic agenda in 2008, with questions about progress in Iraq, instability in Pakistan, drugs and violence in Afghanistan, and the legal rights of detainees. Paul Oostburg-Sanz is at the center of it all as the general counsel to the committee chairman, Rep. Ike Skelton, DMo. He advises the committee’s leading Democrat on procedural matters on the annual National Defense Authorization Act, but his profile also includes such varied issues as Latin America, counter-narcotics and detainee legal issues—which is a point of contention between Democrats and Republicans. Skelton did not include a bid to offer habeas corpus rights to detainees held at Guantanamo Bay in last year’s authorization act, but he did push a stand-alone bill that seeks to amend the Military Commissions Act. “The last thing that we want is to convict an individual for terrorism and then have that conviction overturned because of fatal flaws in the Military Commissions law passed in the previous Congress,” Skelton said in June 2007. “Military judges have already dismissed charges against two suspected terrorists because of deficiencies in the legal framework hurriedly adopted last year. Amending the habeas provisions of the Military Commissions Act will significantly improve this law and help us stay true to our nation’s values.”

Personal: Born in Aguadilla, P.R.

Education: J.D., Harvard University. M.P.A., Princeton University.

Professional: 1994, political party training, South African elections. 2001–2006, deputy chief counsel, House International Relations Cmte. 2006– present, general counsel, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

The committee has also turned considerable attention to the Iraq Security Forces and attempts by the U.S. military to get them ready to protect the Iraqi people. The committee’s recently reinstated oversight committee drafted a report and hearings are scheduled during the second half of the 110th Congress. Along with increased attention on the counter-narcotic efforts in Afghanistan, which focus on poppy production—one of Oostburg-Sanz’s areas of expertise. Before joining the committee at the start of 2007, Oostburg-Sanz served as the deputy chief counsel on the House International Relations Committee, where he specialized in Western Hemisphere issues and the Millennium Challenge Account, for five years. He has clerked for the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico for two years and is a native son of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Oostburg-Sanz also worked throughout the world, including at the U.S. Embassy in Liberia. In 1994, he helped conduct political party training in the historic South Africa elections. Oostburg Sanz received his law degree from Harvard and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton.


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Stephanie Sanok Professional Staff Member 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8971 Fax: (202) 225-0858 [email protected]

Expertise: Middle Eastern, African and European issues. Stephanie Sanok’s background is in the U.S. military connections with European countries. So how did she become the House Armed Services Committee expert on the war in Iraq? “It was a trial by fire,” she said recalling the roilling debates in the committee as Democrats reclaimed a majority in the House. “It was all Iraq all the time last year.” Actually, she gained her insights from a number of background meetings, research and long, long flights. In the last year alone, Sanok has visited Iraq five times, either on trips with congressional staff members or with members of Congress. She fully expects to return to the war-weary country in 2008. “I actually really enjoy going over there,” she said. “And from my time with the Pentagon, I have friends over there too.” Sanok spent seven years working for the Department of Defense on European issues and nonproliferation. She focused on bio-defense efforts before heading to Capitol Hill in 2005. Sanok initially joined the committee as the director of policy staff, but when the Democrats took control of Congress, Sanok’s job changed again. Since the staff is technically nonpartisan, Sanok works for both chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., and ranking Republican Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., though Sanok was hired by Hunter and works primarily for the Republican members.

Personal: Born in Mattituck, N.Y.

Education: B.S., communications, Cornell University, 1996. M.A., public policy, Harvard University, 1998.

Professional: 1994, staff, National Foreighn Affairs Training Center, U.S. Dept. of State. 1997, staff, Ntinga Micro-Enterprise Support Project. 1997–1998, staff, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. 1998–2005, Office of the Secretary of Defense. 2005– present, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

She spends much of her time helping members draft floor speeches and prepare for Iraq hearings. In 2007, she staffed one three-day debate on Iraq. She was also integral in drafting a policy brief for the members before the much-publicized hearing with Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, and with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, which led to the surge in U.S. troops that many credit with reducing the violence in Iraq. On some of her trips to Iraq, Sanok has met with Petraeus’s staff to discuss logistics and contingency plans, such as how to redeploy soldiers in a responsible way to avoid attacks on those who remain in the country. Beyond Iraq policy, Sanok is also in charge of the committee’s interests in Europe and Africa, along with foreign assistance and any ongoing military operation. She expects African issues will consume more of her time in 2008, with the rising unrest in Kenya. Though generally she says: “There are a lot of ungoverned spaces in Africa that are worrisome from a counter terrorism perspective.” Personally, Sanok enjoys recreational softball, flag football and soccer. She also participates with Rotary International’s youth leadership awards.

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Bob Simmons Republican Staff Director 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9648 Fax: (202) 225-0858 [email protected]

Expertise: Army procurement, defense industrial base, oversight and investigations. Republicans and Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee have battled over Iraq policy, debating troop withdrawals and the appropriate road forward. They have also debated budget bills and the best means to oversee the Department of Defense. Bob Simmons is the Republican staff director working with ranking member Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., to communicate and defend the Republican defense objections. Hunter has been a big supporter of Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. Commander in Iraq. While Democratic leaders in the committee have repeatedly pushed for troop withdrawals sooner rather than later, Hunter has urged Congress to follow Petraeus’s lead. “General Petraeus understands that mission success in Iraq largely depends on the standup of an Iraqi Security Force. While political reconciliation remains important, politics in Iraq are better left to the Iraqi government and its people,” Hunter said. For the past three years, Hunter has also hounded military leaders about what he sees as insufficient progress toward modernizing the Air Force. He has read the same statement since 2006 when the committee holds a budget hearing with Department of Defense leaders.

Personal: Born 09/03/1955 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Education: B.S., electrical engineering, San Diego State University, 1978.

Professional: 1978–2002, chief executive officer, Senior Aerospace. 2003–2005, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 2005–present, Republican staff director, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

“The DOD budget legacy is one of missed procurement opportunities. This, as you point out in your statement, gives us the oldest fleet of aircraft in the history of the Air Force, with the fleet having been engaged in or supporting some level of combat for the past fifteen years. The aircraft fleet has been operating at utilization rates far beyond those planned. The consequence of age and high operational tempo is reflected in reduced readiness rates. It is to the Air Force’s credit that professional fleet management has achieved the safety record that it has,” Hunter said. An electrical engineering by education, Simmons spent 26 years in the aerospace industry making jet engine components before joining the Armed Services Committee staff in 2003. He describes his committee work as public services. “I came here because I didn’t serve in the military, and this is my military service,” Simmons said one year ago. Simmons told Politico that he accepted his first Capitol Hill job after Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. Persistently asked. “Mr. Hunter is relentless,” he said, adding that Hunter has a “deep understanding” of military issues. Before he became the Republican staff director, Simmons dealt primarily with Army procurement and the defense industrial base. He also worked in the areas of force protection and ballistic missile defense.


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Debra S. Wada Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Military Personnel 2340 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-5662 Fax: (202) 225-3623 [email protected]

Expertise: National security, personnel. While many other staff members working for the House Armed Services Committee are focused on war strategy or the Iraqi Security Force or military equipment, Debra Wada’s priority remains the service members. Since 2000, Wada has worked to increase troop pay and access to health care. During the first half of the 110th Congress, she became the lead staff member on the Military Personnel Subcommittee. The subcommittee worked to increase the size of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, a goal of President Bush. The National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law in January, allows for the Army to grow by 13,000 service members and the Marine Corp to expand by 9,000. The act also increases the size of the Navy and Air Force, but by much smaller numbers. While the money will be available, this expansion remains a challenging goal because of difficulty recruiters have had in recent years. The act also increased military pay by 3.5 percent, streamlined access to health care and increased hardship duty pay each month. Beyond the issues of recruitment and retention, Wada worked on the Wounded Warrior Act. The Wounded Warrior provision creates a Department of Defense ombudsman’s office responsible to provide information and assistance to injured service members and their families, creating a single point of contact. It also requires the Pentagon to develop a comprehensive policy to address traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.


Education: B.A., political science and economics, Drake University, 1984.

Professional: 1987–1999, legislative asst. for defense and veterans’ affairs, Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. 2000–present, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services.

In 2008, Wada said she will continue working to expand military benefits and provide “vigilant oversight of military personnel programs and policies.” She has received numerous awards for her work in this area. In 2004, the Enlisted Association of the U.S. National Guard gave her the Militia Award, which then-ranking member Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., referenced on the House floor saying: “Millions of Americans in uniform owe the improvement of their pay and benefits to Debra and her foresight and dedication.” The Military Officers Association of America honored Wada and her colleague Michael Higgins in 2005 with the Col. Paul W. Arcari Meritorious Achievement Award for their work on pay equity, health care and the survivor benefit plan. Before joining the committee, Wada, a Hawaii native, spent 12 years working as a legislative assistant to Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. She specialized in Medal of Honor winners, VA loans and small business affairs.

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Roger Zakheim Republican Counsel Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 2120 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-4444 Fax: (202) 225-9077 [email protected]

Expertise: Homeland defense, terrorism. Roger Zakheim mixes his expertise in law with his writing background to fulfill his varied responsibilities as the Republican counsel for the House Armed Services Committee, a position he has held since 2005. His job description calls for him to coordinate legislative priorities for the minority and keep an eye on intelligence policy, detainee affairs and any matters before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. In the first half of the 110th Congress, Zakheim spent a good deal of his time helping to draft a bipartisan study on the Iraqi military and police titled “Stand Up and Be Counted: The Continuing Challenge of Building the Iraqi Security Forces.” The detailed look at the realities and difficulties in creating a strong security force starts with an acknowledgement of what was not possible: “The bottom line is that after three months of studying the U.S. effort to develop the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), we cannot assess the operational capability of these forces.” One of the report’s primary findings is that the Department of Defense must do a better job of reporting any changes in strategy, planning or progress involved with the security force. Zakheim expects to participate in a new detailed study in 2008. This one will look into the provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq and Afghanistan. These teams have two roles. They are used to improve security in the countries and to speed economic development and reconstruction efforts.

Personal: Born in Silver Spring, Md.

Education: B.A., Columbia University, 2000. M.Phil., international relations, Cambridge University, 2003. J.D., NYU School of Law, 2005.

Professional: 2005–2007, counsel, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 2007–present, Republican counsel, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Armed Services.


The subcommittee is also holding a series of hearings on post-surge strategies in Iraq. Beyond these oversight functions and the other issues involving the war in Iraq, Zakheim expects the committee to focus more attention on Pakistan and war in Afghanistan. Zakheim has published articles in the New York University’s Journal of International Law and Politics, where he once served as a senior editor while getting his law degree, and in the Forward, on such varied topics as the Israeli peace process, homeland security issues and the United Nations. He hold a master’s degree in international relations from Cambridge University. A former House intern, Zakheim joined the committee in August 2005. His immediate focus was on terrorism and homeland defense. He was involved in hearings on the threat of a nuclear Iran and on the possible legal rights of detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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Committee on the Budget 207 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 226-7200 Fax: (202) 225-9905 http://budget.house.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 22/17 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

John Spratt, SC-5th, Chairman

Paul Ryan, WI-1st, Ranking Member

Rose DeLauro, CT-3rd Chet Edwards, TX-11th Jim Cooper, TN-5th Tom Allen, ME-1st Allyson Y. Schwartz, PA-13th Marcy Kaptur, OH-9th Xavier Becerra, CA-31st Lloyd Doggett, TX-25th Earl Blumenauer, OR-3rd Marion Berry, AK-1st Allen Boyd, FL-2nd James P. McGovern, MA-3rd Niki Tsongas, MA-5th Robert E. Andrews, NJ-1st Robert C. Scott, VA-3rd Bob Etheridge, NC-2nd Darlene Hooley, OR-5th Brian Baird, WA-3rd Dennis Moore, KS-3rd Timothy H. Bishop, NY-1st Gwen Moore, WI-4th

J. Gresham Barrett, SC-3rd Jo Bonner, AL-1st Scott Garrett, NJ-5th Mario Diaz-Balart, FL-25th Jeb Hensarling, TX-5th Daniel E. Lungren, CA-3rd Mike Simpson, ID-2nd Patrick T. McHenry, NC-10th Connie Mack, FL-14th K. Michael Conaway, TX-11th John Campbell, CA-48th Patrick J. Tiberi, OH-12th Jon C. Porter, NV-3rd Rodney Alexander, LA-5th Adrian Smith, NE-3rd Jim Jordan, OH-4th


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HOUSE BUDGET JURISDICTION (1) Concurrent resolutions on the budget (as defined in section 3(4) of the congressional Budget Act of 1974), other matters required to be referred to the committee under titles III and IV of that Act, and other measures setting forth appropriate levels of budget totals for the United States government. (2) Budget process generally. (3) Establishment, extension, and enforcement of special controls over the federal budget, including the budgetary treatment of off-budget federal agencies and measures providing exemption from reduction under any order issued under part C of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

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HOUSE BUDGET The House Budget Committee began 2008 in the spotlight as the American economy weakened and pressure mounted for Congress to ward off a recession. Soon after a series of hearings on the shaky state of the nation’s financial health, committee chairman John Spratt, D-S.C., and ranking member Paul Ryan, R-Wis., praised passage of a $170 billion stimulus package, applauding concession and compromise on both sides of the aisle. But the year is likely to get more contentious as the committee sets the framework for the nation’s 12 annual spending bills. Democrats gave a chilly reception to President Bush’s budget in February, decrying the rising deficit and, in Spratt’s words, “draconian cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and smaller but significant cuts in things such as the Social Services Block Grant and the Community Services Block Grant, two of the pillars of the safety net.” Republicans countered, noting that Bush’s spending agenda would balance the budget by 2012 and begins to address the looming crisis in entitlement spending. Though the Budget Committee wields power in shaping the national spending plan, both Republicans and Democrats on the committee note that discretionary spending makes up only a third of the nation’s budget. Spratt and Ryan are in their second year serving as chairman and ranking member respectively. Spratt is a 14-term veteran of Congress, a behind-the-scenes player, moderate Democrat and respected budget hawk. He was a Marshall Scholar, U.S. Army captain, and graduated from Yale Law School. Ryan, who also sits on the Ways and Means Committee, is in his sixth term, and is beloved by fiscal conservatives. He has worked for his family’s construction firm and served as an aide to former Sen. Bob Kasten, R-Wis., and as an economic adviser and speechwriter for former vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp and former U.S. drug czar Bill Bennett. Both Spratt and Ryan speak often and forcefully of the need to control entitlement spending. But the daunting task of reigning in the growth of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security is all the more daunting given their parties’ varying approaches to budgeting. Spratt rails about the current administration’s out-of-control spending, in particular, its failure to budget for the war in Iraq. Ryan deplores the Democrats’ inclination toward raising taxes. In 2008 the committee will continue to debate the fate of the Alternative Minimum Tax, which Spratt wants to fix and Ryan wants to abolish.”We don’t understand why the administration emphasizes or prioritizes an extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, which don’t expire until December 31, 2010, over and above a permanent fix to the AMT, which is needed immediately, this year, next year and so on,” said Spratt during a January committee hearing. Ryan wants to introduce an alternative two-bracket tax system, “10 percent on the first $100,000 of income for joint filers, 25 percent on everything there on after.” The committee also welcomes a new member this year, first-term Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.


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Arthur Burris Deputy Staff Director 207 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7200 Fax: (202) 225-9905

Expertise: Budget policy. Arthur Burris is the Budget Committee’s air traffic controller, working alongside staff director Tom Kahn to set priorities and coordinate the committee’s efforts so that the final budget reflects Democratic policy priorities and moves toward balance. He works to ensure that all pieces of the budget—numbers, policies, and procedures—are knit together by the time the committee, and the House, need to act on it. Last year brought the challenges of transition to Burris and the committee. The Democrats, gaining the majority, doubled their committee staff and assumed responsibility for writing the resolution that Congress would eventually approve. “This year we don’t have to manage that transition, and can focus solely on our major responsibilities—including passing and enforcing a budget resolution and the House Pay-As-You-Go rule, dealing with budget process issues, and conducting oversight of the federal budget through hearings and publications,” said Burris. But 2008 brings a challenge of a different nature. The elections will shorten the Budget Committee’s timetable and make passage of a resolution more difficult than in oddnumbered years. “We certainly plan to pass a budget this year, but the shortened legislative calendar makes accomplishing that more challenging,” Burris said.

Education: A.B., politics, summa cum laude, Princeton University, 1989. M.A., political science, University of California at Berkeley, 1992. Ph.D., political science, University of California at Berkeley, 1999.

Professional: 1998–2000, assistant professor of political science, California State University at Hayward. 2000–2001, legislative fellow, House Cmte. on the Budget. 2001–2003, budget analyst/project manager, House Cmte. on the Budget. 2004–2005, legislative dir., House Cmte. on the Budget. 2005–present, Democratic deputy staff dir., House Cmte. on the Budget.

Once the House and Senate agree upon a budget resolution, Burris’ concerns turn toward enforcement, assuring that the parameters of the budget are respected as various congressional committees begin to craft legislation and allocate funds. Burris also helps oversee the administrative operations of the committee and the organization of hearings on a myriad of topics. The committee began this year with hearings focusing on the budgetary implications of the weakened economy, and then held hearings with various cabinet agencies on the Bush administration’s budget proposal. Last year, the committee held about 25 hearings. On the Hill, Burris is known for his work ethic. On the House floor, committee chairman John Spratt, D-S.C. has called Burris “indefatigable.” Burris came to Congress from academia. He arrived at the House Budget Committee on a fellowship from the American Political Science Association in December of 2000. In August of 2001, he was hired to be a member of the committee’s regular staff as a budget analyst. He was promoted in 2003 to budget analyst/project manager, and then again in 2004, when he became legislative director. He has been deputy staff director since January 2005. While a member of the minority staff, he enjoyed teaching an evening graduate course on the budget. But working for the majority has absorbed any remaining spare time, so he has had to put teaching on hold.

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Barbara Chow Policy Director 207 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7200 Fax: (202) 225-9905 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget. As policy director of the House Budget Committee, Barbara Chow works with a dozen budget analysts to help shape Democratic priorities into a national spending plan. This is Chow’s second year in this key position, after a stint as executive director of the National Geographic Education Foundation. But the former Senate Budget Committee staffer said she is glad that she returned to the world of congressional budget-making, despite its rough-and-tumble nature. “Unfortunately, developing and adopting the budget is almost always a contentious process, in part because the stakes are so high and the passions are so deep,” said Chow. “Strong views coupled with strong arguments for a variety of programs and projects must be balanced against the need for a fiscally responsible budget. This is a perennial challenge.” The committee’s goal in 2008 is to develop, pass and implement the 2009 budget resolution. And that resolution, Chow said, must reflect Democratic priorities and further the goal of a balanced budget by 2012. Chow’s goals for herself in 2008 are “to strengthen our communications and outreach capabilities as well as improve the analytical tools we use to examine budget alternatives.” To reach these goals, she works closely with the House leadership, as well as other House committees, particularly those with significant budgetary responsibilities such as Ways and Means and Appropriations. Most of her time, Chow said, is spent in meetings, at hearings and analyzing specific budget issues.

Personal: Born 11/25/1955 in Princeton, N.J.

Education: B.A., government, Pomona College, 1977. M.A., public policy, University of California at Berkeley, 1980.

Professional: 1980–1985, budget examiner, Office of Management and Budget. 1985–1989, professional staff, Senate Budget Cmte. 1989–1991, professional staff, Senate Democratic Policy Cmte. 1991–1993, manager, Price Waterhouse. 1993–1997, special assistant to the president, White House Office of Legislative Affairs. 1997– 2001, associate director for the Education, Income Maintenance and Labor Program, Office of Management and Budget. 2001, deputy director, White House Domestic Policy Counsel. 2001–2007, vice president, executive director, Education and Children’s Programs, National Geographic Education Foundation. 2007–present, policy director, House Cmte. on the Budget.


Once the House and Senate agree upon a budget resolution, Chow’s attention turns to enforcement as various congressional committees begin to legislate and allocate. The House in January 2007 passed “Pay-As-You-Go” rules which prohibit new spending items from increasing the deficit. Chow said she finds the House especially collegial. Though the nonprofit world provided a rewarding respite, she is most at home in government. She was working in the White House when George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000. “We were pretty much locked out on January 20, 2001, and I wanted to try something new,” she said. She enjoyed traveling around the country to support National Geographic’s education programs. Chow knew she wanted to make a career of government early on. As a sophomore in college, she interned for former Rep. Jim Corman, D-Calif. and decided then that she wanted to work in the policy world. “I knew I wanted to live here. I knew I’d end up here,” she said of Washington, D.C. Off the Hill, Chow spends time with her husband Steve, an engineer in the Department of Commerce, and her two children, Kate, 20, and Lucas, 17.

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Chauncey P. Goss Director of Budget Review for the Republican Staff B-71 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7270 Fax: (202) 226-7174 [email protected]

Expertise: Defense issues. As director of budget review for Republicans on the House Budget Committee, Chauncey Goss spends most of his workday crunching and analyzing budget numbers. He also helps GOP members and staff understand what the budget means to the nation and their districts. “I spent lots of time answering questions,” said Goss. “The budget is a mystery to many and it tends to be complicated.” Goss is also charged to help formulate an alternative to the budget the Democrats put forward for fiscal year 2009. In the minority, Goss and his colleagues have fewer bodies and resources to accomplish this task. That “has increased the areas of responsibility of all of the Republican staff. We used to play a man-to-man formation, and now we are in zone coverage,” he said. This year Goss faces added challenges. It’s tougher to craft a budget in an election year, “because budgeting requires prioritization and difficult decisions,” he said. Then there is the slowing economy, an additional obstacle on the already rocky road toward fiscal responsibility. Goss works with all members of the committee’s Republican staff. “We are a small committee with a flat organizational structure,” he said. Outside the committee, Goss works closely with its members’ staffs, known as “budget associates,” the leadership staff, the congressional Budget Office, and the Office of Management and Budget.

Education: B.A., area studies in English, political science, and environmental studies, Rollins College, 1988. M.A., public policy, Georgetown University, 1991.

Professional: 1990–1991, coastal zone management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 1992–1998, executive dir., Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association. 1999–2002, deputy division manager, Science Applications International Corporation. 2002–2004, defense analyst, National Security Division, Office of Management and Budget. 2005– 2006, budget analyst, House Cmte. on the Budget. 2007–present, director of budget review for the Republican staff, House Cmte. on the Budget.

Goss first came to the committee in 2005, and then specialized in defense issues, but has watched his bailiwick grow each year since. Annually, he begins the year “scrubbing” the president’s budget-making sure its figures add up, and flagging issues that may need particular attention from the committee. He then pores over the congressional Budget Office’s take on the budget. Then he, along with his colleagues will do the same for the Republicans’ budget. Goss reports to Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., ranking member of the committee. “He’s very energetic, interested in the process, and he understands it very well,” said Goss, noting that Ryan sits on the Ways and Means Committee and was steeped in budget issues as a congressional staffer. Previous to his tenure on Capitol Hill, Goss worked at the Office of Management and Budget, but did not have much interaction with congressional committees there. He did, however, help prepare the DOD budget. He also dealt with appropriators, since he authored all appropriations-related defense materials and statements of administration policy. He also served on OMB’s Program Evaluation Team, responsible for the design and overall implementation of the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) used in encouraging budget and performance integration. Goss is the father of three children, ages 7, 9, and 12.

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Thomas Kahn Democratic Staff Director/Chief Counsel 214 O’Neill House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7200 Fax: (202) 226-7174 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget issues. Tom Kahn hopes this year won’t be as hectic as the last, which was his first as majority staff director of the House Budget Committee. Between the changeover after midterm elections, the doubling of the majority staff, and the birth of Kahn’s son in late 2006, Kahn didn’t get much sleep in 2007. “Last year was a lot of learning. I’m hoping this year will be a little bit easier,” he said. But even though Republicans and Democrats understand the long-term budget challenges facing the nation, the parties’ visions of what the national budget should look like “verge rather than converge,” Kahn said. A further challenge is the presidential election, and the inherent difficulty of passing any major legislation in an election year, Kahn said. But Kahn vowed the Democratic staff will press on nonetheless. “There are huge budget challenges to be met with the retirement of the baby boomers, escalating health care costs . . . These are some very grave challenges,” he said. This year, in addition to the complex, long-term budgeting issues, Kahn’s staff is faced, as always, with the task of crafting and enforcing a budget resolution. Then there is the weakened economy. In addition to a stimulus package that the president and Congress were wrangling over early in th year, a series of hearings have presented the committee with other possible short-term fiscal remedies.


Education: B.A., magna cum laude, Tufts University, 1977. Postgraduate work, Russian language and Soviet studies, University of Leningrad, 1978. J.D., magna cum laude, Georgetown University Law Center, 1984.

Professional: 1978–1982, legislative asst., Rep. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. 1984–1985, corporate attorney, Sullivan and Cromwell (N.Y. 1986, research asst., Rep. Jim Florio, DN.J. 1987–1992, legislative counsel, Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C. 1993–1995, chief counsel, Subc. on Commerce, Consumer and Monetary Affairs, House Cmte. on Government Operations. 1995–1996, professional staff member, House Democratic Policy Cmte. 1997–present, Democratic staff dir. and chief counsel, House Cmte. on the Budget.


Kahn said staffers will also take a hard look in 2008 at the cost of the war in Iraq. “We’ve spent half a trillion dollars so far on the war,” Kahn said, and budgeting decisions need to factor in the price of the conflict. Kahn works closely with committee chairman John Spratt, D-S.C., on all these issues. Kahn and Spratt, a deficit hawk, have long worked together. From 1987 to 1995 Kahn was Spratt’s legislative counsel. Kahn describes himself as a Hill “lifer,” having worked in the House since 1978, except for his years in law school and a brief stint in the early 1980s as a corporate attorney in New York. His first job on Capitol Hill in the late 1970s was as a legislative assistant for then-Rep. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. He also has served on the House Government Operations Committee, overseeing the Subcommittee on Commerce and Monetary Affairs. Kahn graduated from Tufts University, near his hometown of Boston, before going on to do postgraduate work in Russian studies at the University of Leningrad. He received his law degree at Georgetown University. Kahn also is fluent in Russian and has traveled extensively in the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe.

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Patrick L. Knudsen Policy Director B-71 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7270 Fax: (202) 226-7174 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget policy. Patrick Knudsen worked for newspapers for 14 years before coming to Capitol Hill, and he still relies on his journalistic skills. As minority policy director of the House Budget Committee, Knudsen is charged with producing the Republicans’ policy documents—staff reports that summarize current legislation pertaining to the budget and appropriations, as well as updates on economic indicators and broader budget trends. By writing and editing for the panel, he assures that what the staff produces is both readable and reflective of Republican aims. Knudsen paints the face of the minority on the committee, and will search hard to find the right metaphor to best explain a policy choice. “There’s a temptation for people to try to distinguish policy from communications,” said Knudsen. “I stand on both sides of the track and try to keep them together.” Knudsen is working harder than ever as a member of the minority. There are about a third as many Republican Budget Committee staffers as there were before the Democrats came to power in 2007. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the ranking member, has set high expectations for the smaller group. For example, Knudsen and his crew used to write one update for every appropriations bill, a synopsis of impact. Now they write two versions—aimed at somewhat different audiences, the way Ryan wants it. Knudsen said he appreciates Ryan’s enthusiasm and desire to make the work of Minority Members and the committee staff matter to more people on and off Capitol Hill.

Personal: Born 02/05/1951 in Milwaukee, Wis.

Education: B.A., English, University of WisconsinMilwaukee, 1974.

Professional: 1974–1976, advertising salesperson, Post Newspapers (West Allis, Wis.) 1979–1982, reporter/editor, Community Newspapers (Oak Creek, Wis.) 1982–1983, reporter, Milwaukee Journal. 1983–1987, business reporter, Times-Union (Rochester, N.Y. )1987–1988, reporter, Washington, D.C. 1988–1989, research dir., House Wednesday Group. 1989–1990, legislative dir., Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. 1991–1994, editor/analyst, House Cmte. on the Budget. 1995–2003, dir. of budget policy, House Cmte. on the Budget. 2004–present, policy dir., House Cmte. on the Budget.

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“Paul Ryan is very focused on the long-term fiscal problems everyone is talking about now,” said Knudsen. “It’s very satisfying to work for someone who wants to take them on.” Knudsen said Ryan reminds him in particular of two legendary budget hawks: former Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio and former Rep. Jim Nussle, R-Iowa. Ryan was just 36 when he leapfrogged over 12 more senior members to win the ranking member spot at the beginning of the 110th Congress. But he inspires confidence among staffers, Knudsen said, because he is committed to fiscal responsibility and was once one of them. Ryan, in the mid1990s, was a staffer for Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kans. Knudsen joined the Budget Committee in 1991, under Kasich, the then-chairman. Knudsen’s role while the House was under Democratic control was to explain Republican alternative budgets. When Republicans won the House and Kasich became chairman, Knudsen began to help write budget resolutions. Outside of Congress, Knudsen is a folk singer who plays guitar and can occasionally be heard at open mike nights around Washington. He has not been playing as much lately, given his heavy workload, but has vowed to return to music as soon as the national budget allows.


HOUSE BUDGET

Gail Millar General Counsel 209 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7200 Fax: (202) 225-9905 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget process and procedure. Gail Millar is in her second year as the Democrats’ general counsel on the House Budget Committee. This year she must do what she did last year, only faster, she said, thanks to the 2008 elections. Millar’s job, before the April 15 statutory deadline for submission of the budget, is to draw up the legal language for the numerical outline given to her by lawmakers and their number crunchers. Millar is no rookie to the process. She did the same for the Senate Budget Committee from 2005 to 2007, and she has been working on the national budget since 1981, when she began her first stint in Congress as the Senate Budget Committee’s chief counsel. Millar is confident that there will be a budget resolution this year. With the help of two staff attorneys, she will then turn her attention to enforcing it, with a focus on the PayAs-You-Go rules that the House reinstated in January 2007, which require that no bill worsen the budget deficit. Millar called last year’s PAYGO enforcement efforts “relatively successful.” PAYGO is enforced, Millar said, by poring over the details of proposed legislation. Legislators do not necessarily try to circumvent the rules, she said. “But they’re not always sure whether they run afoul of the budget process.”


Education: B.A., political science and economics, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1977. J.D., State University of New York at Buffalo, 1980.

Professional: 1981–1984, chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 1984–1988, asst. parliamentarian, U.S. Senate. 1989–2000, general counsel, congressional Budget Office. 2000–2002, clerk, Subc. on Commerce, State, Justice, the Judiciary and Related Agencies, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2002–2005, associate dir. for budget policy and management, Office of Technical Assistance, U.S. Dept. of Treasury. 2005–2007, general counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Budget/Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. 2007–present, general counsel, House Cmte. on the Budget.


She was brought on board the Budget Committee by Chairman John Spratt, D-S.C., a budget hawk who assumed the helm of the committee after the Democrats won the majority in 2006. The restoration of PAYGO, a policy that Millar considers crucial to a healthy budgeting, had long been a priority for Spratt. Millar also appreciated Spratt’s overall approach to balancing the deficit. The congressman has decried President Bush’s 2008 budget blueprint as unrealistic in its plan to reduce the deficit, and irresponsible for its cuts to social programs. It will be Millar’s job to write a Democratic budget that protects many of the programs Bush would cut, including more than half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. “Most of these cuts affect critical needs and are unlikely to generate sufficient support to become law,” Spratt has said. Millar works with most everyone on the Democratic staff of the committee, from staff director Tom Kahn to the budget analysts to her Republican counterpart, Paul Restuccia. “I have very good relations with our Republican counterparts because my work is largely focused on technical questions,” she said. Millar also worked as associate director for budget management and technical assistance at the Department of the Treasury. She is the mother of two teenagers, one of whom is in college.

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Kimberly Overbeek Director of Budget Review 207 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7200 Fax: (202) 225-9905 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget policy. For Kim Overbeek, the key to going suddenly from the minority to the majority was keeping her expectations low. A number-cruncher for the House Budget Committee, Overbeek said she didn’t assume that the 2006 midterm elections that put Democrats in charge of the House would automatically breathe life into her party’s economic agenda. “I guess I was skeptical about how much we were could be able to accomplish,” Overbeek said. So the passage of the $3 trillion budget resolution in 2007 that included new Pay-As-You-Go rules buoyed her. “Reality was surprisingly positive,” she said. “Our staff rallied and we were able to make our new responsibilities work.” She said she believes that the Democrats will be able to pass a budget resolution again this year, despite the added challenges of budget-crafting during and election year. In this second session, Overbeek said, she, along with her colleagues, are tasked to improve the processes they put into place last year. “Our job really changed very dramatically last year. It used to be message-based and now it’s ministerial,” she said. With an eye toward deficit reduction, and paying close attention to congressional Budget Office figures, Overbeek spends the first months of 2008 helping to construct the budget resolution, and the latter part of the year enforcing what Democrats and Republicans have agreed upon.

Personal: Born 08/26/1971 in Seoul, Korea, Republic of.

Education: B.A., Yale University, 1993.

Professional: 1994–1995, program instructor, Close Up Foundation. 1995–1998, legislative asst., Rep. David Minge, D-Minn. 1998–2000, legislative dir., Rep. David Minge, D-Minn. 2000–present, dir. of budget review, House Cmte. on the Budget.

She jokes that economics wasn’t her strong suit when she majored in sociology at Yale College, but she has learned by doing. Overbeek, who was born in South Korea but grew up in a small town in Minnesota, first came to Capitol Hill in 1998 to work for “Blue Dog” Democrat Rep. David Minge, DMinn., who represented the Second District of Minnesota for eight years. Minge lost re-election by a hair in 2000 and landed on Minnesota’s Court of Appeals. Overbeek landed on the House Budget Committee. On the committee, she has carved out a niche as an explainer of sorts. She seems to have a knack for making complex budget issues more digestible for members and staffers. “I try to summarize what’s going on so a layperson can understand,” she said. When she is not poring over balance sheets, Overbeek is busy with her one-year-old daughter Sophie.

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Paul Restuccia Chief Counsel for the Minority B-71 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7270 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget enforcement, banking, housing and community development. As Republican chief counsel on the House Budget Committee, Paul Restuccia will devote much of 2008 to enforcing the budget resolution, especially as it relates to the “PayAs-You-Go” rule that prohibits mandatory spending and revenue legislation from increasing the deficit. Restuccia also plays an important role in drafting alternative budget priorities to those of the Democrats. His job requires him to keep an eye on the party in power, “making sure the majority properly inteprets and enforces the congressional Budget Act,” he said. Restuccia considers his greatest accomplishment of 2007 “helping the minority navigate through several motions to recommit successfully.” The procedural move returns a bill to committee, effectively killing it. And Restuccia’s long history on the Hill makes him just the sort of staffer that lawmakers count on when the legislative process gets hairy. He came to Congress in 1992 as a legislative assistant for legendary budget hawk Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio. Kasich chaired the Budget Committee from the 104th to the 106th Congress, during which time Restuccia served as a budget analyst and assistant counsel on the committee staff. In these capacities, and later as deputy chief counsel and chief counsel, Restuccia helped write the budget Republican leaders wanted Congress to vote on. In 2007, with the Democrats in the majority, Restuccia wrote an alternative budget that reflected Republican priorities.

Personal: Born 07/29/1964 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Education: B.A., Kenyon College, 1986. J.D., Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, 1990.

Professional: 1991, law clerk, Edelman and Edelman, Chicago, Ill. 1992–1995, legislative asst., Rep. John R. Kasich, R-Ohio. 1995–1996, budget analyst, House Cmte. on the Budget. 1996–2001, asst. counsel and budget analyst, House Cmte. on the Budget. 2001–2005, deputy chief counsel, House Cmte. on the Budget. 2005–present, chief counsel for the minority, House Cmte. on the Budget.


He starts the budget-writing process by listening to lawmakers, most particularly the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and translating policy goals into legal language. As he writes, he must assure that the budget adheres to House rules Restuccia works closely with Ryan and with Republican staff director Austin Smythe. As in past years, they will likely confer little with Democrats as they draft their own budget. Democrats and Republicans take fundamentally different approaches to the budget, disagreeing on such major issues as the line-item veto. Ryan wants to reinstate the line-item veto and has introduced legislation to give that power to President Bush. The Budget Committee chairman, Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., has opposed the bill, and most other Democrats do not want to give Bush such power over the budget. Restuccia is a graduate of Kenyon College and received his law degree from Loyola University in Chicago. When he’s not on the Hill, he enjoys riding his bike.

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Diane Lim Rogers Chief Economist 207 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7200 [email protected]

Expertise: Economics, tax, and budget policy. Diane Lim Rogers, the Democrats’ chief economist on the House Budget Committee, is looking to hold the line on the deficit as much as possible in 2008, but said she is nervous about the obstacles facing Capitol Hill budget hawks. She takes solace in the fact that the Democrats were able to restore Pay-As-You-Go or “PAYGO” rules to budgeting in the last session, meaning that every increase in spending would be offset by cuts elsewhere. But she also saw how the rule can be set aside, with the Alternative Minimum Tax, for example. Late last year Congress passed legislation relieving millions of middle-class Americans from paying the AMT without any offsets. “We held pretty strongly to PAYGO until the AMT bill at the end of the year,” said Rogers. “It’s ironic that when there’s a ‘must-pass’ bill, people are reluctant to pay for it.” To allow for smooth passage of a stimulus bill this year, Rogers said, House Democrats will again allow PAYGO to be ignored. Republicans complain that PAYGO results in tax and fee increases. Rogers counters that “all we’re doing is adhering to baseline revenues.” She bemoans how conference committees compromise by approving each others’ spending requests, as opposed to agreeing to cuts. “It’s all addition and no subtraction,” she said.

Personal: Born in Evanston, Ill.

Education: B.A., economics, University of Michigan, 1983. M.A., economics, Brown University, 1984. Ph.D., economics, University of Virginia, 1991.

Professional: 1991–1996, assistant professor of economics, Pennsylvania State University. 1994–1999, principal analyst, congressional Budget Office, Tax Analysis Division. 1998–2001, adjunct professor of economics, George Washington University. 1999–2001, senior research assoc., Urban Institute. 2000–2001, senior economist, Council of Economic Advisers. 2001–2003, principal economist/Democratic staff, Joint Economic Cmte. 2004–2006, Democratic chief economist, House Ways and Means Cmte. 2005–present, adjuct professor of economics, George Washington University. 2006–2007, research director, The Brookings Institution’s Budgeting for National Priorities project. 2007–present, chief economist, House Budget Cmte.

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Her overarching concern is the mounting deficit. In 2007, she notes, it was 1.2 percent of GDP. “Now it’s creeping considerably upward to more than 2.5 percent of GDP. It’s really pretty serious,” she said. Her hopes are not high that the issue will figure prominently in the election of the next president, however. “It’s not a popular thing to talk about,” she said. “How do you talk about fiscal discipline in a compelling way?” Roger’s is working this year on the assumption that there will be a budget resolution, but said she doesn’t know whether there will be one. She is working alongside the same senior staff on the House Budget Committee this year, but has lost former senior economist Ben Harris to the Brookings Institution. “That was painful for me. I lost my right-hand man,” she said. Though only in her second year on the Budget Committee, Rogers is a Hill veteran. She has served as chief economist on the House Ways and Means Committee, on the Democratic side. She was also principal economist for the Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee. She began her career more aligned with Republicans, but moved toward the Democratic camp while working at the congressional Budget Office in the mid- to late 1990s, where she said she found that “the supply-side effects of tax policy weren’t as big as I thought.” Rogers is married to an international finance economist at the Federal Reserve Board. They met when they were both interns at the Department of the Interior. They have four children.


HOUSE BUDGET

Austin Smythe Republican Staff Director B-71 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7270 Fax: (202) 226-7174 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget process, congressional and executive. Though new to the House Budget Committee, Austin Smythe is hardly new to the budget. Appointed Republican staff director in December 2007, Smythe brought a wealth of budget-crafting experience from both the Office of Management and Budget and the Senate Budget Committee, where he served for a combined 22 years. At OMB, Ryan helped create the president’s annual budget submissions, as well as the Bush administration’s financial assistance package for New York following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In addition, he led the budget transition team to establish the Department of Homeland Security and oversaw the development of the administration’s earmark database. Smythe was recruited to the House Budget Committee by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the committee’s ranking Republican. And it is because of Ryan, Smythe said, that he agreed to leave his post at OMB, where he had happily toiled since the beginning of President Bush’s first term. “I loved OMB and I had pretty much decided I would stay there until the end of the administration,” said Smythe. But he thought Ryan “a very bright guy” and particularly motivated to do something about the issues that Smythe knows will create budget mayhem for future generations unless Congress acts. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, he said, will “bankrupt the nation unless they can be reformed. Paul wants to make sure something happens.”

Personal: Born 06/29/1956 in Charleston, S.C.

Education: B.A., University of Texas. M.A., University of Texas.

Professional: 1980–1983, assistant project manager, Hart Associates. 1983–1988, analyst, Senate Budget Cmte. 1988–1999, assistant staff director, Senate Budget Cmte. 1999–2007, executive associate director, Office of Management and Budget. 2007–present, Republican staff director, House Budget Cmte.

Smythe takes some heart in the fact that both Ryan and Committee chairman John Spratt, D-S.C., take the problem of entitlement spending seriously. But of course, he added, Ryan and Spratt don’t see eye to eye on how to acheive sustainability. And they are at loggerheads on the president’s tax cuts, which Ryan credits for considerable growth in tax receipts. Smythe, who oversees 12 Republican staffers on the Budget Committee, divides his career in Congress into three parts , all of which gave him responsibility for shaping the national spending plan. He started out on the Senate Budget Committee, working for Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex., as an energy and environmental analyst. Five years later he was promoted to assistant staff director, where he worked, effectively, as counsel. And then, as assistant staff director, and when the Republicans were in the majority, Smythe focused on the progress and technicalities of the budget bill’s progress. “I loved that. I enjoyed putting together budget resolutions and all that arcana,” said Smythe. Smythe was born in Charleston, South Carolina., and received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Texas. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.


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Committee on Education and Labor 2181 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3725 Fax: (202) 225-9571 http://edworkforce.house.gov/ Ratio: 27/22 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

George Miller, CA-7th, Chairman

Howard P. (Buck) McKeon, CA-25th, Ranking Member

Dale E. Kildee, MI-5th Donald M. Payne, NJ-10th Robert E. Andrews, NJ-1st Robert C. (Bobby) Scott, VA-3rd Lynn C. Woolsey, CA-6th Rubén Hinojosa, TX-15th Carolyn McCarthy, NY-4th John F. Tierney, MA-6th Dennis J. Kucinich, OH-10th David Wu, OR-1st Rush D. Holt, NJ-12th Susan A. Davis, CA-53rd Danny K. Davis, IL-7th Raúl M. Grijalva, AZ-7th Timothy H. Bishop, NY-1st Linda Sanchez, CA-39th John Sarbanes, MD-3rd Joe Sestak, PA-7th Dave Loebsack, IA-2nd Mazie Hirono, HI-2nd Jason Altmire, PA-4th John Yarmuth, KY-3rd Phil Hare, IL-17th Yvette Clarke, NY-11th Joe Courtney, CT-2nd Carol Shea-Porter, NH-1st


Thomas E. Petri, WI-6th, Vice Chairman Peter Hoekstra, MI-2nd Michael N. Castle, DE-At Large Mark E. Souder, IN-3rd Vernon J. Ehlers, MI-3rd Judy Biggert, IL-13th Todd Russell Platts, PA-19th Ric Keller, FL-8th Joe Wilson, SC-2nd John Kline, MN-2nd Cathy McMorris Rodgers, WA-5th Kenny Marchant, TX-24th Tom Price, GA-6th Luis Fortuno, PR Charles W. Boustany, LA-7th Virginia Foxx, NC-5th John R. (Randy) Kuhl, NY-29th Rob Bishop, UT-1st David Davis, TN-1st Timothy Walberg, MI-7th Dean Heller, NV-2nd

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HOUSE EDUCATION AND LABOR JURISDICTION (1) Child labor. (2) Gallaudet University and Howard University and Hospital. (3) Convict labor and the entry of goods made by convicts into interstate commerce. (4) Food programs for children in schools. (5) Labor standards and statistics. (6) Education or labor generally. (7) Mediation and arbitration of labor disputes. (8) Regulation or prevention of importation of foreign laborers under contract. (9) Workers’ compensation. (10) Vocational rehabilitation. (11) Wages and hours of labor. (12) Welfare of minors. (13) Work incentive programs.

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HOUSE EDUCATION AND LABOR In the second session of the 110th Congress, House Committee on Education and Labor chairman George Miller, D-Calif., continued to look for ways to strengthen the middle class when it comes to schools and workplace issues. Both Miller and ranking Republican Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., said they remain committed to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, the K–12 education law that aims to close the achievement gap between minority and white students as well as between higherincome and disadvantaged students. “Six years after No Child Left Behind was first enacted, the original goal of the law remains more important than ever: To provide every child with the opportunity to get a good education,” Miller said. “I am committed to passing legislation that will make No Child Left Behind fair and flexible while retaining the law’s strong focus on accountability.” Though political observers say it’s unlikely that the controversial law will be reauthorized in a presidential election year, the committee is building on a series of hearings held last year to examine the more contentious areas of the law. It’s likely that any reauthorization will contain alternative methods of assessing student achievement as well as alternative consequences for schools and districts whose students don’t make annual educational targets. Miller is also, making a firm push to reauthorize national service programs through the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, or the GIVE Act. The legislation encompasses the Americorps program and Senior Corps for those over age 55. But the legislation is 13 years overdue for reauthorization in part because mismanagement of the Americorps made the legislation controversial. After the passage last year of a bill that contained $20 billion in new money for students seeking to go to college, the committee has moved on to reauthorization of the higher Education Act, which proposes to keep the costs of college down. By early in the session both the House and the Senate had passed higher education legislation and the issue was in conference. “Despite a considerable federal investment, colleges and universities have continued to push tuition upward,” McKeon said in February. “To solve the college cost crisis, we’re empowering consumers with meaningful information about college costs and holding institutions and states accountable for keeping higher education affordable.” On the workforce side, the committee continues to monitor the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to make sure the agency does its job in terms of issuing standards, enforcing laws that protect workers and following up on legislation. One major bill pending is the Protecting America’s Workers Act, which would apply federal safety standards to workers who are not currently covered, increase penalties against employers for repeated violations of the law, and improve whistleblower protections among other issues. After a series of deadly mine accidents in the last few years, including the 2007 mine collapse at Utah’s Crandall Canyon mine, mine safety remains at the forefront and in January, the House passed a bill to make additional safety improvements to the industry. President Bush has vowed to veto that bill, saying it undermines protections that were passed in 2006. The fight is expected to continue this year.


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HOUSE EDUCATION AND LABOR

Jordan Barab Senior Labor Policy Adviser B345D Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6910 Fax: (202) 226-0138 [email protected]

Expertise: Workplace safety, health issues. In this second session of the 110th Congress, Jordan Barab is continuing much of the work he did in the first, particularly when it comes to oversight of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Barab continues to monitor the agency to make sure OSHA does its job in terms of issuing standards, enforcing laws that protect workers and following up on legislation. One major bill pending this session is the Protecting America’s Workers Act, which would apply federal safety standards to workers who are not currently covered. It also wouuld increase penalities against employers for repeated violations of the law and improve whistleblower protections, among other issues. Barab said he expects hearings on several aspects of the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., this year. Worker-safety issues on the radar for Barab also include follow-ups to a 2007 hearing in which lawmakers examined OSHA enforcement at refineries and chemical plants and OSHA enforcement of it safety management standards and processes. Other issues that continue to be a focus for Barab include protections for workers during national disasters like Hurricane Katrina or the the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.


Education: B.A., Claremont McKenna College, 1975. M.A., Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, 1978.

Professional: 1982–1998, health and safety director, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. 1998–2001, special assistant to the assistant secretary of labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 2001–2002, health and safety specialist, AFL-CIO. 2002–2007, recommendations manager, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board. 2007–present, safety and health professional, senior labor policy adviser, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

During the first session of the 110th Congress, Barab spent much of his time working on mine safety issues, a priority for Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif. Early in the second session, Jan. 16, the House passed the Supplementary Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act, or the S-MINER ACT, which would help prevent mining disasters, improve emergency response when disasters do occur, and reduce long-term health risks facing miners, such as black lung disease. Many of those issues were a high priority for Barab even before he came to Capitol Hill. For four years before joining the committee, Barab had his own blog, called “Confined Spaces,” in which he opined about workplace safety. In his farewell message online he said he had written more than 2,800 posts over the years on workplace safety and health in a political context. “Working people need more workplace health and safety resources; not just fact sheets and health and safety manuals and Material Safety Data Sheets,” he wrote, explaining why he created the blog. “All that is important, but they also need opinion and commentary on the politics of workplace health and safety,” he wrote. Many have lamented Barab’s absence from the world of workplace safety activism. In a January blog posting about a New York construction worker who fell 42 stories to his death from a Soho condo, one person commented, “Where’s Jordan Barab when we need him? He had the facts, the figures and the stories.”

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Robert Borden Republican General Counsel 2101 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4527 Fax: (202) 225-9552

Expertise: congressional procedure, oversight, budget. As Republican general counsel on the House Education and Labor Committee, Rob Borden serves as the lead adviser to ranking member Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., on parliamentary procedures, committee jurisdiction, and legislative planning and drafting. Borden, who has worked on Capitol Hill on a variety of committees since 2001, is involved in nearly all of the issues that come through the committee. When it comes to education, McKeon is keenly interested in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. In particular, McKeon is concerned about the rising costs of college and making sure that students and parents have the opportunity to get information on reasons behind rising tuition. The reauthorization bill, also known as the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, would attempt to keep the bill for a college education from spiking. The measure passed both the House and Senate, and is now in conference. “For too many years, the cost of a college education has been spiraling out of control and closing the doors of higher education to aspiring students. Despite a considerable federal investment, colleges and universities have continued to push tuition upward,” McKeon said upon the bill’s House passage in February. “To solve the college cost crisis, we’re empowering consumers with meaningful information about college costs and holding institutions and states accountable for keeping higher education affordable.”

Personal: Born 08/22/1969 in Virginia Beach, Va.

Education: B.A., political science, Dickinson College, 1991. J.D., American University, 1994.

Professional: 2001–2003, counsel, House Cmte. on the Budget. 2003–2005, senior counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2005– present, Republican general counsel, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

As for workplace issues, the committee is working on the “Employment Non-Discrimination Act,” but McKeon has concerns about the bill that would create hiring protections for workers on the basis of sexual orientation. McKeon has said the bill may conflict with state and local policies and could open the door to costly litigation. McKeon has also been paying close attention to the topic of mine safety and in January objected to legislation that would rewrite some mine safety legislation approved in 2006. McKeon said the new mine safety legislation proposed by Democrats would “impose a brand new set of rules and requirements that ignore the experience and input of experts and stakeholders.” Before taking on the job as general counsel, Borden worked for the Committee on Government Reform and also spent time as a senior associate special counsel to the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina. Upon his appointment in 2005, McKeon called Borden a “valuable” adviser who would help move his efforts to craft new legislation forward.


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Alice Johnson Cain Senior Education Policy Adviser Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. 2181 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2068 [email protected]

Expertise: High school accountability, elementary and secondary education, principal quality, teacher quality, No Child Left Behind, science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM). Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., has said he is still committed to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act during the second session of the 110th Congress. Politics, however, may make that an unlikely proposition. As senior education policy adviser for the committee, Alice Johnson Cain continues to push for reauthorization of elemenary and secondary education reform law, but it remains unclear whether a presidential election year will derail the process. “I don’t think anybody really has a crystal ball seeing that it will be signed,” Cain said. “We realize it’s complicated this year by the presidential election, but we’re still moving forward and working on it.” Several areas of the No Child Left Behind Act, which calls for schools and students to reach annual benchmarks in reading and math or face penalties, have been under scrutiny and are being examined for reform, Cain said. The area of differentiated consequences for school improvement is one target for Cain. The law currently calls for increasingly severe penalties for schools whose students don’t make annual benchmarks, which can range from having to provide free tutoring to the loss of federal funding.


Education: B.A., political science, Gettysburg College, 1989.

Professional: 1989–1994, legislative assistant, Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill./Senate Cmte. on Labor and Human Resources. 1994–1999, senior policy analyst, National Institute for Literacy, U.S. Department of Education. 2000, Ian Axford fellow in public policy in New Zealand, The Commonwealth Fund/Fulbright New Zealand. 2001–2002, associate director for public policy, National Institute for Literacy, U.S. Department of Education. 2002–2004, acting director of education and youth development, The Children’s Defense Fund. 2004–2006, legislative associate, education, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2007–present, senior education policy adviser, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

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Critics of the current law say schools need consequences that fit their particular situations. That, Cain said, would “allow schools to tailor the intervention to their needs and to encourage them to implement reforms that are based on research and do have a record of success.” Other items on the school-reform agenda for Cain include addressing the drop-out rate; high school reform; teacher and principal quality issues; and an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. Miller said she wants to make sure schools are recruiting, retaining, and rewarding outstanding math and science teacher and ensure that all students—even those in low-income schools—have access to high quality math and science teachers, she said. Growth models, a much-discussed issue during the first session of the 110th Congress, is also on the table, Cain said. Growth models are used to track the improvement of particular students over time and though not included as a way to measure student progress in the current law, have been approved for use as part of pilot projects in some states. Though Miller, one of the architects of the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act, continues to support the law, he also sees an opportunity for reform, Cain said. “The law has done a lot of good in a lot of places, but he sees a lot of room for improvement,” Cain said. “The whole point of a reauthorization is to look back and see what worked well and where there needs to be changes.”



Alejandra Ceja Senior Budget and Appropriations Adviser B346 Rayburn Phone: (202) 226-2068 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget, child nutrition, national service, appropriations. After her first year with the committee as a senior adviser on budget and appropriations matters, Alex Ceja seems to still be in the honeymoon phase. “I’m having a great time and the chairman is wonderful,” she said, referring to Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif. Ceja is helping to put a focus on the issues Miller has set out as priorities, including child nutrition and an effort to get the national service programs reauthorized. Though child nutrition legislation is not up for reauthorization until 2009, Ceja said she expects a hearing on the issue this session. Miller is, however, making a firm push to reauthorize national service programs through the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, or GIVE Act. The legislation includes the Americorps program, a community service organization, and Senior Corps, a similar organization for those over age 55. But the legislation is 13 years overdue for reauthorization. “National service has gotten a lot of bipartisan support of the years and there have been some attempts to reauthorize it. But somebody once told me that it was a Clinton program so it was not well received by Republicans on the Hill,” Ceja said. In addition, the agency that oversees the programs has been plagued by mismanagement and accounting errors in the past.

Personal: Born 09/14/1974 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Education: B.A., St. Mary’s College, 1996. M.P.A., Baruch College, 1999.

Professional: 1999–2007, program examiner, Office of Management and Budget, labor branch. 2007–present, senior budget and appropriations adviser, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

Ceja has high hopes that both Democrats and Republicans will now support the reauthorization. “The agency has had some mismanagement problems, but it has complied with a lot of the congressional directives,” Ceja said. Though the fate of the No Child Left Behind Act remains up in the air (Miller has pledged to push reauthorization of the K–12 education bill this session, but skeptics say presidential election-year politics make success unlikely), Ceja continues to work on the portion of the law that deals with English-language learners. “We’re trying to make sure that ELL students remain as part of the accountability system,” she said. Currently, the No Child Left Behind Act requires that all students, including English-language learners be tested during their school career in reading and math and reach annual benchmarks. Miller also wants to make sure teachers have access to the materials they need to work successfully with students just learning English and that parents are more involved in their education, Ceja said.


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Denise Forte Director of Education Policy 2181 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3726 [email protected]

Expertise: After school programs, child nutrition, juvenile delinquency, youth development, education research. As always, education policy director Denise Forte has a host of education-related issues on her plate this session. Her boss, Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., has given priority to reauthorizing national service programs through the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, or GIVE Act. That legislation includes the Americorps program, a community service organization, and Senior Corps for those over age 55. The legislation would increase the number of Americorps members serving annually to 100,000 and create a summer program for grades 5–12, among other proposals. The reauthorization of such national service programs is overdue, in part because Americorps has come under fire in the past for mismanagement. However, Forte said Americorps officials have “taken appropriate steps to remedy many of the challenges” and the bill that passed out of committee had bipartisan support. Also this session, Forte continues to work on the No Child Left Behind Act, which Miller has pledged to push toward reauthorization this session. The K–12 education law calls for students to be tested in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, and once again in high school. Schools and districts must meet annual educational goals or face sanctions. The law is designed to close the educational achievement gap between white and minority students and higher-income and disadvantaged students.

Personal: Born 12/18/1964 in Heidelberg, West Germany.

Education: B.S., computer science, Duke University, 1986. M.A., public policy, George Washington University, 1996.

Professional: 1986–1994, information technology industry. 1994, congressional fellow, Womens’ Research and Education Institute. 1994–1999, legislative asst. for education and labor issues, Rep. Bobby Scott, DVa. 1999–2000, legislative dir., Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va. 2001–2006, legislative assoc. for youth issues, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2006– present, director of education policy, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

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Last session the committee held nearly 20 hearings on the law, with an emphasis on alternative methods of measuring students’ educational progress and alternative consequences for schools and districts that don’t meet targets. Forte is also looking toward higher education this session. Both the House and the Senate have passed higher education reauthorization bills and by February, Forte and other staff members were working to reconcile the two versions, which both seek to control the costs of college. Though there are differences in the two bills, Forte deemed the alternate versions “reconcilable.” The committee had several significant pieces of legislation signed into law last year, including a $20 billion student aid package included in the reconciliation bill and touted as the largest single investment in higher education since the GI Bill. The new money increases grants to needy college students by pushing the annual maximum Pell Grant from $4,050 to $5,400 over the next five years and cutting interest payments on need-based student loans in half, to 3.4 percent, over the next four years. The law also cuts subsidies to lenders, and creates a program of forgiving loans to future teachers who stay in the profession.



Ruth J. Friedman Senior Education Policy Adviser B346 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2068 [email protected]

Expertise: Early childhood, welfare, child abuse, child poverty, juvenile justice. The House Education and Labor Committee has a slew of reauthorizations in the works for the second session of the 110th Congress and Ruth Friedman has several of them on her personal “to do” list. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act includes programs to reduce juvenile crime “by improving best practices for intervention and prevention.” Friedman said. “We’ll be taking a look at state compliance with core mandates.” Another reauthorization on the horizon this session is the Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act, or CAPTA. This legislation provides funding to states and to community-based organizations for the prevention and treatment of child abuse. It also sets forth rules for states describing what is required of a child welfare system and sets a minimum definition of child abuse and neglect. “We’re looking at the intersection between the juvenile justice system and the child abuse system and how they’re not particularly coordinated even though a large percentage of the kids in the juvenile justice system were abused,” Friedman said. The committee will continue to take a close look at boot camps and wilderness camps for juvenile offenders. During the first session of the 110th Congress, the committee held a hearing on those types of camps and deaths that resulted from treatment there, which received widespread media coverage.

Personal: Born 12/25/1970 in Hong Kong.

Education: B.A., Pomona College, 1992. M.A., Arizona State University, 1996. Ph.D., Arizona State University, 1999. M.A., University of Chicago, 2000.

Professional: 1999–2000, postdoctoral fellow, Northwestern University. 2000–2001, American Psychological Association fellow, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2001–2007, committee staffer, House Cmte. on Education and Labor. 2007–present, senior education policy adviser, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

Friedman spent much of her time last year working on reauthorization of Head Start legislation which was signed into law by President Bush on December 12, 2007. That legislation reauthorized the $7.3 billion Head Start program, which prepares more than a million disadvantaged preschool children for kindergarten each year. The final version of the legislation did not include the controversial National Reporting System, which tested 4and 5-year-olds on their knowledge and was criticized by Democrats. It also did not include faith-based language supported by some Republicans which would have permitted local Head Start providers to hire and fire staff on the basis of religion. When he signed the Head Start law, Bush lauded its provisions to strengthen fiscal accountabilty and program oversight and requirements to improve coordination of early childhood delivery systems and strengthen educational performance standards. Born in Hong Kong, Friedman graduated from Pomona College and received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Arizona State University. She served as a postdoctoral fellow for the American Psychological Association before serving on Capitol Hill.


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Edwin J. Gilroy Director of Workforce Policy 230 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7101 Fax: (202) 225-9571 [email protected]

Expertise: Labor and employment policy, employee benefits. Now that Republican director of workforce policy Ed Gilroy is on the minority side of the committee, he said his job has changed. Instead of setting the committee agenda when it comes to workforce issues, he said, “we will respond to the agenda that [committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif.] and his colleagues set.” For Gilroy that means looking at the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act which seeks to correct what some in Congress believe is a misinterpretation by the U.S. Supreme Court over who is disabled. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects those who are disabled in the workplace and in public from discrimination and defines a disability as something that limits a major life activity. But in 1999 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people who could control their conditions—perhaps through medications or medical devices—might not be considered disabled. The ADA restoration act seeks to restore that coverage. “Supporters of the bill, have in our view, mischaracterized it as a very narrow change to the Americans with Disabilities Act which is merely intended to restore congressional intent,” Gilroy said. “The bill as currently written goes far beyond that and we believe it expands coverage far beyond what Congress intended when it passed the law back in 1990.”

Personal: Born 04/17/1958 in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

Education: B.S., public administration, University of Southern California, 1981.

Professional: 1993–1997, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 1997–2000, dir. of legislative affairs, American Trucking Associations. 2000–2001, vice president of legislative affairs, American Trucking Associations. 2001–present, dir. of workforce policy, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce.

The committee is also looking at the Family and Medical Leave Act, which marked its 15-year anniversary in February. The law allows employees to take time off from work to care for a sick family member or child without losing their jobs. “The administration has indicated they intend to propose some regulatory changes to the FMLA,” Gilroy said and added that he expects hearings on the measure this session. Democrats are in favor of expanding the act’s coverage to apply to a greater number of employees, he said. Gilroy says this session also includes work on retirement security, following up on the Pension Protection Act, which was signed into law in 2006. Like other staff members of the House Education and Labor Committee, Gilroy acknowledged that presidential politics may impact the committee agenda. Members and leadership of the two parties often seek political advantage in an election year by pushing legislation or issues simply for “political or rhetorical purposes,” he said, independent of chances for passage. Gilroy spent much of the first session of the 110th Congress tinkering with the Employee Free Choice Act or “card check” legislation which aimed to reform the union organizing process. That legislation passed the House but has languished in the Senate.

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Brian V. Kennedy General Counsel 2181 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3725 [email protected]

Expertise: Employment discrimination, labor, higher education, workforce development. Early in the session, the Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on the Americans with Disabilities Act Restoration Act. The ADA addresses discrimination in the workplace with respect to people with disabilities and defined a disability as something that limits a major life activity. The hearing was prompted by three cases decided the same day in 1999 in which some members of Congress believe the Supreme Court misinterpreted the definition of disability under the ADA. The decision left some disabled employees without the protection provided by the original law. The Supreme Court ruled that people who could control their conditions—perhaps through medications or medical devices—might not be considered disabled. The goal of the restoration act is to address that and reinstate those protections, general counsel Brian Kennedy said. Though the ADA Restoration Act is a bipartisan piece of legislation, “there are some concerns with the legislation by the business community that it goes too far,” Kennedy said. As general counsel, Kennedy assesses strategy and is in charge of the procedural aspects of getting legislation through the committee.

Personal: Born 12/16/1959 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Education: B.S., James Madison University, 1982. J.D., University of Virginia, 1985.

Professional: 1985–1987, general counsel, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 1987–1993, staff director, Subc. on Employment and Productivity, Senate Cmte. on Education and Labor. 1993–1998, labor coordinator, counsel, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 1998–2000, special assistant to the president for economic policy, National Economic Council, White House. 2000– 2006, national deputy director, Job Corps, U.S. Department of Labor. 2007–present, general counsel, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

Kennedy is also working on the Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act, a 2007 piece of legislation that committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., introduced last year as part of his focus on improving life for the middle class. The legislation would make sure that people are aware of the charges and hidden fees associated with 401(k) retirement accounts and help them understand their options in terms of investments. More than 50 million Americans workers have 401(k) plans. “It’s controversial,” Kennedy said. “It seems to be common sense to provide people with this basic information, but there are concerns about mandating different things and about whether the Department of Labor can address some of the issues without legislation.” Reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act is also on the table. Kennedy, however, said it’s unclear whether it can move forward, despite being expired since 2003. The law contains job training programs, among other policies, and some in Congress may want to wait to tackle WIA with a new president in the White House, he said. The presidential election is clearly going to hold some pieces of legislation back, Kennedy said. “That’s across all of Congress,” he said. “If you can’t get it done early, it’s probably not going to get done.” Kennedy has been working on Capitol Hill since 1985 when he served as staff director for Nevada Democrat Sen. Harry Reid. He took a hiatus from congressional work from 1998 to 2006 when he served at the National Economic Council and at the Department of Labor before returning to the Hill.


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Tom Kiley Democratic Communications Director 2181 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-0853 Fax: (202) 225-9571 [email protected]

Expertise: Education, labor. Tom Kiley’s job this year when it comes to communications on the House Committee on Education and Labor is a continuation of last session: push committee chairman George Miller’s, D-Calif., agenda of improving life for the middle class. “The chairman would like to continue the focus he had last year on growing and strengthening the middle class,” Kiley said. “We’re looking at policies targeted at accomplishing that.” This session, that means reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, which builds on policies passed in 2007 as part of an effort to make college more affordable. The reauthorization follows last year’s higher education legislation, which included increased college tuition aid, and aims for strategies that reign in increases in college tuition prices. Among a host of programs, the bill would also simplify the student aid application process and make textbook prices more affordable. The higher education reauthorization legislation, also known as the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, calls for a user-friendly Web site to provide students with information about college pricing, and would require institutions and lenders to adopt strict codes of conduct and provide full information about borrowing options when it comes to student loans.

Education: B.S., Boston University, 2000. M.B.A., Babson College, 2004.

Professional: 2000–2002, senior media coordinator, Economic Policy Institute. 2002, account executive, Hager Sharp. 2004–2005, press secretary, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. 2005–present, Democratic communications director, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

The committee also is working toward helping members of the middle class who are looking towards retirement, Kiley said. Miller introduced the Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act in 2007 in an effort to require companies managing 401(k) retirement accounts to make sure people are aware of charges and hidden fees associated with the investments. “In some cases, accountholders don’t know what they’re paying,” Kiley said. “Most people recognize that retirees should have information about their own retirement accounts.” In addition the committee is tackling issues on workplace safety, early childhood education, and making health care more affordable. Miller has said he plans to push forward with reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, the K–12 law that calls for annual testing of students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. But observers say that effort is unlikely to be successful in a presidential election year. As communications director, Kiley helps craft Miller’s message on issues for public consumption. “You’re trying to take policy issues that in many cases are complex and you’re trying to find a way to explain them in straightforward, simple terms,” he said. “You want to reach as broad an audience as possible.”

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James A. Paretti Jr. Republican Workforce Policy Counsel Subcommittee on Workforce Protections B-346 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7101 [email protected]

Expertise: Employment, employee benefits law, pension, health care policy, labor. Mine safety continues to be a high priority for workforce policy counsel Jim Paretti. In January his boss, ranking Republican Howard P. “Buck” McKeon of Califronia, and other Republicans unveiled mine safety reforms to build on the bipartisan MINER Act of 2006. Those proposals aimed to empower miners by allowing them to participate in safety committee, would implement substance abuse testing to identify and deter drug abuse that could put miners’ lives at risk, would foster communication between the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Bureau of Land Management, andwould propose to study the health conditions that miners face. “Listening to the needs of the mining community, Republicans have developed a sensible alternative that builds on the bipartisan MINER Act instead of dismantling it,” McKeon said at the time. Though Paretti had already made mine safety a high priority following a series of mine disasters in past years, the need for improvements in the mining industry was underscored by a fatal mine collapse in 2007 at Utah’s Crandall Canyon mine. Six miners were killed in the disaster and three volunteers were killed during rescue attempts. The House ultimately passed a measure crafted by committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., under a veto threat from President Bush who said it would undermine the 2006 law. McKeon also opposed it, saying the Democraticpushed measure “would derail the most comprehensive mine safety overhaul in decades.”


Education: A.B., Harvard College, 1990. J.D., New York University School of Law, 1997.

Professional: 1990–1994, legislative asst., Rep. Marge S. Roukema, R-N.J. 1994, legislative dir., Rep. Marge S. Roukema, R-N.J. 1997–1999, associate, Choate, Hall & Stewart (Boston, Mass.) 1999–2002, senior associate, McDermott, Will & Emery (Boston, Mass.)2002–2003, dir. of communication and special counsel, Rep. Marge S. Roukema, R-N.J. 2003–2004, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2004–present, workforce policy counsel, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.


McKeon is also weighing in on the issue of preventing discrimination in the workplace, as the committee held a hearing on the issue in February. The hearing featured 15 witnesses who looked at four areas of workplace law, but Republicans expressed concerns that the issue was complex and needed additional attention “No one condones discrimination in the workplace, and today’s hearing was an important opportunity to begin examining how best to protect against a range of discriminatory practices,” McKeon said. “However, before we act, Congress has a responsibility to fully and carefully consider the ramifications of any proposed changes to our nation’s laws.” During the last session, Paretti got a unique opportunity to participate in a congressional staff exchange program in Tokyo, Aichi and Kyoto Japan. In February of 2007, as part of the program Paretti spent a week meeting with the leadership of Japan’s major political parties, business and government leaders to discuss the relationship between the U.S. and Japan as well as other foreign policy issues. They learned about Japan’s political system, its policymaking process and political and economic prospects as well.

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Susan V. Ross

Expertise: Education, budget.

Director, Education and Human Services Policy

Though Susan Ross said she hopes the committee will tackle reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act this year, she said she’s not holding her breath.

H2-230 Ford

The K–12 education law calls for annual testing of students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. It also requires schools to meet annual achievement benchmarks or face penalties. The law has been under fire for some of its policies since its passage in 2001 and some education groups and school leaders have called parts of it unworkable.

Phone: (202) 225-6558 [email protected]

“We would like to do it (reauthorization) sooner rather than later,” Ross said of Republicans on the committee, including her boss, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif. “We know it needs to be tweaked and there are states that need help. If there are problems we need to fix them as soon as we can.” Committee members and the Department of Education have been looking at several areas to bolster the law, including new ways to measure achievement and alternative penalties that would apply to an individual school’s situation rather than one-size-fits-all consequences. “There’s consensus about expanding the use of the growth model and doing something more rigorous on graduation rates,” Ross said. “We’re looking at differentiated consequences for schools depending on whether they miss targets by a lot or a little.”

Personal: Born 06/15/1969 in Madison, Wis.

Education: B.A., Baylor University, 1991. M.P.A., Indiana University, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1996, policy analyst, U.S. Department of Education. 1996–1998, professional staff, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 1998–2005, professional staff, House Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005– 2006, vice president, B&D Consulting. 2006–present, director, education and human services policy, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

Though Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., has said he wants to make NCLB reauthorization a priority this session, observers say it’s unlikely, especially in a presidential election year. Instead the committee will tackle reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, also known as the College Opportunity and Affordability Act which would implement strategies to reign in increases in college tuition prices. Among a host of programs, the bill would also simplify the student aid application process and make textbook prices more affordable. For McKeon, reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, which is overdue by a decade, is a high priority. But, Ross said, “we’ve been told by the Democrats that it’s not a priority.” McKeon introduced a reauthorization bill last fall and has hopes that it will garner support, she said. In 2006, Ross left a lobbying job to return to Capitol Hill and the following year when Democrats took control of the House Ross decided to stay, saying she was “excited about the opportunity.” “I felt very disconnected as a lobbyist,” she said. “I’ve been very happy to be back on the Hill.”

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Sally L. Stroup Republican Staff Director 2181 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4527

Expertise: Education policy. With the new session came a new job for Sally Stroup, who this year moved from deputy staff director to staff director. That means new responsibilities, she said. “The real change for me is having more involvement with the leadership on issues,” Stroup said, adding that attending leadership meetings and the GOP annual retreat has been informative. “It’s very interesting to hear what’s going on and being discussed at that level.” Another major change for Stroup is a new focus on labor issues. With a background significantly focused on education, Stroup said she has a learning curve when it comes to the labor side of the committee. “I’ll pay more attention to labor issues than I have in the past,” she said. To that end, lawmakers have a number of small bills making their way through the committee. “In education we do these massive 900-page reauthorizations and labor doesn’t work that way,” Stroup said. For example, a mental health parity bill is on the committee’s agenda that would make sure employee-sponsored health insurance plans treat mental health issues on a par with other benefits. Stroup also said she expects the committee to tackle some health care issues this session as well as Family Medical Leave Act regulations. Mine safety in the wake of the deadly collapse at the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah continues to be on the committee agenda, she said.


Education: B.A., Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 1978. J.D., Loyola University, 1981.

Professional: 1982–1993, counsel, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. 1993–2001, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2001, lobbyist, University of Phoenix. 2002–2006, assistant secretary for postsecondary education, Dept. of Education. 2006–2008, deputy staff director, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2008– present, Republican staff director, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.


When it comes to education, the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act has passed both the House and the Senate and the differences between the two bills are being ironed out in conference committee. The bill seeks to expand college grant opportunities, provide user friendly information about college costs and encourages universities to keep tuition rates from rising. The last time the law was reauthorized was in 1998, Stroup served on the panel as a professional staff member and helped write the measure. She left in 2001 to become a lobbyist and later serve as the assistant secretary of for postsecondary education, returning in 2006. “It’s nostalgic. It brings back a lot of memories,” she said. “But I truly believe you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.” During the last session, Stroup spent much of her time working on Head Start legislation, which was ultimately signed into law in December of 2007. The $7.3 billion program helps prepare 1 million disadvantaged pre-schoolers for kindergarten each year. The new law increases accountabilty and access to the program.

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Michele Varnhagen Labor Coordinator/Counsel 112 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-1881 [email protected]

Expertise: Workforce development, pensions, health. While much of the pension legislation that Michele Varnhagen spent the last few years toiling over has been enacted into law, she continues to monitor the implementation of the laws like the Pension Protection Act. The act, signed into law in 2006, was the first comprehensive retirement security reform law in more than a generation. It established new safeguards to bolster the traditional defined benefit system and boosted 401(k) auto-enrollment programs to encourage American workers to save toward retirement. It also made permanent the inceases in annual 401(k) and IRA contribution limits and fixed a flaw in outdated pension law that barred workers for getting high-quality independent investment advice as an employee benefit. But Varnhagen’s boss, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., continues to have concerns about Americans’ retirement security. In February, Miller praised a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed individual 401(k) plan participants to sue plan administrators for breaching their fiduciary duties. “With more and more Americans relying on 401(k) plans to pay for retirement, it is critical that the companies that administer 401(k) plans always act in the best interests of plan participants,” Miller said. “American workers and retirees should have the right to seek justice when their trust is violated by the very companies that manage their hardearned retirement savings, and thanks to today’s decision, they now have that right.”

Personal: Born 1960 in New York, N.Y.

Education: B.A., economics, New York University, 1982. J.D., Catholic University Law School, 1985.

Professional: 1984–1988, professional staff, Subc. on Labor Management. 1989–1994, professional staff, Subc. on Labor, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. 1995–1998, USAID, former Soviet Union. 1999–present, Democratic labor coordinator/counsel, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

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Just a few months earlier, in December 2007, Miller expressed concern regarding the conclusions of a Government Accountability Office report that found American workers planning to retire in the 2050s will have saved only enough money in their 401(k)-type accounts to replace an average of 22 percent of their pre-retirement income. “Unless we act now, too many workers just starting their careers today will unfortunately face a less secure retirement than did many of their parents,” Miller said. “Today’s workers will more likely struggle to make ends meet during retirement than previous generations.” Varnhagen is also working on reauthroziation of the Workforce Investment Act, which is long overdue. The law, which governs federally-supported job training, employment assistance and adult education programs, expired in 2003. Controversy over job training programs, among other issues, are holding it back.



Daniel Weiss Chief of Staff/Special Assistant to the Chairman 2205 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2095 [email protected]

Expertise: Strategy, communications. As the right-hand man for House Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., Daniel Weiss is involved, in one way or another, in nearly every issue that comes through the committee. Weiss serves as both Miller’s chief of staff in his congressional office as well as a special adviser on committee business, so that means his work touches everything from education to mine safety to worker training. Early in the second session of the 110th Congress, the House approved reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, a bill that had originated in the Education and Labor Committee. The bill, also known as the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, passed the House in February on a vote of 354-58. The bill would encourage colleges to reign in price increases and provide consumers with more information; tighten accountability provisions on student loan programs; simplify the federal student aid application process and make textbook costs more manageable, among other provisions. On the education front, Weiss said Miller remains committed to reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, the bipartisan legislation which includes K–12 education programs. In 2007, the committee held a series of hearings on provisions in the legislation and lawmakers are seriously looking at altering parts of the law that specify how student achievement is measured and what penalties schools face when students don’t meet annual achievement benchmarks.


Education: B.A., University of California at Santa Cruz, 1985.

Professional: 1985–1988, reporter, States News Service. 1987, freelancer, Santiago, Chile. 1988– 1993, press secretary, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. 1993–2006, senior adviser/chief of staff/special assistant, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif./House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2007–present, chief of staff/special assistant to the chairman, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif./House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce.


“We spent a lot of time in 2007 putting together a series of improvements for NCLB and each one of them has support from different quarters, but the proposals also ran into opposition from the Bush administration and others,” Weiss said. “The question now is whether people are going to be serious about making changes to the law this year. Congress still wants to, but it will take cooperation from many quarters to get it done.” However, the committee has many other issues in the works as well. On January 16, Congress passed the S-MINER Act, a committee bill aimed at improving mine safety. Miller has been very active in the area of mine safety, holding a 2007 hearing to examine that year’s deadly mine collapse at the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah. “Miller has been personally involved in this issue and has committed to the families of the miners that died and were injured to improve mine safety,” Weiss said. Weiss said the committee will also be looking at economic and workplace issues, worker retraining, unemployment insurance, and housing assistance this session.

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Michael C. Zola Chief Investigative Counsel 1107 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-9403 Fax: (202) 225-3614 [email protected]

Expertise: Oversight, special investigations. Michael Zola is spending much of his time this session working on legislation that follows up on his 2007 efforts to reform private, unregulated boot camps. At an emotional hearing in October of 2007, the committee looked at these residential treatment facilities—often called boot camps, wilderness programs, or behavior modification facilities—and allegations of child abuse and neglect there. The hearing featured testimony from several parents whose children had died in these camps. Education and Workforce Committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., blasted the facilities for often operating on federal land without licensing or accreditation. Meanwhile, a 2007 Government Accountability Office report released at the hearing showed instances of children being denied access to food and bathrooms and of being molested, among other allegations. In an opening statement at that hearing, Miller condemned the facilities for treatment of children and the federal government for failing to regulate them. “Parents often send their children to these programs when they feel they have exhausted their alternatives…. In far too many cases, however, the very people entrusted with the safety, health, and welfare of these children at the ones who violate that trust in some of the most horrific ways imaginable,” Miller said. Miller last introduced legislation designed to regulate such facilities and help states create licensing standard for private residential treatment programs in 2005. Zola is working this session to craft new legislation along similar lines.

Personal: Born 09/25/1965 in Trenton, N.J.

Education: B.A., Rider College (now Rider University), 1987. M.A., public and international affairs, University of Pittsburgh’s graduate school of public and international affairs, 1988. J.D., cum laude, Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, 2002.

Professional: 1989–2002, analyst, Government Accountabilty Office. 2002–2005, attorney, Office of General Counsel, Government Accountabilty Office. 2006–present, chief investigative counsel, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.

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“We’re going to do more this year. We have some new legislative ideas,” Zola said. Zola is also following another issue that proved emotionally wrenching last year: mine safety. The committee continues an investigation in the Crandall Canyon mine where six miners were killed when the central Utah mine collapsed and three more men were killed during the rescue operation. As part of the investigation, the committee has subpoenaed records from the Department of Labor, Zola said. Zola said labor issues are likely take precedence this session, but some work may continue on the federal Reading First program which has been tarred by allegations of favoritism and bias. Zola is still fairly new to the committee staff, after taking the job in 2006 following 18 years at the Government Accountability Office. He still believes he made the right move. “It was a huge transition, but there’s less process and more creativity,” he said. “Because there’s less process and bureaucracy it allows you to do things that GAO can’t do and to do them quickly.”



Mark Zuckerman Staff Director and General Counsel 2181 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3725

Expertise: Education and labor issues. As staff director and general counsel for the House Committee on Education and Labor, Mark Zuckerman plays a dual role that ensures he has a hand in nearly every issue or piece of legislation that comes before the committee. This session, committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., is continuing his push to improve life for the middle class. Last session, the committee had a hand in higher education legislation, enacted as part of the budget reconciliation bill, which contained $20 billion in new student aid money. The legislation was called the largest single investment in higher education since the GI bill. The House has also passed higher education reauthorization legislation, as has the Senate, designed to keep the cost of a college education from spiking and to keep students and parents clearly informed regarding costs. Early this session, the two bills were in conference and expected to be voted on later in the session. Miller is also concerned about workplace safety and continues to monitor the implemention of mine safety legislation, particularly in the wake of another mining disaster in 2007. The August collapse of the Crandall Canyon, Utah, mine killed six miners and another three volunteers attempting rescue efforts. In addition, sugar refineries are now on Miller’s radar after an explosion at Imperial Sugar refinery in Savannah, Georgia, killed four workers. In Feburary, Miller sent a letter to secretary of Labor Elaine Chao asking her to take immediate steps to prevent hazards that could cause explosions like the one in Georgia which may have been caused by combustible dust.


Education: B.A., english, Florida State University, 1978. J.D., Seattle University, 1983.

Professional: 1994–1996, staff, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education and Labor. 1996–present, Democratic general counsel, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 2005–present, Democratic staff director and general counsel, House Cmte. on Education and Labor.


The Occupational Safety and Health Administration “should stop dragging its feet and immediately begin work on developing a mandatory standard to protect workers. The Chemical Safety Board recommended such a standard over a year ago. Voluntary standards exist, but they are not enough–they must be made mandatory,” the letter said. In the first session of the 110th Congress, Zuckerman spent time working on a bill to increase the minimum wage, which passed early in the session. It’s an issue that Democrats and Miller had long pushed without progress until Democrats regained control of the House. President Bush signed a minimum wage increase into law on May 25, 2007. Minimum wage was scheduled to increase to $5.85 an hour two months later, then to $6.55 this year year and to $7.25 the following year. The $2.10 increase in the federal minimum wage was the first increase in 10 years. “It was pretty satisfying,” Zuckerman said.

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Committee on Energy and Commerce 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2927 http://energycommerce.house.gov/


MINORITY MEMBERS

John D. Dingell, MI-15th, Chairman

Joe Barton, TX-6th, Ranking Member

Henry A. Waxman, CA-30th Edward J. Markey, MA-7th Rick Boucher, VA-9th Edolphus Towns, NY-10th Frank Pallone Jr., NJ-6th Bart Gordon, TN-6th Bobby L. Rush, IL-1st Anna G. Eshoo, CA-14th Bart Stupak, MI-1st Eliot L. Engel, NY-17th Albert R. Wynn, MD-4th Gene Green, TX-29th Diana DeGette, CO-1st, Vice Chairman Lois Capps, CA-23rd Mike F. Doyle, PA-18th Jane Harman, CA-36th Tom Allen, ME-1st Jan Schakowsky, IL-9th Hilda L. Solis, CA-32nd Charles A. Gonzalez, TX-20th Jay Inslee, WA-1st Tammy Baldwin, WI-2nd Mike Ross, AR-4th Darlene Hooley, OR-5th Anthony D. Weiner, NY-9th Jim Matheson, UT-2nd G.K. Butterfield, NC-1st Charlie Melancon, LA-3rd John Barrow, GA-12th Baron P. Hill, IN-9th

Ralph M. Hall, TX-4th Fred Upton, MI-6th Cliff Stearns, FL-6th Nathan Deal, GA-10th Ed Whitfield, KY-1st Barbara Cubin, WY-At Large John Shimkus, IL-20th Heather Wilson, NM-1st John B. Shadegg, AZ-3rd Charles (Chip) Pickering, MS-3rd Vito Fossella, NY-13th Roy Blunt, MO-7th Steve Buyer, IN-5th George Radanovich, CA-19th Joseph R. Pitts, PA-16th Mary Bono Mack, CA-45th Greg Walden, OR-2nd Lee Terry, NE-2nd Mike Ferguson, NJ-7th Mike Rogers, MI-8th Sue Wilkins Myrick, NC-9th John Sullivan, OK-1st Tim Murphy, PA-18th Michael Burgess, TX-26th Marsha Blackburn, TN-7th


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HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

Biomedical research and development. Consumer affairs and consumer protection. Health and health facilities (except health care supported by payroll deductions). Interstate energy compacts. Interstate and foreign commerce generally. Exploration, production, storage, supply, marketing, pricing, and regulation of energy resources, including all fossil fuels, solar energy, and other unconventional or renewable energy resources. (7) Conservation of energy resources. (8) Energy information generally. (9) The generation and marketing of power (except by federally chartered or federal regional power marketing authorities); reliability and interstate transmission of, and ratemaking for, all power; and siting of generation facilities (except the installation of interconnections between government waterpower projects). (10) General management of the Department of Energy and management and all functions of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (11) National energy policy generally. (12) Public health and quarantine. (13) Regulation of the domestic nuclear energy industry, including regulation of research and development reactors and nuclear regulatory research. (14) Regulation of interstate and foreign communications. (15) Travel and tourism. (16) The committee shall have the same jurisdiction with respect to regulation of nuclear facilities and use of nuclear energy as it has with respect to regulation of nonnuclear facilities and use of nonnuclear energy.

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HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE The House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2008 embraces an aggressive schedule with a focus that will undoubtedly grab attention during a presidential campaign year: climate change. The committee in 2007, led by chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., held about a dozen hearings on global warming, climate change, and energy and air quality. While lawmakers managed to address some issues through an energy bill that passed late in the year tightening automobile fuel efficiency standards, the issue of climate change is still on the table. The debate is also being influenced by the Senate. Last year, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed a bill on the issue. The House, however, has yet to act. This year, the committee is issuing a series of “white papers” aimed at setting the parameters for legislative action. The likely outcome will be a “cap and trade” bill that would cap emissions and gives industries an allowance for how much they can emit. Companies can sell or purchase extra allowances depending on what they need. The committee will is monitoring the transition to digital television. Congress mandated that February 17, 2009, will be the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog. By broadcasting only in digital, the government hopes to free up parts of the broadcast spectrum for public safety communications, such as police communications, and auction some of that spectrum to companies that will provide consumers with more advanced wireless broadband. The government has launched a voucher service for converter boxes to make the digital signal compatible to analog televisions. Food and product safety also remain at the forefront. A series of high-profile toy recalls in 2007—as well as a massive meat recall in February 2008—have kept the issue in the headlines. The House last year passed a Consumer Product Safety Commission reform bill, and in March the Senate approved an even more expansive measure requiring broad testing of children’s products. The White House does not support the Senate version, and debate is likely to roil through the year. The committee in 2008 also will continue its high-profile investigation of drug use in sports, continuing a series of high-profile hearings that brought Major League baseball players before the committee to testify on whether or not they had used other performance-enhancing drugs. Lawmakers also plan to hold hearings on conflicts of interest in both the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services; nuclear proliferation and nuclear licensing; energy prices and how best to sequester carbon emissions. Republicans on the committee, meanwhile, are focused on systematic policy development, and have begun holding a series of briefings on health policy, energy security and climate change. They hope those briefings help to influence the policy being developed during this shortened presidential campaign year.


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HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE

David L. Cavicke Chief of Staff 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3641 [email protected]

Expertise: Securities, banking, economic policy. David Cavicke became chief of staff for Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Joe Barton, R-Texas, this year after more than 12 years with the committee. The new role enables him to work on policy development for the panel’s Minority Members. In that capacity, he’s helping Barton with one of his major goals for the committee: to become “more entrepreneurial in our development of ideas,” he said. “Now that we’re in the minority and the Bush administration is coming to its end, we are focusing on policy development in a much bigger and more systematic way,” Cavicke said. That means a series of briefings on health policy, energy security, and climate change with experts as disparate as Regina Helzinger of Harvard Business School and Segway inventor Dean Kamen. Cavicke said the goal is to develop market-based ideas, then “go back and fundamentally reexamine” the issues. Eventually, he said, Republicans on the committee will use what they’ve learned from the briefings to develop policy. The effort, he conceded, may take more than just this year. Another focus for Republicans on the committee is universal service reform. Republicans would like to cap the universal service fund—a $7 billion and growing subsidy aimed at billing telecommunications consumers to provide service in rural and underserved areas. Cavicke said the subsidy has grown at such a level to be “unsustainable” and has had the effect of Texas and Detroit paying for phone service in Aspen, Colorado, and other wealthy outposts.

Personal: Born 1961 in Lyme, Conn.

Education: B.A., history, Columbia University, 1984. M.A., history, New College, Oxford University, 1986. J.D., Stanford University, 1989.

Professional: 1989, law clerk, Connecticut Supreme Court. 1990–1995, associate, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy (New York City). 1995–2003, counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2003–2004, senior counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2004–2008, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2008–present, chief of staff, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas.

Republicans on the committee would like to institute a reverse auction for the subsidy, where the provider who bids the lowest gets the right to provide service in rural areas. Under the current system, five or six providers can apply for the subsidy and have “no incentive to be effective and save money,” he said. Cavicke said Barton is also focused on a legislative response to the 2005 Kelo v. New London decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. The ruling found that local governments can force property owners to sell their properties and make way for private economic development when officials decide it would benefit the public, even if the property is not blighted. “The Supreme Court said the city of Alexandria can take my house and sell it to you if you build a bigger house on it,” he said. Barton wants to pass legislation that would prohibit public takings for private purposes within interstate commerce. Last year, Cavicke served as chief counsel for the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, a subcommittee that handles some of the committee’s most high-profile issues. Before coming to the Hill, he was a securities and banking lawyer in New York, representing commercial banks and brokerage dealers with regard to compliance with federal regulations. Cavicke also did extensive pro bono teaching in Brooklyn schools.

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Jonathan Cordone Deputy Chief Counsel 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2927

Expertise: Manufacturing, motor vehicles. As deputy chief counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Jonathan Cordone’s job isn’t issueoriented. Instead, his role is to work with chairman John Dingell, D-Mich. as well as the committee’s chief of staff and chief counsel to support them during full committee markups, hearings and floor proceedings. But his experience working on auto issues for the committee means he still gets to dabble in specific policy areas. That Congress last year passed legislation increasing fuel efficiency (known as Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency, or CAFE) standards means Cordone will continue his role implementing the new measures and seeing how they overlap with climate change legislation on which the committee is continuing to work. Cordone said he also expects the committee to continue to be heavily involved on health care, including the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicaid and Medicare. “A proper reauthorization of SCHIP is not something we’re giving up on,” Cordone said, referring to President Bush’s 2007 veto of a bill to expand the health care program. The committee will also keep a close eye on the February 17, 2009 mandated transition from analog to digital television. The chairman will also continue his focus on the safety of imported consumer products, particularly programs overseen by the Food and Drug Administration.

Personal: Born 03/1975 in Trumbull, Colo.

Education: B.A., political science, Mary Washington College. J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law.

Professional: 1998, legal intern, District of Connecticut Federal Court. 1998–2000, law clerk, Office of the Connecticut Attorney General. 2000–2001, associate, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky and Walker LLP, Connecticut. 2001–2006, Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2007– present, deputy chief counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

Global warming, of course, will also be an issue. The committee last year held about a dozen hearings on global warming, global climate change and energy and air quality. While it addressed part of the issue through tightening fuel economy standards, the panel this year is issuing a series of “white papers” to set the frame work for more legislative discussion. “There has been little policy work done in this area over the last 12 years,” Cordone said. “So there’s lots of catch-up to be done getting members a better understanding of the breadth of the issue and how many facets there are to it.” When Cordone first joined the committee from private law practice, he worked on a variety of issues in each of its six subcommittees as a minority counsel. Mentored by senior professional staff member M. Bruce Gwinn, Cordone eventually became lead minority counsel for consumer protection issues, including the Federal Trade Commission, Internet commerce, media content protections, and the creation of the telemarketing do-not-call registry. He also served as principal adviser at that time to Dingell on matters affecting the automobile industry. Cordone, a former editor of the Connecticut Law Review, is admitted to practice law in Connecticut and New York.


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Richard A. Frandsen Chief Counsel, Energy and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2927 [email protected]

Expertise: Environmental issues. As the House Energy and Commerce Committee this year continues its focus on global warming and climate change legislation, Richard Frandsen’s focus will be pinpointed on carbon sequestration—how to do so in such a way that it protects the public health and the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency is working on a robust set of regulations in anticipation of the creation of underground reservoirs to capture carbon—a key part of socalled “cap and trade” legislation that caps the level of carbon emissions and gives industries an allowance for how much they can emit. Companies can sell or purchase extra allowances depending on what they need. But a key component of such legislation would be the ability to sequester carbon. The Department of Energy is running seven pilot projects that examine the geological and technical issues relating to carbon sequestration underground, and the committee will need to weigh in. “There is going to need to be legislative action,” to guide the process, Frandsen said. Frandsen will also continue last year’s work on the Mercury Export Ban Act of 2007, which bans the export of elemental mercury and prevents the two government stockpiles of mercury overseen by the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense from being sold or exported. The bill also creates a long-term storage program for elemental mercury inside the United States.


Education: B.A., political science and history, University of Illinois, 1966. J.D., University of Illinois, 1969.

Professional: 1970–1971, air defense artillery officer, Judge Advocate General’s Office and Air Defense Artillery, U.S. Army. 1974–1977, senior trial attorney, Federal Power Commission. 1977–1988, counsel, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1988– 1994, counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1995–2007, Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2007–present, chief counsel, energy and hazardous materials, Subc. on Environment and Hazardous Materials, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

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Outside of the United States, there’s a growing demand for elemental mercury to be used for illegal mining in thirdworld countries. That mercury, however, comes back to the United States through trans-boundary air, where it eventually is deposited in lakes and rivers. The United States’s ban is part of an international effort—the European Union is also banning the export of elemental mercury. The House passed the bill last November, but the Senate has yet to pass it out of committee. The subcomittee’s jurisdiction includes environmental protection in general, including the Safe Drinking Water Act and risk assessment matters; solid waste, hazardous waste, and toxic substances, including Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; mining, oil, gas, and coal combustion wastes; noise pollution control; and homeland security–related aspects of all those issues. Frandsen, a 30-year veteran of the committee, is chief counsel to the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, which is chaired by Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md.



Neil Fried Republican Senior Counsel 2322A Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3641 [email protected]

Expertise: Telecommunications. Neil Fried, who handles telecommunications, Internet and mass media for House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, expects to focus heavily this year on the country’s transition to digital-only television transmissions. In 1996, Congress mandated that February 17, 2009 will be the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog. By broadcasting only in digital, the government hopes to free up parts of the broadcast spectrum for public safety communications, such as police communications, and auction some of that spectrum to companies that will provide consumers with more advanced wireless broadband. The government has launched a voucher service for converter boxes to make the digital signal compatible to analog televisions. Fried had a hand in drafting and enacting of the digital television transition legislation. So far, he said, the transition appears to be going smoothly and customers already requesting the vouchers. Ultimately, he said, the transition will be problematic for few people because half of all households already have a digital television. Those with cable or satellite will be unaffected, and every television produced after March of 2007 has a digital tuner in it. “The number of people this effects is rapidly shrinking,” he said.


Education: B.A., Northwestern University, 1991. J.D., Washington University of St. Louis, 1994.

Professional: 1996–2000, attorney, Common Carrier Bureau, Federal Communications Commission. 2000–2001, attorney, Verner, Liipfert, Bernard, McPherson & Hand. 2001–2003, attorney, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. 2003–present, Republican senior counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

Fried also expects to work on universal service reform. The subsidy program that pays for phone service in high-cost or remote areas has been criticized as ineffective and outdated, Fried said, and the committee will likely hold hearings on the issue. Finally, he expects to work on concerns about a lack of transparency at the Federal Communications Commission. “This looks to be a short year because it’s an election year,” he said. “So we’ll likely just see lots of hearings.” Before joining the committee, Fried spent three years in private practice in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in television and telecommunications issues. Prior to his work in the private sector, Fried spent four years with the Federal Communications Commission as an attorney in what is now the Wireline Competition Bureau, where he assisted with implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Fried earned his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and his law degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri.


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Bruce Harris Professional Staff Member 564 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-3400 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, oil and gas. Bruce Harris, an Energy and Commerce Committee veteran with expertise in energy and environmental issues, is spending 2008 continuing the work that began last year on global warming legislation. Last year, the committee held some 20 hearings on global warming, gathering information from an array of experts that included former vice president Al Gore. This year, the focus turns to lawmaking. Under the guidance of Energy and Commerce chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., and Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., chairman of the subcommittee on energy and air quality, the committee has begun issuing a series of “white papers” aimed at framing the legislative debate. It’s an uphill battle in a shortened presidential year. Also impacting the debate in 2008:, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed a bill that Senate aides hope will be voted on by the full Senate by Memorial Day. That bill calls for a 70 percent reduction of 2005 greenhouse gas levels by 2050. Like the Senate, Boucher and Dingell have focused on a “cap and trade” bill that caps carbon emissions and allow companies to buy, sell or trade their carbon allowances with other companies. The bill will likely face lively opposition from Republicans, who will challenge climate science and talk about the impact on the economy.

Personal: Born 02/16/1969 in Pine Bluff, Ark.

Education: B.A., English/communications, University of Arkansas, 1992.

Professional: 1993–1997, legislative asst., Rep. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. 1997–1999, chief of staff, Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark. 2000–2003, senior dir., corporate communications, America Online. 2003–present, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

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A committee staffer since 2003, Harris has been the primary point person on key bills such as reauthorization of the 2002 Pipeline Safety Act. He has worked as backup for other staffers on everything ranging from continuing nuclear energy use and the controversy surrounding storing nuclear waste in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain to oil and gas and hydropower issues. He also worked on the passage and implementation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. A proud Arkansas native, Harris came to Washington, D.C., in 1993 to work with then-Rep. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., on agriculture policy. Lincoln, now a senator from Arkansas, at the time was a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Harris was an English and communications major at the University of Arkansas. One of the few non-lawyers in a profession full of lawyers, he has argued his critical thinking skills have helped his D.C.-area career, which has also included a stint as a chief of staff and a private sector job as a senior communications director with America Online.



Tom Hassenboehler Jr. Counsel 2322 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2941 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy, environmental policy, law. Tom Hassenboehler, a Republican staffer for the House Energy and Commerce Committee since 2004, finds himself in 2008 focusing on the cap and trade proposal being pushed by Democrats to limit carbon emissions. Energy and Commerce chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., is pushing for passage of a bill this year, and early in 2008 began issuing a series of “white papers” on the issue. But Hassenboehler is skeptical of the bill’s prospects during a shortened presidential election year. “It’s a very politically divisive issue for a lot of members,” he said. “So it should be a lot of fun.” Hassenboehler’s boss, ranking member Joe Barton, R-Texas, is “not a big fan of the climate bill,” Hassenboehler said. In particular Barton is skeptical of how successful a cap and trade system would be. The proposed system involvees capping the level of carbon emissions and giving industries an allowance for how much they can emit. Companies can sell or purchase extra allowances depending on what they need. “He believes there are ways to address the climate change issue, but he’s not convinced cap and trade is the way to go,” Hassenboehler said, adding that Barton is especially concerned about such legislation’s impact on the economy as well as the potential tha such a strategy may ultimately be ineffective at actually decreasing greenhouse gases.

Personal: Born 5/31/1977 in New Orleans, La.

Education: B.A., Louisiana State University, 1999. J.D., Louisiana State University, 2002.

Professional: 2001, law clerk, Keogh, Cox and Wilson, Attys. at Law, Baton Rouge, La. 2001, law clerk, Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, L.L.P. 2002, legislative correspondent, Rep. Bob Riley, R-Ala. 2003, executive recruiter, The Direct Impact Company, Alexandria, Va. 2003–2004, legislative assistant, Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La. 2004–present, counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.


The House now considers its bill after a Senate panel passed a similar measure. Hassenboehler said the Senate’s actions will help shape the debate. But he added that he’s skeptical of how much can be done during a busy, shortened presidential campaign year. In the early months of 2008, the majority was issuing a series of “white papers” aimed at framing the legislative debate. He also said he will be working to help implement last year’s massive energy bill, which tightened automobile fuel efficiency standards, requiring them to achieve 35 miles per gallon by 2020. Consequently, he will be working on the issue of whether tailpipe emission standards should be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In April 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA had the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Hassenboehler said he’ll be monitoring how the EPA reacts to that ruling. A New Orleans native, Hassenboehler came to the committee in 2004 after working on the legislative staffs of former Reps. Billy Tauzin, R-La., and Bob Riley, R-Ala. He said he came to Washington, D.C. the traditional way—just out of school and looking for a job. His work for Tauzin, a former Energy and Commerce chair, gave him the foundation for the work he’s doing today.

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Nandan Kenkeremath Senior Counsel 316 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2424 Nandan.Kenkeremath@mail. house.gov

Expertise: Health care issues, risk assessment, Superfund reform, cost benefit legislation, 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments, environment and regulatory reform, amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Nandan Kenkeremath, a longtime Republican staffer with the Energy and Commerce Committee, has become a specialist on pandemic and bioterrorsm issues. This year, however, he anticipates much of his focus will be on food and drug import safety and insurance regulation. “Chairman Dingell is talking about food safety and food import safety, so there’s a suggestion that there will be a big push in that area,” he said. The issue was one that popped up last year in earnest after an E. coli outbreak in spinach produced in California, and in January 2008 the subcommittee on oversight and investigations held a hearing addressing broad food safety issues. The Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for ensuring the safety of roughly 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, has requested authority to order food safety recalls and administer other controls aimed at protecting high-risk foods. . Drug safety will also remain an issue for the committee this year. Last year, Dingell and two other Democratic subcommittee chairmen introduced legislation that would create a user fee on imported food and drug shipments. Funds generated by the fee would go toward hiring additional personnel to inspect food and drug shipments at the U.S. border and at FDA labs. The bill also would grant the agency authority to issue mandatory recalls.

Personal: Born 09/04/1958 in Bangalore, India.

Education: B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1980. J.D., University of Virginia, 1984.

Professional: 1980–1981, consultant, consulting firm (Washington, D.C. 1984–1991, staff attorney, Office of the General Counsel, Environmental Protection Agency. 1991– 1995, minority counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1995–present, senior counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

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Finally, the Genetic Nondiscrimination Act of 2007, a bill to protect individuals against discrimination based on their genetic information in regards to health insurance and employment, is expected to be a to issue again this year. The Senate has yet to act on the bill. Among the legislative successes in 2007 was a bill signed into law that renews and expands a program allowing the FDA to collect fees from pharmaceutical companies in order to conduct drug approvals. Kenkeremath has worked for the committee since 1991 and has been the committee Republicans’ key staffer on pandemic and bioterrorism issues. Prior to that he was a staff attorney with the General Counsel’s Office at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Kenkeremath is credited with work on putting together the Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Act of 1995, a cornerstone of the House Republicans’ “Contract with America.” His work on that bill gained him a spot highlighting the work of his staff on “CNN Presents: The Republican Revolution.”



David McCarthy Chief Energy Counsel Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2927 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy, appropriations. David McCarthy, chief energy counsel to ranking Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Joe Barton, RTexas, will likely find his year dominated by debate and possible legislative action on climate change. Republicans on the committee want to make sure any legislative proposals “keep the lights on” and “protect American jobs,” McCarthy said. He said they’re also concerned about holding down natural gas costs. He said he is skeptical that in a shortened presidential election year that much action is possible. The committee last year held about 12 hearings on global warming, including one with testimony from former vice president Al Gore based on his global warming theories as presented in “An Inconvenient Truth.” During that hearing, Barton challenged Gore on his theories and argued that Congress has already made moves toward better energy policy. That was before the committee pushed through energy legislation that tightened fuel economy standards and encouraged ethanol production. This year, the committee, under the Democratic chairman, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., has begun issuing a series of “white papers” to set the framework for legislative debate.

Personal: Born 1951.

Education: B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1974. J.D., George Mason University School of Law, 1980.

Professional: 1980–1988, assoc. staff member, House Cmte. on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. 1988–1989, attorney, Baker & Daniels. 1989–1993, counsel, House Cmte. on Standards and Official Conduct. 1994–1995, private practice. 1996–2001, assistant general counsel, Indianapolis Power & Light (Washington, D.C. 2002– 2003, counsel, House Select Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2004–2005, chief of congressional and legislative affairs, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 2005–2006, deputy commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 2006–present, chief energy counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.


Dingell is leaning toward a so-called “cap and trade” program, that caps the level of carbon emissions and gives industries an allowance for how much they can emit. Companies can sell or purchase extra allowances depending on what they need. One Republican concern is whether this is the best method to reduce carbon emissions. Republicans on the committee asked the Government Accountability Office to look at how similar programs in foreign countries have worked and whether they have, in fact, reduced carbon emissions. Republicans on the committee are also concerned that inadequate technology exists to properly and safely sequester carbon. The Department of Energy is running seven pilot projects that examine the geological and technical issues relating to carbon sequestration underground. McCarthy is a Hill veteran with a diversified portfolio of energy, environmental, national security, and appropriations work to his credit. He joined the Energy and Commerce Committee in the spring of 2006, and this marks his fourth job on the Hill. He first came to the Hill in 1980 as an associate staffer on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. He also worked for the House Ethics Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee when it was a select committee. He joined the Energy and Commerce Committee in 2006 after two years at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, where he most recently was a deputy commissioner.

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Lorie Schmidt Democratic Counsel 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2927 [email protected]

Expertise: Environment, clean air. Democratic counsel Lorie Schmidt, a veteran of environmental policy-making with 15 years of experience at the Environmental Protection Agency, finds herself in 2008 focusing on the issue that will dominate the House Energy and Commerce Committee agenda: global climate change legislation. Committee chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., held roughly a dozen hearings on the issue last year, including a highprofile hearing featuring testimony from vice president Al Gore, whose documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” won him an Academy Award. This year, the focus has shifted from gathering information to policy-making. The likely outcome will be a “cap and trade” bill that will cap the level of carbon emissions industries are permitted to emit, but will allow industries that fall below that allowance to trade their carbon credits with industries that emit higher levels. The committee began 2008 by issuing a series of “white papers” on the issue, but staffers for the committee have said completing a bill during a busy presidential election year may be tough to achieve. A Senate committee last year passed equivalent legislation and that, too, will likely help to shape the debate. Schmidt’s other focus for the committee is the Clean Air Act as well as oversight of the EPA. Her work this year will likely address the impact of proposed cuts in President Bush’s fiscal year 2009 Budget to EPA programs.

Personal: Born 06/20/1959 in Urbana, Ill.

Education: B.S., metallurgical engineering, Purdue University, 1981. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1984.

Professional: 1984–1986, law clerk, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana. 1986–1991, associate, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky and Walker LLP (Washington, D.C. 1991–1997, counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1997–2005, senior attorney adviser, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2005– present, Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

Rep. Albert Wynn, D-Md., chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, expressed concern immediately after the Bush proposal was released that the requested $400 million in cuts would devastate environmental programs “pivotal to the protection of public health and safety.” In fiscal year 2004, Congress authorized $8.4 billion in spending for the EPA. Bush’s proposed fiscal 2009 budget would be $1.3 billion from that authorized level. “National budgets should reflect our national priorities,” Wynn said. “Clearly, President Bush has not made environmental protection a priority during the course of his administration.” Dingell, meanwhile, expressed concern that the administration was proposing cutting EPA grants to the states for air quality. Bush’s budget would reduce air quality grants by $30 million or 15 percent from fiscal year 2008. “States rely on these grants to help keep the air Americans breathe safe,” Dingell said, vowing to work with appropriators to restore the funding. Schmidt, a graduate of Purdue University and Harvard Law School, came to the committee in 2005.

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Jodi Seth Comunications Director 322 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3641 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Communications director Jodi Seth will spend this year focusing on an ambitious House Energy and Commerce Committee agenda that includes global climate change. After the committee held around a dozen hearings on the subject in 2007—including one featuring former vice president Al Gore, who testified based on his Oscar-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”—lawmakers say they now want to focus on getting a bill written and passed. Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., has called the issue a priority for the committee. Dingell began 2008 by issuing a series of “white papers” to set the framework for legislative debate. The committee aims to use those papers to solicit input from interested parties including environmentalists and others with a special interest in the debate. The result will likely be a socalled “cap and trade” program similar to those adopted overseas. Such programs cap the level of carbon emissions. Industries receive an allowance on how much carbon they emit. If they fall under that allowance, they can sell their carbon credit to industries that need more allowances. Republicans have expressed concern that such a program doesn’t actually reduce carbon emissions, and are concerned that there is insufficient technology to properly and safely sequester carbon. A Senate Committee last year passed a “cap and trade” measure that will likely weigh into the House debate.

Personal: Born 1971 in Pawtucket, R.I.

Education: B.A., communications, Rhode Island College. M.A., journalism, American University.

Professional: 1997–1999, deputy press secretary, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. 1999, press secretary, Sen. Robert Toricelli, D-N.J. 2000–2001, communications dir., Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn. 2001–2003, account supervisor, Porter Novelli International. 2003–2006, press secretary, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2006–present, communications director, Democratic staff, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.


But that issue is one of many facing the committee this year. The panel will also monitor the transition to digital television, which is scheduled for February 17, 2009—the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog. And food and product safety—a big issue in 2007 as lead-tainted toys imported from China drew headlines— also remains in the spotlight. Seth will have to address issues ranging from Federal Communications Commission oversight, telecommunications, and Internet security to a wide array of health care issues, including the Food and Drug Administration and prescription drugs, health insurance coverage and health services to children and the poor, and cleanup of environmental hazards and spills at sites around the country. Seth’s role as communications director is to juggle the demands of the various subcommittees, all of which started early in getting their issues out front with the public, in working to craft the Democrats’ message. A native of Rhode Island, Seth first came to Capitol Hill in 1997 as deputy press secretary for Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed, and followed that up with stints in the press offices of former Sen. Robert Toricelli, D-N.J., and former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn. Except for two years with Porter Novelli International, where she was an account supervisor, she has worked on the Hill ever since.

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Sue D. Sheridan Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2927

Expertise: Electricity, nuclear power, climate change, oil and gas, Department of Energy reform. With the passage of a massive energy bill last year, Sue Sheridan, chief counsel of the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee, expects her focus will now turn primarily to climate change. Sheridan called last year’s energy bill, which included a tightening of automobile fuel efficiency standards “sort of a down payment on the climate change problem.” The bill, signed into law by President Bush in December 2007, saved energy through new building standards, appliance efficiency standards, and, of course, CAFE standards. It also cut carbon emissions. But it took up much of the committee’s time from August to December. Before that, the committee had held nearly a dozen hearings on the climate change issue, including one featuring testimony from former Vice President Al Gore. The committee started 2008 by issuing a series of white papers aimed at setting the legislative framework for the issue. “We want to know enough to put pen to paper to see if we can produce a bill,” she said.

Personal: Born 01/17/1954 in Bellefonte, Pa.

Education: B.A., Duke University, 1976. J.D., Vanderbilt University, 1979.

Professional: 1979–1983, staff attorney, U.S. Department of Energy. 1980, staff member, Domestic Policy Council, the White House. 1983– 1994, counsel, Subc. on Energy and Power, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1995–2003, Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2004– 2007, senior Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2007– present, Chief Counsel, Subc. on Energy and Air Quality, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

A likely outcome will be a “cap and trade” bill, which will cap emissions and give industries an allowance for how much they can emit. Companies can sell or purchase extra allowances depending on what they need. Sheridan said subcommittee chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., and full committee chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., have said they want a cap and trade-type bill that spans all segments of the economy, but have not gotten more specific than that. Among the topics the subcommittee and full committee must address are how to engage developing countries and what, if anything, can be done to induce those countries to limit their emissions as well. “We don’t want to see jobs and emissions go up in competing countries,” Sheriden said. “But figuring out how to do that is a challenge.” Both chairmen, she said, want to see a bill this year, but Sheridan acknowledges that it will be tough during a shortened presidential election year. She said the subcommittee this year will also monitor the implementation of last year’s energy bill. “That bill was 1,000 pages and it came together really quickly,” she said. “So it behooves us to see how it goes.” Another seemingly perennial issue is Yucca Mountain. The Department of Energy has indicated it intends to file a license for nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain by June with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Doing so, Sheridan said, would effectively boot the issue to the commission and out of Congress’s politically-minded hands. Sheridan joined the committee staff in 1983 and has tackled everything from the massive Energy Policy Act of 2005 to the complicated—and controversial—Yucca Mountain project, which aims to store nuclear waste in Nevada.

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Alan Slobodin Republican Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 2322A Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3641 [email protected]

Expertise: Oversight, investigation, FDA. Alan Slobodin serves as Republican chief counsel for one of the most aggressive and active subcommittees in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The subcommittee on oversight and investigations, where Slobodin is a veteran counsel, held 17 hearings last year on issues as wide-ranging as nuclear proliferation, energy prices, food safety, post-Katrina health care in New Orleans and bio-laboratories. The work continues this year, albeit with a shortened schedule allowing for the presidential elections. High on the agenda, Slobodin said, is continuing work on drug and food safety as well as oversight of the Food and Drug Administration. The investigation, he said, will likely head in new directions in 2008, though he was reluctant to speculate on exactly where the examinations could lead. “We will be very active on the FDA front and active on other areas in the public health jurisdiction,” he said. Security will also dominate the agenda. Slobodin said the subcommittee will look at security at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the nation’s other nuclear weapons and bio-laboratories. “Some of these labs handle dangerous toxic substances, with diseases being studied, viruses and bacteria without a cure,” he said. “We’ve got to be sure everything is done properly so that public safety is insured.”

Personal: Born 05/04/1957 in Holmdel, N.J.

Education: B.B.A., Temple Univ., 1979. J.D., George Washington Univ., 1984.

Professional: 1984–1985, attorney, Ross, Dixon and Masback. 1985–1986, assistant general counsel, Washington Legal Foundation. 1986–1989, minority counsel, Subc. on Civil and Constitutional Rights, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1989–1995, president/general counsel, legal studies division, Washington Legal Foundation. 1995–2006, oversight counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2007–present, Chief Republican counsel, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte on Energy and Commerce.


The committee will also do more oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Slobodin said he expects the subcommittee will examine safety at various plants and review the NRC licensing process. “We’ll do a lot of energy oversight,” he said. The subcommittee will also continue its work on gas prices, natural gas and home heating oil. It held a hearing last year on energy speculation, investigating whether m ore regulation is necessary to stop price manipulation. As the full committee moves toward climate change legislation, Republicans on the subcommittee asked the Government Accountability Office to look at other countries that use a so-called “cap and trade” program, to examine how helpful such measures have been in those countries and how well they have worked. “We want to determine whether they delivered reduced carbon emissions or not,” he said. Finally, he said the subcommittee wants to conduct oversight on clinical research and their review boards to determine if research being conducted on human beings is being properly monitored. “We want to make sure conflicts of interest are being managed,” he said.

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John F. Sopko Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2927 [email protected]

Expertise: Homeland security, national security, commerce and trade, telecommunications. The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held more than 20 hearings last year, and is continuing a number of those inquiries in 2008, according to the panel’s chief counsel, John Sopko. The central focus will again be problems with the Food and Drug Administration, zeroing in on the agency’s ability to protect the country’s food and drug supplies. In addition, the committee will likely investigate conflicts of interest in the FDA as well as in the Health and Human Services Department. Specifically, Sopko said the subcommittee will examine pharmaceutical companies’ contributions to medical associations and academic institutions. The panel will also start a major inquiry into conflicts of interest issues related to “extramural” grants made by HHS to academic institutions. Sopko noted that the panel already has uncovered information about a major cancer study on the impact or safety of MRIs for former smokers. “This is a major study that HHS is funding and we found out that some of the prominent scientists working on this study received money from the tobacco industry,” he said. A second focus will involve management problems within the Departments of Homeland Security, Energy, and HHS with regard to bioterrorism and nuclear proliferation issues. The panel has already held three three hearings on the subject and expects more.

Personal: Born 07/20/1952 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Education: B.A., cum laude, economics and social ogy, University of Pennsylvania, 1974. J.D., Case Western Reserve University, 1977.

Professional: 1977–1978, assistant county prosecutor, Montgomery County, Dayton, Ohio. 1978–1982, special attorney, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, U.S. Dept. of Justice. 1982–1998, deputy chief counsel, Senate Permanent Subc. on Investigations. 1984–1987, adjunct professor, American University School of Justice. 1997–1999, chief counsel, Special Matters Unit, Office of General Counsel, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. 1999–2000, acting asst. secretary and deputy asst. secretary, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. 2000–2003, deputy director, National Technical Information Service, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. 2005– 2007, deputy director, Homeland Security Institute. 2007–present, chief counsel, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

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Sopko said the subcommittee in 2008 will also investigate a number of environmental issues. These include an investigation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s effectiveness in pursuing criminal fines and penalties for polluters, environmental problems caused by Defense Department facilities and “what the EPA is doing, if anything, about them,” he said. Another major focus will involve the management of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing process. Sopko noted that both committee chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., as well as subcommittee chairman Bart Stupak, D-Mich., are particularly interested in “ensuring that the public can trust the NRC to ensure safety and security for our older nuclear plants and any new ones that may come on line.” Sopko was recruited to join the Energy and Commerce Committee staff by Dingell after an extensive career on and off Capitol Hill that gave him significant experience with national security, commerce, trade, and investigations. He previously served on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, where he developed and implemented investigative strategies to examine all aspects of homeland security, including all major policies, programs, and procurement activities of DHS and other government agencies involved in homeland security and counter-terrorism activities. Sopko is a member of the Ohio and District of Columbia bars and has top-secret and SCI clearances.



Bridgett Taylor Professional Staff Member 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2927

Expertise: Health policy, Medicaid/Medicare. Bridgett Taylor in 2008 continues to work to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program as well as pushing for mental health parity and a number of issues related to Medicare and Medicaid. President Bush and the Democratic majority last year clashed on the degree to which SCHIP, the popular program aimed at providing insurance to low-income children whose households earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, shoudl be enlarged. Bush sought a $5 billion expansion of the program while Democrats sought a larger $35 billion increase. Congress ultimately could not override Bush’s veto of the larger expansion. This year that issue remains relevant to the committee, which held two hearings on it early in the year. “We’re trying to keep the visibility of it elevated in the event that we have the opportunity to do something on it again,” Taylor said. “The assumption is that the earliest opportunity would be sometime this summer if they do a big Medicare bill, but it’s really up in the air.” Providing mental health parity—making sure mental health insurance coverage is the same as health care—is a perennial issue. But there’s an added thrust this year because a Senate Republican who has championed the issue, Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, is retiring. The Senate last year passed a bill, and Taylor said she’s hopeful the House will pass its own this year so the two bodies can finalize a final measure.

Personal: Born in Gainesville, Fla.

Education: B.B.A., University of Houston.

Professional: 1977–1989, government relations officer, Hermann Hospital, Houston. 1990–1991, health legislation coordinator, State of Texas Office (Washington, D.C. 1991–1995, associate dir. for health, Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1995–present, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.


Medicare and Medicaid, always a part of her portfolio, continue to be a focus. On Medicaid, committee Democrats are “very concerned about waht the administration is doing through regulatory authority, which we don’t think he has the statutory basis for doing,” Taylor said. She added that chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., and other committee Democrats are particularly concerned about a reduction in school-based services for disabled children and the amount of rehabilitation services a child can get. On Medicare, the committee is geared up for a potential crisis in June, when doctors who accept Medicare expect to see a 10 percent cut in payment. “Congress ultimately needs to fix the formula, but it takes a lot of money and nobody has the solution at the tip of their fingers,” she said. Taylor, a native of Florida who spent much of her life in Texas, earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston. Since then, she has spent has more than a quarter of a century in the field of health care policy, and the past 13 years working for the Energy and Commerce Committee on health issues.

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Consuela M. Washington Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection 2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2927 consuela.washington@mail. house.gov

Expertise: SEC, stock market, financial institution reform. Consuela Washington, a veteran of the Energy and Commerce Committee since 1981, is a specialist on financial institution reform, the stock market and the SEC. As chief counsel to the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Bobby Rush, DIll., Washington manages staff and issues at both the committee and subcommittee levels that deal with oversight of the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Commission as well as the coordination of privacy legislation for the full committee. Consumer protection was at the forefront during 2008, when the CPSC recalled a rash of lead-contaminated toys manufactured in China. The committee responded to the recalls by introducing a package of bills designed to overhaul consumer protection standards as well as beef up funding at the agency. The CPSC, an agency that employed nearly 1,000 during the Reagan administration, now employs closer to 400. Working on a $62 million budget as of last year, the agency expected to regulate more than 15,000 types of consumer products.


Education: B.A., Upper Iowa University, 1970. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1973.

Professional: 1970–1971, law clerk, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. 1973–1974, associate, Kirkland & Ellis. 1975, counsel, corporate law department, Allis-Chalmers Corporation. 1976–1979, special counsel, attorney/adviser, Office of the Chief Counsel, Division of Corporate Finance, Securities and Exchange Commission. 1979–1981, staff member, House Cmte. on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. 1981– 1994, counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1995–2000, Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2001–2006, senior Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2007–present, chief counsel, Subc. on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce.

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Rush and Energy and Commerce Committee chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., pushed for a nationwide limit for lead levels in toys that would decrease over the span of years; a third-party testing requirement for certain children’s products; and to give the commission more authority in product recalls. The committee—and the House—ultimately passed a bill that would implement a graduated reduction of lead standards and require manufacturers to include tracking labels to help if a toy was recalled. It also mandated third-party testing of toys with lead by labs accredited with the CPSC. Finally, it beefed up the CPSC’s budget to $100 million by fiscal year 2011, with an additional $20 million to modernize its testing laboratory. Investigating drug use in sports beyond Major League Baseball will continue to be a priority in 2008. This year lawmakers plan to broaden the inquiry into horse racing, hockey, basketball and other sports, including high school sports. Rush has said he plans to introduce legislation after gathering testimony. Another focus for the subcommittee is the antitrust implications of Microsoft’s $44.6 billion bid to takeover of Yahoo. Rush has vowed to hold hearings investigating the impact of such a merger on competition and consumer privacy. The committee will also continue work to to improve the transparency and integrity of over-the-counter trading of energy derivatives. Washington’s focus is the effects of this market on consumer energy prices. Many large natural gas customer groups blame OTC trading for pushing up the price of natural gas in recent years, with the result being that many manufacturing firms are being forced offshore because energy prices are too high.


Committee on Financial Services 2129 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4247 http://financialservices.house.gov/


MINORITY MEMBERS

Barney Frank, MA-4th, Chairman

Spencer Bachus, AL-6th, Ranking Member

Paul E. Kanjorski, PA-11th Maxine Waters, CA-35th Carolyn B. Maloney, NY-14th Luis V. Gutierrez, IL-4th Nydia M. Velázquez, NY-12th Melvin L. Watt, NC-12th Gary L. Ackerman, NY-5th Brad Sherman, CA-27th Gregory W. Meeks, NY-6th Dennis Moore, KS-3rd Michael E. Capuano, MA-8th Rubén Hinojosa, TX-15th William Lacy Clay, MO-1st Carolyn McCarthy, NY-4th Joe Baca, CA-43rd Stephen F. Lynch, MA-9th Brad Miller, NC-13th David Scott, GA-13th Al Green, TX-9th Emanuel Cleaver, MO-5th Melissa L. Bean, IL-8th Gwen Moore, WI-4th Lincoln Davis, TN-4th Albio Sires, NJ-13th Paul W. Hodes, NH-2nd Keith Ellison, MN-5th Ron Klein, FL-22nd Tim Mahoney, FL-16th Charles Wilson, OH-6th Ed Perlmutter, CO-7th Christopher S. Murphy, CT-5th Joe Donnelly, IN-2nd Robert Wexler, FL-19th Jim Marshall, GA-8th Dan Boren, OK-2nd

Deborah Pryce, OH-15th Michael N. Castle, DE-At Large Peter King, NY-3rd Edward R. Royce, CA-40th Frank D. Lucas, OK-6th Ron Paul, TX-14th Steven C. LaTourette, OH-19th Donald A. Manzullo, IL-16th Walter B. Jones, NC-3rd Judy Biggert, IL-13th Christopher Shays, CT-4th Gary G. Miller, CA-42nd Shelley Moore Capito, WV-2nd Tom Feeney, FL-24th Jeb Hensarling, TX-5th Scott Garrett, NJ-5th Ginny Brown-Waite, FL-5th J. Gresham Barrett, SC-3rd Jim Gerlach, PA-6th Stevan Pearce, NM-2nd Randy Neugebauer, TX-19th Tom Price, GA-6th Geoff Davis, KY-4th Patrick T. McHenry, NC-10th John Campbell, CA-48th Adam Putnam, FL-12th Michele Bachmann, MN-6th Peter J. Roskam, IL-6th Kenny Marchant, TX-24th Thaddeus McCotter, MI-11th Kevin McCarthy, CA-22nd Dean Heller, NV-2nd


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HOUSE FINANCIAL SERVICES JURISDICTION (1) Banks and banking, including deposit insurance and federal monetary policy. (2) Economic stabilization, defense production, renegotiation, and control of the price of commodities, rents, and services. (3) Financial aid to commerce and industry (other than transportation). (4) Insurance generally. (5) International finance. (6) International financial and monetary organizations. (7) Money and credit, including currency and the issuance of notes and redemption thereof; gold and silver, including the coinage thereof; valuation and revaluation of the dollar. (8) Public and private housing. (9) Securities and exchanges. (10) Urban development.

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HOUSE FINANCIAL SERVICES With the storm clouds looming on the horizon for the United States economy, the issues before the House Financial Services Committee will draw significant attention from a number of different constituencies representing both business and consumer interest. The committee managed to do its part on many of the major goals for 2007, with legislation extending the federal terrorism reinsurance backstop under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act being signed into law, and legislation to reform and extend the National Flood Insurance Program winning House passage. Among the major policy debates expected to take place this year will be the proposal by committee Democrats to assist homeowners facing foreclosures by purchasing mortgage loans from lenders through the Federal Housing Authority and allowing the homeowners to refinance. That proposal could cost as much as $15 billion. In addition the Democrats, lead by chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., have also called for grant or loan programs to help potential homeowners purchase properties that have been abandoned or foreclosed, and to help stabilize neighborhoods as well as the real estate market. Republicans have remained skeptical of such a significant policy change, as seen in comments by ranking minority member Spencer Bachus, R-Ala. “We must also avoid the kind of legislative overreaction that creates the wrong incentives and lays the groundwork for future housing bubbles,” Baucus said at a February 2008 hearing on the committee’s budget priorities. In addition the committee will be examining other areas impacted by the credit crunch, such as the market for municipal bonds and the bond insurance market. One of the important issues is the availability and cost of credit for municipalities to fund local projects through bond market, and the possibility that those municipalities would have to scale back projects or services. “It is now clear that state and local governments have become the innocent victims of the credit crisis and they are being unfairly punished for market conditions far beyond their control. This committee will place a very high priority on this issue,” Frank said during a February hearing. “Cities and states may now be forced to pull back or significantly decrease infrastructure investments and other vital services, which is the wrong thing economically and will leave shortfalls in this critical area,” he added. The committee has also turned its investigative eye toward the hedge fund industry, a privately managed, lightly regulated investment vehicle that is often leveraged and typically open to only a limited number of investors. Although such funds have become more transparent and improved their risk management, a recent report released by the Government Accountability Office said they remain a potential risk and require additional monitoring. Frank was joined by two other members of the committee—Capital Markets Subcommittee chairman Paul Kanjorski, D-Penn., and Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass.—in requesting the GAO conduct a follow-up study. “We need to ensure that we have adequate knowledge of this sector of our capital markets and effective market discipline, especially as the pension assets of more and more Americans are invested in hedge funds,” said Kanjorski, in late February. “The GAO report details the risk-management improvements and transparency advances made by hedge funds, financial institutions, and regulators, but concludes that there is still the potential for systemic risk. We must therefore remain very watchful in this field,” he said.


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HOUSE FINANCIAL SERVICES

Michael Borden Senior Counsel B371a Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7502 Phone: (202) 225-7502 [email protected]

Expertise: Financial institutions, consumer credit issues, government sponsored enterprises. Michael Borden joined the committee as counsel in 2007 after his former boss, Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, was defeated in the 2006 election. He was promoted to senior counsel after the departure of Dina Ellis, and serves as the lead staff legislative adviser for the Committee’s ranking minority member, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala. Borden said his top priority in 2008 is be subprime lending. Although the House passed legislation on the issue in late November of last year, he said that remains among the biggest problems rippling though the troubled U.S. economy. “It’s hard to imagine” the subprime lending issue moving away the forefront, Borden said. The importance of resolving the sub prime mortgage crisis was emphasized by Bachus at a December 2007 committee hearing on the issue. “Although estimates vary, upwards of 2 million sub prime adjustable rate mortgages are expected to reset over the next 18 months,” Bachus said. “If, as many experts predict, a significant number of these borrowers are unable to make their mortgage payments once their introductory rates expire, the result could be a wave of foreclosures that would deepen the housing downturn and damage our economy.” The House measure, which has yet to be taken up by the Senate, would ban mortgage prepayment penalties and take other steps to curb predatory lending. Borden said that credit card practices will also be an issue on the agenda this year.

Personal: Born 1977 in Tarzana, Calif.

Education: B.A., with distincition, Yale, 1999. J.D., University of Chicago, 2003.

Professional: 2004–2007, legislative assistant, Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa. 2007–present, senior counsel, House Cmte. on Financial Services. 2007, cousel, House Cmte. on Financial Services.

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“For the spring, I think we will be pretty active,” on that issue, he said, particularly as the committee considers legislation introduced in February by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., that would regulate credit card rate hikes. Borden may also be revisiting some of the work he did in his former position. Ryan Donovan, vice president of legislative affairs for the Credit Union National Association told States News Service in January that he expects the committee to take up the 2006 internet gambling ban originally sponsored by Borden’s former boss. The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Board have crafted a joint proposal to implement the ban, but sixteen House Republicans have written a letter to the two agencies cautioning that the proposal would have significant unintended consequences for credit card companies and other financial institutions.



Cindy Vosper Chetti

Expertise: Housing issues.

Senior Professional Staff Member

With the housing crunch and mortgage crises continuing to make headlines, 2008 promises to be a busy year for Cindy Vosper Chetti and others who specialize in housing and mortgage issues.

B371a Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7502 Phone: (202) 225-7502 [email protected]

As a senior professional staff member for Housing, Chetti works to help identify, coordinate and put into action strategies for the Republican lawmamkers on the full committee as well as the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee, and also helps to plan hearings and markups. The committee last year passed a bipartisan piece of legislation, H.R. 3915, “The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007” to establish a national standard designed to curb abusive lending practices that contributed to the current mortgage crisis. The bill was passed by the House, but has not made progress in the Senate. Committee work is continuing on housing issues, particularly legislation aimed to help keep housing affordable. In listing its priorities for the 2009 budget, the committee called for maintaining the budget levels for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Rural Housing Service. The committee’s ranking member, Rep. Spencer Bachus, RAla., said the priorities listed by the committee involved “several suggestions” from the minority, but also contained several important differences between Democrats and Republicans, specifically in the area of Housing.


Education: B.S., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1975.

Professional: 1981–1983, legislative asst., Rep. Marge Roukema, R-N.J. 1983–1986, legislative dir., Rep. Marge Roukema, R-N.J. 1986–1989, chief of staff, Rep. Marge Roukema, R-N.J. 1994–2000, professional staff, House Cmte. on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, Subc. on Financial Services and Consumer Credit. 2001–present, sr. professional staff member, House Cmte. on Financial Services.


The majority proposal called for spending as much as $35 billion in total for programs that would help Americans purchase abandoned or foreclosed homes at below market value, and finance the purchase of mortgages by the federal government to help homeowners refinance. While the committee notes that the program would require lenders to write down the value of the loans, and would exclude investor purchased properties and second homes, other Minority Members expressed skepticism as well. “If the economy continues to be a problem, you’ll probably have more people jumping onto this,” Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., a member of the panel, told the Associated Press. Garrett said he is skeptical of the idea, saying it would reward investors and borrowers who made bad decisions and merely provide incentive for others to do so in the future. Chetti has been working on financial services and federal housing policy issues for over 20 years, and has worked for the Financial Services Committee since 2001. She previously served as chief of staff to Rep. Marge Roukema R-N.J., and is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

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Jim Clinger Republican Chief Counsel B-371A Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7502 [email protected]

Expertise: Financial institutions and banking. Jim Clinger returned to the House Financial Services Committee staff in 2007 after a brief stint with the Department of Justice, where he took part in the investigations into the allegedly improper messages between former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., and congressional pages. Prior to working for the Justice Department, Clinger had served as senior banking counsel to former chairman Mike Oxley, R-Ohio, when the Republican Party held the majority in the House. Now in the minority, Republicans are working to counter the arguments being made by the majority on economic issues. “While economic growth has clearly slowed—and the threats to our economy should not in any way be minimized—nothing that has transpired over the past six months detracts from the competitive strength of U.S. businesses and the innovativeness and productivity of American workers, which are unrivalled in the world,” said the committee’s ranking minority member, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala. “Moreover, proactive steps taken by the Federal Reserve and financial regulators—combined with responses from the private sector and the natural operation of the business cycle—should help to ensure that the current economic slowdown is limited in its duration and severity,” he added.

Personal: Born 04/04/1961 in Warren, Pa.

Education: B.A., high distinction, University of Virginia, 1983. J.D., University of Virginia, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1995, associate, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan. 1995–2001, senior counsel/ asst. staff dir., Subc. on Oversight and Investigation, House Cmte. on Banking and Financial Services. 2001–2005, senior banking counsel, House Cmte. on Financial Services. 2005–2006, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, U.S. Dept. of Justice. 2006–2007, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, U.S Dept. of Justice. 2006–2007, acting associate attorney general, Office of Legislative Affairs, Justice Dept. 2007– present, Republican chief counsel, House Cmte. on Financial Services.

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Bachus argued that the actions taken by the Fed to cut the federal funds rate, along with the recently passed economic stimulus package, should begin to have an effect on the economy in the summer of 2008 and bring about a return to stable economic growth in 2009. “At that point, the Fed’s primary challenge will shift from avoiding a significant economic downturn to containing the inflationary pressures in our economy reflected in the CPI and PPI numbers released by the government over the past two weeks,” Bachus said. What’s important for policymakers to keep in mind, Rep. Bachus noted, is the importance of remembering how inter-related the financial markets are and the value of transparency in regulatory changes. “While these are challenging times, it’s important that we face up to the problems and solve them quickly,” he said. “As painful as that process is in the short-term, it’s far preferable to the kind of delay and denial that marked the Japanese response to financial turmoil in the 1990s. And it’s the reason why I continue to have great confidence in the resiliency of the American economy.” Clinger is a graduate from the University of Virginia, both for his undergraduate degree as well as his law degree. His father was Rep. William Clinger, R-Pa., who served as chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.



Robert M. Gordon Republican Senior Counsel B371a Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7502 [email protected]

Expertise: Insurance, financial services, commerce, consumer protection. Robert Gordon joined the House Financial Services Committee staff the same year as terrorists slammed aircrafts into the Pentagon and World Trade Center. Last year the panel met one of the most important legislative goals that came as a result of the 2001 attacks: extending the program created by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002. President Bush signed the extension into law in December, just a few days before the legislation was poised to expire. It was the first close call. The previous extension also was signed shortly before it was set to expire in 2005. Originally designed as a temporary backstop to give the insurance industry a chance to recover after the attacks, the latest extension will maintain the program for the next seven years and removes a distinction between acts of terrorism committed by foreign or domestic groups. The legislation was largely based on the Senate’s proposal for an extension rather than that of the House, which would have extended the program for 15 years. It however, had had the support of the Financial Services Committee’s ranking minority member, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala. “While it is not a perfect bill, the Senate’s TRIA extension is a reasonable, bipartisan compromise that will ensure the continued vitality of our commercial insurance markets operating under the threat of global terrorism,” he said.

Personal: Born 12/29/1966 in Lafayette, Calif.

Education: B.A., political science, University of California at Berkeley, 1986. M.B.A., Claremont Graduate School, 1988. J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1990.

Professional: 1990–1992, associate, Wiley, Rein & Fielding. 1992–1994, legislative counsel, Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif. 1994–2001, counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2001–present, Republican senior counsel, House Cmte. on Financial Services.


A similar conflict between the House and Senate can be seen in another major insurance task in 2008 for the committee: reforming the National Flood Insurance Program which currently is set to expire at the end of the year. The NFIP incurred over $20 billion in debt to the U.S. Treasury in the wake of the 2005 Hurricane season, a debt which even NFIP and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials acknowledge is unlikely to ever be paid off. The House NFIP reform legislation includes a provision to add windstorm coverage to the program in an effort to resolve issues relating to claims adjusting after the 2005 storms, but that proposal has been criticized for adding to the exposure of an already financially overburdened program. The committee is also expected to continue debating the potential of a federal regulator for insurance companies. The issue has been a mainstay for the committee for the past few years, with legislation most recently having been introduced by Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif. It has failed to gain traction, however, as both lawmakers as well as insurance industry groups, remain divided on the concept and representatives of the states express firm opposition.

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Todd Harper Democratic Professional Staff Member/Legislative Director Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises 2129 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6511 Fax: (202) 225-6952 [email protected]

Expertise: Banking and financial services, social regulatory business policy, health care, environment. Todd Harper said he expects 2008 to be a busy year for the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Securities, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, given the current outlook for the economy. One of the issues topping his priority list is reforming government-sponsored enterprises, although he noted that “may depend on what the Senate does,” with legislation that has already moved through the House, H.R. 1427, the Federal Housing Financial Reform Act. Sponsored by the full committee chairman, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the measure overhauls regulatory oversight of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks. It creates a new, independent regulator with broad powers similar to current banking regulators. The Senate has not yet moved on a similar measure. Meanwhile, Harper said that the continued oversight of ratings agencies will also be a priority. The subcommittee began its work in the 110th Congress with a hearing last September, “coincidentally when the rating agencies came under scrutiny” for their actions in the sub-prime mortgage crisis, he said.

Personal: Born 05/19/1967 in Charleston, Ill.

Education: B.S, business analysis, with minors in political science and Germanic studies, Indiana University, 1990. M.P.P., Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Govt., 1996.

Professional: 1990–1994, policy program analyst, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1996–1998, senior legislative asst., Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa. 1999–present, Democratic professional staff member and leg. dir., Subc. on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, House Cmte. on Financial Services and Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa. 2007–present, policy adviser, Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa.

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These credit ratings agencies are designated by the Securities and Exchange Commission as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and assess the credit of structured finance products like mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations. The subcommittee, he said, will also examine the bond insurance industry which are used by municipalities to lower the interest rates on the bonds they issue. Regulation will also be at the forefront of another committee effort as it continues to examine the potential for an optional federal charter for insurance companies. The issue has surfaced in the past few years as insurance companies have argued that the current system in which they are subject to regulators in over 50 jurisdictions is burdensome and duplicative. Other insurance issues may include areas such as claims adjuster reforms in the wake of the 2005 hurricane season to allow claims adjusters to work across insurance lines and speed payment to policyholders. The subcommittee also may revisit the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers concept that included in the 1999 GrammLeach-Bliley Act to spur the states to making their insurance agent and broker licensing requirements uniform. Reinsurance collateral issues “may be a hot topic” in 2008, Harper said, as well as the role of so-called “sovereign wealth funds” in the marketplace. Extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, signed into law in December, consumed much of the committee’s ttention in 2007.



Scott R. Olson Democratic Professional Staff Member 2129 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4247 Fax: (202) 225-6952 [email protected]

Expertise: Housing. In December of 2007, Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fla. listed Democratic staff member Scott Olson as among those whose work “will help thousands of seniors live their lives with the dignity they deserve.” Mahoney made the comment regarding the “Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2007,” H.R. 2930, which passed the House three months after being unanimously approved by the Financial Services Committee. The bill, which is awaiting action by the Senate, would help preserve the existing supply and help foster the development of affordable housing for seniors, as well as helping seniors deal with issues such as utility costs spikes. It would also help maintain and upgrade existing Section 202 housing—specifically designed for low-income elderly residents—allowing property owners to seek financing for the rehabilitation and improvement of current housing, while keeping costs low for their residents. Olson’s agenda for 2008 includes helping to fulfill the priorities recently outlined by the committee, including a proposal to have the federal government purchase mortgage loans to help homeowners facing foreclosure refinance their loans to more affordable terms. The committee said the plan, which would likely work through the Federal Housing Authority, may cost the federal government as much as $15 billion.

Education: B.A., Stanford University, 1977. M.B.A., UCLA, 1980.

Professional: 1981–1985, investment banker, Birr, Wilson & Co. 1986, mortgage banker, Birr, Wilson & Co. 1987–1988, investment banker, Johnston, Lemon & Co. 1989–1991, mortgage banker, Johnston, Lemon & Co. 1992–1996, legislative dir., Rep. Bill Orton, D-Utah. 1997–1998, Democratic professional staff member, Subc. on Housing and Community Opportunity. 1999–2001, Democratic professional staff member, House Cmte. on Banking and Financial Services. 2001–present, Democratic professional staff member, House Cmte. on Financial Services.


Additionally, the committee called for the government to provide grants or loans to help homeowners purchase additional properties that have already been foreclosed on or abandoned at below market value, which could cost an additional $20 billion. Such a program, according a document released by the committee outlining its priorities, “would be to help stabilize home prices and to begin to reverse the serious physical deterioration of neighborhoods with high numbers of sub prime borrowers, defaults, and foreclosures.” The committee will also seek to expand the FHA by allowing it to contract out for expert help in developing underwriting criteria for refinanced loans and to help ensure the quality of loans being made, and to provide additional funding for these activities as well as added personnel and for activities such as loan processing. “This will require additional FHA administrative funding in the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2009 and possibly in subsequent years, in an estimated range of several hundred million dollars a year,” the committee said in February when it released its budget priorities. The committee will also seek to strengthen federal housing counseling grants by increasing their funding over 2008 levels by $200 million.

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Joe Pinder Senior Professional Staff Member B371a Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7502 [email protected]

Expertise: Coins, medals, domestic and international policy. One of Joe Pinder’s most recent legislative successes came on the last day of 2007 when President Bush signed into law S. 2271, the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007. In House debate on the bill, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., said the legislation “has the potential to give hundreds of thousands of peaceful and unarmed men, women, and children in Darfur an increased chance of surviving the genocide.” As a senior professional staff member on the House Financial Services Committee, Pinder was among the aides whom ranking minority member Bachus thanked for their work on the issue on the floor of the House. He also was praised by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., at a February hearing related to a signing statement President Bush attached to the bill. The law was designed to make it easier for states and municipalities to divest their pension funds from companies that do business with Sudan. The signing statement added by the president questioned the constitutionality of the law, and drew concern from both parties. Aiding Darfur, Baucus said, “is a goal that I do believe is shared by the administration.”

Personal: Born 01/06/1951 in Grinnell, Iowa.

Education: B.S., Boston University, 1972.

Professional: 1972–1974, education editor, Grinnel (Iowa) Herald-Register. 1979–1988, reporter, Worcester (Mass.) Telegram. 1988–1993, press secretary, Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa. 1990– 1992, adjunct professor in journalism, American University. 1993–1994, Republican press secretary, House Cmte. on Banking. 1995–1996, Republican deputy communications director, House Cmte. on Banking. 1996–present, sr. professional staff member, House Cmte. on Financial Services.

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But, he added, “In regard to the signing statement, let me first say that communications between this White House and Congress have been problematic on many issues. Obviously, this is an additional one. I’m disappointed by the State Department in what appears, on its face, to be arrogant and also an ignorance of the duties and obligations as well as the powers vested in the legislative branch by the Constitution.” Frank was a good deal harsher. “Apparently we have an admnistration so wedded to the notion of ever-increasing executive power that it is willing to put its interest in enhanced executive power and diminished ability for others in this country to speak up ahead of commitment to ending the genocide in Darfur,” Frank said. While Pinder will likely continue to have Sudan still on his plate this year, it’s one of several issues. He also is an expert on medals and coins, and helped to make the argument that dollar coins could provide a benefit to certain sectors of the economy. He played an important role on legislation to allow the U.S. Mint to create distinctive new dollar coins for each of the U.S. presidents. Pinder began working on Capitol Hill in 1993, and he served in a variety of communications and other staff positions before joining the Financial Services Committee in 2001. Among his former positions was working was press secretary for Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, the chairman of the House Banking Committee, which preceded the Financial Services Committee.



Jeanne M. Roslanowick Democratic Staff Director/General Counsel 2129 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7141 Fax: (202) 225-6952 [email protected]

Expertise: International finance and development, financial services, consumer protection, housing. As staff director and chief counsel for the Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee, Jeanne Roslanowick’s job is to help committee chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., implement to objectives he has laid out for 2008. Among the major plans for 2008 are initiatives to ease the predatory and subprime mortgage lending crisis. Among the concerns for committee Democrats is their belief that some borrowers were shifted into the “subprime” category because they were African-American or Hispanic. Democrats will also look to beef up enforcement in the financial sectors, including a call for an additional $30 million for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s budget to hire more enforcement personnel. The House last year passed legislation from the committee to provide financial regulators at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, National Credit Union Administration, and Office of Thrift Supervision, and the committee said it expects those regulators to issue regulation taking advantage of their new authority in the near future. Another financial regulatory arena that will be closely examined is the bond industry. The committee has already begun holding hearings on the problems facing the bond industry, and the impact of those problems on municipalities.

Personal: Born 08/31/1948 in Erie, Pa.

Education: B.A., magna cum laude, political science and English, Marquette University, 1970. M.P.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1972. J.D., Yale Law School, 1979.

Professional: 1972–1976, staff member, Dept. of Public Welfare (Boston, Mass.). 1980–1983, associate, Patton, Boggs, and Blow (Washington, D.C.). 1983–1987, counsel, Subc. on Economic Stabilization, House Cmte. on Banking and Financial Services. 1987–1993, senior counsel, House Cmte. on Small Business. 1993–1994, staff dir., House Cmte. on Small Business. 1995– 1997, Democratic staff dir., House Cmte. on Small Business. 1998–2001, Democratic staff dir./general counsel, House Cmte. on Banking and Financial Services. 2001–present, Democratic staff dir./general counsel, House Cmte. on Financial Services.


“It is now clear that state and local governments have become the innocent victims of the credit crisis and they are being unfairly punished for market conditions far beyond their control. This committee will place a very high priority on this issue,” said Frank. “Cities and states may now be forced to pull back or significantly decrease infrastructure investments and other vital services, which is the wrong thing economically and will leave shortfalls in this critical area.” Roslanowick also wears the hat of an expert in international finance and development, and the committee is continuing its push to provide debt relief for developing nations to alleviate suffering and improve the lives of their citizens. The committee has made its agreement with the White House public on this issue, saying it “strongly supports” the president’s budget request of $141 million in the Fiscal Year 2009 for debt restructuring, which includes U.S. contributions to the Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative. Additionally, the committee voiced support for the Bush administration’s call for $1.24 billion to be included in the budget for the first of three payments to the fifteenth replenishment of the World Bank’s International Development Association.

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Committee on Foreign Affairs 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5021 Fax: (202) 225-2035 http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/ Ratio: 26/23 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Howard L. Berman, CA-28th, Chairman

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, FL-18th, Ranking Member

Gary L. Ackerman, NY-5th Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, AS Donald M. Payne, NJ-10th Brad Sherman, CA-27th Robert Wexler, FL-19th Eliot L. Engel, NY-17th William D. Delahunt, MA-10th Gregory W. Meeks, NY-6th Diane E. Watson, CA-33rd Adam Smith, WA-9th Russ Carnahan, MO-3rd John S. Tanner, TN-8th Gene Green, TN-29th Lynn C. Woolsey, CA-6th Sheila Jackson Lee, TX-18th Ruben Hinojosa, TX-15th Joseph Crowley, NY-7th David Wu, OR-1st Brad Miller, NC-13th Linda T. Sanchez, CA-39th David Scott, GA-13th Jim Costa, CA-20th Albio Sires, NJ-13th Gabrielle Giffords, AR-8th Ron Klein, FL-22nd


Christopher H. Smith, NJ-4th Dan Burton, IN-5th Elton Gallegly, CA-24th Dana Rohrabacher, CA-46th Donald A. Manzullo, IL-16th Edward R. Royce, CA-40th Steve Chabot, OH-1st Thomas G. Tancredo, CO-6th Ron Paul, TX-14th Jeff Flake, AZ-6th Mike Pence, IN-6th Joe Wilson, SC-2nd John Boozman, AR-3rd J. Gresham Barrett, SC-3rd Connie Mack, FL-14th Jeff Fortenberry, NE-1st Michael T. McCaul, TX-10th Ted Poe, TX-2nd Bob Inglis, SC-4th Luis G. Fortuno, PR Gus Bilirakis, FL-9th Robert Wittman, VA-1st

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HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

Relations of the United States with foreign nations generally. Acquisition of land and buildings for embassies and legations in foreign countries. Establishment of boundary lines between the United States and foreign nations. Export controls, including nonproliferation of nuclear technology and nuclear hardware. Foreign loans. International commodity agreements (other than those involving sugar), including all agreements for cooperation in the export of nuclear technology and nuclear hardware. (7) International conferences and congresses. (8) International education. (9) Intervention abroad and declarations of war. (10) Diplomatic service. (11) Measures to foster commercial intercourse with foreign nations and to safeguard American business interests abroad. (12) International economic policy. (13) Neutrality. (14) Protection of American citizens abroad and expatriation. (15) The American National Red Cross. (16) Trading with the enemy. (17) United Nations organizations.

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HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS In addition to its legislative jurisdiction under the preceding provisions of this introduction (and its general oversight function under clause 2(b)(1)), the committee shall have the special oversight functions provided for in clause 3(d) with respect to customs administration, intelligence activities relating to foreign policy, international financial and monetary organizations, and international fishing agreements. The House Foreign Affairs Commitee bade farewell to one leader and welcomed another this year with the death of its chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif. Lantos, 80, died in February after a short battle with esophageal cancer. The Hungarian-born immigrant and Holocaust survivor led the panel for one year. In that time, he said before he died, “we have addressed the most pressing issues facing the American people.” He credited the Democratic takeover in 2006 reinvigorating congressional oversight in the realm of foreign affairs. “From climate change to nuclear nonproliferation, this committee has moved in a new direction over the past year, and I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished.” Another Californian, Rep. Howard Berman, succeeded Lantos as chairman. In addition to keeping Lantos’ seasoned staff, Berman also is continuing Lantos’s tradition of keeping a close eye on human rights violaions across the globe. “While I can never replicate the unique historical perspective and natural eloquence that Chairman Tom Lantos brought to this position, I’ll work very hard as chairman to repair the damage done to America’s standing in the world over the past seven years by this administration,” Berman said when he was formally named chairman in March. “My highest priority will be to reassert the role of Congress in developing a foreign policy that reflects our national interests and is true to our values,” he said. Berman sad he intends to step up the panel’s legislative activity and resume the panel’s longdormant charge of authorizing foreign aid and State Department bills. He also said he wants to overhaul U.S. assistance programs to make foreign aid “more effective, ensure that our moey isn’t wasted or diverted and make sure we get the best bang for our buck.” Iraq, of course, continues to be a top priority. Last year the committee held 20 oversight hearings on the topic, including a high-profile appearance by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker in a joint hearing with the Armed Services Committee. Additional full committee hearing topics included Iran, the future of the United Nations, the political environment in Russia, and non-proliferation efforts involving North Korea. The full committee and its subcommittees held nearly 150 hearings and markups in 2007, and considered 108 pieces of legislation. Key legislation adopted by the committee included the implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act and the International Nuclear Fuel for Peace and Nonproliferation Act. Lantos authored the latter two bills, which institute economic sanctions on Iran and create an international nuclear fuel bank from which all nations could draw fuel for peaceful civilian purposes. The panel’s other legislative accomplishments included the Afghan Freedom and Security Support Act, written jointly by Lantos and ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, which provides funding for development, economic and security assistance programs in Afghanistan and addresses the growing threat of narcotics; and the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act, a Lantos initiative to promote overseas study and cultural exchange among college students of all income levels. Lantos also sponsored legislation tightening sanctions against the military junta ruling Burma, the Block Burma JADE (Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act, which passed both the full House and the Senate. Finally, he wrote legislation to combat modern-day slavery and human trafficking and chaired a hearing on the role of Yahoo! in enabling human rights abuses in China. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

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David Abramowitz Chief Counsel 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5021 Fax: (202) 225-2035 [email protected]

Expertise: Human rights, rule of law, State Department, democracy. When David Abramowitz first took over as chief counsel for the House Foreign Affairs Committee following years serving in the then-Democratic minority, he anticipated that his staff would undertake “a big agenda.” This year, the committee—formerly named the House Committee on International Relations but redubbed Foreign Affairs under the Democrats—Abramowitz will finish work on committee legislation that passed last year, including the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 2007, the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007 and the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2007. The Afghanistan measure, which passed the House in June, authorizes $30 million annually for three years for Afghanled nonprofits, as well as funding to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs. The Iran measure, meanwhile, closes loopholes in existing sanctions bills, the trafficking act requires a comprehensive analysis of trafficking data. Several other measures he worked on last year became public law, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Enhancement Act, the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 and Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007.


Education: B.A., Kalamazoo College, 1981. J.D., University of Michigan, 1986.

Professional: 1986–1988, law clerk, Chief Judge Philip Pratt, Eastern District of Michigan. 1988, travel fellowship to South Africa for human rights work. 1989–1999, attorney/adviser, Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, U.S. Dept. of State. 1993–1995, acting asst. legal adviser, Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, U.S. Dept. of State. 1999–present, Democratic chief counsel, House Cmte. On Foreign Affairs.

The latter included several titles in the foreign affairs area. Among Abramowitz’ tasks on the 9/11 Commission recommendations was overseeing the creation of a common approach with America’s partners in the war on terror in dealing with the treatment of detainees. While the Intelligence Committee and Armed Services Committee had primary jurisdiction over what the common rules regarding detainees should be, Abramowitz’s committee played a key role in monitoring the progress. Finally, the committee remains active on a broad range of foreign policy issues, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, the Middle East, the Russian Federation and nuclear nonproliferation. Abramowitz also expects to concentrate this year on reauthorizing the U.S. HIV/AIDS assistance program. Abramowitz—who worked several years for Democratic chairman Tom Lantos, the California Democrat who died in February at age 80 after a battle with cancer—drafts legislation, provides legal opinions for committee Democrats, and handles issues in the areas of human rights and the rule of law. The new chairman, Rep. Howard Berman, DCalif., has kept Lantos’ staffers and other longtime commttee aides on the panel. The Chicago native is also an adjunct professor at the George Washington University School of Law. He speaks regularly on panels, and in 2005 addressed a symposium entitled “Lawyers and Wars,” regarding the role of the lawyer in warfare.

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Doug Anderson Republican Chief Counsel G3-L2 Rayburn House Office Bldg Phone: (202) 226-8467 Fax: (202) 226-5887 [email protected]

Expertise: Asia, the Pacific, State Department, Executive Branch. During his six years on the formerly named House Committee on International Affairs—now the House Foreign Affairs Committee—Doug Anderson has moved in a rarified world. As the committee’s senior counsel for five years, he had classified interaction with executive branch agencies, traveled around the globe and was the primary staff-level drafter, strategist, and negotiator on a number of foreign policy initiatives. Anderson is a veteran of more than 100 congressional hearings. He has worked on countless pieces of legislation, including State Department budget authorization bills, as well as congressional policy statements on numerous House resolutions. Under former GOP chairman Henry Hyde, RIll., he was the top aide working to shape the North Korean Human Rights Act and the multi-billion dollar Compact of Free Association Amendments Act, which helped to secure U.S. strategic interests in vast portions of the Pacific. Hyde, who died in 2007, wrote glowingly of Anderson, calling him “one of my most able and trusted staff members during the six years of my chairmanship.” “His legislative and regional work during his 11 years of professional service to the committee have been consistently superlative,” Hyde wrote.

Personal: Born 11/12/1967 in La Mesa, Calif.

Education: A.B., University of Chicago, 1989. J.D., The University of Chicago Law School, 1992.

Professional: 1992–1995, attorney, Meyer Hendricks Victor Osborn & Maledon. 1996–2001, counsel, House Subc. on International Operations and Human Rights. 2001– 2006, senior counsel, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2007–present, Republican chief counsel, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.


For three Congresses, Anderson was counsel for issues relating to the Koreas, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. He personally assisted Hyde in his interactions with heads of state and other foreign dignitaries, both in Washington or overseas on congressional delegations that Anderson helped to organize. He was the first U.S. government official to visit the joint North-South Korea industrial complex at Kaesong, North Korea, and the first official U.S. visitor allowed to inspect the Hanawon transitional facility for North Korean defectors and refugees arriving in South Korea. Now in the minority, Anderson is Republican chief counsel to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, answerable to ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. He is responsible for legal, legislative, and procedural matters before the committee. His expertise includes State Department operations and oversight, matters involving the United Nations and other international organizations, and human rights and refugee issues. Before signing on with Hydre, Anderson was counsel to the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, where he worked on State Department budget authorization and oversight, as well as international human rights issues and U.S. involvement in international organizations.

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Joan O. Condon Republican Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health B-360 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5068 Fax: (202) 226-7296 [email protected]

Expertise: African affairs. Bipartisan cooperation in the House Foreign Affairs Committee has long been the norm when it comes to issues relating to Africa. Joan Condon, the lead expert on Africa for the committee’s Republican staff, said she expects that dynamic to continue in the 110th Congress with Democrats now in charge. “It’s an opportunity to expend the bipartisan work that we’ve done in the past on Africa,” Condon said. Last year, Condon’s portfolio was heavy on Sudan—”all Sudan, all the time,” was how she put it at the time. Since then, Congress has passed the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, which reaffirmed the finding of genocide and imposed sanctions against “persons responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity,” while also supporting humanitarian efforts. Condon said the committee this year will focus on overseeing implementation of that law and monitoring the violence, while also trying to consolidate peace in the south. “That will continue to be a very high priority,” she said. She predicted that the Somali conflict will also take center stage. U.N. forces—backed by Ethiopian troops—ousted Somalia’s Islamic movement in December from Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia. The Islamic movement, formally known as the Council of Islamic Courts, had controlled much of southern Somalia since June.

Personal: Born 04/17/1974 in Westmont, N.J.

Education: B.A., Western Maryland College, 1996. M.A., government and politics, Johns Hopkins University.

Professional: 1996–1999, committee staff, Maryland House of Delegates. 1999–2000, staff associate, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2000–2001, travel coordinator and research associate, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2001–present, Republican professional staff member, Subc. on Africa and Global Health, House Cmte. on International Relations.

Over the past several years, Condon noted, Somalia has seen “an absence of U.S. policy.” But, she said, “Recent events have developed an opportunity to develop a responsible policy that looks not just at anti-terrorism but also to build a stable state.” The panel will also continue to monitor Liberia, which last year held successful democratic elections and, Condon noted, “has a new government and a fresh start.” “We’re going to be continuing to evaluate U.S. support for the transition in Liberia for a Democratic regime and continuing levels of funding,” she said. Zimbabwe, which Condon called “a failing state,” and Libya also will loom large on the committee’s radar. Condon said the panel expects to focus on a plan for the future of Zimbabwe after President Robert Mugabe exits office— whether by retirement or ouster. “At some point he will exit, and we need to have some kind of strategy for how we will deal with Zimbabwe,” Condon said. Meanwhile, she added, Libya’s removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list is after it agreed to divest itself of weapons of mass destruction is “uncharted territory” for the panel. The committee will continue to monitor human rights and governance issues in the country, she said.

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David Fite Professional Staff Member 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6735 Fax: (202) 225-5674 [email protected]

Expertise: International security and nonproliferation. As the lead international security expert for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, David Fite handles all issues for the Democratic majority having to do with international security, weapons of mass destruction proliferation, and munitions and dual-use export controls. The first thing Fite likes to point out about last year’s work is that the committee reauthorized and expanded the scope of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act last year, which originally authorized $2.3 billion in aid to Afghanistan as well as $1 billion to expand international peacekeeping troops. The House passed the legislation, and Fite said he is hoping the Senate will soon “act likewise.” “The committee has for years been concerned that the United States has not done nearly enough to support Afghanistan’s transition from a terrorist sanctuary to a stable and secure democracy,” said Fite, who has served with the committee’s Democratic staff since 1999. “It has been all too clear that it has been the Congress, not the administration, which has been Afghanistan’s advocate.” Fite is also pleased to see progress in the process by which U.S. arms export licenses are considered by the Department of State.

Personal: Born 06/17/1961 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Education: B.A., anthropology/sociology, Amherst College, 1983. M.A., international relations, Georgetown University, 1987.

Professional: 1990–1992, presidential management fellow, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. State Department. 1992–1999, specialist, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. 1999–present, Democratic professional staff member, House Cmte. on International Relations.


“When we came in last year, the State Department had announced it had a backlog of 10,000 applications,” he said. “We tasked the GAO to delve into the management failures of the office, and they discovered problems that even State had no clue about. Our committee has been pressuring State to improve the process across the board; combined with new leadership in the PM bureau and licensing office, we’re seeing progress. But there’s a lot more to be done.” The House overwhelmingly endorsed legislation by the late chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., to create an international “nuclear fuel bank” as an incentive for states not to build their own nuclear fuel production plants, which could also be used to produce nuclear bomb material. It would also take away Iran’s excuses that it needs its own uranium enrichment facility because there are no guarantees of fuel from the international community. Congress ultimately appropriated the full $50 Million called for in the bill. Lantos died in February just a few months announcing he had cancer of the esophagous. Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., took over the reins after Lantos’ death. “As always,” Fite said, he will be dealing this year with nuclear nonproliferation efforts regarding Iran and North Korea, as well as helping the panel to conduct oversight on U.S. export controls to China, especially the Validated End User program. The committee will monitor progress on the US-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement and prepare for its possible consideration this year.

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Mark Gage Republican Senior Policy Adviser/ Director of European Affairs B-360 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8467 Fax: (202) 226-3581 [email protected]

Expertise: Foreign Aid, International Relations, US-European Affairs, US-Russian Affairs. After five years with the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Mark Gage returned to the House Foreign Affairs Committee at the start of the 110th Congress to serve as the Republican senior policy adviser and director of European Affairs. In his current role, Gage supports the Foreign Affairs Committee’s minority chief of staff, Yleem Poblete, on operational issues. He covers the foreign aid portfolio and oversees a staff covering European affairs. Of particular concern for him is foreign aid programs and whether they work. “There are a number of ideas that are being discussed in the academic and think tank community, and we are looking to see if we can find things that are both innovative and practical,” Gage said. “A successful reorganization and reinvigoration of U.S. foreign aid concepts, planning, funding, implementation and oversight would need to be fundamental in nature, however, and it remains to be seen if there is a wide-ranging interest in the executive branch and Congress sufficient to undertake that.” In his previous position on the formerly-named House International Relations Committee, Gage worked largely on Russian issues, drawing on his education as a Russian studies and language major at the State University of New York at Albany and at Middlebury College in Vermont. European and Russian issues remain an interest for him on the committee.

Personal: Born in Hudson Falls, N.Y.

Education: B.A., Russian & Eastern European studies, State University of New York at Albany, 1979. certificate in Russian language & culture, Pushkin Institute, 1981.

Professional: 1986–1991, legislative director, Rep. Jerry Soloman, R-N.Y. 1991–1993, professional staff member, House Rules Cmte. 1993– 2001, professional staff member, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2002– 2007, senior adviser, Bureau of European & Eurasian Affairs, U.S. State Department. 2007–present, Republican senior policy adviser/director of European Affairs, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.

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“The leading European states and future developments in Europe continue to be major interests for the United States,” he said. “Relations with key allies may have been on something of a roller-coaster for a few years, but it is important to the U.S. that it coordinate with European leaders on developments in Russia and China and on the many issues of concern in Africa and the Middle East.” Among his accomplishments in his earlier work with the committee was the drafting and House passage of a measure tying U.S. debt relief for Russia to the closing of its intelligence facility in Cuba, whose operations were aimed at the United States. Soon after the House in 2000 passed the “Russian-American Trust and Cooperation Act,” Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to close down the station. Gage also worked to transfer back to the U.S. Treasury a significant portion of the money earned from the successful, U.S.-funded Enterprise Fund in Poland after the fund ended operations. As a result, $120 million was turned over to the treasury and used for deficit reduction. “Hopefully, that sent a message to taxpayers that we could carry out foreign aid programs that actually make money and then return some of it to the United States,” Gage said.



David Killion Senior Professional Staff Member 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-4850 Fax: (202) 225-2136 [email protected]

Expertise: State Department operations, international organizational affairs, global climate change, human rights, cultural and student exchanges. In his capacity as a senior professional staffer for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, David Killion is perhaps most proud that he helped the late chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos of California, last year craft the Democratic blueprint for a new global U.N. treaty to stem global warming. This legislation, H.R. 2420, or “The International Climate Cooperation Re-Engagement Act of 2007,” passed the committee and was included in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s energy bill, which passed the House. An expert on State Department organizations, the Danbury, Conn., native answered to Lantos until the congressman’s recent death at age 80 from cancer. He said the panel this past year “has revitalized its lead role in overseeing State Department operations.” Among Killion’s top priorities this past year were a thorough review of both embassy construction and the department’s oversight of security contractors. In August, in response to evidence of numerous problems at new U.S. embassies, Lantos ordered a comprehensive GAO review of the multi-year effort to replace outdated and unsafe embassies and consulates. “The GAO study will explore an alarming decline in the pool of qualified U.S. contractors willing to bid on new projects and examine how the department’s ‘fixed cost’ model may be contributing to a breakdown in quality and safety of U.S. embassies,” said Killion, a professional staff member on the committee since 2001.

Personal: Born 1966 in Danbury, Conn.

Education: B.A., government, Wesleyan University, 1988. M.A., political science, University of California at Los Angeles, 1990. C.Phil., political science, University of California at Los Angeles, 1992.

Professional: 1994–1996, foreign policy legislative asst., Subc. on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary, House Cmte. on Appropriations/ Office of Rep. David Skaggs, D-Colo. 1996–2001, legislative management officer, U.S. Dept. of State. 2001–2007, Democratic professional staff member, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs. 2007–present, senior professional staff member, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.

In October, Lantos also exposed serious problems with the new Embassy Baghdad project and its Kuwaiti contractor, First Kuwaiti General Trade and Contracting Company. During the year, the committee scrutinized the department’s worldwide security contract, raising critical concerns about deficiencies in department oversight of contractors. “Sadly, it took the tragic incident in which many civilians were killed in Baghdad over the summer before the department implemented all of the controls on contractors that we’d been advocating for months,” Killion said. Killion believes the committee played a major role in repairing the fractured relationship between the United States and the United Nations. “Our committee has established a very strong working relationship with new pro-U.S. Secretary General Ban Kimoon,” he said, noting that the panel helped to lift a legal restriction that prevented the United States from paying the dues it owes the U.N. for peacekeeping operations. “This relationship is critical to advancing U.S. national security objectives in Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur and elsewhere.” Finally, Killion helped to draft and shepherd through the House a new, $800 million dollar legislative initiative to dramatically expand the number of U.S. students studying abroad. H.R. 1469, the “Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act,” passed the House in May with a unanimous voice vote.


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Robert R. King Staff Director 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5021 Fax: (202) 225-5674 [email protected]

Expertise: Foreign affairs. Bob King worked with Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., for 25 years. But with Lantos’s recent death, King expects there will be challenges as the House Foreign Affairs Committee prepares for a change in leadership. Lantos had a number or projects he wanted to finish before he passed away at age 80 after being diagnosed with cancer. “With this being an election year, the Congress will be in session fewer days and members will be focused on other issues,” King said. “We are going to have less time to complete everything. Furthermore, in an election year, particularly when there will be a hard-fought presidential election race, the comity that allows us to get our work done begins to fray.” Despite the vagaries of politics and their effect on other parts of the House, the Foreign Affairs Committee’s tradition of bipartisan cooperation continued in 2007, King said. Most of the legislation the committee completed was considered by the House under the procedure of suspension of the rules requiring a two-thirds majority vote to pass. For example, one of the most important bills the committee considered, the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act, which provides for tougher economic and political sanctions against Iran, passed the House by a vote of 397-16.

Personal: Born 06/08/1942 in Rock Springs, Wyo.

King expects the committee will consider several major bills in 2008. They will likely include a reauthorization of the global HIV/AIDS initiative to provide as much as $50 billion during the next five years for the international fight against this disease, as well as legislation for congressional approval of a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation agreement.

Education:

Iraq was one of the most contentious issues in 2007, and it is expected to be a continuing focus of conflict.

B.A., Brigham Young University, 1966. M.A., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, 1967. M.A.L.D., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, 1968. Ph.D., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, 1970.

“In the first 12 months of Democratic control of the committee, we held 20 full committee and subcommittee hearings on the conduct of the war in Iraq,” King said. “And that represents several times the number of Iraq oversight hearings that were held by the committee in the previous five years.”

Professional: 1993–1994, staff dir., Subc. on International Security, International Organizations and Human Rights, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs. 1995–1998, minority staff dir., Subc. on International Operations and Human Rights, House Cmte. on International Relations. 1999–2000, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Asia and the Pacific, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2001–2006, Democratic staff dir., House Cmte. on International Relations. 2006–present, staff dir., House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.

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The committee is expected to continue its oversight hearings on Iraq. Lawmaers also plan to scrutinize the administration’s focus on trying to achieve progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and its efforts to foster greater stability in the Middle East. Instability in Pakistan highlighted by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto as well as Cuba policy in the wake of Fidel Castro’s resignation will also be among the panel’s priorities. King joined Lantos’ office in 1983 as his chief of staff, after a stint as a White House fellow on the National Security Council staff, time at Radio Free Europe in Germany, and dealing with energy issues at the Appalachian Regional Commission and at a private synthetic fuels firm. His wife, Kay King, was named Director of Interparliamentary Affairs in 2007 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.



Don MacDonald Staff Director Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade 253 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5911 Fax: (202) 225-5879 [email protected]

Expertise: Iran, nuclear nonproliferation. Finishing the defense trade and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation bills are likely to occupy much of Don MacDonald’s time this year as he performs his role as staff director for the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade. In his post, the Boston native oversees a staff responsible for analyzing legislation, organizing hearings, and preparing briefing materials for subcommittee members. Last year’s subcommittee work was varied and complex. The subcommittee drafted, and the House passed, a bill to reauthorize the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, or OPIC, making some important reforms to the foreign aid agency. Included in the legislation was a provision that will prohibit OPIC assistance to any firm that conducts certain business with state sponsors of terrorism. The bill, now pending before the Senate, also made important improvements in labor rights and environmental standards for the projects OPIC supports. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., also held several hearings. In tandem with the Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic and International Economic Policy, MacDonald’s panel examined sanctions against proliferators of nuclear weapons—a hearing that eventually led to the writing of divestment legislation on Iran, a top priority of Sherman’s who also sits on the financial services subcommittee. The Iran bill is pending in the Senate.

Personal: Born 1973 in Boston, Mass.

Education: B.A., Boston Univ., 1995. J.D., American Univ. Law School, 2002.

Professional: 1996, finance director, Brad Sherman for Congress. 1997–2003, legislative assistant, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif. 2003–present, professional staff member, Subc. on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.

Other hearings covered the Export-Import Bank, trade with China, the renewal of Trade Promotion Authority, and oversight hearings on the six-party nuclear deal reached in February with North Korea to dismantle its nuclear program. Policy debates included proposals to control the supply of uranium and spent fuel, known as “sensitive fuel cycle activities;” the effect of the trade deficit on U.S. foreign policy; assistance programs to help states combat terrorism; the changing nature of Al Qaeda; licensing of exports for sensitive items; and the pros and cons of extending authority to the president to negotiate trade agreements that Congress can approve or disapprove but not amend—known as fast-track authority. In the coming months, MacDonald and his staff hope to finish work on the OPIC and defense trade bills, and expect to work on nuclear nonproliferation policy hearings, as well as legislation to deal with nuclear and radiological terrorism. The subcommittee will also resume work—started last year—on a bill to improve the efficiency and security of the State Department’s arms export licensing process. That bill is still pending in the House. MacDonald initially worked as Sherman’s finance director for the congressman’s first congressional campaign. He then worked in Sherman’s personal office for six years before joining the committee staff in 2003.


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Pearl-Alice Marsh Senior Staff Member Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5021 [email protected]

Expertise: Africa. As a senior staff member for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Pearl-Alice Marsh is responsible for all issues related to Africa. Marsh has traveled and worked throughout Africa to help strengthen democratic institutions, encourage economic development, and promote human rights and popular participation in governance. Her travels have taken her to South Africa, Nigeria, Benin, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Marsh grew up listening to her parents tell stories about their past. She realized as she got older that these stories were not only about her own family and community histories, but that they were also important to the history of the Depression-era African American migration to the Pacific Northwest and of America’s labor history in the logging industry. She began recording and transcribing material from her family history, located African American genealogy organizations on the Internet and began genealogical research in earnest. Her current research focuses primarily on north central Louisiana, where she is researching her ancestors through oral interviews with relatives still living. She is also researching the story of black land ownership in Jackson Parish during the reconstruction and post-reconstruction periods.

Education: B.A., social welfare, Sacramento State College. M.A., public health, University of California, Berkeley. Ph.D., political science, University of California, Berkeley.

Professional: 1986–1993, program director, Joint Center for African Studies at the University of California. 1993–1996, the senior research associate for international affairs, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. 1996–1999, executive director, Africa Policy Information Center. 1999–2000, senior policy adviser, Rep. Juanita MillenderMcDonald, D-Calif. 2000–present, senior staff member, Subc. on Africa and Global Health, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.

Before coming to the Foreign Affairs Committee, Marsh was senior policy adviser to the late Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald from 1999 to 2000. She was instrumental in the passage of the The Freedmen’s Bureau Preservation Act of 2000, which was signed into law during the 106th Congress. The legislation preserves the Freedmen’s Bureau Records by having them microfilmed, indexed by name, and the index placed on the Internet for broad access for genealogical researchers. Her career in public policy has covered a wide range of issues including health care, mental health, international trade, domestic violence, grassroots economic development, education, and inter-ethnic relations. She has served as an appointed and elected official for the city of Berkeley. Her publications include many articles on U.S. foreign policy toward Africa and grassroots activism in foreign policy. One of them—“Grassroots Statecraft and Citizens Challenges to U.S. Security Policy,” is a scholarly examination of the Anti-Apartheid and Sanctuary Movements in the United States during the 1980s. Marsh earned her doctorate in political science and her master’s in public health from the University of California at Berkeley. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in social welfare from Sacramento State College. Active in U.S. social movements since the 1960s, she has served on a number of volunteer advisory and governing boards. She is a member of the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society, AfriGeneas, the online African American genealogical association, and the Northern Louisiana Genealogical Society.

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James McCormick Republican Senior Counsel Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7825 Fax: (202) 226-7829 [email protected]

Expertise: International banking/financial issues, U.S. foreign policy, Asia. As senior counsel and staff member for Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, James McCormick’s list of responsibilities is long. He is principal staffer to GOP members on matters relating to South Asia, United States security assistance, defense trade, dual-use exports, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the international financial institutions, and Homeland Security issues falling under the committee’s jurisdiction. With expertise in international banking and in South and Southeast Asia—McCormick has traveled extensively in the regions—McCormick’s legislative highlights include work on H.R. 1 (Implementing the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act), H.R. 2798 (the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Reauthorization Act of 2007), and H. Res. 676 (regarding defense sales to Taiwan). McCormick, who goes by the nickname “Jamie,” is at the moment working with the Senate to speed passage of H.R. 2798, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Reauthorization Act of 2007. This bill would amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to extend Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) authority to make loans and issue investment insurance and investment guarantees through September 2011. McCormick’s boss, ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, cosponsored H.R. 2798.

Personal: Born 10/01/1958 in Torrance, Calif.

Education: B.A., history, University of Iowa, 1983. J.D., University of Iowa, 1988. M.A., history, University of Iowa, 1991.

Professional: 1988–1989, legislative asst., Representative Jim Leach, R-Iowa. 1989–1994, minority staff, Subc. on Asia and the Pacific, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs. 1995–2001, assistant staff dir., Subc. on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, House Cmte. on Banking and Financial Services. 2001–2006, staff dir., Subc. on Asia and the Pacific, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2006–present, Republican Senior Counsel, ubc. on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.

Ros-Lehtinen is monitoring transactions pending before the committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, including the proposed sale of a minority stake in U.S. telecom giant 3Com to a Chinese telecommunications equipment group named Huawei technologies. Huawei is responsible for telecom research for the Chinese military. According to the Rand Corporation, “Huawei maintains deep ties with the Chinese military,” serving as an important customer, “as well as Huawei’s political patron and research and development partner.” “Ros-Lehtinen believes that this transaction, as currently structured, presents unacceptable security risks to the United States,” McCormick said, noting that the congresswoman has introduced a resolution making that point. The committee is also in conference negotiations on the trade provisions of the Farm Bill and may take up legislation this year dealing with the State Department’s management of U.S. defense trade. “At an appropriate point, the committee may also need to reassess the current statutory framework for U.S. security assistance,” McCormick said. Educated at the University of Iowa—where he earned his bachelor’s of arts, master’s in American history and law degree—he has also been staff director for the former Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific under former chairman Jim Leach, R-Iowa.


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Robin Roizman Professional Staff Member and Counsel 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7919 Fax: (202) 226-0913 [email protected]

Expertise: Foreign assistance, foreign operations, U.S. agency for international development, millennium challenge account, international labor, Peace Corps, global health. As the chief handler for all foreign assistance issues that come before the House Committee on Foreign Relations, Robin Roizman this year has been immersed in everything from foreign assistance reform to the Farm Bill. In her work for the recently deceased committee chairman—Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif.—the Israeli-born Roizman helped orchestrate a critical hearing on foreign assistance reform carried out by the state department’s then-director of foreign assistance, Ambassador Randall Tobias. “The hearing highlighted the massive problems underlying the reforms carried out by the director of foreign assistance and the lack of engagement with Congress and stakeholders on what was needed to achieve a coherent and transparent U.S. foreign assistance program,” said Roizman, who has been has been working on Capitol Hill since she graduated from law school in 2002. The committee closely examined the record of the Millennium Challenge Corporation to ascertain how well the four-year-old entity was managing its multi-billion dollar, multi-country programs. The committee commissioned the Government Accountability Office to conduct an audit on the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s compact with Vanuatu. The audit found that the MCC exaggerated the potential effect of its compact with Vanuatu on that country’s people and economy.

Personal: Born 12/15/1977 in Rishon Le Ziyyon, Israel.

Education: B.A., George Washington University, 1999. J.D., American University, Washington College of Law, 2002.

Professional: 2002–2007, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs. 2007– present, professional staff member and counsel, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.

“The MCC promised over $65 million to the government of Vanuatu, and this audit demonstrated that, despite MCC’s assertions, the program will have little or no impact on the local economy or poverty alleviation,” she said, noting that Lantos requested GAO expand its review to the other MCC compact countries. Roizman also helped craft the International Trade Title of the Farm, Nutrition, and Bio-Energy Act of 2007, otherwise known as the Farm Bill, which passed the House in July. The House is currently conferencing with the Senate on the legislation, which provides for critical international emergency and non-emergency food assistance to those in need throughout the world. Other legislation she helped to shepherd through the committee included the Global Poverty Act of 2007, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Reauthorization Act of 2007, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 2007, and the American National Red Cross Governance Modernization Act of 2007. The president signed the last item in May 2007. Roizman also worked on the Wildlife GAINS Act, which passed out of the committee in March 2007. It seeks to establish a wildlife global animal information network for surveillance to combat the growing threat of emerging diseases. “The committee intends to continue its vigorous oversight over those programs, including reviewing the various proposals put forth on ways to improve U.S. foreign assistance,” she said.

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Yleem Sarmiento de Poblete Republican Staff Director B-360 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8467 Fax: (202) 226-7269 [email protected]

Expertise: Foreign policy. Yleem Sarmiento de Poblete is minority staff director for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, a post that puts her in charge of a staff of 25 on a panel that examines everything from broadcasting reform to White House Security. “I’m directly involved with every legislative item, including the Syria bill, Iran bills, U.N. bill, the broadcasting reform bill, upcoming White House security bill covering counterterrorism and nonproliferation, and such priority items as 9/11 bills and Iraq measures,” Poblete said. Her boss is Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the committee’s ranking member, and a woman Poblete has known most of her life. When she was eight years old, Poblete campaigned for the Florida Republican. While stuffing envelopes for Ros-Lehtinen in later years, she met her future husband. Armed with a Ph.D. in world politics from the Catholic University of America, Poblete has worked on the Iran Freedom Support Act, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, the United Nations Reform Act of 2005, the foreign policy provisions of the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act and the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act.

Education: B.A., St. Thomas University, 1987. M.A., University of Miami (Florida), 1990. Ph.D., Catholic Univ. of America, 2006.

Professional: 1993–1994, foreign policy research consultan, Hudson Institute. 1994–1997, contractor, IMF. 1995–1996, adviser on Western Hemisphere issues, Subc. on Africa, House Cmte. on International Affairs. 1997–2001, deputy staff dir./prof. staff member, Subc. on International Economic Policy and Trade, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2001–2002, staff dir., Subc. on International Operations and Human Rights, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2003–2007, staff dir., Subc. on the Middle East and Central Asia, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2007–present, Republican staff dir., House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.


Before her stint on the committee, Poblete was staff director for the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia of the House Committee on International Relations, where she was responsible for implementing the panel’s agenda; drafting legislation and strategy; advising members on issues before the panel; coordinating policy and legislative items with the full committee; and serving as principal liaison between the subcommittee chair and congressional leaders, executive branch agencies, foreign governments, and international and regional entities. Before coming to Capitol Hill, Poblete was a researcher and consultant for authors writing books on Latin America and was a foreign policy research consultant at the Hudson Institute on U.S. government projects. She has also been staff director for the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, with jurisdiction over human rights and international organizations that included the International Atomic Energy Agency. Before that, she was deputy staff director and majority professional staff member on the Subcommittee on International, where she was among those who negotiated a final version Trade Sanctions Reform Act (TSRA). She worked on the Security and Freedom through Encryption (SAFE) Act; and the Russian-American Trust and Cooperation Act of 2000. In the mid 1990s, Poblete served on the staff of the Subcommittee on Africa, where she was responsible for issues pertaining to Africa and the Western Hemisphere.

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Thomas P. Sheehy Lead GOP Staff Member Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade 2185 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4111 Fax: (202) 226-7269 [email protected]

Expertise: U.S. foreign and trade policy, economic development, Africa, terrorism, nonproliferation. Now with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for a decade, Tom Sheehy looks forward to a new year tackling a lengthy agenda that includes licensing of defense exports, nuclear proliferation and the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. Sheehy is the lead Republican staff member on the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade. As such, he will be helping the panel this year follow up on last year’s hearings on the trade agreement between Korea and the U.S., which the countries agreed upon in 2007 but must be ratified by Congress. Sheehy’s boss, subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. Ed Royce, D-Calif., supports the agreement. Both the subcommittee and the full committee are likely to remain focused on the threat poised by Iran’s nuclear program. Royce was critical of last year’s National Intelligence Estimate finding that Iran had abandoned its nuclear weapons program. Royce has been a strong supporter of the U.S.-India nuclear cooperation agreement, which was passed into law in 2006. The additional congressional steps needed to implement this agreement have stalled, however, as the Bush administration and the government of India have failed to reach a consensus. It is uncertain whether Congress this year will approve the arrangement to sell India nuclear technology.


Education: B.A., Trinity College, 1986. M.A., government and foreign affairs, University of Virginia, 1989.

Professional: 1991–1994, policy analyst for African affairs, Heritage Foundation. 1994–1996, Jay Kingham Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs, Heritage Foundation. 1996, legislative dir., Rep. Ed Royce, RCalif. 1997–2004, staff dir., Subc. on Africa, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2005–2007, staff dir., Subc. on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation, House Cmte. on International Relations. 2007– present, professional staff member, Subc. on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

Sheehy notes that Royce’s efforts to focus attention on the proliferation of shoulder-fired missiles has paid off. This year, the State Department created a task force on shoulder-fired missiles, and to date, it has helped 22 countries destroy over 24,000 such missiles that “were at risk of falling into the wrong hands,” Sheehy said. Sheehy says last year’s accomplishments included legislation to reauthorize the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the government agency charged with bolstering U.S. investment in the developing world. Although Royce opposed the reauthorization, Sheehy worked to add language to the legislation to reform the selection of OPIC fund managers, an area that suffered improprieties in the 1990s. The House passed the OPIC reauthorization bill, and it’s pending in the Senate. Sheehy also helped Royce produce a special report, “Gangster Regime: How North Korea Counterfeits United States Currency,” that documented North Korea’s counterfeiting and other illicit activities. Throughout the year, in oversight hearings and elsewhere, Royce was critical of the Six Party Talks, aimed at neutering North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Sheehy accompanied Royce on a congressional delegation to South and North Korea last summer. He expects the faltering Six Party Talks to be one of Royce’s major focuses this year. Sheehy joined the committee in 1997 after serving as legislative director to Royce, who is now the subcommittee’s ranking member.

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Sam Stratman Minority Spokesman B-360 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7875 Fax: (202) 226-9967 [email protected]

Expertise: State Department diplomacy. Sam Stratman has years of experience being a spokesman on Capitol Hill. Longtime Hill watchers will recall that he was in great demand during the House impeachment proceedings against former President Clinton—speaking for then-House Judiciary Committee chairman Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who was in charge of those proceedings. If there is such a thing as baptism by fire, Stratman surely endured it during those months when his boss was thrust almost hourly beneath a glaring media spotlight. Things have calmed down considerably for the Ohio native since those impeachment days: Not only is no longer working for the majority party under the late Hyde, he now is spokesman for the ranking minority member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, RFla. With a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Cincinnati, Stratman started his career in communications as a reporter for the Wilmington Ohio News Journal. Longing to break away from his parents’ liberal political leanings, Stratman wrote every conservative congressman from the Midwest looking for a press job. When Hyde—a new Republican member—granted him an interview, Stratman researched the congressional district in detail, talked to constituents and reporters, and so impressed Hyde with his preparation that the new congressman hired him immediately.

Personal: Born 03/26/1962 in Ripon, Wis.

Education: B.A., history, University of Cincinnati, 1985.

Professional: 1984–1987, staff writer/financial editor, Wilmington (Ohio) News-Journal. 1987, contributing writer, Associated Press, Ohio Bureau. 1987–1993, press secretary, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill. 1993–1994, chief operating officer, United States Capitol Historical Society. 1994–1998, press secretary, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill. 1995–2001, communications dir., House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2001–2006, Republican communications dir., House Cmte. on International Relations. 2006– 2007, managing director of public affairs, Millennium Challenge Corp. 2007–present, spokesman, Republican staff, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs.


That was in 1987, and Hyde and Stratman worked together nearly two decades. Stratman first worked in Hyde’s personal office as the IranContra hearings began. In 1994, he took a one-year break from Hill life to become executive director of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, a private, non-profit organization whose focus is the Capitol building and Congress. He returned in 1995 to be press secretary for the House Judiciary Committee under Hyde, shortly before the Clinton impeachment proceedings began. In 2001, he followed Hyde to the foreign affairs panel. Hyde retired in 2006 and recently died. While Stratman’s Hill career was interrupted by a seven-month stint at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, he returned to Capitol Hill to serve once again on the international affairs panel, this time under Ros-Lehtinen. Stratman’s press duties remain much as they were years ago—providing information on committee business as well as reacting to relevant news events for reporters. “When reporters err, I let them know it immediately, but I also let them know if they do a good job, too,” Stratman once told a group of graduate students at George Washington University.

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Lynne Weil Communications Director 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5021 Fax: (202) 226-2035 [email protected]

Expertise: Foreign policy, public diplomacy. House Foreign Affairs communications director Lynne Weil finished out 2007 with one of the most difficult press releases of her career: announcing that chairman Tom Lantos, D-Calif., had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and would not seek reelection. Two months later, in February of 2008, it would fall to Weil announce the news that Lantos, Congress’s only Holocaust survivor member, had died at the age of 80 due to complications from cancer. “It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress, Lantos said when he first announced his illness, a quote that was widely reported in stories. “I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country,” he said. Weil continues on with the committee, now led by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif. She has served on the panel since 2003 when Democrats were in the majority. “Committee Democrats have just as full an agenda now as we did in our first year back in the majority,” Weil said. “The pace has been bracing, especially for an election year and the challenges that it can pose to governing. The schedule is more complex, and of course in a presidential election year politics looms unusually large. It’s a good thing that both chairmen Lantos and Berman made it a priority to continue this committee’s tradition of bipartisanship in spite of it all.”

Personal: Born 04/1963 in Santa Monica, Calif.

Education: B.A., communication studies, University of California at Los Angeles, 1985. M.P.P., Princeton University, 2001.

Professional: 1985–1987, journalist, local Los Angeles papers, public radio. 1986–1988, journalist, United Press International. 1988–1991, journalist, California Public Radio Network. 1991–1996, freelance journalist, based in Germany. 1996–1999, journalist, Catholic News Service, Rome. 1999, freelance journalist, Boston Globe. 1999–2000, American Political Science Association, journalism fellow in the office of Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. 2000, freelance journalist, New York Times. 2001–2003, press secretary, Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. 2003, Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation. 2003–present, Democratic communications dir., House Cmte. on International Relations, personal office of Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif.

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As the person in charge of the panel’s communications strategy, Weil helps explain to the public what the committee is doing, and why. This can require seeking out and making the most of message opportunities, working with subcommittee and full committee staff on the timing of the issues they bring up, guiding what goes on the committee Web site and keeping the media up to speed. When Lantos became chairman in January 2007, he set an ambitious legislative agenda for the committee and greatly expanded its hearing schedule. On the subject of Iraq alone last year 20 oversight hearings were held, several times the number the committee had seen in the more than four preceding years. Weil first grew acquainted with U.S. foreign policy while living in Europe, where she was a freelance foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, BBC TV and the Boston Globe. For five years she used Germany as a base to travel to 17 countries, filing stories on everything from culture to politics, and then spent three years in Italy covering the Vatican and continuing her freelance work. Weil returned to the United States to become more involved in public policy, taking a congressional fellowship with the American Political Science Association in the office of Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.



Peter Yeo Deputy Staff Director 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5021 Fax: (202) 226-3581 [email protected]

Expertise: Asia-related issues. Since the death of House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Lantos, Peter Yeo has been, to put it mildly, “swamped” as he and the staff he oversees made the sudden and jarring transition to a new leader. As deputy staff director for the committee, Yeo puts together the committee’s hearing schedule and supervises 50-odd staffers who will now answer to the new chairman, Rep/ Howard Berman, D-Calif. Yeo says his primary goal last year and this has been to pump up the Foreign Affairs Committee’s legislative activity. “We have accomplished that goal,” Yeo said, pointing to the committee’s approval earlier this year of legislation to reauthorize the Global HIV/AIDS effort, and to include $50 billion in funding. The legislation, named for both Lantos and former Republican chairman Henry Hyde of Illinois, who died in 2007 after retiring from Congress, renews the mandate of an initiative first proposed by Bush in 2003. In addition to calling for more than $50 billoin in the next five years (Bush had initially proposed $30 billion), it expands a range of health and education programs. “Twenty million innocent men, women and children, we must remember, have perished from HIV/AIDS—20 million,” Berman said when the measure passed committee. “Forty million around the globe are HIV-positive. Each and every day, another 6000 people become infected with HIV. We have a moral imperative to act, and act decisively.”

Personal: Born 1963 in Boston, Mass.

Education: B.A., East Asian studies and history, Wesleyan University, 1985. M.A., Asian studies, Harvard University, 1991.

Professional: 1985–1988, legislative asst., Rep. Sam Gejdenson, D-Conn. 1988–1989, professional staff member, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations (now the Natural Resources Cmte. 1989–1994, professional staff member, Subc. on Economic Policy, Trade and Environment, House Cmte. on International Relations. 1995–1998, staff member, Bureau of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of State. 1997–1998, deputy asst. secretary of state for legislative affairs, U.S. Department of State. 1999–present, Democratic deputy staff dir., House Cmte. on International Relations.


The committee also approved legislation to strengthen sanctions against Burma as a result of the September 2007 crackdown on Buddhist monks, to promote democracy overseas, to reauthorize the international human trafficking statute, and to promote an international civilian reconstruction corps. Finally, he said, the panel wrote the international environmental trade section of the 2007 Energy Bill that was enacted into law. Lawmakers also boosted their oversight efforts—as Lantos pledged to do last year—including a high-profile hearing with Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang during which the committee concluded that Yahoo! had provided false information to Congress related to a human rights case in which Yahoo was involved. In Yeo’s mind, one of the committee’s key missions should be to conduct oversight and to probe even sensitive areas and topics, such as the war in Iraq, Iraq reconstruction efforts and Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons capability. At one time, Yeo was responsible for the committee’s East Asia portfolio, and while his new position keeps him busy elsewhere, he says he keeps a hand in the issue. He has worked on legislation that imposed sanctions on Burma; and a measure aimed at pressuring Rangoon to improve its human rights record.

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Committee on Homeland Security 176 Ford House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 226-2616 Fax: (202) 226-4499 http://homeland.house.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 19/14 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Bennie G. Thompson, MS-2nd, Chairman

Peter King, NY-3rd, Ranking Member

Loretta Sanchez, CA-47th, Vice Chairman Edward J. Markey, MA-7th Norman D. Dicks, WA-6th Jane Harman, CA-36th Peter A. DeFazio, OR-4th Nita M. Lowey, NY-18th Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC-At Large Zoe Lofgren, CA-16th Sheila Jackson Lee, TX-18th Del Donna M. Christensen, VI Bob Etheridge, NC-2nd James R. Langevin, RI-2nd Henry Cuellar, TX-28th Christopher P. Carney, PA-10th Yvette D. Clarke, NY-11th Al Green, TX-9th Ed Perlmutter, CO-7th Bill Pascrell, NJ-8th

Lamar S. Smith, TX-21st Christopher Shays, CT-4th Mark Souder, IN-3rd Tom Davis, VA-11th Daniel E. Lungren, CA-3rd Mike Rogers, AL-3rd Dave G. Reichert, WA-8th Michael T. McCaul, TX-10th Charles W. Dent, PA-15th Ginny Brown-Waite, FL-5th Gus M. Bilirakis, FL-9th David Davis, TN-1st Paul Brown, GA-10th


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HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Overall homeland security policy. Authority over the Department of Homeland Security’s internal administration. Border and port security, except for immigration policy and non-border enforcement. Customs (except customs revenue). Integration, analysis, and dissemination of homeland security information. Domestic preparedness for and collective response to terrorism. Homeland security research and development. Transportation security.

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HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY As the newest congressional standing committee, the Homeland Security Committee has a full plate for 2008 as it tries to enacted needed legislation and oversee an agency that is struggling to effectively integrate nearly two dozen federal departments. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., has a long “to-do list” for secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. It includes filling critical vacancies in key personnel in the department; implementing the Safe Port Act by making sure that procedures and regulations for proper seals on containers are completed; making sure the US-VISIT biometric air exit program is in place by the end of 2008, and making sure that there is a strategic plan for explosive screening at passenger checkpoints. But beyond those goals and according to committee aides on both sides of the aisle, what weighs heavy on the members of the committee’s minds is the upcoming transition of DHS when a new president is sworn into office in 2009. This will be the first transition for the fledgling department, created in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Thompson has been aggressive in seeking a blueprint from Chertoff about what is to come. And he hasn’t been shy about criticizing the secretary when he learns of some aspects of the plan. When Thompson learned that one of the ways Chertoff might assure a smooth transition is to allow some political appointees to move into career positions at the end of the Bush administration, the chairman fired off a letter to the secretary. “I am sure that you would agree that it would be inappropriate to fill career nonpolitical executive level positions with political appointees absent an open and fully competitive process,” wrote Thompson. And when Chertoff told Thompson that there were aspects of the transition planning that he could not share with the committee for national security reasons, Thompson did not take that sitting down either. “I have resolved not to let the claims of secrecy cloud the oversight that is needed to ensure that our country is not left in a precarious situation due to poor transition planning,” Thompson said. The committee’s ranking member, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who held the gavel during the 109th Congress, is intent on continuing to push for risk being the basis that homeland security grants are apportioned to first responders across the country. And King will continue to work to streamline the congressional oversight of DHS, to reduce the number of committees and subcommittees that have jurisdiction over the large agency. During 2007, the committee concentrated on its role in HR1, the bill that enacted the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. It also passed a rail security bill, Ammonium Nitrate legislation and a reauthorization bill for the department although that measure did not become law because it was stalled in the Senate. Going forward, the committee has already sent the “Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Act of 2008 to the House floor. Thompson also hopes to draft legislation to create privacy and civil liberties offices at DHS and develop a bill on citizen preparedness.


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HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY

Lanier Avant

Expertise: Legislative procedure, political affairs.

Deputy Staff Director

Lanier Avant is House Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson’s political guy.

176 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2616 Fax: (202) 226-4499 [email protected]

As chief of staff for the Mississippi Democrat’s personal office as well as being deputy staff committee for the panel, Avant sees his role as helping advise the chairman on policy as well as making sure that word gets out about what Thompson is doing. Some of this means arranging for Thompson to give speeches around the country, and along the way picking up campaign contributions so Thompson can fulfill his added responsibilities of contributing more money to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee so the Democrats can retain their majority status. But it also means that when the committee holds hearings on policy matters from the border to cyber to transportation security that witnesses aren’t just from inside the Beltway. “We want to make sure that we have a diverse group of folks who come before the committee,” Avant said. “Not just the Washington types but people from Middle America who could come and testify.” Avant said Thompson has also helped to staff the many advisory committees and task forces of the Department of Homeland Security. “We made sure those committees, task forces and advisory councils were filled with people who were not just career politicians or policy buffs but people with actual experience in the field,” Avant said.

Personal: Born 02/20/1978 in Sardis, Miss.

Education: JD, Howard University, 2007. B.B.A., Jackson State University, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2001, communications dir., Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. 2001–2003, leg. dir., Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. 2003–present, chief of staff, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. 2007–present, dep. staff dir., House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

That meant reaching out to everyone from municipal fire and police chiefs to local lawmakers and people who guard small water districts all over the country. “It may seem like a scattered approach but it ends up being a bottom up approach,” he said. Avant learned that bottom up approach at home. His father has been a county supervisor in Mississippi for the past 20 years and that’s how Avant met Thompson. The congressman is also a former Mississippi supervisor, one of a dozen African Americans to hold that position out of 410 supervisors statewide. Avant went to work for Thompson two days after he graduated college, having also interned for him in high school. He graduated from Howard University Law School last year while continuing to staff Thompson on Capitol Hill. This year, Avant said, Thompson is adamant about doing something about the security problems on the northern, maritime and southern U.S. borders. And not, he said, by building a wall. They’ll be looking at solutions such as thermal imaging, virtual fence technologies, and motion devices. Congress under GOP rule in 2006 passed broad measure to erect a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. “It won’t go to the extent of looking at a hard fence. We think that’s a boneheaded idea,” Avant said. Also on this year’s agenda is making sure that chemical and nuclear power plants are made as safe as possible from any terrorist attacks.

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Mandy L. Bowers Senior Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism H2-117 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8417 Fax: (202) 226-3399 [email protected]

Expertise: Border security, port security, immigration. When President Bush signed the Safe Port Act in 2006, Mandy Bowers was at the White House looking on. As one of the key drafters of the bill, she said watching her boss, Homeland Security Committee chairman Peter King, bask in the success of enacting the measure into law was unforgettable. “There’s nothing like it,” Bowers said. “To see Chairman King stand next to the president on legislation that we worked so hard on.” Bowers’s portfolio on the House Homeland Security Committee includes border and port security as well as immigration, one of the most hot-button issues in recent years. Now that the Republicans are in the minority, Bowers is not as busy writing bills as she is reacting to and keeping the GOP members informed about what the majority is up to. “There’s been no reduction in our committee member interest” when it comes to immigration, Bowers said. “Everyone wants to go down and see the border.” The Republican members are particularly interested in how the construction of the border fence is doing. Bowers has been involved with homeland security issues since the panel was a select committee. At the time Bowers was working for Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich. When Camp became subcommittee chairman overseeing border security issues Bowers began working on a range of related measures.

Personal: Born 01/06/1978 in Sheridan, Mich.

Education: B.A., Calvin College (Mich.), 2000.

Professional: 2000–2003, legislative asst., Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich. 2003–present, senior professional staff member, Subc. on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism, House Homeland Security Cmte.

Even though it’s unlikely that a major immigration reform bill will be tackled in the House this year, Bowers still keeps tabs on the myriad of immigration security and other border bills that have been introduced. It’s part of her responsibility to keep the GOP members apprised of those measures. Bowers said she’s hoping the Democrats will introduce an authorization bill for the Department of Homeland Security this year, something the minority isn’t sure will happen. The GOP “is a little bit concerned about having an opportunity to give the department some additional tools and resources they need” to help keep the momentum going to secure the border, Bowers said. Despite being in the minority, Bowers still is glad she left Michigan for Washington, D.C. “I came out here with the goal of spending a year or two and eight later I’m still here and I’m very happy.” When Bowers isn’t working on Capitol Hill she is working on her latest hobby—scuba diving. She has traveled to Australia, where she went cage diving with a Great White shark.


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Cherri L. Branson Chief Oversight Counsel 176 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2616 Fax: (202) 226-4499 [email protected]

Expertise: Legal counsel. Cherri Branson says she was born to work for the federal government. Her birthday, she says, is on the last day of the federal fiscal year. As chief oversight counsel for the House Homeland Security Committee, Branson directs the watchdog activities of the panel as it tries to discover whether the Department of Homeland Security is spending the taxpayers’ money in the way that Congress intended. “I believe in public service,” Branson says. “It’s just that simple. I’ve been the beneficiary of one of the more expensive educations money can buy. And my payback is to serve the public in a way that I think I can make a difference in the lives of individual people.” An example of that, she said, was her work on the investigation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers used after Hurricane Katrina. Branson investigated the presence of formaldehyde in the trailers and the use of them as more than temporary housing for victims of the hurricane, which went way beyond the original intention. Such inquiries, Branson said, will continue. “We have a continuing duty to look at whether the region is being rebuilt and recovering,” she said. The committee will also look at DHS’s reliance on outside contractors, particularly in the areas of the Secure Border Initiative and the Deep Water program within the Coast Guard. Several lawmakers have questioned whether the agency relies too heavily on such contractors.

Personal: Born 09/30/1959 in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

Education: B.A., political science, Vassar College, 1981. J.D., Indiana University School of Law- Bloomington, 1985. L.L.M., litigation, Emory University, 1988.

Professional: 1989–1993, legislative counsel, Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y. 1993–1995, associate counsel, Subc. on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations, House Cmte. on Government Operations. 1995–2000, professional staff/counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2000–2001, legislative officer, Department of Labor. 2001–2002, legislative director, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas. 2003–2005, counsel, Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y. 2005–2006, senior investigative counsel, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007–present, chief oversight counsel, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

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Going forward, Branson’s staff will also continue to look at DHS personnel issues, particularly when it comes to diversity. One recurring question, she said, is why the department has good employment diversity numbers when it comes to Latinos but poorer ones when it comes to the hiring of African Americans. “We’re continuing to ask such questions as whether or not DHS is open for business with small and minority and women-owned, veteran-owned businesses,” she added. This will also be a year when DHS prepares for its first transition from one administration to another. In that vein, Branson’s to-do list also includes examining the department’s success at integrating the nearly two dozen agencies that were merged to create DHS. Branson noted that many believe the integration has been problematic with an overlap of duties, particularly in such areas as procurement and human resources. The list of problems may seem to be long, Branson said, but she says that “our interest is not playing ‘gotcha’ with the department. Our interest is in making this department the department the American people believed they were getting.” Off Capitol Hill, Branson is also making government entities accountable. She is president of her children’s PTA in Silver Spring and started the group’s first newsletter. She learned the value of such communications, she said, from working on the Hill.



Rosaline Cohen Chief Counsel 176 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2616 Fax: (202) 226-4499 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget issues, human capital, and aviation security. Talk about a baptism by fire. Just days after Rosaline Cohen was promoted from deputy to chief counsel of the House Homeland Security Committee she had to begin negotiating the conference on the major piece of legislation her panel would handle last year—the 9/11 Commission Act. “I had never even been through a conference,” said Cohen, who as deputy was responsible for keeping the trains running on time. As chief, she is responsible for executing the legislative policy initiative of her chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. The conference had to bring together more than a dozen different Senate and House committees, all with a piece of jurisdiction over homeland security issues. Cohen said there was bipartisan agreement on her committee and its Senate counterpart. But other panels had their own agendas. Only when leadership stepped in to push the measure did it reach President Bush’s desk. The other major work Cohen was involved in last year was reauthorizing the Department of Homeland Security. The bill passed the House and is stalled in the Senate. Cohen plans to do what she can to get the measure enacted into law. “The Department of Homeland security is such a young agency,” she said. “They need as much direction as they can get.” The heart of the authorization bill was management and oversight.

Personal: Born 04/10/1972 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Education: B.A., George Washington University, 1994. J.D., University of Houston, 1999.

Professional: 2000–2002, leg. counsel, Rep. Ken Bentsen, D-Texas. 2002–2005, leg. director, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. 2005–2006, counsel and dir. of budget analysis, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007, deputy chief counsel, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007–present, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

Until joining the Homeland committee, Cohen worked for Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. Joining the committee appealed to her, she said, because she could trade being the jack-of-all-trades life of a staffer for an individual lawmaker for a chance to specialize in one area. The particular field also appealed to her. ‘I think it’s one of the more defining issues since September 11,” she said. “We have the challenge of enhancing security but maintain our way of life as Americans and making sure things are done in a constitutional framework.” As deputy counsel, Cohen served support and procedural functions. She wrote the committee’s rules in the 110th Congress and helped develop scripts for mark-ups. “Now as chief counsel my responsibility is to promote and advance the chairman and the committee’s legislative agenda. It’s a much more hands on role.” This year she will be working on chemical security legislation. DHS’s authority to regulate security practices at chemical plants expires in 2009 so the committee will draft legislation to extend it and review whether new responsibilities need to be added. Cohen was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. But her mother was American and wanted her raised here. So when she was three, the family moved to Randolph, Massachussets, where Cohen grew up.


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Dena Graziano Spokeswoman 176 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2616 Fax: (202) 226-4499 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Homeland Security Committee spokeswoman Dena Graziano will spend much of her time this year trying to explain some complicated issues to the public. But one matter Americans seem to understand and are fired up about—border security—will also be front and center for the panel charged with overseeing the federal government’s newest and most troubled agency. “Obviously there was no immigration bill,” said Graziano, who knows about this issue first-hand, having been communications director for the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee before becoming Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson’s, D-Miss., committee spokeswoman in 2007. So some of the issues that would have been dealt with in a comprehensive immigration bill will fall to individual House committees, she said. “The biggest challenge will be to help people understand that smart border security is not simply throwing up a brick and mortar fence,” Graziano said. Border security will join chemical security and the transition to a new administration as the top issues on the committee’s plate this year. The Department of Homeland Security, Graziano said, has the “lowest morale in the government, the one of the highest vacancy rates.” Thompson is determined to focus on oversight of the department, she said. A key priority, she added, is to make sure that the agency continues to run smoothly even as it prepares to say goodbye to Secretary Michael Chertoff and break in a new secretary, regardless of who wins the presidential election this fall.

Personal: Born 11/09/1974 in Trenton, N.J.

Education: B.A., political science, University of Maryland at College Park, 1996.

Professional: 1997–2000, staff assistant and executive assistant, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. 2000–2006, Democratic communications director, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2006–2007, Democratic communications director, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007–present, spokeswoman, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

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Thompson has introduced a chemical security bill that he will try and get passed in 2008. The committee will be working to get the Senate to approve House-passed legislation that would create a national commission to examine the causes of violent radicalism and homegrown terrorism. Some opponents have labeled it a profiling program. Last year, the committee moved and the House passed HR 1680, a measure that set a nationwide standard for regulating the sale of ammonium nitrate fertilizers, which were used in the Oklahoma City bombing. The bill became part of an appropriations measure signed in 2007 by President Bush. Thompson also had a key role in the bill that implemented the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Graziano has experience with the vast array of issues, from airport security to port security to border security to chemical security to FEMA. But even now, she joked, “Somestimes a glazed over, confused look comes over my face when my colleagues, who deal with many of these complex issues, try to explain them to me.”



Jessica HerreraFlanigan Staff Director and General Counsel 176 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2616 Fax: (202) 226-4499 [email protected]

Expertise: Cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, homeland policy. Jessica Herrera-Flanigan says that as staff director for the House Homeland Security Committee, her job is to “find the best and brightest staff there is, get out of the way and let them do their thing.” Herrera-Flanigan came on board when this newest House panel was a select committee. But her experience in the homeland security arena pre-dates the panel’s existence and the reason for it: the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A former counsel at the Department of Justice, she was working on cyber security and critical infrastructure protection there when the attacks occurred. Now she leads one of the most diverse committee staffs on the Hill. “That’s a testament to Chairman Thompson,” Herrera-Flanigan said of Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. “He’s taken the department to task for not looking like America. And if you look at the committee, it looks like America.” Herrera-Flanigan said one change from her years as a minority staffer is that now that she’s in the majority, it’s busier. “I think if you look at the number of hearings, briefings and the amount of information that has come into the office, it’s volumes above the previous Congress,” she said. What kept her most busy last year was the 9/11 Commission bill. One aspect of the committee that’s often overlooked is the basically local nature of the issue, Herrera-Flanigan said.

Personal: Born 08/29/1970 in Port Arthur, Texas.

Education: B.A., American studies, Yale University, 1992. J.D., Harvard University, 1995.

Professional: 1995–1999, associate, Crowell & Moring. 1999–2003, senior counsel, Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section, U.S. Dept. of Justice. 2003–2005, counsel, Select Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2005, chief counsel and deputy staff dir., House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2005–2007, Democratic staff director, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007–present, staff director and general counsel, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

“We can talk about it here in D.C. But it’s really about what happening in the border communities, what’s happening at the state and local level. If there’s a disaster, they will be the first ones out there. Listening to our members on these issues is something Chairman Thompson feels is very important.” Going forward, she said, oversight will continue to be a major focus of the panel. Committee members will be closely watching the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) implementation of the Secure Border Initiative and border security in general. As the Bush administration come to a close, how the department prepares for a seamless transition to a new White House also will be important. “The time of transition is one of our most vulnerable times and we’re trying to make sure that DHS has the stability to move forward,” she said. “It’s the new kid on the block, still a baby and has a lot of growth ahead. And there’s a lot of dysfunction that needs to be addressed.” Herrera-Flanagan said she sees her role in all of these issues as a coach, making sure her team is on the right track. The sports analogy is apt. In past years, she was working towards a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do. Now she’s trying to master the triathlon—swimming, bicycling and running, although she confesses that the running part is the element she likes the least.


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Coley O’Brien Senior Republican Counsel Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection H2-117 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8417 Fax: (202) 226-3399 [email protected]

Expertise: Homeland security. When Coley O’Brien left NASA to join the Homeland Security Committee as the chief Republican majority counsel in 2006, he was playing offense. “Now we’re playing defense and reacting to what the majority is proposing, rather than setting the agenda and the schedule,” said O’Brien, who handles the subcommittee on transportation security and infrastructure protection. O’Brien works for Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., the ranking member of the subcommittee, where the overall agenda is set by the panel’s chairwoman, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, DTexas. “She has tried to include Mr. Lungren in all the considerations of legislation so we try to work as best we can unless there’s a situation that needs a partisan voice,” O’Brien said. During 2007, the subcommittee did more oversight than legislative work, particularly in the airport issues, such as the testing of airport screeners. O’Brien said Lungren was very pleased that the issue of the imams being detained at the Minneapolis airport after their behavior was deemed suspicious by a gate agent—the incident created an uproar in 2006—was dealt with in the 9/11 bill. A provision was added to prevent against frivolous lawsuits against passengers who raise an alarm about possible terrorists on flights.


Education: B.A., political science, University of Nore Dame, 1969. J.D., University of Notre Dame, 1972.

Professional: 1973–1989, senior vice president, U.S.League of Savings Association. 1989–1991, Of counsel, Regan and Mason. 1991–1998, president, Coley O’Brien and Associates. 1999–2006, Senior Advisor, legislation, NASA. 2006–2007, staff director, Subc. on Economic Security and Infrastructure Protection, Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007–present, senior Republican counsel, Subc. on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

“The one thing we count on in our homeland security is cooperation from our citizenship,” O’Brien said. “We cannot have them fearful of facing litigation and being sued for coming forward and expressing concerns about individuals or individual incidents or acts.” Also in 2007, Lungren offered the amendment on the ammonium nitrate bill that made sure those who purchased that chemical in large quantities would have to be checked against the terror watch list. Going forward, the subcommittee will be looking at a chemical security bill. O’Brien is hoping that the newly implemented regulations on that industry can have a chance to be fully implemented and reviewed by the committee before new legislation is drafted. Also, O’Brien said, “airport security will be a constant issue that we will be dealing with because it is so key to our economic situation. So many people travel in this country by air that we’re always trying to improve the screening situation and the experience of the airline passenger.” O’Brien said the federal government has spent a lot of money on airport security and now it’s a matter of improving some of the techniques used to screen passengers and secure airliners. There’s also an open issue about how best to handle security as it relates to airline employees. O’Brien, who practiced law in the private sector before joining NASA, said Capitol Hill is different because “here you can really achieve some major legislative accomplishments and that’s been interesting to see and very rewarding.”

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Robert F. O’Connor Republican Staff Director H2-117 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8417 Fax: (202) 226-3399 robert.o’[email protected]

Expertise: Homeland security issues. A year ago Rob O’Connor talked about the “healthy” relationship the GOP minority had with the new majority running the House Homeland Security Committee. Now, the Republican staff director says that he believes that bipartisanship has “eroded away.” O’Connor said the stage was set for the new relationship when Democrats didn’t work with the minority on the bill that implemented many of the 9/11 commission recommendations. “We weren’t included until the conference with the Senate,” O’Connor said, something that did not sit well with him and his staff. O’Connor is the political muscle of the GOP minority. His parents were active in Nassau County politics on Long Island. After leaving the U.S. Army as a Captain in 1993, he moved to the political world. After years in Rep. Peter King’s, R-N.Y., personal office, O’Connor moved over to the committee when his boss became chairman in 2005. His role, he said, became one more seeped in policy than politics. Making sure that homeland security funding for first responders is rooted in the risk the communities faced continues to be King’s focus, O’Connor said.

Personal: Born 07/09/1965 in Rockville Center (Long Island), N.Y.

Education: B.S., general engineering, United States Military Academy at West Point, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1993, captain, U.S. Army. 1993–1997, legislative assistant, Rep. Peter T. King, RN.Y. 1997–2005, chief of staff, Rep. Peter T. King, R-N.Y. 2005–2006, staff director, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007– present, Republican staff director, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

King’s Long Island district took heavy losses in the terrorist attacks—both among people working in the World Trade Center and firefighters responding to the tragedy. In last year’s 9/11 bill there was a compromise reached with the Senate and homeland security funding became partly riskbased for the first time. But King will continue to push to make the funding foruma even more risk-based. “New York funding is obviously Congressman King’s number one priority,” O’Connor said, “and not from a pork barrel perspective. This is a matter of life and death. Our funding has to reflect the intelligence. It can’t be given out through the old boy network where everyone gets the same amount.” This year O’Connor said King will continue to press for some streamlining of the number of committees DHS staff have to report to and will also push the majority to produce an authorization bill so the panel can continue the tradition followed when it began. “What was left out of the 9/11 bill and one of the biggest issues facing us is jurisdiction,” O’Connor says. One of the recommendations was that DHS should have one panel in the Senate and House to report to. Being in the minority is defeinitely a “humbling,” experience, O’Connor says. But not one that has paralyzed the GOP. “We absolutely have become more reactive,” O’Connor said, “However, we’ve made it a policy to have an alternative to every majority proposal so this year we will draft a committee authorization bill and will probably introduce it,” even if the Democrats do not put forward one of their own.


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Veronique PluvioseFenton Policy Director 176 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2616 Fax: (202) 226-4499 [email protected]

Expertise: Emergency preparedness, budget issues. As policy director of the House Homeland Security Committee, Veronique Pluviose-Fenton job is to make sure Chairman Bennie Thompson’s vision for the committee is articulated and put into action. After working for such organizations as the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the National League of Cities, taking care of the needs of first responders and communities after a disaster is in her blood. When she first came to the committee she concentrated on the areas of emergency communication and preparedness. Now, she says, she’s broadened her portfolio to include cyber security, intelligence and information sharing. Last year, Pluviose-Fenton was involved with the establishment of an Office of Emergency Communications at the Department of Homeland Security. “For the first time DHS has a place to specifically address the federal, state and local needs as it relates to interoperable communications,” she said. For much of 2007, she worked on HR1, the 9/11 Commission bill. “We created an interoperable grant program and said those grants would not be disbursed until there was a National Emergency Communications Plan. We wanted to make sure that DHS didn’t just spend money, but spent it according to a plan that would get us to an improved communications capacity. Going forward, Pluviose-Fenton will be overseeing the analysis of DHS’s transition plan.

Personal: Born in Miami, Fla.

Education: B.A., City College of New York, 1990. J.D., University of Virginia, 1994.

Professional: 1994–1996, research director, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. 1996–1998, special asst. to staff dir., U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. 1998–2000, Democratic leg. counsel, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2000–2005, principal leg. counsel, National League of Cities. 2005–2007, Democratic senior counsel, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007–present, policy director, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

Within a year of President Bill Clinton taking office, the 1993 first Al Qaeda attack on New York City’s World Trade Center took place. The September 11, 2001, attacks occurred nine months after President Bush was sworn into office. And within months of a new Spanish government taking over, Al Qaeda struck its rail system. This makes it critical that DHS doesn’t miss a beat in the first months of a new presidential administration, PluvioseFenton explains. “The situation seems to exist that the country cannot afford to not have a DHS that is prepared,” she said. And this newest federal department has never been through a presidential transition before. Pluviose-Fenton came to Capitol Hill because she found while working for civil rights and activist organizations that their work was impeded by Supreme Court decisions. “Coming to the Hill is an opportunity to get ahead of the problem,” she said. Instead of letting the courts decide such issues, she wanted to make a difference in getting laws passed that would. Pluviose-Fenton was at the National League of Cities when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. “It was heart-wrenching to see that the federal government was so woefully unprepared and criminally neglectful in handling the situation,” she said. Now she’s at the very place to oversee the work of the agency in charge of such problems—FEMA.

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Mike Russell Republican Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight H2-117 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8417 Fax: (202) 226-3399 [email protected]

Expertise: Homeland security, international affairs. Mike Russell is a detail guy. As a veteran of two Bush cabinet agencies—treasury and justice—the chief Republican counsel for the House Homeland Security Committee knows how to judge whether a federal department is getting it right. Russell joined the committee the first year it moved from a select to a permanent authorizing panel. He used his management and budget skills in the 109th Congress when he oversaw the first review of the $20 billion New York City received after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. That was particularly important to then-chairman and now ranking member, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. Russell moves this year from senior Republican counsel to chief counsel. Last year he was responsible for staffing the Subcommittee on Management, Investigations and Oversight. Now, he will take a broader look at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). His management abilities will come in handy as the newest federal department gets ready to make a transition from the only administration it has ever known. Russell is well-prepared for transition oversight. He served as the GOP staff liaison to the Bush administration’s transition task force, part of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Personal:

Born in Northampton, Mass.

Education: B.A., Gettysburg College, 1980. M.A., Vanderbilt University, 1984. J.D., Vanderbilt University, 1984.

Professional: 1984, staff atty., Office of the General Counsel, Dept. of Agriculture. 1985–1987, Republican counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1987–1990, leg. director, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. 1990–1994, dep. director, National Inst. of Justice, Dept. of Justice. 1994–1996, senior public safety adviser, Corp. for National Service. 1996–2001, dep. chief of staff, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo. 2001–2003, deputy asst. sec. for enforcement policy and budget, Treasury Dept. 2003–2005, staff director, Subc. on Financial Management, the Budget, and International Security, Senate Cmte. on Governmental Affairs. 2005–2006, staff director, Subc. on Management, Integration and Oversight, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007, Republican senior counsel, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2008–present, Republican chief counsel, Subc. on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, House Cmte. on Homeland Securiuty Cmte. on Homeland Security. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

“I provided advice and input and served as a liaison to pass along our Republican members’ recommendations,” Russell said. “And having been through two administration transitions myself in 1993 and 2001, I could also provide first-hand information from the executive branch.” One task force suggestion that Russell believes must be implemented to ensure a successful transition is the proposed consolidation of the homeland security jurisdiction of committees on the Hill. “We have so many committees and subcommittees involved they provide conflicting guidance to the department, which negatively impacts the department’s ability to meet its mission,” Russell said. The transition is critical, he added, “because number one, the newness of the department and number two, the continuing evolution and integration of the department’s components and number three the critical mission of preventing a terrorist attack.” Another important minority goal is to press the Democrats to pass another DHS reauthorization bill. “We want to keep consistent with the practice that this committee has established, similar to the Armed Services model of having an annual authorization bill for DHS,” Russell said. The Massachusetts native caught the government service bug after doing an unpaid internship at the State Department during law school. After getting his law degree from Vanderbilt in 1984 he went to work for the Department of Agriculture. He’s been in the nation’s capital ever since.

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Chad Scarborough Republican Communications Director H2-117 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-8417 Fax: (202) 226-3399 [email protected]

Expertise: Media affairs. It’s not that Chad Scarborough likes being in the minority, but as communications director for the Homeland Security Committee’s ranking member, he does enjoy the new challenges of getting his party’s message out. Being in the minority, Scarborough said, “legislatively you’re limited. You have much less power in the minority so in order to effect legislative change you’re forced to rely more on a well-executed communications strategy.” Case in point was a measure that ranking Republican, Rep. Peter King of New York, got into the 9/11 bill signed into law by President Bush last year. The provision, which protected airline passengers from frivolous lawsuits, grew out of the “Flying Imams” controversy. A group of six Muslim imams were detained at the Minneapolis airport in November 2006 and later sued the airline and some passengers. King was out front on the issue, wanting to protect airline passengers who reported suspicious behavior of being sued later. He said he worried that such potential liability would inhibit people from raising security concerns. The Democrats, Scarborough said, didn’t want to include King’s provision in the 9/11 bill. That’s where a publicity campaign became important. “We were eventually able to build public pressure which forced the Democrats to include the legislation as part of the 9/11 package,” Scarborough said.


Education: B.A., history, Washington and Lee University, 2000.

Professional: 2001–2002, sales and production, WTWCNBC News 40 televeision (Tallahassee, Fla.) 2002–2003, volunteer, campaign for Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J. 2003–2004, deputy press secretary, Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-N.Y. 2004–2005, press secretary, Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-N.Y. 2005–2006, deputy communications director, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007– present, Republican communications director, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

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Creating such a message is a role Scarborough relishes. And he knows exactly what the media is looking for. Not only was he on the other side of the street, having started his career in television, he comes from a media family. Scarborough’s father, Emmy-award winning Chuck Scarborough, anchors a newscast on New York City’s WNBC. His sister is also a television reporter. Having that background, Scarborough says, “helps give me a good understanding about what exactly reporters are looking for and an understanding of reporters’ deadlines.” Last year, Scarborugh said, a key accomplishment for the minority was getting the homeland security aid formula to be more risk-based, making sure that communities in jeopardy got the most help.This year, in addition to continuing to promote that agenda, King also wants to see another authorization bill pass the House and, for the first time, the Senate. He also will continue to pursue his goal of consolidating the jurisdiction of the Homeland Security Committee. King has been on a crusade to streamline the number of panels that Department of Homeland Security officials must answer to on Capitol Hill. Having these officials report to so many committees, King believes, makes enacting change in the department virtually impossible.



D. Michael Stroud Deputy Chief Counsel 176 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2616 Fax: (202) 226-4499 [email protected]

Expertise: Infrastructure protection, international trade, legislative and parliamentary procedure. As deputy chief counsel for the House Homeland Security Committee, Michael Stroud works with the chief counsel to handle all the legislation coming out of the committee. That means monitoring and working with the various subcommittee staffs. In Stroud’s case, he works with transportation security and infrastructure protection, emergency communication preparedness and response, intelligence and information sharing and risk assessment. Stroud came to Capitol Hill from a law firm where his primary areas of specialization were international trade and government relations. He also dealt with many customs and export compliance issues. He’d already gotten a taste of government work while at the Commerce Department, and said he knew he wanted to get back into public service. After he arrived in 2007, Stroud was immediately thrown into dealing with the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act. After that, he worked on the reauthorization bill for FY2008 that passed the House but never made it to the Senate floor.

Personal: Born in Pitttsburgh, Pa.

Education: BA, American studies, Cornell University, 1995. JD, George Washington University, 1998.

Professional: 1998–2001, ssociate, Bracewell & Giuliani. 2001–2002, attorney adviser, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. 2002–2006, associate corporate counsel, American Cancer Society. 2006, counsel, Transportation, Security and Infrastructure Protection Subc., House Homeland Security Cmte. 2007–present, deputy chief counsel, House Cmte. on Homeland Security.

Other legislation Stroud helped shepherd through the committee included H.R. 1955, a bill that provided for a commission to study radicalization in the United States and come up with recommendations about ways to combat it. He was part of the staff that worked on legislation to regulate the availability of ammonium nitrate. And he also worked on a bill sponsored by committee member Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., that provided for a pilot program to screen airport workers who have access to secure sterile airports at seven different airports. Going forward this year, Stroud is once again tackling a reauthorization bill. He also is working on a measure to better provide for chemical security at plants as well as helping oversee the Department of Homeland Security’s plans to transition from the Bush administration to a new president. In the 9/11 bill, Stroud says, there is a legal requirement that DHS complete a transition report and that it be given to the incoming president by December 1 of this year. “This is definitely the best job of any of the jobs I’ve had,” Stroud says. “I like the variety and I like the problem solving.” He says he can concentrate on important issues and policy without worrying about whether he’s racking up enough billable hours. “What better job can you have than going to the Capitol and getting to go onto the floor of the House? It’s pretty inspiring to say the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance on the floor of the House,” he said. “There’s only one Capitol and only one Congress.”


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Committee on House Administration 1309 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2061 Fax: (202) 225-2774 http://cha.house.gov/ Ratio: 6/3 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Robert A. Brady, PA-1st, Chairman

Vernon J. Ehlers, MI-3rd, Ranking Member

Zoe Lofgren, CA-16th, Vice Chairman Michael Capuano, MA-8th Charles Gonzalez, TX-20th Susan Davis, CA-5th Artur Davis, AL-7th

Dan Lungren, CA-3rd Kevin McCarthy, NY-22nd


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HOUSE ADMINISTRATION JURISDICTION (1) Appropriations from accounts for committee salaries and expenses (except for the Committee on Appropriations); House information resources; and allowance and expenses of members, delegates, the resident commissioner, officers, and administrative offices of the House. (2) Auditing and settling of all accounts described in subparagraph (1). (3) Employment of persons by the House, including staff for members, delegates, the resident commissioner, and committees; and reporters of debates, subject to rule VI. (4) Except as provided in paragraph (q)(11), the Library of Congress, including management thereof; the House Library; statuary and pictures; acceptance or purchase of works of art for the Capitol; the Botanic Garden; and purchase of books and manuscripts. (5) The Smithsonian Institution and the incorporation of similar institutions (except as provided in paragraph (q)(11)). (6) Expenditure of accounts described in subparagraph (1). (7) Franking Commission. (8) Printing and correction of the Congressional Record. (9) Accounts of the House generally. (10) Assignment of office space for members, delegates, the resident commissioner, and committees. (11) Disposition of useless executive papers. (12) Election of the president, vice president, members, senators, delegates, or the resident commissioner; corrupt practices; contested elections; credentials and qualifications; and federal elections generally. (13) Services to the House, including the House restaurant, parking facilities, and administration of the House office buildings and of the House wing of the Capitol. (14) Travel of members, delegates, and the resident commissioner. (15) Raising, reporting, and use of campaign contributions for candidates for office of representative, of delegate, and of resident commissioner. (16) Compensation, retirement, and other benefits of the members, delegates, the resident commissioner, officers, and employees of Congress.

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HOUSE ADMINISTRATION Although it not well known off Capitol Hill, the House Administration Committee wields significant power within Congress. The committee is responsible for logistical operations in the House, and its wide-ranging jurisdiction covers everything from salaries for lawmakers and staff members to the distribution of office space and franking privileges. The committee also has oversight of the Capitol Police Department, the Library of Congress, the United States Botanical Gardens, and the Smithsonian Institution. Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., was tapped by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to chair the House Administration Committee in May 2007 after to panel’s former head, Rep. Juanita Millender McDonald, D-Calif., died that April after a long but private battle with colon cancer. The news of Millender-McDonald’s death came as a shock to Brady and most of the rest of the panel. Millender-McDonald’s death also occurred as the committee was attempting to organize under a new Democratic leadership and under a new structure that saw the return of subcommittees for the first time since Republicans overhauled the committee after the 1994 elections. But after a rough start to 2007, the committee moved several important pieces of legislation by early 2008. In December 2007, after more than four years of promised changes by Congress, Brady finally moved a bill that would merge the Capitol Police Depart with the smaller Library of Congress Police. The existence of two separate police forces, with differing hiring requirements and equipment, was seen by numerous security experts as a flaw in Capitol Hill’s security plan and Brady had long been a proponent of finishing the merger that was begun in 2003. Brady’s bill was signed into law by President Bush in January 2008. Under Brady the panel has also overseen many of the operational components of the longawaited Capitol Visitor Center, which after several years of delays was finally moving out of the construction phase in late 2007. The panel has also pushed for leadership and operational reforms within the Smithsonian Institution. One of the more politically controversial issues that have arisen under Brady’s chairmanship of the committee has been the implementation of Pelosi’s “Greening the Capitol Initiative” which some Republicans view as a public relations stunt that has not been well thought through. Also, the panel’s jurisdiction includes oversight of federal elections and the contested election that came out of Florida’s 13th district following the 2006 cycle became a controversial matter. That contest was dismissed in early February, 2008.


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Kyle Anderson Press Director 1309 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7476 Fax: (202) 226-0882 [email protected]

Expertise: Press relations, outreach. After Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., took over the House Administration Committee in mid-2007, he brought aboard Kyle Anderson to serve as the panel’s majority press director. Anderson came to Capitol Hill from the private sector where he had been involved in consulting work for Fortune 500 companies on issues of diversity with an emphasis on marketing and communications. After taking over press duties for the House Administration panel, Anderson said that internal communication with the Capitol Hill community is just as important as external communication with media outlets and the general public. One of Anderson’s goals for the panel has been to study and recommend “new and innovative ways to disseminate information to Members, staff, the general population and other important stakeholders.” But Anderson’s most visible role is still to serve as the voice of the committee and it’s Democratic majority. The panel is responsible for logistical operations in the House chamber and has oversight of the Architect of the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and the Smithsonian Institution. In addition, the committee’s jurisdiction covers everything from salaries for lawmakers and staff members to franking privileges. Because of the committee’s oversight responsibility for the United States Capitol Police Department, Anderson is occasionally sought out by the news media during and after high profile security emergencies on Capitol Hill.


Education: B.A., political science, Swarthmore College, 1989.

Professional: 1989–1993, various positions, Prudential Insurance Company of America. 1993– 1999, station manager, WHAT radio. 1999–2003, vice president, B&C Associates. 2003–2007, consulting and outreach, ACG Associates. 2007–present, press director, Cmte. on House Administration.

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Another House Administration Committee matter that occasionally brings publicity to the panel is its responsibility of all federal election matters. After the 2006 elections, a special committee task force, in conjunction with investigators at the Government Accountability Office, conducted a year long investigation into Rep. Vern Buchanan’s (R) controversial victory in Florida’s 13th congressional district. In early February 2008, the task force passed a motion to dismiss the contest. “This investigation served a critical role in fulfilling the House’s constitutional responsibility when seating members of Congress,” task force Chairman Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas, said in committee press release. “From the beginning, this Task Force deemed it necessary to have a thorough, independent, nonpartisan review of the contested election, and that is exactly what the GAO provided.” In the past year, the House Administration Committee has also provided increasing oversight for the ongoing Capitol Visitor Center project. When it opens in 2008, the new visitor center will be the largest addition in the history of the Capitol and while the vast majority of construction work is already finished, operational policies and staffing issues are still being developed.



S. Elizabeth Birnbaum Staff Director 1309 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225 -2061 Fax: (202) 226-0882 [email protected]

Expertise: House administration, environmental issues. Just a month before former Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., died in 2007, the then–House Administration Committee chairwoman asked Elizabeth Birnbaum to join the panel as her new staff director. Millender McDonald’s death after a private battle with cancer came as a surprise to many on Capitol Hill and Birnbaum said that the transition that followed was the first challenge she faced in her new post. Under the newly appointed chairman, Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., however, the Committee moved forward with several important pieces of legislation in the later half of 2007, including a law to complete the long-awaited merger of the Capitol Police Department and Library of Congress Police force. Birnbaum said that the merger legislation, which was signed by President Bush in January 2008, not only provides for greater security across the Capitol complex but also ensures that the employment benefits of the officers on the smaller Library of Congress Police force are protected during the merger. In a statement following the bills signing, Brady praised the legislation for ensuring employment continuity and he noted that the creation of a merged force “will make Capitol Hill more secure for the millions who visit every year and the thousands privileged to work here every day.”

Personal: Born 1958 in Va.

Education: A.B., linguistics, Brown University, 1979. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1984.

Professional: 1984–1985, clerk, Supreme Court of Colorado. 1985–1987, associate, Dickstein, Shapiro & Morin. 1987–1991, counsel on water resources, National Wildlife Federation. 1991–1999, counsel, Cmte. on Natural Resources. 1999–2001, various positions, Department of the Interior. 2001–2007, various positions, American Rivers. 2007–present, staff director, Cmte. on House Administration.


The House Administration Committee also spent much of the later half of 2007 working to create new policies and procedures that would allow the new Capitol Visitor Center complex to be ready for its planned opening in late2008. At nearly 580,000 square-feet, the new underground facility is the largest addition in the history of the Capitol. The House Administration Committee’s operational efforts are expected to continue as opening day approaches. All federal elections issues fall under the jurisdiction of the House Administration Committee and Birnbaum said that another major issue that the panel will be deeply involved with in 2008 is the ongoing effort to improve election laws, “so that all citizens can be confident that they will be allowed to vote and their votes will be counted.” Another major project the committee will help oversee is Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “Greening the Capitol Initiative.” The plan to operate the House in a carbon-neutral manner by the end of the 110th Congress was developed by the House chief administrative officer, Dan Beard, and has been a subject of some contentious debate between Democrats and their Republican colleagues who have called the effort more of a publicity stunt than a project for real change.

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Salley Collins Minority Press Secretary 1313 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7043 Fax: (202) 225-9957 [email protected]

Expertise: Press relations. All federal election matters fall under the House Administration Committee’s purview and Salley Collins, who has been the Republican spokeswoman for the panel since mid-2006, said election reform will continue to be her biggest issue in the coming year. In 2007, the House Administration Committee signaled its intent to make voting issues a top priority when lawmakers decided to devote one of two new subcommittees specifically to election matters. The 10-month investigation into the contested 2006 election in Florida’s 13th district—which has played out before a special committee task force—has also served to highlight just how controversial some ongoing voting issues continue to be. The committee’s task force dismissed the Florida contest in Februar, 2008, but with November’s elections looming, the subcommittee panel continues to study a variety of election issues including voter registration, vote-by-mail programs and campaign regulations. As the spokeswoman for the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., Collins is a voice for the minority view on the committee. Over the past year, one issue that she has been very outspoken about is Republican concerns with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “Greening the Capitol Initiative.”

Personal: Born in Washington, D.C.

Education: B.A., political science and communications, University of Dayton.

Professional: 2000–2006, public affairs manager, National Association of Broadcasters. 2006– present, minority press secretary, House Cmte. on Administration.

The “Greening the Capitol Initiative” is a plan that was developed by Pelosi’s chief administrative officer, Dan Beard, to operate in the U.S. House in a carbon-neutral manner by December, 2008. But as Beard has worked to implement that policy he has caught flak from Republicans who question the fiscal responsibility of his efforts and have called the entire project more of a publicity stunt than a program for real change. Republicans have been particularly irked at the idea of purchasing carbon offsets to make up for the significant part of the House’s carbon output that can’t be immediately reduced by switching to renewable power sources or using new technology to cut down on energy usage. Republicans have likened Beard’s plan of buying carbon offsets to “purchasing indulgences.” “As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we must ensure that our sustainability initiatives and investments are based on thorough analysis and given due consideration,” Collins said. Before joining the House Administration Committee, Collins worked in public affairs for the National Association of Broadcasters. Ehlers has served on the panel since 1995 and his work with the committee over the years has included getting every House office wired to the Internet in the mid1990s and briefly chairing the panel before Republicans lost control of the House in 2006.

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William Plaster Minority Staff Director 1313 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-8281 Fax: (202) 225-9957 [email protected]

Expertise: House administration, election issues. William Plaster joined the House Administration Committee in early 2006 after serving for more than three years as a deputy to former House Chief Administrative Officer, Jay Eagen. In his previous role, Plaster worked as a liaison between the CAO’s office and the House Administration Committee. Now, as minority staff director, Plaster is the right hand of the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., when it comes to administration issues for the Capitol campus. In 2008, one major issue the panel will continue to oversee is the opening of the new $621 million Capitol Visitor Center, which is the largest expansion project in the history of the United States Capitol. In February, the committee approved a measure that was introduced by Ehlers and the House Administration chairman, Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., that laid out an operations and management plan for the massive new underground facility and its estimated 240 employees. With the 2008 election cycle already in full swing and federal election issues falling under the committee’s jurisdiction, Ehlers and his Republican colleagues have also promised to continue to monitor voter fraud and ballot security issues.


Professional: 1987–1994, various staff positions, Rep. Paul Henry, R-Mich.; Fred Grandy, R-Iowa and Guy Vander Jagt, R-Mich. 1993– 2002, legislative director, Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich. 2002–2006, deputy chief administrative officer for operations, U.S. House of Representatives. 2006–2007, staff director, House Cmte. on Administration. 2007–present, minority staff director, Cmte. on House Administration.

Ehlers has also lead Republican opposition to several Democratic initiatives for the Capitol campus, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “Greening the Capitol” plan. Though Republicans agree that reducing the House’s carbon emissions is an important issue, they have vigorously disagreed with some of the high profile and costly programs that have been proposed. Ehlers has called one plan to purchase carbon-offsets a waste of taxpayer money and Republicans have been particularly irked at a proposal to create a display system in the House that would allow staff and visitors to see the buildings’ power usage. Democrats have said the system would raise “energy awareness” while Republicans call it a wasteful publicity stunt. Plaster and Ehlers’s working relationship goes back more than 15 years. Before he was Ehlers’s staff director, Plaster worked as the congressman’s legislative director for a decade before he moved over to the CAO’s office. Plaster originally joined Ehlers’s staff in 1993 after working for Rep. Paul Henry (R), who Ehlers replaced after the Michigan congressman died on July 31, 1993, during the 103rd Congress. According to a June 2007 profile published in the National Journal, “Plaster’s colleagues say that he manages the [House Administration] committee like a sports coach. He has a large wipe-off board in his office scribbled with ideas, strategies, and solutions, just the way a coach might ‘chalk talk’ with the team before a big game.”


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Committee on the Judiciary 2138 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3951 http://judiciary.house.gov/


MINORITY MEMBERS

John Conyers Jr., MI-14th, Chairman

Lamar Smith, TX-21st, Ranking Member

Howard Berman, CA-28th Rick Boucher, VA-9th Jerrold Nadler, NY-8th Robert Scott, VA-3rd Melvin Watt, NC-12th Zoe Lofgren, CA-16th Sheila Jackson Lee, TX-18th Maxine Waters, CA-35th William Delahunt, MA-10th Robert Wexler, FL-19th Linda Sánchez, CA-39th Steve Cohen, TN-9th Hank Johnson, GA-4th Betty Sutton, OH-13th Luis Gutierrez, IL-4th Brad Sherman, CA-27th Tammy Baldwin, WI-2nd Anthony Weiner, NV-9th Adam Schiff, CA-29th Artur Davis, AL-7th Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL-20th Keith Ellison, MN-5th

F. James Sensenbrenner, WI-9th Howard Coble, NC-6th Elton Gallegly, CA-23rd Bob Goodlatte, VA-6th Steve Chabot, OH-1st Dan Lungren, CA-3rd Chris Cannon, UT-3rd Ric Keller, FL-8th Darrell E. Issa, CA-49th Mike Pence, IN-6th J. Randy Forbes, VA-4th Steve King, IA-5th Tom Feeney, FL-24th Trent Franks, AZ-2nd Louie Gohmert, TX-1st Jim Jordan, OH-4th


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HOUSE JUDICIARY JURISDICTION (1) The judiciary and judicial proceedings, civil and criminal. (2) Administrative practice and procedure. (3) Apportionment of representatives. (4) Bankruptcy, mutiny, espionage, and counterfeiting. (5) Civil liberties. (6) Constitutional amendments. (7) Federal courts and judges, and local courts in the territories and possessions. (8) Immigration policy and non-border enforcement. (9) Interstate compacts generally. (10) Claims against the United States. (11) Meetings of Congress; attendance of members, delegates, and the resident commissioner; and their acceptance of incompatible offices. (12) National penitentiaries. (13) Patents, the Patent and Trademark Office, copyrights, and trademarks. (14) Presidential succession. (15) Protection of trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies. (16) Revision and codification of the statutes of the United States. (17) State and territorial boundary lines. (18) Subversive activities affecting the internal security of the United States.

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HOUSE JUDICIARY The Bush administration is a target-rich environment for the Judiciary Committee, whose Democratic leaders in 2008 plan on aggressive oversight combined with whatever legislating can take place in a fractious election year. The oversight conflict exploded, certainly not for the last time, in February 2008 when the full House approved the committee’s contempt citations for former White House counsel Harriet Miers and current White House chief of staff John Bolton. The committee in 2007 voted on the contempt citations as part of its investigation into the Bush administration’s firing of U.S. attorneys. “If we countenance a process where our subpoenas can be readily ignored, where a witness under a duly authorized subpoena doesn’t even bother to show up ... then we have already lost,” insisted the Judiciary Committee chairman, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. Unimpressed, House Republicans staged a walkout of the Capitol. The Justice Department will not pursue the contempt charges, leaving the House to decide later in 2008 whether to file its own long-shot lawsuit. Amid equally intense partisan tensions, the committee in early 2008 was attempting to rewrite to Democratic satisfaction the laws governing intelligence wiretaps as well as probe Justice Department memos authorizing harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. The 2008 oversight is a continuation of 2007, when Democrats flexed their newfound majority muscles. Throughout the year, Democrats used myriad oversight hearings to shed a sometimes harsh light on presidential signing statements, wiretapping policies, interrogation practices and more. Still, committee members can toggle back and forth between partisan rancor and bipartisan legislating. When they’re feeling optimistic, members and staffers hope 2008 can bring tangible progress on issues like patent reform, approved by the committee by voice vote in September 2007. Efforts to overhaul the way the government reviews and issues patents had previously stalled over conflict between computer software companies and the biotech industry. A priority for the committee’s ranking Republican, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, the patent reform legislation still awaits Senate action and conference committee negotiations in 2008. Immigration, the big elephant in the room for 2007, won’t be seen much in 2008, but the committee has a full array of relatively non-controversial measures lawmakers expect to complete. These include, for instance, the so-called COPS Improvement Act, which extends a grant program funding the hiring of 50,000 police officers. The committee’s bill, easily passed by the House in 2007, will be reconciled in 2008 with a Senate version. All told in 2007, the committee reported out some 41 bills for which reports were issued during the year. Many zipped through without a complaint. For instance, on the same day in 2007 the committee debated the Miers and Bolton contempt citations, members proceeded to approve six substantive bills by voice vote. “I think we did very well,” said Bobby Vassar, a long-time committee staffer who now serves as chief counsel for the Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee.


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HOUSE JUDICIARY

Perry H. Apelbaum

Expertise: Antitrust, bankruptcy, tort reform, constitutional law, legal issues.

Democratic Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel

All things considered, Perry Apelbaum agrees, it’s more fun to be in the majority than in the minority.

2138 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3951 Fax: (202) 225-7680

“Obviously, in the majority, you set the agenda,” Apelbaum says. The veteran Democratic staff director and chief counsel earned his perspective the hard way, having played defense for many years in the minority until Democrats reclaimed control of the House in 2007. Of course, Apelbaum adds, the opportunities come with new burdens as well, including handling the committee’s more complicated administrative and budgetary responsibilities. Still, he sounds more than content with the tradeoff. The Judiciary Committee’s ongoing agenda includes a big wallop of what Apelbaum calls “more aggressive oversight.” In early 2008, for instance, Apelbaum helped prep the committee’s chairman, Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., and other Democrats for grilling Attorney General Michael Mukasey on a wide range of sensitive topics. By pressing Mukasey on issues including voter suppression, waterboarding and the alleged politicization of the Justice Department, the committee picked up where it left off in 2007. The 2007 oversight hearings, on controversies like the firing of U.S. attorneys, enabled Democrats to spotlight the kind of administration activities left largely unexamined while Republicans held the reins.


Education: B.A., highest distinction, University of Michigan, 1981. J.D., cum laude, Harvard Law School, 1984.

Professional: 1984–1991, associate, Covington & Burling. 1992–1994, asst. counsel, Subc. on Economic and Commercial Law, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1994–2001, Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2001–2003, Democratic chief of staff and chief counsel, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2004–present, Democratic chief of staff and chief counsel, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.

While still in the minority in 2005 and 2006, Apelbaum helped propel a report that found “substantial evidence” that the Bush administration “misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war with Iraq” and “countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” there. Apelbaum had likewise taken a lead role in a minority report highlighting voting problems in Ohio during the 2004 election. But it’s not all grim partisanship, even on this committee known for ideological vehemence. The panel that Apelbaum calls “the intersection of law and politics and policy” will also be continuing bipartisan legislating in 2008, including the return of some issues begun in 2007. The committee’s patent reform bill, for instance, secured House passage but now awaits Senate action. Lawmakers and staffers like Apelbaum can anticipate a lively negotiating conference, if the legislation gets that far. “It’s a big, complicated omnibus-type bill, and there are different interest groups jockeying for position,” Apelbaum says. Apelbaum himself is well-regarded by colleagues on both sides of the aisle, who have seen him in action over many years. The University of Michigan and Harvard Law School graduate began working for a Judiciary subcommittee in 1992 and moved to the full committee in 1994. Before coming to the Hill, he had labored in the legal vineyards as an associate with the prominent Washington law firm of Covington and Burling.

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George M. Fishman Republican Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law B351 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6906 Fax: (202) 225-7682 [email protected]

Expertise: Immigration. Many observers believe that immigration is a dead issue for 2008, but that hasn’t stopped George Fishman from working hard on H. Res. 499, a resolution calling on the Bush administration to make preventing illegal immigration a top priority. The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, the ranking member of the full Judiciary Committee, directs the White House, the Treasury Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations to re-evaluate their positions on key provisions of existing immigration law to reduce the number of illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States. Because Democrats control the chamber, and don’t take as hard-line approach to illegal immigration as Republicans, it is unlikely the measure will be considered anytime this year. But the issue is one Fishman is very familiar with, and one that has divided congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle—and Capitol Hill—for years. Many House Republicans have said they prefer an “enforcement first” approach to improving the nation’s immigration system. As part of that, in 2006, Fishman helped propel legislation that would authorize the construction of a fence along much of the U.S.-Mexico border.


Education: B.A., University of Illinois, 1985. J.D., University of Michigan, 1988.

Professional: 1988–1989, attorney/adviser, Dept. of the Interior. 1989–1995, legislative counsel, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill. 1993–1995, legislative counsel,House Republican Policy Cmte. 1995–1998, counsel, Subc. on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1998– present, Republican chief counsel, Subc. on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.

He also worked with Judiciary Committee Republicans on legislation to help boost security along the borders before creating or expanding guest worker programs for foreigners. He assisted the subcommittee and full Judiciary panel in a series of high-profile hearings designed to examine potential flaws in a broad Senate-passed immigration measure. Democrats, who now control the chamber, have pledged to advance another broad immigration overhaul, which would include a new guest worker visa program and a system for dealing with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants now living inside the United States. But after the collapse of a White House-backed and Democrat-supported bill with a “pathway to citizenship” provision in 2007, most observers do not expect to see comprehensive immigration reform again this term. Despite this, Fishman will be working to ensure the Border Patrol is effectively using agents and technology to secure the borders. “Making sure currently agencies have sufficient resources and these resources are used effectively will be as important as passing any new legislation,” he has said in the past. The Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security Committee share jurisdiction over the border patrol and ports of entry into the United States. During the 109th Congress, there were no big turf battles between the two committees. The Judiciary Committee still has jurisdiction over Department of Interior enforcement, immigration services, and the nature of immigration law in general.


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Crystal Jezierski Chief Counsel B351 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2022 Fax: (202) 225-1845 [email protected]

Expertise: Oversight. Instead of focusing on one particular issue, House Judiciary Committee Republican chief counsel Crystal Jezierksi says she has her hands in almost everything the panel does. She views her role as that of a manager, as opposed to an expert. “My area is oversight so all matters that the Committee has legislative jurisdiction over we would also have oversight jurisdiction over and thus I am accountable for our activities,” she wrote in an e-mail describing her duties. This year is Jezierski’s second go-round working for the committee. From 2001 to 2003, she worked as counsel for the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Administrative Law. Jezierski expects to be busy this spring dealing with committee work on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as well as monitoring the Department of Justice. The House and the Senate have been doing battle over the FISA bill. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill early in 2008, but House Democrats are divided on what the bills priorities should be, and have considered breaking the Senate bill into two different pieces of legislation. Ongoing negotiations in the spring between Democrats in the House and Senate have failed to produce a compromise, and with the presidential elections looming, some have cautioned that the bill might not be addressed this year.

Education: B.A., history/political science, Denison University, 1994. J.D., College of William and Mary, 1997.

Professional: 1997–2001, legal policy analyst, Family Research Council. 2001–2002, counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2003, chief counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2003–2005, deputy assistant attorney general, Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice. 2005–2007, director of intergovernmental and public liaison and adviser to the attorney general, Department of Justice. 2007–present, chief counsel–oversight and investigations, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.

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Republicans from both chambers were boycotting negotiations in March. They argued that delay tactics by the Democrats are putting the country at risk. The White House supports the Senate passed version and has threatened to veto anything else. On another front, some members of the committee have questioned why the Department of Justice has yet to open a criminal investigation into the controversial practice of water boarding. Attorney general Michael Mukasey told the panel in February that to do that would undermine past and future legal opinions by the Department of Justice in doubt. From 2003 to 2005, Jezierski served as deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legislative Affairs for the Department of Justice, so she is familiar with how the agency operates and coordinates with the panel. Jezierski spent four years after law school working as a legal policy analyst for the Family Research Council working on a wide range of issues, including obscenity law, religious liberty and parental rights. She was also active in the organization’s efforts to promote confirmation of judicial appointments.


HOUSE JUDICIARY

Ted Kalo Democratic General Counsel 2138 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6504 Fax: (202) 225-7680 [email protected]

Expertise: Criminal law, voting rights. Ted Kalo hopes against hope to change some Capitol Hill conventional wisdom. The Judiciary Committee’s general counsel knows the political oddsmakers count 2008 as a stand-pat year. Nonetheless, on both the legislative and the personal front, he feels fresh possibilities brewing. “Traditionally, not much gets done in an election year,” Kalo concedes. “[But] I am hopeful that we will break with this tradition. Given the number of bills that passed the House last session, I hope we will be able to get those bills through the Senate and to the president.” A hate crimes bill, for instance, passed the Judiciary Committee and then the full House in 2007 as stand-alone legislation. In the Senate, similar hate-crimes language was folded into a larger bill, setting the stage for 2008 negotiations. The House bill expands the current federal law, creating separate federal criminal charges for offenses motivated by sexual orientation, gender or disability. While the bill generaged broad opposition from the panel’s most conservative members, Kalo pointed out that more of the more than 40 measures the Judiciary Committee reported out in 2007 were ultimately able to win bipartisan support. “We worked very hard last session, and I think it will continue to pay dividends this session,” Kalo said.

Personal: Born 05/02/1970 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Education: B.A., psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1992. J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1996.

Professional: 1993, legislative intern, Rep. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. 1994, research asst., North Carolina Sea Grant Program. 1995, law clerk, North Carolina Resource Center. 1995, law clerk, Public Defender’s Office (Durham, N.C.)1996, intern, Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign. 1997–1999, legislative asst., Rep. Melvin Watt, DN.C. 1999–2001, Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2001–2003, Democratic deputy chief counsel, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2003–present, Democratic general counsel, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.


Kalo had to spend part of 2007 learning the responsibilities that come with being in the majority, from staffing decisions to organizing the regular legislative markups. It was all a matter, he says, of “making sure we [got] to a smoothrunning committee.” The normal administrative challenges can be aggravated by the intensely partisan nature of some of the committee’s work, which in 2007 included the issuance of contempt citations against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. “Oversight is…something that’s really critical,” Kalo said at the start of the session. On a more personal front, Kalo is juggling committee work with a growing family, as his wife was expecting to deliver a baby boy in April to join 3-year-old daughter Sarah. Kalo was born in Phoenix but raised and educated in North Carolina, where he currently is a member of the bar. He describes himself as a guy who “bleeds Tar Heel blue.” He first worked on Capitol Hill in 1993 as a summer intern for then-Rep. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., before the congressman’s election to the Senate. He began working for the Judiciary Committee as counsel in 1999, moving up to deputy counsel in 2001 when former staff director Julian Epstein left for the private sector.

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David Lachmann Democratic Chief of Staff Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties B-353 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2825 Fax: (202) 225-4299 [email protected]

Expertise: Constitutional law, bankruptcy. Well before coming to Capitol Hill, David Lachmann worked as a chef up and down the East Coast. Now, as chief of staff of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, Lachmann has been cooking up tough questions for the Bush administration. “We had a backlog of oversight work to do, because the administration got a free ride from the Republican majority for six years,” Lachmann said. Lachmann said he used to laugh when identified as the subcommittee’s minority chief of staff, since he was the staff. Now, he says happily, “we actually have a staff” consisting of three counsels and a clerk. The panel also changed its name under Democratic control in 2007, adding the “Civil Rights and Civil Liberties” to the title. The revamped subcommittee racked up some notable successes on several fronts in 2007. Its oversight hearings into the alleged politicization of the Justice Department’s Office of Civil Rights preceded the removal in December of the office’s chief, John K. Tanner. The panel also delved into the Bush administration’s domestic surveillance programs, treatment of alleged terrorists and more. In 2008, members started a busy oversight season with hearings on the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. Legislatively, the subcommittee moved bills including one on behalf of African-American farmers who claim they were discriminated against by the Agriculture Department. The measure is now being considered as part of a Farm Bill, one of several Judiciary Committee priorities that have been carried over to 2008.


Education: B.A., philosophy and political science, Boston University, 1984.

Professional: 1985–1989, chief of staff, New York Assembly Member Eileen C. Dugan. 1989–1992, legislative asst., Rep. Stephen J. Solarz, D-N.Y. 1993–1998, legislative dir., Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y. 1998–2001, minority professional staff, Subc. on Commercial and Administrative Law, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2001–2007, minority professional staff, Subc. on the Constitution, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2007–present, chief of staff, Subc. on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.

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While in the minority, Lachmann had focused on fighting Republican-backed constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage and proposals to limit the jurisdiction of federal courts. Unlike many of his committee colleagues, Lachmann is not an attorney; his undergraduate degree is in philosophy. The New York City native has spent his entire professional career working for hometown lawmakers, first in the state’s assembly, and since 1989, in Congress. After a getting his start with Rep. Stephen J. Solarz, D-N.Y., Lachmann went to work in 1993 for the then–newly elected Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., with whom he has worked ever since. Lachmann previously served as the Democratic staffer on the Judiciary’s Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee. In that job, hedeveloped expertise on bankruptcy legislation. Lachmann also has specialized in church-state issues, including faith-based initiatives. He was one of the drafters of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1992 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.


HOUSE JUDICIARY

Caroline Lynch Chief Minority Counsel Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security B-351 Rayburn Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6906 Fax: (202) 225-7682 [email protected]

Expertise: Criminal law, national security issues. Caroline Lynch came to the committee in 2006 and is currently the chief counsel for subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. The Arizona native understands that the committee is known for its partisan tone on such issues as mandatory minimum penalties for criminals and capital punishment, but wishes more attention was focused on the issues themselves instead of politics. “Republicans support vigorous oversight of the Department of Justice. But we believe enacting legislation to prevent crime, punish offenders, and protect victims to be an equally important function for the crime subcommittee,” she wrote in an e-mail. In the two years since she came to the subcommittee, Lynch has spent time working on many high profile issues, including espionage, restitution, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). She expects her work on FISA to continue this year, and will also spend time focusing on cyber-crime reform and illegal drug sentencing. Two bills in particular she will be working closely on are H.R. 4175 and H.R. 3806.


Education:

H.R. 4175, also known as the Privacy and Cyber-crime Enforcement Act, deals with computer fraud. Among other things, it would make computer fraud fall under the definition of racketeering and would criminalize anyone who does not immediately notify superiors for a breach in security information. Finally it asks the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review the sentencing guidelines pertaining to identity theft and computer fraud and amend if necessary. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the chairman of the overall committee, and is supported by ranking member Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas.

B.A. Communications, University of Arizona, 1995. J.D., Arizona State University College of Law, 2003.

H.R. 3806, the Supporting Prosecutions of International Espionage Schemes Act, is a Republican bill sponsored by Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va, the subcommittee’s ranking member.

Professional:

Prior to a January 2008 hearing on espionage, Forbes said he was concerned with “the ability of our current laws to protect us against 21st century threats [because] China, Cuba, Russia and Iran are gathering sensitive information from our government and from private companies in the United States.”

1996–2000, legislative assistant, U.S. Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. 2002, legal extern, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona. 2003–2004, law clerk, Judge William F. Garbarino, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One. 2004–2005, deputy county attorney, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Appeals Bureau. 2005–2006, chief counsel, House Republican Policy Cmte. 2006–present, Republican Chief Counsel, Subc on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.


After graduating from the Arizona State University College of Law in 2003, Lynch went to work for the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Maricopa County Attorney’s office. This is her second stint working on Capitol. She worked as a legislative assistant for Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz, after college, from 1996 to 2000.

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Blaine Merritt Republican Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property B351 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2022 Fax: (202) 225-1845 [email protected]

Expertise: Copyright, trademark and patent law. The Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property spent most of last year working on patent law. The House passed the legislation in late 2007, and now the subcommittee is heavily involved in intellectual property regulations, with Blaine Merritt right in the thick of it. H.R. 4279 was introduced in December 2007 by subcommittee chairman Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and has bipartisan support—including that of ranking subcommittee member, Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C. The bill calls for the creation of a new division within the Department of Justice, known as the Intellectual Property Enforcement Division. It would require the attorney general to review Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property units, known as CHIPs, as well as provide CHIPs with additional support and training. Additionally the bill would require five new International Property Law Enforcement coordinators abroad to work to protect the integrity of American-made products, from movies and music to computer software and games to pharmeucuticals and even clothing. Many groups with a more than passing interest in copyright laws, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, support the bill. But other organizations are opposed because they fear unregistered works and products would not be eligible for protection. The White House has also expressed concern over the proposed changes to the Department of Justice, and testified late last year that they fear the measure would simply create additional bureaucracy.

Personal: Born 11/13/1957.

Education: A.B., Duke University, 1980. J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law, 1983.

Professional: 1984, research dir., Howard Coble for U.S. Congress. 1985–1988, legislative asst., Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C. 1988–1996, legislative dir., Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C. 1999–2000, counsel, Subc. on Courts and Intellectual Property, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2000–2006, chief counsel, Subc. on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2007–present, Republican chief counsel, Subc. on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.

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The subcommittee passed the bill in March, after removing a provision that some members worried would penalize those who unintentionally download material illegally by charging fines above and beyond what is currently legal. The bill will go before the full committee later this year. Merritt has worked in the past on judicial appointments. Republicans have long sought legislation that would break up the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit, which they view as left-leaning. But with Democrats in control, that is unlikely to happen this year. Since 2000, Merritt has served as chief counsel for the subcommittee, and has had three different Republicans leaders—most recently Coble. Working for Coble now is like old hat for Merritt, who previously served for more than 15 years in the congressman’s personal office. He was Coble’s research director when the North Carolinian was first elected to Congress in 1984.


HOUSE JUDICIARY

Elliot Mincberg Chief Oversight Counsel 2138 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3951 Fax: (202) 225-7680 [email protected]

Expertise: Constitutional law, civil rights, civil liberties, litigation. Elliot Mincberg has been fine-tuning his trade. The Harvard-trained lawyer already had nearly three decades of diverse legal and investigative experience when he joined the House Judiciary Committee staff as oversight counsel in 2007. It proved a productive year, in more ways than one, and it set the stage for further committee action in 2008. “I learned a lot of things,” Mincberg said. “I learned the importance of trying to work on a cooperative basis with the people we’re trying to oversee, but also to work with firmness and resolve.” Legal muscles Mincberg developed as a partner at the D.C. law firm Hogan and Hartson were flexed as the Judiciary Committee issued a slew of subpoenas to compel testimony from fired U.S. attorneys as well as former Justice Department official Monica Goodling. The committee also approved contempt citations for two recalcitrant witnesses, former White House counsel Harriet Miers and White House chief of staff Josh Bolten. The committee’s approval in July 2007 of the contempt citations on a party-line, 22– 17 vote showcased the kind of sharp-tongued partisanship for which the Judiciary Committee has been famous. Mincberg is no stranger to such partisanship, having directed civil rights and judicial investigations for the People for the American Way from 1989 until he came to Capitol Hill in 2007. While with the liberal advocacy group, Mincberg also helped rally the opposition to Supreme Court nominee John Roberts Jr., with whom he had worked with while at Hogan & Hartson.


Education: B.A., history and sociology, Northwestern University, 1974. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1977.

Still, he said, overseeing congressional investigations requires a delicate new skill set. “It’s a very interesting, exciting kind of job,” Mincberg says. “A day doesn’t go by that I’m not dealing with four or six or more different issues.”

Professional:

For 2008, Mincberg says “we continue to be concerned with the issue of interrogations and torture, and we continue to be concerned over surveillance programs.”

1977–1986, associate, Hogan & Hartson. 1986–1989, partner, Hogan & Hartson. 1989–2007, general counsel and legal director, People For the American Way. 2007–present, chief oversight counsel, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.

He has been delving into the Justice Department’s elite Office of Legal Counsel, a unit historically staffed with some of the smartest young lawyers in government. Increasingly, Mincberg said, the office appears to be keeping its influential legal opinions secret. Although perhaps more esoteric than the high-profile firing of U.S. attorneys, the proliferation of secret legal opinions is also the kind of issue that can personally captivate Mincberg. The Chicago-area native and summa cum laude graduate from Northwestern University had previously helped propel the committee’s probes of the FBI’s use of national security letters and President Bush’s assertions of executive power, among other issues. “Our overall mission is to conduct genuine oversight of the performance of the executive branch, in the whole area of justice, civil rights, civil liberties, and the performance of the Department of Justice,” Mincberg said.


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Paul Taylor Republican Chief Counsel Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties B351 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6906 Fax: (202) 226-4940 [email protected]

Expertise: Legal reform, constitutional issues, civil right and civil liberties. As Chief Republican Counsel, Paul Taylor’s job is dictated as much by what the majority Democrats want to do, as it is by the Supreme Court a few blocks away. He expects issues of preemption to play a prominent role on the committee this year. Preemption is the term used to describe the issue of whether federal law should take precedence over state laws when it comes to things like the environment, consumer product safety and food regulations. The Supreme Court is considering the issue of preemption in several cases this year, including Rowe v. New Hampshire Motor Transport Association. The court is reviewing a federal law regulating the Federal Aviation Administration. At issue is whether it precludes states from using their police powers insure tobacco orders are shipped to people above the legal age. Taylor said he didn’t expect many changes from his responsibilities last year. He works to balance oversight hearings and examine legislation moving through the subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. In the first session of the 110th Congress, Taylor organized numerous subcommittee hearings. He also worked on Republican motions to recommit legislation—a tactical move aimed at stalling Democrat measures—regarding such issues as gun control and ethics reform. He also worked on various Republican amendments offered during committee hearings.


Education: B.A., political science, Yale College, 1991. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1994.

Professional: 1994–1997, associate, Kirkland & Ellis. 1998–1999, associate, Covington & Burling. 1999–2003, counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2003–2006, chief counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2007–present, Republican chief counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.

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Two areas of oversight which he expects to continue this year are Democrat-led efforts investigate the Justice Department, in particular its Civil Rights Division, as well as the Bush administration’s anti-terrorism tactics. The panel will closely monitor how the courts handle legal challenges filed by suspected terrorists detailed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A 2006 law stripped federal courts of jurisdiction over habeas corpus petitions filed by the detainees to challenge their imprisonment, but it still unclear how the Supreme Court will rule on that statute. The subcommittee is also expected to consider related legislation that would grant habeas corpus jurisdiction to federal courts. Taylor is a graduate of Harvard Law School and is the author of more than a dozen law review and journal articles on numerous issues, including anti-terrorism policies, discrimination law, legal reform, judicial appointments, religious liberty, and electronic surveillance.


HOUSE JUDICIARY

Bobby N. Vassar Democratic Counsel Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security B-370 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5727 Fax: (202) 225-1845 [email protected]

Expertise: Crime, administrative law. Bobby Vassar has been around Capitol Hill long enough to appreciate the legislative nuances of 2008, prime election season. “It means,” Vassar said, “that there will be a shorter window of time to move stuff, and it means only bipartisan measures will move.” Still, as Democratic counsel on the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee, Vassar reports a full agenda for the year. Working closely with the panel’s chairman, Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Va., Vassar hopes for progress on a crime prevention bill, revisions to the Prison Litigation Reform Act and possible refinements to the nation’s notoriously harsh crack cocaine sentencing. The subcommittee’s members have already shown they can work together. In 2007, for instance, the subcommittee’s COPS Improvement Act, updating a politically popular police grant program, secured overwhelming 381–34 approval by the House. In a similar vein, the subcommittee’s Emmitt Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, dedicating new Justice Department resources to investigating civil rights crimes committed prior to 1970, won House approval by an emphatic 422–2 margin. “A lot of people were surprised at the significant amount of bipartisan cooperation we were able to get,” Vassar said. “We worked hard to focus on what we could get done.”

Personal: Born 06/07/1947 in Gaston, N.C.

Education: B.A., Norfolk State University, 1969. J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 1972.

Professional: 1972–1973, community lawyer fellow, Reginald Heber Smith. 1973–1976, staff attorney, Legal Services Plan of Washington, D.C. 1976–1979, senior asst., vice chancellor for administration, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 1979–1982, executive dir., Peninsula Legal Aid Center. 1982–1987, chair, Virginia Parole Board. 1987–1990, deputy commissioner, Virginia Dept. of Social Services. 1990–1993, deputy secretary, Health and Human Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia. 1993–1994, acting secretary, Health and Human Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia. 1994–1999, senior counsel, Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Va. 1999–present, Democratic counsel, Subc. on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, House Cmte. on the Judiciary.

A staffer for Scott in various positions for more than 20 years, Vassar scored some personal triumphs in 2007 as well. His alma mater, the historically black Norfolk State University, selected him to serve as rector of the university’s Board of Visitors. Vassar has served on the board since 2003. In other cases, the subcommittee’s 2008 agenda faces more significant impediments, as Democrats try to dial back past GOP priorities or expand legal protections for certain populations. The Prison Litigation Reform Act passed in 1996, for instance, made it much harder for prisoners to file lawsuits even if they had a legitimate grievance. Conservatives consider it a success, noting a 40 percent decline in prisoner lawsuits filed in federal court. The subcommittee’s hate crimes bill, expanding coverage to include sexual orientation, likewise divides lawmakers. The bill passed the House in 2007, but by a relatively narrow margin that foreshadows future difficulties. For years, with Republicans in control, Vassar had focused on defending against tough-on-crime proposals that boosted mandatory minimum sentences. Now, the lawyer and former chairman of the Virginia Parole Board member is working more on proposals to help prevent crime and rehabilitate offenders. Vassar noted that committee Republicans had focused “primarily on what to do with crime after the fact, “but Judiciary Democrats are zeroing in “on what to do to prevent crime, both in terms of keeping people from coming into criminal careers in the first place and shortening the criminal careers” of others. When he’s not on Capitol Hill, Vassar can be found traveling with his adult children or freshwater fishing.


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HOUSE JUDICIARY

Shanna A. Winters Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property B-352 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5741 [email protected]

Expertise: Intellectual property, patents. Asked to describe her specific goals for 2008 as Democratic counsel for the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, Shanna Winters replies succinctly: “To get something done,” she says. In fact, the veteran trademark attorney and mother of three young children has some very specific legislative priorities. Notably, there’s hope in 2008 for the completion of the subcommittee’s patent reform bill approved by the House in 2007 but still awaiting Senate action and conference. The House bill, authored by the subcommittee chairman, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., along with Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., is acutely technical, commercially significant and heavily lobbied. Among many other steps, it creates a new review system to double-check on poor-quality patents and imposes certain constraints on patent infringement litigation. It also changes a fundamental aspect of the U.S. patent system. Instead of granting patent priority to the filer who can claim to be the first inventor—a potentially complex matter—the bill would shift patent priority to the first person who actually files a patent application. Patent reform efforts have struggled along for years, and it will take persistence and maybe a bit of luck to finish the legislation in an election year. The Capitol Hill clock, moreover, is ticking, as 2008 will be Berman’s last year as subcommittee chair. The veteran lawmaker will give up the panel’s leadership in 2009 as a consequence of his becoming chair of the full House Foreign Affairs Committee. Winters must strike while the iron is hot, which is something her co-workers expect of her.

Personal: Born 05/27/1972 in Far Rockaway, N.Y.

Education: B.A., psychology, Stern College, Yeshiva University, 1993. J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 1996.

Professional: 1996, copyright intern, Polygram Records. 1997, attorney, Oxbridge Inc. 1997–2002, trademark examining attorney, United States Patent and Trademark Office. 2002, attorney, Patent and Trademark Office/ detail to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. 2003–2005, legislative counsel, Patent and Trademark Office/detail to Rep. Howard Berman, D-CA. 2003, agency laison, Patent and Trademark Office/Office of Congressional Relations. 2005–2006, minority counsel, Subc. on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, House Cmte. on Judiciary. 2007–present, chief counsel, Subc. on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, House Cmte. on Judiciary.

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“She’s a wonder woman,” enthused Gene Smith, Berman’s savvy chief of staff. “She has lots of responsibilities, and she is the smartest, fastest, most competent lawyer on the Hill in intellectual property matters.” Tellingly, Smith added, Winters is a “tough-as-nails negotiator.” Winters first joined Berman’s staff in September 2003 on detail from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, later moving over to the subcommittee as minority counsel. Patent and intellectual property work was Winters’ specialty even while attending New York’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where as a student she once interned for Polygram Records’ copyright department. Winters joined the Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark examining attorney shortly after her graduation from law school. The agency eventually sent her on several other details before she joined Berman. “She spent a year with us as a detailee and we thought she was so fabulous that we sought and got a second year of her service,” Smith explained. “Then, our counsel left to go [work] as a lobbyist and we grabbed her for the [subcommittee] slot.”


Committee on Natural Resources 1329 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 225-1931 http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 27/20 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Nick J. Rahall II, WV-3rd, Chairman

Don Young, AK-1st, Ranking Member

Dale E. Kildee, MI-5th Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, AS Neil Abercrombie, HI-1st Solomon P. Ortiz, TX-27th Frank Pallone Jr., NJ-6th Donna M. Christensen, VI Grace F. Napolitano, CA-38th Rush D. Holt, NJ-12th Raúl M. Grijalva, AZ-7th Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU Jim Costa, CA-20th Dan Boren, OK-2nd John P. Sarbanes, MD-3rd George Miller, CA-7th Edward J. Markey, MA-7th Peter DeFazio, OR-4th Maurice D. Hinchey, NY-22nd Patrick J. Kennedy, RI-1st Ron Kind, WI-3rd Lois Capps, CA-23rd Jay Inslee, WA-1st Mark Udall, CO-2nd Joe Baca, CA-43rd Hilda L. Solis, CA-32nd Stephanie Herseth, SD-At Large Heath Shuler, NC-11th

Jim Saxton, NJ-3rd Elton Gallegly, CA-24th John J. Duncan Jr., TN-2nd Wayne T. Gilchrest, MD-1st Chris Cannon, UT-3rd Thomas G. Tancredo, CO-6th Jeff Flake, AZ-6th Stevan Pearce, NM-2nd Henry Brown, SC-1st Luis Fortuño, PR Cathy McMorris, WA-5th Louie Gohmert, TX-1st Tom Cole, OK-4th Rob Bishop, UT-1st Bill Shuster, PA-9th Dean Heller, NV-2nd Bill Sali, ID-1st Doug Lamborn, CO-5th Mary Fallin, OK-5th


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HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Fisheries and wildlife, including research, restoration, refuges, and conservation. Forest reserves and national parks created from the public domain. Forfeiture of land grants and alien ownership, including alien ownership of mineral lands. Geological Survey. International fishing agreements. Interstate compacts relating to apportionment of waters for irrigation purposes. Irrigation and reclamation, including water supply for reclamation projects and easements of public lands for irrigation projects, and acquisition of private lands when necessary to complete irrigation projects. (8) Native Americans generally, including the care and allotment of Native American lands and general and special measures relating to claims that are paid out of Native American funds. (9) Insular possessions of the United States generally (except those affecting the revenue and appropriations). (10) Military parks and battlefields, national cemeteries administered by the secretary of the interior, parks within the District of Columbia, and the erection of monuments to the memory of individuals. (11) Mineral land laws and claims and entries thereunder. (12) Mineral resources of public lands. (13) Mining interests generally. (14) Mining schools and experimental stations. (15) Marine affairs, including coastal zone management (except for measures relating to oil and other pollution of navigable waters). (16) Oceanography. (17) Petroleum conservation on public lands and conservation of the radium supply in the United States. (18) Preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects of interest on the public domain. (19) Public lands generally, including entry, easements, and grazing thereon. (20) Relations of the United States with Native Americans and Native American tribes. (21) Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline (except ratemaking).

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HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES The Natural Resources Committee is perennially among the busiest on Capitol Hill, and in 2007 sent more than 120 bills to the Senate. At the start of the second half the 110th Congress, they all were still on hold there, and the committee is working to get them moving this year. Among the pending legislation are bills to reform the Hardrock Mining Law of 1872, improve the Native American health care system and to reform the immigration laws of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Chairman Nick Rahall II, D-W.Va., has been working on the reform of the mining law for more than twenty years, and is making it a priority to get it enacted this year. Last year he introduced the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act, which requires mining companies to pay royalties to the government for the minerals they mine from public lands. It also permits the prohibition of mining on environmentally sensitive lands and creates a fund to begin the cleanup of nearly 500,000 abandoned mine sites. The bill to upgrade Indian health care addresses the backlog in needed health care facilities, such as alcohol and substance abuse treatment centers, and the need for sanitation facilities in tribal communities. It also seeks to address the lack of access to health care services by establishing grants for demonstration projects that include a convenient care services program. The legislation would make permanent a number of federal programs providing services to Native Americans in long-term health care, diabetes prevention and other areas. The committee is continuing its aggressive oversight of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2008. Last year, the committee’s examination of the ESA uncovered political tampering that led to the resignation of the Interior Department’s deputy assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks. The committee also continues to press the Interior Department on its failure to collect millions of dollars of oil and gas royalties under the federal oil and gas leasing program. Rahall and the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, take a markedly different approach to the use of federal lands for energy development that is reflected in their 2008 priorities. Rahall is planning hearings on the imbalance that allows federal lands to be used for energy development above all other public uses of the land. He also wants to protect more federal lands and to preserve them for recreational uses. Young and the Republican members of the committee favor increasing domestic supplies of energy from all sources, particularly oil, gas and coal production, to offset growing dependence on foreign supplies. Young wants to keep alive many of the provisions of the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act, which addressed the moratoria on energy production in deep sea waters of the U.S. coast. He also is pushing for the development of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Another Rahall objective this year is to develop legislation to address the rising costs of combating wildfires. Wildland fire suppression accounts for 45 percent of the Forest Service budget, and the agency has had to take funds from other programs to cover those costs. The committee also is investigating how state and local water managers are dealing with drought and changing weather patterns that are stressing the water infrastructure in the western United States. In the area of insular affairs, the committee passed legislation in 2007 to reform the immigration system of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and is trying to get it signed into law this year. The bill addresses the lack of immigration laws in the CNMI, and the potential for smugglers and terrorists to gain easy access to the U.S. The issue had been raised before, but former lobbyist Jack Abramoff was paid by the CNMI government to block previous versions of the bill. In the area of wildlife and oceans, the committee is trying to reauthorize the National Sea Grant College Program Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It also is working with the Wildlife Without Borders bill that would officially authorize Congress to provide funding to assist a diverse collection of international wildlife species facing extinction. Committee accomplishments in the last session include passing the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act and the Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2007, the first wilderness bills to make it out of the committee in many years. The committee also completed two Native American tribal recognition bills, one for the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina and one covering six tribes that were present at the Jamestown settlement. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

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HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES

Tony Babauta

Expertise: U.S. territories.

Majority Staff Director

Tony Babauta is the Democratic staff director of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, and in that position he leads the staff’s efforts on initiatives related to all U.S. territories and freely-associated states. The Guam native works closely with subcommittee chairwoman Donna Christensen, D-VI, who is upholding her commitment to conduct field hearings in the insular areas.

Subcommittee on Insular Affairs 1324 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 226-1931 [email protected]

The subcommittee held a hearing in Guam concerning military buildup there. It was the first such hearing held on the island in more than 25 years, Babauta said. The subcommittee also traveled to American Samoa for the first time in 50 years to examine the impact in that territory of the increase in the minimum wage. A subcommittee hearing in the U.S. Virgin Islands led to a bill that passed the House last year that authorized the use of National Park Service land to build a school on St. John. Babauta said about two-thirds of the island is national park land and the rest is privately owned. The government cannot afford to build a new school because it would cost $5 million to $10 million just to acquire some privatelyowned land. Middle school and high school kids now ferry over open ocean each day to go to school on St. Thomas, he said. The subcommittee’s field hearing on immigration issues in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) led to a bill to extend federal immigration laws to CNMI that passed the House in 2007. The legislation is pending in the Senate and the committee is working to get it signed into law this year.

Personal: Born 1969 in Hagatna, Guam.

Education: B.A., communications, Gonzaga University.

Professional: 1999–2006, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2007–present, majority staff director, Subc. on Insular Affairs, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.

Babauta said that the subcommittee also successfully ushered a Guam war claims bill through the House last year. It was the first time the legislation, which has been under consideration for a number of years, passed the House, he noted. In 2008, the subcommittee is planning an oversight hearing on the expiring compact of free association with the Republic of Palau. The compact is an agreement between the U.S. government and the Palau government that affords Palau participation in U.S. programs in return for strategic defense rights. The compact also allows Palau citizens to fight in U.S. wars, Babauta said, and many of them have fought and died in Iraq. Babauta said the subcommittee also is continuing its efforts to improve the economic and political development, and to address financial accountability difficulties, in the insular areas. This is an ongoing subcommittee responsibility, he noted, and the staff receives updated studies from time to time from the General Accountability Office on the status of the many challenges facing the insular area governments. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Babauta ran a successful senatorial campaign in Guam for a political newcomer. After the campaign, he stayed on and served as staff director of Guam’s Committee on Rules for a year.

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Harry F. Burroughs

Expertise: Fish and Wildlife Service, Pittman-Robertson

Republican Staff Director

Wildlife Restoration Act, Endangered Species Act, National Wildlife Refuge System.

Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans

2008 will be a mix of the new and the old for the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, according to its Republican staff director, Harry Burroughs.

H2-269 Ford House Office Bldg.

The Republican members of the subcommittee are working to finish a number of 2007 initiatives, including the Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act, the Coastal Mapping Integration Act and amendments to the Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act. They also are trying to reauthorize the popular National Sea Grant College Program Act, the Sikes Act of 1960, the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, he said.


Burroughs said that the subcommittee also would like to consider the National Wildlife Refuge System Operations Enhancement Act this year. The bill seeks to infuse some desperately-needed revenue into refuge operations, he said. Working on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act amendments and the Wildlife Without Borders Authorization Act are also on the subcommittee’s busy 2008 agenda. The Wildlife Without Borders bill would officially authorize Congress to provide funding to assist a diverse collection of international wildlife species facing extinction. It would authorize $5 million annually for the program for fiscal years 2009 through 2013.

Personal: Born 05/28/1952 in Riverhead, N.Y.

Education: B.A., Baker University (Kans.), 1974. M.A., Kansas State University, 1975.

Professional: 1977–1980, legislative dir., Rep. Richard T. Schulze, R-Pa. 1981–1985, legislative dir., Rep. Jack Fields, R-Texas. 1985–1992, counsel, House Cmte. on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. 1993–1994, minority staff dir., House Cmte. on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. 1995–2006, staff dir., Subc. on Fisheries and Oceans, House Cmte. on Resources. 2007–present, minority staff dir., Subc. on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, House Cmte. on Resources.


During the first session of the 110th Congress, the subcommittee was responsible for several legislative achievements, Burroughs said. They include the enactment of the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Reauthorization Act and the Asian Elephant Conservation Reauthorization Act. The two bills allow the Secretary of the Interior to approve conservation projects to assist flagship populations of African and Asian elephants, rhinoceros and tigers until September 30, 2012. The bills were signed into law in early December 2007. Last year, the House also approved the Refuge Ecology Protection, Assistance and Immediate Response Act to address invasive species within the refuge system. The Senate has not yet acted on it. Burroughs said the subcommittee conducted an oversight hearing in 2007 to recognize the 10th anniversary of the enactment of the historic National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. That law established for the first time an organic statute for the nation’s 96 million acre National Wildlife Refuge System. Other issues covered in 2007 oversight hearings that might be revisited in 2008 include U.S. ocean policy priorities, the impact of wind turbines on birds and bats, reconnecting kids with the outdoors and how pollinators help to maintain healthy ecosystems.

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W. Jackson Coleman Republican General Counsel 186 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2060 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy law, environmental law, federal land law. In 2008, ranking member Don Young, R-Ak., is setting forward initiatives that contrast with the policy directions that the Democrats pursued in 2007. As Republican general counsel, Jack Coleman is responsible for developing those proposals and serving as a resoure for all the subcommittees. “Last year, the Democrats had an aggressive year of hearings and we listened and tried to rebut where we could,” Coleman said. “This year Rep. Young is putting forward the Republican vision with respect to all natural resource issues.” Now in his second year as general counsel, Coleman also is the lead committee counsel for hearings where the subject matters cut across subcommittee lines. He has been with the panel for six years, previously serving as energy and minerals counsel on detail from the Department of Interior. While on detail, Coleman was the Interior Department’s senior attorney for royalties and offshore minerals. Coleman joined the Interior Department in 1989 just after finishing a run for the House of Representatives in the Second District of Mississippi. Coleman said that the Republican staff is developing initiatives to produce more energy and to use federal lands more wisely.

Personal: Born 1953 in Greenwood, Miss.

Education: B.B.A., accounting, University of Mississippi, 1975. J.D., University of Mississippi, 1978.

Professional: 1978–1982, Army Judge Advocate General Captain, Fort Meade, MD. 1982–1985, special assistant to the Associate Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1985–1987, executive director, Contract Services Association of America. 1987–1989, candidate, campaigned for the U.S. House of Representatives for the Second District of Mississippi. 1989–1992, senior attorney for environmental protection, U.S. Department of the Interior. 1992–2007, senior attorney for royalties and offshore minerals, U.S. Department of the Interior. 2003–2006, energy and minerals counsel (detailee), House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2007– present, Republican general counsel, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.

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“We have to take care of conservation, but at the same time face the serious increase in the demand for resources,” he said. The Energy Information Administration estimates that global demand for oil will grow from the current 85 million barrels per day to 120 million barrels per day in 20 years. Young and the committee Republicans would like to keep alive on the policy agenda many of the provisions of the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act, which passed the House in 2006 with significant bipartisan support. That legislation addressed the moratoria on energy production in deep sea waters of the U.S. coast, known as the outer-continental shelf. The existing ban applies from three miles offshore, where state waters end, to 200 miles offshore. The 2006 bill proposed to give states the authority to restrict energy production up to 100 miles off their coastlines, while enabling the United States to produce energy in deep waters beyond 100 miles. Coleman said that committee Republicans believe that the American people want reasonable offshore development, and they would like the 2006 proposals to be looked at again this year. In addition, Young will continue to push for the development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The proposal to explore the ANWR would only impact 2,000 of the refuge’s tens of millions of acres, according to Coleman. The transition to alternative sources of energy cannot happen overnight, and during that changeover the nation must produce energy, Coleman said. High energy prices are hurting people, and Young wants to open up ocean resources and reinvigorate onshore resources, he said. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008


Meghan Marie Conklin Legislative Staff Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands 1333 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7736 Fax: (202) 226-2301 [email protected]

Expertise: National forests. In her fourth full year on Capitol Hill, Meghan Conklin continues to handle national forest and wilderness issues for House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. The top issues on her agenda in 2008 are funding for wildland fire suppression activities on federal lands and helping to consider legislation to designate additional federal wilderness areas within units of the national forest system. Chairman Nick Rahall II, D-W.Va., is making it a priority this year to address the rapidly-rising costs of combating wildfires. He believes that poor budgeting for the escalating costs of wildland fire suppression activities on federal lands is undercutting already constrained funding resources of the Interior and Agriculture Departments. Wildland fire suppression currently accounts for 45 percent of the Forest Service budget, according to Rahall, and the agency has had to take funds from other Forest Service programs to cover those costs. The committee is developing legislation to address the growing crisis, which is adversely impacting families living near forest lands across the country, he said. Conklin’s subcommittee receives hundreds of legislative proposals each year pertaining to wilderness areas, national parks and heritage areas. In order to be designated national wilderness areas, lands must meet certain federal standards.

Personal: Born 05/06/1976 in San Diego, Calif.

Education: B.S., environmental science, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1999. B.A., Spanish, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1999. Master’s degree in political management, George Washington University, 2004.

Professional: 1998, field canvasser, Lois Capps for Congress. 1998–1999, community organizer, Santa Barbara Environmental Defense Center. 1999–2000, program assistant, League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. 2000–2003, campaign activist, Ozone Action, Greenpeace USA. 2004–present, legislative staff, Subc. on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.


In the first session of the 110th Congress, the subcommittee helped shepherd through the House the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act, which designates six new wilderness areas, makes six additions to existing wilderness areas and adds a new wilderness study area. The bill also creates two new national scenic areas. In all, the legislation designated nearly 43,000 acres of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia as wilderness, and 12,000 acres as national scenic areas. The subcommittee also moved the Wild Sky Wilderness Act through the House last year. The bill designated 106,000 acres in the State of Washington as national wilderness. It also directed the Secretary of Agriculture to work with the Forest Service to implement a trail plan for the land, including a system of hiking and equestrian trails. Both bills are still awaiting Senate action. A California native, Conklin moved to Washington, D.C. in September 1999 to become a program assistant for the League of Conservation Voters’ Education Fund. Prior to joining the committee staff in 2004, she campaigned to raise environmental consciousness for Ozone Action, which merged into Greenpeace USA in the fall of 2000. Conklin earned her master’s degree in political management from George Washington University. She enjoys competing in triathlons and traveling.

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Christopher Fluhr Republican Chief of Staff 186 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2311 Fax: (202) 225-4273 [email protected]

Expertise: Indian affairs, insular affairs. Chris Fluhr was promoted to the position of Republican chief of staff to start the second session of the 110th Congress, and is now the top adviser to ranking member Don Young, R-Alaska. Fluhr has worked on Capitol Hill for 20 years, 11 of them on the Natural Resources Committee. He brings a breadth of knowledge to his new position, having served as staff director of three Natural Resources subcommittees—Insular Affairs, Indian Affairs and National Parks, Forests and Lands. Young has a number of priorities this year, Fluhr said, including gun rights and hunting rights on public lands, as well as trying to increase domestic supplies of energy. He particularly would like to increase oil and gas and coal production to offset growing dependence on foreign supplies. Young favors opening a section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration. He also would like to lift the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the outercontinental shelf. Educating House members and the public as to the facts surrounding the theory of man-made global warming is another key objective this year, Fluhr said. Young believes that available data and the best science do not prove that climate change is caused by man and that climate change has been a continuing natural phenomenon that has occurred throughout the history of the earth.

Personal: Born 11/15/1966 in Lansing, Mich.

Education: B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1988.

Professional: 1988–1989, staff asst., Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. 1990–1993, legislative asst., Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. 1994–1996, legislative dir., Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. 1997–2003, legislative/investigative staff, House Cmte. on Resources. 2003–2004, legislative staff, House Cmte. on Resources. 2004–2006, director, Office of Native American and Insular Affairs, House Cmte. on Resources. 2007, Republican staff director, Office of Indian Affairs and Subc. on Insular Affairs, House Cmte. on Resources. 2008–present, Republican chief of staff, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.

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Connected to the climate change issue is the attempt by environmental groups to use the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the federal courts to shut down domestic energy producing and manufacturing industries on the grounds that they emit CO2, he said. One such an attempt is the proposed listing of the polar bear under the ESA, Fluhr added. Young would like the committee to address the severe threat of wildfires in 2008. He believes that timber management is the appropriate course, and he opposes new restrictive public land designations in the West. Those designations are unhealthy for the land, harm rural economies and threaten property rights, Fluhr said. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was a major law that, if fully implemented, would make strides toward developing new energy sources to feed a starving economy, he said. One problem has been that several provisions of the Act that fall under committee’s jurisdiction have not been timely implemented, if implemented at all. Fluhr said that the committee intends to press the Administration to implement them as soon as possible. Fluhr counts among 2007’s successes the work done by Republicans and the Administration to ensure that certain provisions of the energy bill were pulled out of the final version. Young was still unhappy with the final product, he said, but the bill as originally passed by the House was far worse, especially for those seeking to develop new energy sources for America’s needs.



Steve M. Hansen Communications Director 302 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-7749 Fax: (202) 225-5929 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Handling all media requests for one of the busiest committees in Congress is the job of Republican communications director Steve Hansen. The Natural Resources Committee works with hundreds of legislative proposals in a myriad of areas, including national parks, forests and public lands. Hansen writes press releases on those and other committee issues, as well as speeches for his boss, Ranking Member Don Young, R-Alaska. Hansen has worked for Young for 21 years, including as communications director for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from 2001 to 2006. He was Young’s press secretary from 1988 to 1995. As communications director, Hansen has to be familiar with all of the committee’s issues, and said that he spends each session reacting to what the full committee and subcommittees are doing. In 2008, some of the key issues on the Republican members’ agenda include expanding domestic energy production and advancing American Indian and Alaska Native health care. Addressing the health of commercial fishing stocks and protecting private property rights are also priorities, Hansen said. Young opposed the energy bill that was signed into law in 2007, which he believed would cut energy production at a time when energy prices were reaching all-time highs. He cited a CRA International report that stated that consumers would suffer a loss in purchasing power as a result of the legislation, and that increased transportation fuel costs would further increase the costs of goods and services to all American families.

Personal: Born 10/23/1956 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Education: B.A., Linfield College, 1978.

Professional: 1978–1983, reporter, Anchorage Times. 1983–1985, press secretary, Rep. Joe Hayes, speaker of the House, Alaska legislature. 1985–1987, press secretary, Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska. 1987, public relations dir., Bowers Museum (Santa Ana, Calif. 1988–1995, press secretary, Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. 1995–2001, communications dir., House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2001–2006, communications dir., House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2007– present, communications dir., House Cmte. on Natural Resources.


In arguing for increased energy production, Young said that the Energy Bill would decrease oil production and drive future energy jobs overseas, resulting in the loss of millions of current and future American jobs. He also noted that the CRA International report found that the proposed taxes on natural gas and oil production, along with additional restrictions on production, would result in a 4 percent decline in domestic energy production. Hansen said that another major issue the Republican Members are monitoring this year is the possible adverse effects that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and legislative efforts on global warming will have on numerous important domestic natural gas and oil programs. There are efforts to use the ESA and the potential listing of polar bears to stop not only energy projects in Alaska but throughout the nation, he said. Among the committee’s achievements in 2007 was the passage of legislation introduced by Young to expand U.S. efforts to help conserve the dwindling populations of African elephants, rhinoceros and tigers. The Multinational Species Conservation Fund Reauthorization Act extended the authorization of appropriations for the African Elephant Conservation Act of 1988 and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 until September 30, 2012.

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Julia Hathaway Legislative Staff Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans 1329 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 225-1931 [email protected]

Expertise: Fish, wildlife and ocean issues. Julia Hathaway returned to Capitol Hill this year after a 10year hiatus in which she worked for several environmental non-governmental organizations. She worked for two members of the Florida congressional delegation in the 1990s, and then left to earn a Master’s in environmental management from Yale. Before joining the Natural Resources Committee in this session, she worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Ocean Conservancy and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. In 2008, she is putting that considerable experience to work for the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans. The priorities of chairman Nick Rahall II, D-W.Va., for that subcommittee include examining the impact of climate change on coastal areas, fisheries and wildlife resources, and trying to address the problem of overfishing in international waters. The staff also is looking into mounting evidence that the lucrative trade in endangered animals and animal parts is helping to finance groups involved in criminal and terrorist activity. The subcommittee is working to expose the activity and determine effective enforcement options to protect public safety and promote species conservation. Hathaway is also helping the subcommittee study the most effective ways to combat invasive species and to address the impact they are having on marine and terrestrial environments. These efforts include determining how best to ensure adequate screening and monitoring of fish and wildlife imported into the United States to limit the potential risk of invasive species to the environment and the economy.


Education: B.A., communications, George Washington University. M.S., environmental management, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 2000.

Professional: 1989–1991, administrative assistant, Hill and Knowlton Public Affairs Worldwide. 1991–1993, associate, Samuels International Associates, Inc. 1993–1995, legislative assistant, Office of Rep. Harry Johnston, D-Fla. 1995–1998, senior environmental policy analyst, Office of Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla. 2000–2001, legislative specialist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2001–2006, legislative director, The Ocean Conservancy. 2006–2007, marine mammals program officer, International Fund for Animal Welfare. 2008–present, legislative staff, Subc. on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.

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The subcommittee also is trying to develop incentives to reduce overfishing in international waters in 2008. Illegal fishing upsets marine ecosystems, and also harms domestic fishermen and consumers when cheap, illegally-harvested fish are imported in the U.S., according to Rahall. He hopes that incentives to reduce overfishing will ensure the balance needed to maintain U.S. fisheries and preserve jobs for the nation’s fishermen and fishing communities. Reauthorizing the National Sea Grant College Program Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act remain on the subcommittee’s schedule this year. The Sea Grant College program outlines a national strategy for the wise use of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources. It consists of 30 university-based centers that conduct research and outreach programs on, among other things, ecosystems and habitats, fisheries and seafood technology, aquaculture, marine biotechnology and coastal hazards mitigation. The Marine Mammal Protection Act instituted a moratorium on the taking and importation of marine mammals and products derived from them, but provided a procedure for waiving the moratorium. The law provides an exception for Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos who live on the north Pacific coast if they use the mammals for subsistence or authentic native crafts.



Richard J. Healy Chief Counsel 1333 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-7736 Fax: (202) 226-2301 [email protected]

Expertise: National parks, forests, public lands. Rick Healy has a new title and new responsibilities to start the second half of the 110th Congress. The 23-year veteran of the House Natural Resources Committee was promoted to chief counsel and is now assisting chairman Nick Rahall II, D-W.Va., with his entire slate of legislative priorities. Last year, Healy served as the staff director of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. In the area of public lands, one of Rahall’s objectives for 2008 is to address the rising costs of combating wildfires. Wildland fire suppression accounts for 45 percent of the Forest Service budget, and the agency has had to take funds from other programs to cover those costs. The committee is developing legislation to address the situation, which is adversely impacting families living near forest lands across the country. This year the committee also is investigating how state and local water managers are dealing with drought and changing weather patterns that are stressing the water infrastructure in the western United States. Water managers in most states expect freshwater shortages in the near future with possibly severe consequences. Rahall wants to begin to address the problem by adequately funding water reuse strategies and promoting water conservation and planning. Healy is assisting this year with the committee’s ongoing oversight of the Department of the Interior, particularly its handling of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 2007, committee hearings uncovered some political tampering that led to the resignation of the agency’s deputy assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks. The committee is keeping the spotlight on ESA issues this year.

Personal: Born 03/24/1958 in St. Paul, Minn.

Education: B.A., University of St. Thomas, 1980.

Professional: 1980–1985, legislative asst., Rep. Bruce Vento, D-Minn. 1985–1990, professional staff member, Subc. on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 1990–1994, staff dir., Subc. on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 1995–2006, Democratic legislative staff, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2007, staff director, Subc. on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2008–present, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.


Continued oversight of the nation’s oil and gas leasing program is another Rahall priority in this session. The committee heard testimony last year about the Interior Department’s failure to collect millions of dollars of oil and gas royalties. The committee tried to address the problem in the last session, but its proposals were cut from the final version of the energy bill. The committee’s accomplishments from last year include shepherding through the House comprehensive reforms to the Hardrock Mining Law of 1872. The bill is awaiting Senate action, and Healy will assist with staff’s effort to get it enacted before the 110th Congress ends. The bill to upgrade Indian health care also was passed out of the committee in the last session, but is stalled in the Senate. The authorization for the Native American health care program has ended, but Congress has been appropriating funds for it each year. The House bill would finally reauthorize the program. The committee also completed two Native American tribal recognition bills in 2007 and is working to move them forward this year. Rahall would like to fix the entire federal recognition process, but the committee is continuing to work with individual bills until the larger issue is addressed.

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Marie J. Howard Democratic Staff Director Office of Indian Affairs 140 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-9725 Fax: (202) 225-7094 [email protected]

Expertise: Native Americans and Alaska natives. Marie Howard has been working on Capitol Hill for nearly 30 years and has been focused on issues relating to Native Americans and Alaska natives since the late 1980s. In 2007, she was promoted to the position of staff director for the Office of Indian Affairs and now leads the committee’s work on the legislative priorities of chairman Nick Rahall II, D-W.Va., relating to American Indians and Alaska natives. Howard said that for several years prior to Rahall becoming committee chairman, the only Native American issues the staff looked at were gaming-related matters. Rahall set out to change that beginning in the 110th Congress. His first priority was Indian health care, and the committee was able to address that in the last session. In April 2007, the committee reported out the Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization Act, but the bill is now stalled in the Senate. The bill addresses the backlog in needed health care facilities, such as alcohol and substance abuse treatment centers, and the need for sanitation facilities in tribal communities. Among other things, the legislation also would make permanent a number of federal programs providing services to Native Americans in long-term health care, diabetes prevention and other areas.

Personal: Born 10/22/1956 in Neptune, N.J.

Education: Associate of Arts, Montgomery College, 1976. B.S., Florida State University, 1981.

Professional: 1979–1981, staff member, Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J. 1983–1994, legislative staff member, House Cmte. on Interior and Insular Affairs. 1995–2006, legislative staff member, Office of Indian Affairs, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2007–present, staff director, Office of Indian Affairs, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.

The committee also passed out of the House two Native American tribal recognition bills, one of which dealt with the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina and the other of which covered six tribes that were present at the Jamestown settlement. Rahall had supported these measures for many years and was disappointed that the tribes had not been recognized earlier, Howard said. In 2008, Rahall wants the committee to develop legislation to address the government’s lack of consultation with tribes on issues that impact them. Tribes are different than other constituencies because it is a government-to-government relationship, Howard said. The federal government does not implement programs for the tribes because they are poor, she said, but because of existing laws and treaties with the tribes. Rahall believes that it is incumbent upon the government to engage in serious, meaningful discussions with tribes, and not just mandate federal programs. This year, Howard is also helping the committee investigate new Interior Department regulations regarding taking land into trust for Indian tribes. The Department has an established process through which tribes can take some land back and have it put into trust for them. Early in 2008, the Department issued new guidelines for the program and the next day rejected the land-into-trust applications of 11 tribes, Howard said. The committee is examining whether it is legitimate for the Department to put new regulations into effect one day, and then reject applications based on those new guidelines the next day, she said.

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David Jansen Legislative Professional Staff Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans 1324 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 226-1931 [email protected]

Expertise: Wildlife issues, migratory bird programs, fisheries. Senior legislative aide Dave Jansen joined the Committee on Natural Resources in 1999 after working for five years at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. He uses that experience in his role as adviser to Chairman Nick Rahall II, D-W.Va., on programs administered by NOAA. In his position on the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, he also specializes in issues related to ocean and coastal resource statutes. In 2008, the subcommittee is dealing with some of the same issues that were priorities in the last session, including reauthorization of the National Sea Grant College Program Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Jansen follows these statutes, as well as issues related to the national marine sanctuary system, coral reef conservation and management, and coastal management issues. The Sea Grant College program is a national system for the wise use of ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources. It consists of university-based centers that conduct research and outreach programs on ecosystems and habitats, fisheries and seafood technology, coastal hazards mitigation and marine biotechnology, among other things. The Marine Mammal Protection Act instituted a moratorium on the taking and importation of marine mammals and products derived from them. Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos that live on the north Pacific coast are excepted from the law if they use the mammals for subsistence or authentic native crafts.

Education: B.S., University of Rhode Island, 1980. M.M.A., University of Washington, 1992.

Professional: 1983–1991, natural resource manager, Metropolitan District Commission, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1992– 1994, marine policy fellow, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. 1994–1998, congressional affairs specialist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1999–present, Democratic legislative staff, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.

The subcommittee’s accomplishments from 2007 include gaining House approval of the Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act Amendments of 2007 and the Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act. The Coastal Mapping Integration Act also passed the House in the last session. Another legislative achievement for the subcommittee last year was the Refuge Ecology Protection Assistance and Immediate Response Act, which received House approval. The bill addresses invasive species within the refuge system. The committee is continuing to push the legislation and to examine other issues with respect to invasive species. Among other things, the staff is considering how to ensure adequate screening of fish and wildlife imported into the United States to limit the potential risk of invasive species. Rahall has also identified trade in endangered species as a 2008 priority for the subcommittee. There is evidence that trade in endangered animals is helping to finance criminal and terrorist groups. Rahall would like to expose the activity and determine enforcement options to promote species conservation. Jansen spent nine years working as a natural resource manager in Massachusetts before coming to Capitol Hill. He joined the staff of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in 1992 as a marine policy fellow. In addition to his life-long interest in wildlife, Jansen is an avid reader, hiker and paddler.


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Amelia Jenkins Staff Director Subcommittee on Water and Power 1522 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-8331 Fax: (202) 226-6953 [email protected]

Expertise: Natural resource policy. In the second session of the 110th Congress, Amelia Jenkins was promoted from her role as policy adviser to chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., on water issues, forest management and ocean protection to staff director of the Subcommittee on Water and Power. In her new position, she is managing the subcommittee’s work on drought and Western communities, tribal water rights settlements and Rahall’s other 2008 initiatives. The committee is investigating how state and local water managers are dealing with drought planning and water supply variability. The National Science and Technology Council reported in 2004 that water managers in most states expect freshwater shortages in the near future with possibly severe consequences. In addition to drought planning, the committee is looking at how the Bureau of Reclamation and the Geological Survey are responding to the changing water supply picture. The president’s fiscal 2009 budget proposal contained a $16.6 million cut in Title XVI water reuse funding in the Bureau of Reclamation’s budget. Rahall said that the budget fails Western communities that are facing drought and their residents who count on the program for needed water.

Personal: Born 1970 in Huntsville, Ala.

Education: B.A., business and economics, Weber State University, 1994. M.S., environmental science and forest economics, University of Idaho, 1996.

Professional: 1998–2000, legislative staff, Office of Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. 2001–2003, legislative director, Office of Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. 2004, coalition director, Western Governors’ Association. 2005– 2007, legislative staff and policy advisor, Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2008–present, staff director, Subc. on Water and Power, Cmte. on Natural Resources.

Jenkins said that the subcommittee is also studying the issue of renewable energy potential and federal power marketing administrations (PMAs). The Department of Energy’s four PMAs generally sell the electricity generated at hydropower plants in wholesale markets to utilities that then sell it to retail consumers. As utilities expand their energy portfolios to include more renewables, the PMAs are developing new partnerships with utilities and non-governmental organizations. The committee is examining the PMAs’ existing authorities and considering ways in which the PMAs might provide additional incentives to encourage utilities to reduce energy demand and increase the percentage of renewable energy in their portfolios. The committee also is looking at the PMAs’ role in improving the transmission infrastructure. Rahall believes that American Indian water settlements will play an important role in shaping the future of tribal and non-Indian communities throughout the West. Indian tribes control large amounts of land and have vast entitlements to water resources. Federal policy is to settle Indian water claims by negotiation rather than by litigation wherever possible, and to promote Indian self-determination through the development of diversified reservation economies. The committee is gathering information on the current status of Indian water settlement negotiations, the impact of federal water projects on tribal resources, and whether a permanent funding source for Indian water settlements is appropriate. Jenkins said that in 2007, the subcommittee was instrumental in facilitating House passage of legislation to provide water to many western communities. Much of that legislation is still awaiting consideration in the Senate.

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Deborah van Hoffmann Lanzone Majority Staff Director Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources 1324 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 226-1931 [email protected]

Expertise: Minerals, energy issues. Deborah Lanzone was instrumental in the passage last year of the bill to reform the Hardrock Mining Law of 1872, but work remains to be done. The Senate has not taken up the issue, and Lanzone is assisting with committee efforts to get the reform legislation enacted in 2008. As staff director of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, she also continues to manage the staff’s efforts on the other legislative priorities of chairman Nick Rahall II, D-W.Va., in this area. The committee plans to conduct hearings this year on the developing industry to harness offshore non-conventional energy sources. Proposed offshore wind and ocean energy projects have the potential to be valuable sources of clean, renewable energy. However, the advancement of the technologies raises questions about whether adequate regulatory mechanisms are in place to mitigate the possible impact on fish, wildlife and the public. The investigation into the management of federal oil and gas royalties also is continuing in this session. In return for the right to drill on federal lands and in federal waters, energy companies are required to pay royalties to the government. The committee is looking into problems plaguing the Interior Department’s work to collect all of the oil and gas royalties, which could be costing millions of dollars owed to the federal government.

Personal: Born 04/23/1952 in Montclair, N.J.

Education: B.A., Colgate University, 1974.

Professional: 1991–1993, professional staff member, Subc. on Mining and Natural Resources, House Cmte. on Interior and Insular Affairs. 1993–1994, staff director, Subc. on Energy and Mineral Resources, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 1995–2006, Democratic professional staff member, House Cmte. on Resources. 2007–present, majority staff director, Subc. on Energy and Mineral Resources, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.


Of particular interest is the royalty-in-kind program, which is the subject of multiple criminal investigations. The program permits energy companies to pay royalties in the form of oil and gas rather than in cash. At the end of 2006, the head of the program and three subordinates were transferred out of the program pending an investigation by the department’s inspector general into potential widespread wrongdoing in the program. In the area of oil and gas exploration, the committee is planning hearings on oil and gas program inspection and enforcement. According to the Bureau of Land Management, inspection and enforcement is the most critical activity to ensure the protection of the natural environment and proper management of ecosystems. A recent Government Accountability Office report revealed serious backlogs in lease inspections, including those for reclamation, due to the growth in permits and budgetary constraints. The committee will hear testimony in its search for a way to eliminate the inspection backlogs. Lanzone also is helping Rahall try to advance carbon sequestration this year. The committee continues to examine the potential of federal lands as sites for carbon sequestration by reviewing the applicability of laws such as the Mineral Leasing Act and the Federal Land Policy Management Act.

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Lisa Pittman Republican Chief Counsel 1329 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-2761 Fax: (202) 225-5929 [email protected]

Expertise: Environmental issues, parliamentary procedure. Republican chief counsel Lisa Pittman is a key adviser to ranking member Don Young, R-Alaska, on his entire range of legislative priorities. In 2008, those issues look much the same as last year, she said. Near the top of Young’s agenda in this session is expanding energy production in the U.S. One of the ways Young would like to accomplish this is by opening a section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration. He supports the president’s proposal to issue oil and gas leases in section 1002 of ANWR. In addition to potentially providing billions of gallons of oil, Young noted that a congressional Research Service report estimates that energy production at ANWR would provide $138 billion in federal revenues from royalties and corporate income taxes. The Republican staff also is working to build support for lifting the moratorium on offshore oil and gas leasing. Young supports a legislative compromise like the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act, which passed the House in 2006. He believes that the existing policy, which places as much as 85 percent of the outer-continental shelf in the lower 48 states off limits to exploration, is based on misrepresentations of current technology. Young and other Republican committee members also are looking into the possible adverse effects the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and certain legislative proposals on global warming will have on domestic oil and natural gas programs. In particular, the committee is monitoring efforts to use the ESA to halt energy projects in Alaska and throughout the nation.

Personal: Born 01/04/1959 in Limestone, Maine.

Education: B.A., University of Florida, 1980. M.A., University of Florida, 1981. J.D., University of Florida, 1984. LL.M., environmental law, George Washington University, 1988.

Professional: 1984–1985, special asst., Office of the General Counsel. 1985–1987, attorney/ adviser, Office of the Asst. General Counsel for Ocean Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. 1987–1994, minority counsel, House Cmte. on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. 1995–2000, deputy chief counsel, House Cmte. on Resources. 2001–2007, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Resources. 2007–present, Republican chief counsel, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.

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Addressing the severe threat of wildfires is on the committee’s schedule in 2008. The Republican members want to attack the problem through timber management and other measures, while opposing new public land designations in the West. The committee wants to advance American Indian and Alaska Native health care in this session. The House passed a reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act in 2007, but the staff must wait for Senate action to move the legislation any further this year. Protecting private property rights and examining the health of commercial fishing stocks are two other issues that Pittman and the Republican staff want to address this year. Pittman has now spent the last 20 years working on natural resource issues on Capitol Hill. For seven years she served as counsel on the old House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. That committee became part of the Natural Resources Committee in 1995 when the Republicans took control of the House. After six years as deputy chief counsel, Pittman was promoted to chief counsel for the Republican staff in 2001.



Rich Stanton Republican Staff Director Office of Indian Affairs Subcommittee on Insular Affairs 186 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-6601 Fax: (202) 225-4273 [email protected]

Expertise: Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, insular affairs, oversight and investigations. In his second session with the Natural Resources Committee, Rich Stanton has moved into the position of Republican staff director for the Office of Indian Affairs and the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs. He is a key adviser to ranking member Don Young, R-Alaska, on tribal and Alaska native issues, as well as on programs and initiatives relating to the U.S. territories and freely associated states. The committee passed a bill to upgrade Indian health care through the House last year, and is ready to address it further if it moves through the Senate this year. Among other things, the legislation would make permanent a number of federal programs providing services to Native Americans in long-term health care, diabetes prevention and other areas. It also addresses the backlog in needed health care facilities, such as alcohol and substance abuse treatment centers, and the need for sanitation facilities in tribal communities. Stanton is also participating in the committee’s examination of the Department of Interior’s program through which Indian tribes can have land taken into trust for them. This year the Department issued new guidance with respect to the program related to the distance that the land in question can be from an existing Indian reservation. After issuing the guidance, the department rejected 11 tribal applications under the land-into-trust program. The committee is looking into whether the department acted appropriately in the matter.

Personal: Born 1964 in Lakewood, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Boston College, 1986. J.D., Georgetown University, 1989.

Professional: 1989–1991, clerk, Chief Judge Thomas Lambros, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. 1991–1995, assistant general counsel, Office of General Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. 1995–1998, partner, Freer & McGarry, Washington, DC. 1995–1998, associate independent counsel, Office of Independent Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice. 1998–2000, counsel, Nixon Peabody, Washington, DC. 2001–2003, partner, Nixon Peabody, Washington, DC. 2003–2006, oversight and investigations counsel, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2007, counsel, House Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2008–present, Republican staff director, Office of Indian Affairs and Subc. on Insular Affairs, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.


In the insular affairs area, this year Stanton will participate in a planned oversight hearing on the expiring compact of free association with the Republic of Palau. Under the compact, Palau and its citizens can participate in U.S. programs in return for strategic defense rights. The compact is scheduled to expire in 2009 and the committee is considering whether, and for how long, to renew it. The committee has an ongoing responsibility to try to improve the economic and political development of the insular areas. Recent Government Accountability Office reports found that the insular areas face serious problems due to scarce natural resources, small domestic markets, limited infrastructure, shortages of skilled labor and a reliance on federal grants to fund basic services. The committee is trying to address those problems, as well as financial accountability difficulties in the insular regions. The GAO updates the committee periodically on the progress on these issues, and the committee tries to address any problem areas identified in the GAO reports. Stanton worked for Young on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for four years before moving over to the Natural Resources Committee. His Capitol Hill experience also includes five years as assistant general counsel in the House Office of the General Counsel from 1991 to 1995.

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Kiel Weaver Staff Director Subcommittee on Water and Power 1522 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-9836 [email protected]

Expertise: Water resources, hydroelectric power, electricity transmission. The top issue facing Kiel Weaver in 2008 is trying to keep hydropower as a vital component of the nation’s energy supply. Weaver, the Republican staff director of the Subcommittee on Water and Power, is directing the staff’s efforts on this and other issues and serving as a liaison between the staff, the administration and water and power special interest groups. On the issue of hydropower, Weaver noted that hydropower generated from federal dams in the western United States provides renewable, emissions-free and relatively cheap electricity for millions of consumers. Efforts to replace hydropower with other renewable but more expensive power, such as solar and wind, and Endangered Species Act regulations, could end up raising electricity bills, he said. In this session, Weaver is also working to resolve aging water infrastructure issues. Much of the nation’s water infrastructure is over 50 years old, and the committee is looking into cost-efficient ways to keep them running. Weaver said that the country needs to be able to build new projects, such as new dams and water recycling and desalination facilities, but the cost of getting permits to build this infrastructure is very high. For example, it will take up to 12 years just to get the permits for a desalination facility in Southern California, and two years to build, he said.

Personal: Born 1970 in Peoria, Ill.

Education: B.A., Mary Washington College, 1992.

Professional: 1992, director of operations, Bill Goodling for Congress Committee. 1995–1998, legislative asst., Sen. Rod Grams, R-Minn. 1998–1999, legislative asst., Rep. Rick Hill, R-Mont. 1999–2003, vice president, Morgan Meguire, LLC. 2003–2005, legislative staff, Subc. on Water and Power, House Cmte. on Resources. 2005–present, staff director, Subc. on Water and Power, House Cmte. on Resources.

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Weaver describes a third major issue in 2008 as “bringing common sense to the Endangered Species Act.” Judges are running our rivers throughout the West, he said, to the point of mandating a cost of $3.4 million per endangered salmon. In 2007, the subcommittee developed a number of bipartisan bills that passed the subcommittee, Weaver said. One such piece of legislation was a bill to amend the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to authorize improvements for the security of dams and other facilities. The legislation would increase the levels of guards and patrols, training, and patrols by local and tribal law enforcement entities at facilities of the Bureau of Reclamation. The bill would help protect major dams and power plants such as the Hoover and Grand Coulee dams from terrorist attacks. This and many other bills that were generated by the subcommittee are pending in the Senate, Weaver said. Weaver first came to Capitol Hill in 1995 to serve as a legislative assistant in the office of Sen. Rod Gramms, R-Minn. In 1999, he switched to the private sector, taking a position as vice president of Morgan Meguire LLC where he represented electric utilities on the Hill. Weaver left that position to join the House Natural Resources Committee staff in 2003. He has been the Water and Power subcommittee staff director since 2005.



James H. Zoia Chief of Staff Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W. Va. 1324 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 226-1931 [email protected]

Expertise: Mining regulation enforcement, reclamation issues, mineral resources on public lands, land conservation. Chief of staff Jim Zoia is leading the committee’s efforts this year to push for progress on many pieces of legislation that passed the House last year, but are awaiting Senate action. Zoia said that a particular priority of his boss, the committee chairman, Rep. Nick Rahall II, D-W.Va., is to work for enactment of the reform of the Hardrock Mining Law of 1872, which is on hold in the Senate. Rahall has been working on the issue since 1986, Zoia said. The committee sent over 120 bills to the Senate last year, according to Zoia, and has received none back. The committee’s work was very non-partisan last year, he noted, with an equal number of the bills put forth by Democrats and Republicans. While the last session was about moving large bills through the House, Zoia said that the committee will be working this year on smaller bills that are important to individual members. The committee is continuing its oversight of the Endangered Species Act in 2008. Last year, the committee’s examination of the ESA led to the resignation of the Interior Department’s deputy assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks. Zoia said that the staff is continuing its aggressive oversight of political tampering with science at the Interior Department.


Education: B.A., Ohio University, 1978.

Professional: 1981–1985, legislative asst./legislative dir., Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va. 1985–1993, staff dir., Subc. on Mining and Natural Resources, Cmte. on Interior and Insular Affairs. 1993–1994, chief counsel, Subc. on Surface Transportation, Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1995–2001, chief counsel, Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va. 2001–2006, Democratic staff dir., House Cmte. on Resources. 2007–present, chief of staff, House Cmte. on Natural Resources.

Oil and gas leasing oversight also remains on the committee’s agenda this year. In 2007, the committee heard testimony about the failure in the collection of oil and gas royalties that is costing millions, possibly even billions, of dollars owed to the federal treasury. Zoia said that the committee contributed provisions to the Energy Bill last year to address the problem, but they were dropped in the final version. Committee accomplishments from the last session include the passage of two Native American tribal recognition bills—one for the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina and one covering six tribes that were present at the Jamestown settlement. A reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act also made it out of committee and through the House in 2007, and the staff is ready to push the legislation if the Senate moves on it this year. The committee also broke the wilderness logjam last year, Zoia said. There were no wilderness bills under the previous committee chairman, he said, but last year the panel moved two land conservation measures—the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act and the Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2007—through the House. In the area of insular affairs, the committee passed legislation to reform the immigration system of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The bill is currently awaiting Senate action. The House bill addresses the lack of immigration laws in the CNMI, and the potential for smugglers and terrorists to gain access to the U.S. through CNMI.


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Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 2157 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5051 http://oversight.house.gov/


MINORITY MEMBERS

Henry A. Waxman, CA-30th, Chairman

Thomas M. Davis, VA-11th, Vice Chairman

Edolphus Towns, NY-10th Paul E. Kanjorski, PA-11th Carolyn B. Maloney, NY-14th Elijah E. Cummings, MD-7th Dennis J. Kucinich, OH-10th Danny K. Davis, IL-7th John F. Tierney, MA-6th William Lacy Clay, MO-1st Diane E. Watson, CA-33rd Stephen F. Lynch, MA-9th Brian Higgins, NY-27th John A. Yarmuth, KY-3rd Bruce L. Braley, IA-1st Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC Betty McCollum, MN-4th Jim Cooper, TN-5th Chris Van Hollen, MD-8th Paul W. Hodes, NH-2nd John P. Sarbanes, MD-3rd Christopher S. Murphy, CT-5th Peter Welch, VT-At Large

Dan Burton, IN-6th Christopher Shays, CT-4th John M. McHugh, NY-23rd John L. Mica, FL-7th Mark E. Souder, IN-3rd Todd Russell Platts, PA-19th Chris Cannon, UT-3rd John J. Duncan Jr., TN-2nd Michael R. Turner, OH-3rd Darrell E. Issa, CA-49th Kenny Marchant, TX-24th Lynn A. Westmoreland, GA-8th Patrick T. McHenry, NC-10th Virginia Foxx, NC-5th Brian P. Bilbray, CA-50th Bill Sali, ID-1st Jim Jordon, OH-4th


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HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM JURISDICTION (1) Federal civil service, including intergovernmental personnel; and the status of officers and employees of the United States, including their compensation, classification, and retirement. (2) Municipal affairs of the District of Columbia in general (other than appropriations). (3) Federal paperwork reduction. (4) Government management and accounting measures generally. (5) Holidays and celebrations. (6) Overall economy, efficiency, and management of government operations and activities, including federal procurement. (7) National archives. (8) Population and demography generally, including the census. (9) Postal service generally, including transportation of the mails. (10) Public information and records. (11) Relationship of the federal government to the states and municipalities generally. (12) Reorganizations in the executive branch of the government.

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HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM As head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, California Democrat Henry Waxman has put the “O” back in oversight and for the Bush administration, that has become a big “Oh, my.” The 16-term congressman loathes waste, fraud and abuse and is determined to weed it out of the federal bureaucracy with no remorse - and, perhaps with a little glee when it falls heaviest on the Republican administration, according to his critics. Waxman has launched dozens of investigations on a gamut of topics opening 2007 with a series of hearings on Iraq reconstruction and Department of Homeland Security contracting. Though the Pentagon initially denied it, defense officials ultimately confirmed that the giant military contractor Halliburton charged the government for work it subcontracted to Blackwater USA. As a result, the military announced it would withhold $20 million from Halliburton. Over the summer, they returned to Blackwater. This time to investigate reports that the company’s private security contractors had engaged in 195 “escalation of force” incidents since 2005, including 160 in which Blackwater forces fired first. In 2008, he’s taking on the executives who have reaped huge windfalls at a time when millions of Americans could lose their homes because of shoddy lending practices. He is also pursuing the White House over its failure to preserve electronic messages of some senior officials. He’s also taken on the Environmental Protection Agency for refusing to consider the global warming effects of coal-fired power plant’s greenhouse gas emissions in recent permitting decisions. Waxman, who wrote the Clean Air Act, is calling for a moratorium on new permits until the issue is fully vetted. He is also going after EPA for denying California a waiver to impose stricter greenhouse gas emission standards within the state. Waxman’s first official action in the 110th Congress was to change the name of the panel, putting “oversight” back into the committee’s name. He trimmed the number of subcommittees to five and vowed to focus attentions on eradicating waste, fraud, and abuse. Although Republicans have accused Waxman of some partisanship, he has teamed up with ranking member Tom Davis, R-Va., on some issues. The two have continued to battle for legislation that would give the District of Columbia a full voice in the House of Representatives. Perhaps their most high-profile team effort has been to curb the use of performance-enhancing substances among professional athletes—particularly in Major League Baseball. Thousands across the world tuned in early in 2008 when the panel hauled baseball pitching great Roger Clemens to testify on steroid use. The committee is poised to go through major changes next year, however. Davis has announced he is retiring and will not seek another term in Congress.


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HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM

Kristen Lawes Amerling Chief Counsel 2157 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5051

Expertise: Government affairs. Kristen Amerling is exactly where she wants to be as chief counsel to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee under chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. Amerling, who grew up in a small town in Maine, took an interest in government while attending Harvard College that eventually led her to be press secretary for her home state senator, George Mitchell of Maine. From that experience, she decided she wanted to be more deeply involved in public policy. She couldn’t get much deeper into it than with Waxman and his committee staff, who throw themselves at a multitude of issues. “I love my job,” she said. “I work on a wide range of topics of interest to me and I work with a motivated and great staff.” As chief counsel, Amerling is responsible for providing information to the committee on legal, procedural and ethical issues that relate to committee business. She advises on parliamentary matters and is the point person when issues come up on how to move legislation through the committee. She also has a role in investigations and focused specifically on Iraq war intelligence and the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Those investigations continue, she said.

Personal: Born in North Adams, Mass.

Education: B.A., Harvard College, 1987. J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, UCal. Berkley, 1995.

Professional: 1987–1988, production assoc., Interlock Media Assoc., Cambridge, Ma. 1988–1990, legislative asst., Rep. Ted Weiss, D-N.Y. 1990–1992, press secretary, Maine Sen. George Mitchell. 1995–1997, associate, Steptoe & Johnson LLP. 1997–2007, minority counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2007–present, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

Although Abramoff is now behind bars, Waxman is pursuing inquiries because he is not satisfied that the entire story has been told. The White House has tried to minimize its relationship with Abramoff but documents reviewed by the committee showed that Abramoff and his associates contacted White House officials 485 times. Amerling played a key role in deposing Susan Ralston, an aide to Karl Rove, who resigned her position after the committee released a report on Abramoff’s ties to the White House in 2006. Waxman said at the time that it looked as if the White House was trying to maker her “the scapegoat” and that there remained “many unanswered questions about he assistance that high-ranking White House officials appeared to provide Mr. Abramoff.” The committee is also continuing to look at the pre-war intelligence the Bush administration used to advocate for the Iraq war. Waxman has sought hearings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former CIA Director George Tenet to testify about the White House’s use of pre-war intelligence regarding Iraq’s nuclear program. A June 2007 hearing, however, was postponed so the committee could conduct additional interviews with senior government officials and review documents it obtained from the CIA and State Department.

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Michelle Ash Legislative Counsel 2157 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-2511 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative procedure. As legislative counsel Michelle Ash anticipates that the action will continue apace for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the second half of the 110th Congress. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who heads the committee, is adding to his legislative agenda even as he continues to press ahead with reforms introduced last year, Ash said. “There’s a lot of energy to do stuff and to do it fast,” Ash said. Overseeing a staff of about four people, the Pittsburgh native is responsible for hammering out legislation, often working with the minority staff to get reform measures through the committee and onto the House floor. Waxman succeed last year in rolling back restrictions placed on the Freedom of Information Act by the Bush administration but still pending in the Senate are efforts to remove restrictions on public access to presidential records and to make information about gifts to presidential libraries accessible to the public. “Mr. Waxman comes from the perspective that people should have access to government,” Ash said. Waxman is negotiating with Senate colleagues on a bill to promote competition in contracting. He also continues to work to expand whistleblower protections for those who report waste, fraud and abuse, and national security violations. Ash expects to be working with the Senate on those issues as well as some new ones. “This year is very busy,” she said.


Education: B.A., economics, University of Michigan, 1988. J.D., University of Pittsburgh, 1992.

Professional: 1993–1997, legislative adviser, Rep. Ben Cardin, D-Md. 1997–2006, minority counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2006–present, legislative counsel, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

Waxman is interested in enacting federal contract reforms, promoting good government and improving information security. He also hopes to work with Ranking Member Tom Davis, R-Va., on an authorization bill that would provide a steady stream of federal funding to the D.C.-area MetroRail system. His Metro bill would provide $1.5 billion over 10 years to the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority for improvements and maintenance to the city’s subway system. The measure passed the House, but not the Senate. Waxman is also hopeful that the Senate will sign off on legislation to improve the inspector general system that came out of the Oversight Committee last year with strong bipartisan support, she said. “There is a simple reason why this bill has so much support: it strengthens the inspectors general, who are the first line of defense against waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs,” Waxman said. While inspectors general have uncovered fraud and saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years, others have seemed more intent on protecting their departments from political embarrassment than on doing their job, he said. “This bill strengthens the good IGs by giving them greater independence. Under this legislation, they can only be removed for cause, not for doing their job,” Waxman said.


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J. Keith Ausbrook Republican General Counsel B-350A Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-6122 Fax: (202) 225-3974 [email protected]

Expertise: Oversight and investigations, regulatory affairs, immigration. As the 110th Congress progresses, J. Keith Ausbrook has been kept busy by chairman Henry Waxman’s ongoing investigation into missing White House e-mails. Waxman, D-Calif., launched the investigation last year as an offshoot to an earlier inquiry into the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. He has expressed serious concern that the White House may not have complied with the 1978 Presidential Records Act, hammering in on an estimated 5 million messages between 2003 and 2005 that allegedly vanished from e-mail servers housed within the president’s office. “We’ve done a lot of work on the White House e-mails,” Ausbrook said. The issue centers largely revolves around the use of the government e-mail system for nongovernmental purposes, he said. That can be a shady area when White House officials have government and partisan political duties. On a similar issue, the committee is looking into “asset deployment.” Waxman wants to know if the White House used grants and top officials to bolster the campaigns of Republicans facing tough re-election campaigns in 2006. “There is a very gray area of when travel is for official business and when it is not,” Ausbrook said. “We have had a lot of interviews and talking to a lot of witnesses.” Much of Ausbrook’s duty is to provide Republicans on the committee with legal advice, explaining to them how the law applies to the facts before them. He also helps guide members on House rules and committee rules.


Education: B.A., Princeton University, 1980. J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 1985.

Professional: 1985–1997, private practice, Collier Shannon, Rill & Scott. 1997–1999, senior counsel, chief counsel, Subc. on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 1999–2001, associate, senior and deputy independent counsel, Office of the Independent Counsel. 2001–2003, chief counsel for oversight investigations, House Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2003–2007, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2007– present, Republican general counsel, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

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Beyond Waxman’s agenda, Ausbrook said Davis remains committed to examining unfunded mandates and addressing regulations that he feels damage American competitiveness. Davis, who represents Northern Virginia, is also interested in securing final legislative approval of a bill that would establish an ongoing revenue source for the D.C. area Metro system. The issue passed the House last year but remains on hold in the Senate. He also hopes to gain full voting rights for the District of Columbia. Davis has reintroduced legislation to give D.C. a full seat in the House in exchange for adding a seat in Utah. The bill has nearly enough support in the Senate to pass. “I don’t think he has given up on that yet,” Ausbrook said. Ausbrook has served on the committee since 1997, and has also worked with the House Judiciary Committee and the Office of the Independent Counsel. He spent 12 years in private practice before joining the public sector.



Phil Barnett Staff Director and Chief Counsel 2157 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5051 [email protected]

Expertise: Government affairs. Staff director Phil Barnett has a lot on his plate these days since chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., returned “oversight” to the committee’s title. In the first year of his tenure as chairman, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee held dozens of hearings covering a plethora of topics where waste, fraud and abuse have been uncovered. They’ve looked at the government’s climate change scientists, steroid abuse among Major League Baseball players, allegations of contract abuse and partisan shenanigans at the Government Services Administration, and assessed the performance of State Department inspector general Howard J. Krongard following a series of allegations that he halted investigations, censored reports, and refused to cooperate with law enforcement agencies. “The committee has very broad jurisdiction on waste, fraud and abuse,” Barnett said. “We hold hearings to make government work better and hearings to hold high officials in government accountable.” In 2008, Barnett is continuing their investigation into steroid abuse in baseball. While it may not produce legislation, it will raise awareness that could save the lives of teenagers who emulate these professional athletes, he said. Committee members also are looking into the large compensation packages awarded to the top officials at Wall Street investment firms even as those firms threw the nation into a mortgage crisis, he said.

Education: B.A., Princeton University, 1979. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1983.

Professional: 1983–1984, law clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit Court. 1984–1988, staff attorney, Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, Alaska. 1988–1989, counsel, Subc. on Transportation and Hazardous Materials, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 1989–1994, counsel, Subc. on Health and Environment, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1995–1996, counsel, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif. 1996, director of policy research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 1997–2003, chief Democratic counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2004–present, Democratic staff dir. and chief cousel, House Cmte. on Government Reform.


Beyond oversight, the committee has a legislative role to play that Barnett must also keep tabs on. Last year, the committee succeeded in passing reforms to the nation’s Freedom of Information Act that Barnett said should make it easier for the public to get documents from federal agencies. They also won approval of a law strengthening protections for agency whistleblowers and included a significant amount of procurement reform in the 2007 Defense Authorization bill. Other committee bills are still working through the legislative process, which Barnett said would keep them busy this year. Barnett expects the committee will pursue additional procurement reforms through legislation. There are also a number of “good government reforms” that cleared the House and are pending in the Senate, including reforms to the presidential records act and strengthening the inspector general process.

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Lawrence J. Brady Senior Investigator and Policy Adviser Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives 510 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4767 Fax: (202) 225-2392 [email protected]

Expertise: International economic issues, trade, energy policy. As the GOP staff’s senior investigator, Lawrence Brady is the point person on energy and environmental issues, as well as financial management for Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Now in the minority, Brady said his job has become more defense than offense. “We don’t control the agenda anymore, so it’s a little more reactive, obviously,” Brady said of his role in the 110th Congress. That was born out in some of the hearings the committee held in 2007 related to energy and environment. In October 2007, the committee held a hearing on regulatory structures of energy exploration and generation. But, as the ranking member, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., pointed out, a closer look revealed something quite different. “These hearings appear to be about the impact on the environment of oil and gas exploration and coal-fired power plants,” Davis said. While environmental conservation is a national priority, Davis said the nation also is heading for an energy crisis. “Oil already costs more than $90 a barrel, and our dependence on oil from unstable and often unfriendly nations continues to grow,” Davis said. “Yet, many of my colleagues, as well as interest groups and others, seem unable or unwilling to move toward the middle and find a solution.”

Personal:

Born in Berlin, N.H.

Education:

B.A., politics and economics, Catholic University of America, 1962.

Professional: 1971–1974, senior staff member, White House Council on International Economic Policy. 1974–1980, acting and deputy director, Office of Export Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. 1981–1983, assistant secretary of commerce for trade administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. 1984–1987, director of international business development, Sanders Associates. 1987–1991, senior vice president, Hill and Knowlton Public Affairs Worldwide. 1991– 1993, co-founder and director, Capitoline International Group, Ltd. 1994–1996, special consultant, The Spectrum Group. 1995, president and COO, Chantal Pharmaceutical Corp. 1997–2002, chairman and CEO, American Technologies Group, Inc. 2003–2005, professional staff member, Subc. on Government Efficiency and Financial Management, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2005–2006, staff director, Subc. on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2007–present, senior investigator and policy adviser, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

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The committee is similarly split on global warming, even though Democrats and Republicans share a similar concern for the environment. “When I sat in his chair, this committee began the thoughtful, constructive inquiries into climate change issues that continue today,” Davis said. “But agreement on broad principles and goals doesn’t mean we necessarily see eye to eye on every specific proposal to address climate change.” Beyond crafting lawmakers’ questions and opening statements for many of the hearings, Brady’s role includes examining upcoming legislation. Brady has worked as an energy policy expert since 1971, when he served in the Nixon White House. He spent more than 20 years in public- and private-sector energy work before coming to Capitol Hill, participating in the first assessment of the Arab oil embargo’s impact on energy policy. He also worked as the assistant secretary of commerce for trade administration under Ronald Reagan, where he was responsible for export controls for foreign and national security policy, import laws, and administration of the foreign trade zone program. He joined the Government Reform Committee in 2003.



Ellen B. Brown Senior Advisor and Legislative Counsel B-350A Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5074 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative process. The shift of power to the Democrats at the start of the 110th Congress may have slowed the flow of Republican legislation out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last year but that has not changed the agenda for Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., the former chairman. Ellen Brown, the GOP chief counsel on the committee, said her boss’s priorities remain the same and he was able to cross a few key legislative initiatives off his to do list. “Although not much legislation moved in the first session, I was pleased that my boss was able to achieve permanent reauthorization of the acquisition workforce training fund and an extension of the government-wide authority to direct-hire candidates with unusually high qualifications to the federal acquisition workforce,” Brown said. Davis has announced his retirement from Congress at the end of 2008. Before he leaves office, however, Davis plans to continue to make the District of Columbia voting rights bill and a Metro bill his top priorities, Brown said. His Metro bill would provide $1.5 billion over 10 years to the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority for improvements and maintenance to the city’s subway system. The measure passed the House, but not the Senate. Meanwhile, the Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act, introduced with Del. Eleanor Holmes-Norton, D-D.C., would give one vote to the District of Columbia and a fourth seat in the House of Representatives to Utah, permanently increasing the size of the House from 435 to 437 members.

Personal: Born in St. Louis, Mo.

Education: B.A., Tulane University, 1974. J.D., Tulane University, 1977.

Professional: 1979–1981, asst. chief counsel, Small Business Administration. 1981–1983, special legal counsel, Association of Builders and Contractors. 1983–1987, procurement counsel, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 1987–1993, lobbyist, General Dynamics. 1993–1997, procurement counsel, Rep. Bill Clinger, R-Pa. 1997– 2003, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Governmental Affairs. 2003–2006, senior adviser and legislative counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2006–present, Republican senior adviser and legislative counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform.


Brown, who started her career with the Small Business Administration, has worked on the Hill for 15 years. Just over a decade ago, Brown played a central role in passage of the Clinger-Cohen Act that revamped the way the federal government purchased its computers. Before Clinger-Cohen became a law, federal acquisition procedures could not keep pace with rapid changes in technology, and information technology procurement disasters were common, according to Federal Computer Week. The law put the Office of Management and Budget at the center of the new process and OMB has since “become more of the disciplined budget authority watchdog that it was meant to be,” Tony Valletta, who helped implement the law at the Defense Department when he was the Pentagon’s CIO, told the magazine in a 2005 article.

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Lawrence J. Halloran Staff Director B-350 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5074 [email protected]

Expertise: National security issues. As the Republican staff director for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Larry Halloran likens his job to that of a railroad conductor this year as the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., prepares to retire. “The job is primarily to get the train into the station and hand the next ranking member an issue portfolio and staff that can keep on track,” Halloran said. Davis recently announced that he would not seek re-election, leading to a shuffle at the top of his staff that moved Halloran, who has nearly 20 years of Hill experience, from a deputy to staff director. The fact that his boss won’t be around in a year isn’t slowing the committee down. In fact, it has liberated Davis from worry of a re-election campaign to focus directly on the issues he is most concerned about. And, that’s a long list. Implementation of the Real ID Act is at the top of that list, Halloran said. The measure, which passed as part of an emergency war spending bill in 2006, sets federal standards for state-issued driver’s license. States must verify the legal status of all applicants or risk having the state’s licenses banned for federal uses like boarding an airplane. Davis wants to make sure states have the time and funding to make it work and the Department of Homeland Security has apparently listened. Proposed regulations would give states more time to implement Real ID and the department has drastically reduced its estimate of the cost states may incur—from $14.6 billion to $3.9 billion.

Personal: Born 11/15/1951 in Berea, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Fairfield University, 1973. J.D., Catholic University of America, 1976.

Professional: 1973–1981, legislative asst., Rep. Stewart B. McKinney, R-Conn. 1981–1985, legal counsel/deputy executive dir., National Republican congressional Cmte. 1987–1988, executive dir., Connecticut Republican Party. 1988–1991, attorney, Gaffney, Pease & DiFabio. 1991–1994, legal counsel, Gov. Lowell P. Weicker, I-Conn. 1995–1998, staff dir., Subc. on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 1998–2006, staff dir. and counsel, Subc. on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2006–2008, Rep. deputy staff dir., House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform. 2008–present, staff dir., House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

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The ranking member also plans to press forward this year with federal procurement reform to get “some momentum” behind the issue for the next Congress. He is also deeply intent on reforming how the federal government conducts security clearances for contractors and its own hires. President Bush recently called for reform proposals from the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget. The challenge, Halloran said, is to produce fundamental, structural reform rather than simply tinker with the present system that has led to major backlogs. While focusing on their own Republican priorities, Halloran said about two-thirds of the work is playing defense. “We’ve got to play defense and figure out as soon as we can what the Democrats in the majority are going to be doing so that we can formulate options for what the minority will do in response,” Halloran said. A member of the committee since 1995, Halloran served for several years on the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations. In 2005, he was appointed deputy special counsel to the select committee investigating the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.



Karen L. Lightfoot Senior Policy Adviser and Communications Director 2157 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5051 [email protected]

Expertise: Oversight, health care, consumer issues. Sleep is optional for the majority party. At least it seems that way for Karen Lightfoot, communications director and senior policy adviser for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform under Chairman Henry Waxman. In the first half of the 110th Congress, Lightfoot’s and her three-person staff cranked out more than 250 press releases, statements and announcements that are all dutifully archived on the committee’s official Web site. So far, the pace hasn’t slowed for 2008. Indeed, by mid-February the committee was at the center of a national firestorm over steroid use in Major League Baseball and Lightfoot’s press staff was swamped by inquiries from reporters around the world. When seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens appeared to testify, the committee room was packed with journalists. Clemens had been named as a steroid user in the Mitchell Report, a study Major League Baseball commissioned after an earlier steroid hearing under then-chairman Tom Davis, R-Va. Lightfoot and her staff were there to get reporters to their assigned seats, provide them copies of committee statements and submitted testimony. They also posted a preliminary transcript, video, staff interviews and depositions of 17 individuals plus additional documents on their Web site. Getting video and transcripts of all the committee’s hearings onto the Internet has become a priority for Lightfoot.

Personal: Born 03/06/1958 in Bethesda, Md.

Education: B.A., Yale University, 1990. M.P.P., Princeton University, 1992.

Professional: 1977–1985, staff, House Majority Whip Thomas S. Foley, D-Wash. 1992–1997, lobbyist, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 1997–2002, professional staff member, Democratic senior policy adviser, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2002–2007, Democratic senior policy adviser/communications dir., House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2007–present, senior policy adviser and communications director, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

Waxman’s early hearings at the helm of the committee delved into Iraq reconstruction, questioning former Ambassador L. Paul Bremer on what happened to as much as $12 billion in unaccounted-for cash spent when he was in charge of rebuilding Iraq, and shining a spotlight on the use of contractors in Iraq and on homeland security under the Bush administration. He also opened fire on the private security company Blackwater USA, the company to which Houston-based Halliburton improperly subcontracted to provide security services in Iraq. In the wake of the hearing, U.S. Army officials said it will withhold $20 million in payments to Halliburton and may dock the company up to $400 million. At Waxman’s request, Lightfoot has also prepared “Iraq on the Record,” a searchable collection of 237 statements made by Bush administration officials about the threat Iraq posed, which he considers misleading. The database in on the committee’s Web site. In addition to examining waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as war profiteering, Lightfoot said Waxman would continue to focus on making sure government works. A professional staff member on the committee since 1997, Lightfoot was named Waxman’s senior policy adviser and communications director in 2002.


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Brian McNicoll Communications Director B-350A Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5074 Fax: (202) 226-3952 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Brian McNicoll has found that being in the minority may have actually increased his daily workload. “Reacting to the Democrats can be more work on a day-in and day-out basis,” said McNicoll, who is communications director for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform under Ranking Member Tom Davis, R-Va. A former journalist for the Montgomery Journal and Connection Newspapers in Northern Virginia, McNicoll issues press releases and responds to reporter inquiries. He landed the position in early 2007 after five years of writing op-eds for the Heritage Foundation. His communications team is also taking steps to add video and audio to their Web site. “This time next year, we’ll have it,” he vowed. McNicoll said his days as a reporter help him in his new role as a press secretary. “It’s a real obligation to be honest and forthright,” he said. During a recent hearing on steroid use in Major League Baseball, McNicoll said the committee was swamped by requests. Reporters wanted to know everything from why Congress was involved in the issue to the nitty-gritty details of when depositions would be taken. Because Republicans no longer control the agenda, McNicoll said they typically find themselves reacting to the majority Democrats. “It’s more about getting our view of something the Democrats have released,” he said.

Personal: Education:

A top priority for Davis remains getting the nation’s capitol a full voice in the House of Representatives. The hold up, however, is in the Senate.

B.A., communications, Louisiana State University, Shreveport, 1985.

“We need to turn one senator to vote for cloture,” McNicoll said.

Professional:

Davis has reintroduced long-standing legislation he has had with Del. Eleanor Holmes-Norton, D-D.C., that would give the overwhelmingly Democratic District of Columbia a House seat with full voting rights in exchange for creating a new seat in the Republican stronghold of Utah.

Born 10/25/1961 in Shreveport, La.

Jan. 2001–2006, senior writer, Heritage Foundation. June 1997–Dec. 2000, editor, Montgomery Journal. Nov. 1992– June 97, managing editor, Connection Newspapers (Va.). September 2006–present, communications director, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

Davis is also looking to finalize a 10-year, $1.5 billion federal funding source dedicated to the maintenance and operation of the D.C. area Metro system. Something that appears likely to happen before Davis retires at the end of the year. “The ducks are in a row,” McNicoll said. Davis is also working with the new committee chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.), to ensure that federal agencies strengthen the protection of sensitive information. The Department of Homeland Security improved its grade from an F to a D last year after creating an inventory of all its computers. Neither the State or Defense departments have such an inventory, McNicoll said. “The government gives people laptops and normally when you quit you are supposed to turn them in but a lot of these people just keep them,” he said.

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David Rapallo Chief Investigative Counsel B-373 Rayburn Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5420 [email protected]

Expertise: Investigations. As chief investigative counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, David Rapallo does not shy from controversy. Leading an investigative team of about 20 attorneys, Rapallo focuses on waste, fraud and abuse. That, however, can lead down many roads—including the one that lead to the Iraq war. It’s a theme that continues this year. Rapallo said priorities in 2008 include investigating contractors in Iraq and reviewing the American embassy there that was supposed to be delivered in September 2007 at a cost of $600 million. It already has cost an additional $140 million and no longer has a completion date, Rapallo said. With Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., now at the helm of the committee, Rapallo said he has been encouraged to find the facts on the intelligence used to justify the war, including the repeated use of fabricated claims regarding Iraq’s attempt to procure uranium from Niger. “We did the Valerie Plame hearing. It was the first congressional hearing where she testified,” Rapallo said. The committee wanted to know whether White House officials breached national security law by disclosing the identity of Plame, a CIA agent and wife of Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson. At the hearing Plame charged the administration with “carelessly and recklessly” revealing her identity.

Personal: Born 11/24/1968 in Weisbaden, Germany.

Education: L.L.M., international law, Georgetown University Law Center, 1998. B.A., University of California Los Angeles, 1991. J.D., University of California at Hastings, 1994. L.L.M, federal legislation, Georgetown University Law Center, 1997.

Professional: 1994–1995, executive fellow/counsel, Office of the Governor, State of California. 1995–1998, teaching fellow, Georgetown University Center of Law. 1998–2005, counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2005–present, chief investigative counsel, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

Rapallo’s staff has also had the State Department under scrutiny. Last April, the committee issued a subpoena for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who as Bush’s national security adviser played a key role in making the case for war. “She has never testified in public about what she may know about how the intelligence was used—or misused—by the White House. That is all we are asking her to do,” he said in April when issuing the subpoena. Rice eventually agreed to testify appearing in late October. Rather than focusing on the entry into the war, Waxman shifted instead to corruption and missteps of private contractors. “My concern as we look at Iraq is that our troops are sacrificing their lives, our nation is spending hundreds of millions of dollars, to prop up a regime in Iraq that looks like it is fundamentally corrupt,” Waxman told Rice. Rapallo joined Waxman’s staff in 2005, working for two years on the minority staff before Democrats won control of the House in November 2006. A San Diego native, Rapallo lives in Alexandria with his wife and two children.


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Phil Schiliro Chief of Staff 2204 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3976 [email protected]

Expertise: Government operations, administration, environmental policy, tobacco policy. With a quarter century of Hill experience under his belt, Phil Schiliro heads a House Committee on Oversight and Government staff steeped with experience and as tireless as the chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., in pursuing waste, fraud and abuse in government. “I’ve been with Congressman Waxman over 25 years. He is a terrific chairman and his staff is as good as can be,” Schiliro said. “I do feel as long as I don’t mess things up we are going to be okay.” As chief of staff to the committee, Schiliro has a hand in every issue before the panel, a list that seems to grow by the day. Uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse is Waxman’s mandate, something that Schiliro keeps in mind as he does strategic planning to focus the committee staff. “The long term effort is on making government effective again,” he said. “We are looking at programs and agencies that once were the gold standard and don’t seem to work any more.” While Iraq-related hearings tend to make a big splash, Schiliro says many of the hearings draw less public attention but serve a public good including an investigation into uranium dumping on Navajo lands. The Navajo tribe, he said, has been exposed to dangerous levels of uranium because the government has failed to clean up the dumps.

Personal: Born 08/06/1956 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Education: B.A., Hofstra University. J.D., Lewis and Clark Law School.

Professional: 1982–1997, administrative assistant, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif. 1997–2004, Democratic chief of staff, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2004–2005, policy director, Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 2005–present, chief of staff, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

Among the hot topics for 2008 will be an examination of the Environmental Protection Agency denial of a waiver allowing California to impose stricter greenhouse gas emission standards. Waxman, who wrote the Clean Air Act, contends the waiver should have been granted and suspects the Bush administration of intervening on behalf of the auto industry, which opposed the waiver. “It is all straight politics for them to benefit the auto industry,” he said. Schiliro said that there has been an ongoing concern that the Bush administration has put politics ahead of science. In the first three months of the 110th Congress, the oversight panel held hearings into Iraq contracts, leading to the Pentagon withholding $20 million from Halliburton after finding that the giant military contractor had improperly charged taxpayers for security work it subcontracted to Blackwater USA. Over the summer, they returned to Blackwater, this time to investigate reports that the company’s private security contractors had engaged in 195 “escalation of force” incidents since 2005, including 160 in which Blackwater forces fired first. A Brooklyn native, Schiliro started as an administrative assistant to Waxman in 1982, and moved over to the committee when Waxman became the ranking member in 1997. Schiliro twice ran unsuccessfully for a New York House seat himself in 1992 and 1994.

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Andy Schneider Chief Health Counsel B-377 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5056

Expertise: Public health policy. As health counsel for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee under chairman Henry Waxman,. DCalif., Andy Schneider brings both a wealth of experience and passion to the task. Considered one of Congress’s foremost authorities on Medicare and Medicaid law, Schneider has spent more than three decades focused on public health law dating back to his law school days. “After I graduated law school in 1973, the first issue I worked on was Medicaid benefits for kids,” Schneider said. Today, Schneider is back examining the same issue as well as a medicine bagful of others. Last May, the committee held a hearing to examine the shortfalls in Medicaid oversight that allowed Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old Maryland boy, to die last February of a brain infection that started with a toothache. “His tooth abscessed and the infection migrated to his brain and killed him. It’s really scary. I’ve been helping the subcommittee staff look into this,” Schneider said. While this case was extreme, tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease and fewer than one in five Medicaid-covered children receive a single dental visit, according to a 2004 study. In Driver’s case, the neglect cost him his life and Maryland nearly $250,000 in medical bills.

Education: B.A., Princeton University, 1970. J.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Law, 1973.

Professional: 1973–1974, staff attorney, Health Law Project, University of Pennsylvania Law School. 1974–1976, staff attorney, National Health Law Program, Los Angeles, Calif. 1977–1978, staff attorney, National Health Law Program. 1979–1994, counsel, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 1995–1996, Medicaid policy advisor, House Democratic Policy Cmte. 1997–1998, health counsel, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 1998–1999, principle, Health Policy Group. 2000–2007, founding principle, Medicaid Policy LLC. 2007–present, chief health counsel, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.


As chief health counsel, Schneider helps committee staff and members with the nuts-and-bolts of the law as written. He also directs them on amending the laws to achieve their policy goals. This year, the committee plans to continue to draw attention to a 2007 Institute of Medicine report that pointed out weaknesses in the nation’s emergency and trauma care system that could put American’s at risk in the event of a terrorist attack. “If there are high casualties, the first place go will be to the emergency rooms,” Schneider said. They will also continue to investigate is the Food and Drug Administration’s role in evaluating the safety of Avandia, a diabetes drug that may increase the risk of heart attack. Schneider also says they plan to stay on top of the environmental and public health issues from contamination on the Navajo reservation in the American Southwest from Cold Wa–era uranium mining. “At our hearing in October we learned that the five federal agencies involved in the clean up had never talked to one another,” Schneider said. “It is unfortunate but at least we can move forward now.”

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Tania Shand Staff Director Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia 2157 Rayburn Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5147 Fax: (202) 225-4960 [email protected]

Expertise: Civil service issues, e-government. The Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is steering a new path with Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., at the helm. “We’re going to try to do basic, bread-and-butter workforce hearings,” said Tania Shand, the panel’s staff director. In 2007, the subcommittee held hearings on federal benefits, Postal Service operations, and new personnel systems at the Pentagon, Homeland Security and other departments. Davis also introduced legislation to encourage diversity among management at federal agencies. The subcommittee issued a report in late 2007 that found minorities and women were underrepresented among the management teams at six legislative branch agencies: the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Library of Congress (LOC), the congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Government Printing Office (GPO), the Capitol Police, and the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). In fiscal year 2007 only 16.8 percent of “senior executive service” officials were minorities and 35.8 percent were women. The percentage of women in top positions in these agencies grew by 4 percentage points in five years. At that pace, the report determined, it would take 17 additional years to reach 50 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of minority managers actually decreased by nearly 1 percentage point from fiscal year 2002.


Education: B.A., Syracuse University, 1988. M.A., Howard University, 1996.

Professional: 1988, tester for housing discrimination, Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington. 1988–1996, property utilization specialist, General Services Administration. 1998–2006, Democratic professional staff member, Subc. on Federal Workforce and Agency Organization, House Cmte. on Government Reform. 2007– present, staff director, Subc. on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia, House Cmte. on Oversight and Government Reform.

One major reauthorization on the horizon is that of the Merit System Protection Board, an independent, quasi-judicial agency established to protect the federal merit system “against political and other prohibited personnel practices and to ensure adequate protection for employees against abuses by agency management.” Davis has also introduced legislation to allow more federal employees to telecommute after finding last year that departments have inconsistent policies for telecommuting and there are barriers that limit participation. Only 6.6 percent of the 1.8 million federal employees telecommuted in 2005. Davis said that his bill would require agencies to develop a framework so that all eligible employees have the opportunity to “telework” at least four days a month. In addition, Shand said, the subcommittee intends to hold hearings on the federal health plan and conduct oversight to explore how many federal employees remain uninsured. One small item that perks up her days on the committee now, Shand said, is a yellow couch she spotted amid congressional office and furniture moving. Before moving into her office, Shand said, the couch belonged to none other than former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. “Surely the mighty have tumbled!” Shand joked.

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Committee on Rules H-312, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-9091 Fax: (202) 225-6763 http://www.rules.house.gov/ Ratio: 9/4 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Louise McIntosh Slaughter, NY-28th, Chairman

David Dreier, CA-26th, Ranking Member

James P. McGovern, MA-3rd Alcee Hastings, FL-23rd Doris Matsui, CA-5th Dennis Cardoza, CA-18th Peter Welch, VT-At Large Kathy Castor, FL-11th Michael Arcuri, NY-24th Betty Sutton, OH-13th


Lincoln Diaz-Balart, FL-21st Doc Hastings, WA-4th Pete Sessions, TX-5th

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HOUSE RULES JURISDICTION (1) Rules and joint rules (other than those relating to the Code of Official Conduct) and the order of business of the House. (2) Recesses and final adjournments of Congress.

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HOUSE RULES At the opening of the 110th Congress, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., took the helm of the 13member House Committee on Rules. She is the first woman to chair the powerful, 219-year-old panel. She is assisted by veteran lawmakers and subcommittee chairs Jim McGovern, D-Mass., Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., and the former chairman, and now ranking member, David Dreier, RCalif. Under Slaughter’s leadership this year, the Rules Committee immediately turned its attention to the unfinished business of the 109th Congress, addressing H.R. 2316, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, and H.R. 2317, the Lobbying Transparency Act of 2007. Ethics reform remains a burning issue for the committee, however. As late as March, lawmakers were disputing a ethics plan borne out of a commission study that would create an independent Office of Congressional Ethics to conduct preliminary investigations and refer cases of misconduct to the Ethics committee. Slaughter said the Rules Committee needs more time to examine Democrat and Republican proposals. “Make no mistake, Democrats in the House are committed to restoring honesty, integrity and accountability in Congress and this is the next step in that commitment,” she said The committee, which is responsible for creating a framework for moving legislation from each House committee to the House floor, spent much of the congressional session enforcing newlystrengthened Rules of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress. Slaughter paid close attention to clauses 9 and 10 of rule XXI, which are designed to provide greater transparency in the congressional earmarking process and to encourage fiscal responsibility through the practice of Pay-As-You-Go. Beyond its role as the procedural “traffic cop,” the committee had a hand in several significant pieces of domestic legislation during the first session of the 110th Congress, including a number of initiatives included in the Democratic “6 for ‘06” package. The committee guided to the floor bills that addressed some of the nation’s more pressing issues, including veterans’ health care, affordable housing, the first minimum wage increase in ten years, investment in college financial assistance, and an enhanced commitment to math and science education and domestic technology.


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HOUSE RULES

Shane P. Chambers Professional Staff Member H-312 The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-9091 [email protected]

Expertise: Judiciary, financial services, housing. Shane Chambers joined the professional minority staff of the House Rules Committee in March 2007. During his time on the committee, Chambers has worked primarily on special rules for legislation related to the judiciary, financial services, and housing. He researches the legislative history of bills making their way to the Rules Committee, advises congressional members and staff on the procedures involved in considering these bills, and drafts briefing materials for their use in committee and on the House floor. As an aide to Rules ranking member David Dreier, R-Calif., Chambers speaks like a true partisan, saying he regularly observes the Democratic majority talking about “a new openness at the Rules Committee while they repeatedly shut out minority amendments and limit debate.” “In the 110th Congress, there have been more closed rules, more restrictive rules, fewer substitutes and fewer minority amendments made in order than in the previous Republican-controlled Congress,” said Chambers, a New York City native. “These facts simply contradict the majority’s rhetoric about openness and a new direction at the Rules Committee.” Prior to joining the Rules Committee, Chambers served in the executive branch for six years. He got his start in May 2001, working in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence.


Education: B.A., political science, George Washington University, 2000.

Professional: 1998–1999, intern, Office of Rep. Marge Roukema, R-N.J. 2001–2002, mail analyst, White House Office of Presidential Correspondence. 2002–2003, deputy director of presidential messages, White House Office of Presidential Correspondence. 2003, deputy director of personal correspondence, White House Office of Presidential Correspondence. 2003–2005, exec. asst. to the director of Oval Office operations, White House Oval Office Operations & Office of the Chief of Staff. 2005–2007, special asst. to the Assistant Attorney General, DOJ Office of Legislative Affairs. 2007–present, Republican professional staff member, House Cmte. on Rules.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Correspondence Office was asked to respond to “the unprecedented outpouring of grief sent to the White House from all over the world,” Chambers said. “While I played a minor role in helping the president acknowledge and respond to the hundreds of thousands of letters, faxes and e-mails that flooded in the weeks and months after the attacks, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” Chambers said. After stints as deputy director in both the Office of Presidential Messages and Presidential Personal Correspondence, Chambers worked in the Office of Oval Office Operations, where he assisted the president’s secretary and personal aide in the daily operation of the president’s office. In 2005, Chambers moved to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legislative Affairs, where he worked on nominations and appropriations matters. He said it was particularly satisfying to play a small role in helping federal judges get confirmed to their positions in the third branch of the government. Chambers is a graduate of the George Washington University, where he studied political science. While at the university, he was an intern in the office of former Rep. Marge Roukema, R-N.J., and said it was this introduction to Congress that sold him on government service. Chambers met his wife, Brooke, at George Washington University. They reside in Vienna, Virginia.

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HOUSE RULES

Sampak Garg Counsel H-312 The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-9091 Fax: (202) 225-5373 [email protected]

Expertise: Patent reform, homeland security, energy. Barely a year ago, Sampak Garg joined the House Rules Committee as counsel after nearly nine years on the House Judiciary Committee, where his trajectory was nearly vertical. The Pittsburg, Pennslyvania, native who grew up in San Jose, California, was fresh out of George Washington University Law School in 1998 when the Judiciary Committee snatched him up. There, he worked just two months as a legal intern before being assigned to the committee staff that oversaw the House impeachment proceedings against former President Bill Clinton. He joined the Rules committee in the spring of 2007. A U.C. Berkeley graduate with a degree in cell biology, Garg said he finds that the starkest difference between his job on the rules panel—which is often described as the “traffic cop” for legislation moving to the House floor—and his work on the Judiciary Committee is the level at which he works on an issue. In his previous job, he helped fashion policy proposals from the ground up. On the Rules Committee, his responsibilities tend toward taking legislation that has already been vetted and moving it through the House process. His closer work with committee staffers, he says, has given him “a much better bird’s eye view of how the House operates and how legislation is moved through the process.” In his post on Rules, Garg is responsible for a variety issues, including patent reform, homeland security and energy.

Personal: Born 1973 in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Education: B.A., cell biology, U.C. Berkeley, 1993. J.D., George Washington University Law School, 1997.

Professional: 1998–2007, legal staff, House Judiciary Cmte. 2007–present, counsel, House Cmte. on Rules.

“I think the biggest sleeper issue I have worked on is patent reform,” he said. “When the issue first started brewing four or five years ago, there weren’t very many people that were really engaged in it. Patent law was seen as an arcane area that had no impact on the every day businesses or commerce. As more and more people on and off the Hill became aware of the impact of what was being proposed, interest in the issue soared. Now, you would be hard-pressed to find a sector of the American economy that doesn’t have some interest in the issue.” Among the major challenges has been adjusting to being in the Democratic majority. “I got to the point as a minority counsel where I largely knew what my role was and what to do, and not much of that time was spent actually moving legislation,” Garg said of his years on Judiciary. “As you often hear, it is entirely different being in the majority, where you play a role in really making things happen.” In his spare time, Garg likes reading, traveling and practicing the martial arts.


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HOUSE RULES

Jennifer Griffith Deputy Staff Director 305 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6352 [email protected]

Expertise: Administration. Deputy staff director Jennifer Griffith has spent her entire career in the Senate working for female leaders. She came to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee in 2007, a panel chaired by California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Before that, she spent five years as deputy chief of staff to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and began her career in the office of Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, serving as a legislative assistant. The best part about working on the Rules and Administration panel is getting to take part in the behind the scenes functions of the Senate, Griffith said. She named as of her biggest accomplishments in 2007 helping to implement the merger of the U.S. Capitol Police and Library of Congress police forces. Congress approved the merger between the two departments in 2003, but its terms were fiercely debated for years, with many library officers worrying the age and physical requirements of the Capitol Police would hinder their opportunities. Members eventually eased those fears by passing language guaranteeing that every LOC officer would be offered a job with the Capitol Police.

Personal: Born 02/24/1972 in Fort Knox, Ky.

Education: B.A., Gonzaga University, 1994. M.A., George Washington University, 1997.

Professional: 1999–2000, legislative assistant, Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. 2001–2006, deputy chief of staff, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. 2007–present, deputy staff director, Senate Cmte. on Rules and Administration.

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Griffith also spent much of her time overseeing the Capitol Visitor Center, which is scheduled to open in November 2008. The $621 million underground complex will serve as the visitor gateway to the Capitol, with breathtaking views of the Capitol Dome, exhibits about the history of Congress, an orientation theater and a cafeteria. The project has long been marred by delays and cost overruns—it originally was scheduled to open for the 2005 presidential inauguration at a cost of about $300 million. Officials have blamed mismanagement, coupled with the need to add several new security features to the facility after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as the main reasons for the CVC’s difficulties. Much of Griffith’s work in 2008 will center on the opening of the CVC, but she also will focus on planning the 2009 presidential inauguration. Feinstein is expected to chair the joint committee in charge of the event, and much work has to be done, from security preparations to figuring out where audience members will sit. Griffith also plans to assist in the effort to make the Senate more environmentally conscious, she said. According to statute, the Capitol must reduce its energy use at least by 30 percent in 10 years.


HOUSE RULES

Hugh Nathanial Halpern Minority Staff Director H-152, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-9191 Fax: (202) 226-6763 [email protected]

Expertise: House procedure, financial services, automobile safety. With a year in the minority party under his belt, Hugh Halpern is focused on ensuring that Democrats who now control the House Rules Committee keep their promises. “While we have settled into our role in the minority, we are focused on making sure that the gap between the promises made by the new Democratic majority and the reality of their record doesn’t go unnoticed,” said Halpern, now the committee’s Republican staff director. This year, the longtime Hill veteran was assigned to work on a part-time basis as the Republican general counsel to the Select Committee to Investigate the Voting Irregularities of August 2, 2007. The select committee is investigating the irregularities surrounding Roll Call vote 814, including the majority’s “apparent interference in the normal process for conducting the vote,” Halpern said. He continues to be closely involved with the Republican leadership team in crafting the GOP procedural strategy— including more than 20 successful motions to recommit— and advising members on floor tactics. Halpern became staff director during the first session of the 109th Congress, when Republicans still controlled the House. Disruptions in House leadership brought him unexpected responsibilities. He was responsible for ensuring the committee executed the policy decisions of the thenRepublican majority in terms of the measures considered on the House floor. As a result, he dealt with almost every issue before the House.


Education: B.A., political science (cum laude), American University, 1991. M.A., political science, American University, 1992. J.D., George Mason University Law School, 1997.

Professional: 1987–1990, staff asst., systems mgr., Rep. Bud Shuster, R-Pa. 1990–1991, staff asst., Subc. on Surface Transportation, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1991–1994, Republican research asst., House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1995–1997, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Commerce. 1997–1998, counsel, House Cmte. on Commerce. 1998– 2000, parliamentarian, House Cmte. on Commerce. 2001–2003, parliamentarian, House Cmte. on Financial Services. 2004, general counsel, House Cmte. on Financial Services. 2005–present, Republican staff dir., House Cmte. on Rules.


When he was in the majority, Halpern helped the committee address budget reform, a review of House committee jurisdictions, weaknesses in the budgeting process, the possibility of a joint budget committee of House and Senate lawmakers, and lobbying reform legislation. In addition to his expertise in House procedure, he is also knowledgeable about financial services and automobile safety. When he first found himself in the minority, Halpern said one of his top missions would be to point out the discrepancies between the campaign promises of the new majority and the reality of what he called a “record of closed rules with almost no opportunity for amendments and alternatives from the Republican minority.” He’s been true to his mission, working with his staff to highlight shortcomings in the policies and processes of the new Democratic majority. “While the Republican leadership and Rules Committee received its share of criticism for how it ran the House in the 109th Congress, it’s important to note that the Democratically controlled Rules Committee has actually brought up more bills under a closed amendment process, made fewer minority alternatives in order, and fewer Republican amendments in order overall,” Halpern said.

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HOUSE RULES

Katharine (Sophie) Hayford Senior Counsel to the Rules Committee 2460 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9091 Fax: (202) 225-5373 [email protected]

Expertise: Financial services, transportation, veterans’ issues, government reform, education, labor. Thanks to her lengthy tenure on the House Rules Committee, Katharine (Sophie) Hayford has become a procedural specialist—both on how legislation evolves through various committees of jurisdiction and how lawmakers consider it on the House floor. Last year, Hayford reflected that being in the majority party after so many years in the minority was a big adjustment. Now that Democrats have controlled the committee a full year, this native of Farmington, Maine, finds that her role in each piece of legislation, as well as the process by which bills are considered, is far more involved than when her party was in the GOP shadow. With more than two decades of experience on the panel, Hayford is now the committee’s senior counsel, responsible for virtually every bill that comes before the committee. In particular, she helps shepherd through legislation that move through the committees on Education and Labor, Financial Services, Agriculture, and Government and Oversight Reform. It is her job to ensure the legislative process goes as smoothly as possible so committee members and House leaders can move their legislative agenda forward. It will be a chief goal of Rules Committee Democrats to reauthorize several major federal programs that have been running on expired authorizations.

Personal: Born in Farmington, Maine.

Education: B.S., University of Maine at Farmington, 1974.

Professional: 1976–1986, legislative aide, Rep. Joseph Moakley, D-Mass. 1986–1989, professional staff member, Subc. on Rules of the House. 1989–2006, Democratic professional staff member, House Cmte. on Rules. 2007– 2008, general counsel, House Cmte. on Rules. 2008–present, senior counsel, House Cmte. on Rules.

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During the first session of the 110th Congress, she helped to shepherd several important legislative initiatives through the House, many of which are awaiting Senate action before they can go to President Bush’s desk. An example is the comprehensive reauthorization of the Farm Bill. During this second session of the 110th Congress, among the high profile items expected to come before the Rules Committee is the Higher Education Reauthorization bill, which Hayford anticipates will move to the House floor in the early part of the year. Her chief accomplishments in past sessions include helping with passage of the transportation reauthorization bill. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users (also known as SAFETEALU) provided $244 billion in guaranteed spending, $90 billion more funding over the previous law’s levels for maintenance and improvement of the nation’s roads, bridges, mass transit, and safety over the 2005–2009 period.


HOUSE RULES

Adam Jarvis Republican Deputy Staff Director H-312, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-9191 Fax: (202) 225-6763 [email protected]

Expertise: Financial services, legislative line item veto, lobbying, and ethics reform. Adam Jarvis recalls that when he was growing up in Boise, Idaho, he was more interested in the “process” of politics than in government policies or partisanship. That passion for the rules and procedures that make government work suit him well in his job as deputy staff director for House Rules Committee Republicans—a post that requires he be a master on the inner workings of the House. Jarvis has worked for the House Rules Committee since 1999, first as staff assistant to Republicans, then as legislative clerk, then as a member of the GOP’s professional staff. He became deputy staff director in 2003. After graduating from the University of Idaho, Jarvis moved in 1999 to the East Coast to work for freshman Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. A few months later, Jarvis joined the House Rules Committee as a staff assistant, performing such thankless chores as filling the water pitchers for the committee’s members. His current job puts him in frequent contact with aides to Republican leaders who must be on the lookout for political trouble spots—or political opportunities. And his work doesn’t stop with the Rules Committee. He must engage with several House committees to prepare GOP members for House debate as their bills are readied for floor action.

Personal: Born 12/21/1974 in Nampa, Idaho.

Education: B.S., University of Idaho, 1998.

Professional: 1999, staff asst., Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. 1999–2000, staff asst., House Cmte. on Rules. 2000–2001, legislative clerk, House Cmte. on Rules. 2001–2003, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Rules. 2003–present, Republican deputy staff dir., House Cmte. on Rules.

He relishes the prospect of working on a new issue nearly every week of the year. His job has given him the opportunity to learn about ethics reform, lobbying reform, and earmark reform. During his time on the committee, he has worked on bills to create the new Department of Homeland Security as well as on the 2003 Medicare bill, which created prescription drug benefits and established a portable Health Savings Account. He has worked on legislation to make uniform national standards under the Fair Credit Reporting Act permanent and contributed to efforts to protect workers and restore investors’ confidence in the wake of corporate scandals. He’s been introduced to a host of budgetary concepts. He has worked on budget resolutions, the budget reconciliation process, new ways of approaching the line-item veto, and stopgap continuing resolutions to keep government running until a budget was passed. He has been immersed in rules requiring more disclosure of the legislators behind certain spending items, thus ending secret requests for pet projects, which Republicans called an important first step in curtailing the sort of abuses that ensnared several Republicans and lobbyists in recent years. It may be his love for the procedure, the rules and the process—in short, what makes the House floor “tick”—that keep him from heeding the advice of many colleagues who have urged him to attend law school. He just likes his job too much.


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HOUSE RULES

Margaret Jongeward Joseph Legislative Assistant H-312 The Capitol Fax: (202) 225-6763 [email protected]

Expertise: Financial services, higher education, technology, telecommunications, health care, energy. One of the newest members of the House Rules Committee is Margaret Jongeward Joseph, a legislative clerk who comes to the panel from her post as director of federal government relations with Clark and Weinstock and after several years working for House and Senate Democratic campaign committees. During her time at the bipartisan government relations and public affairs firm, she worked on issues in financial services, higher education, and technology. In her post with the committee’s Democratic majority under House Rules Committee chairman Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., Joseph is responsible for compiling committee reports, filing committee documents on the House floor, interacting regularly with the House Parliamentarian and being well-versed on House rules, processes and procedures. When there are hearings before the committee, it is Joseph’s job to coordinate witnesses, as well as to prepare and manage the hearing agenda. She is also a liaison between the Rules Committee and various Democratic caucuses, including the New Democrat Coalition, the Blue Dog Coalition and the congressional Hispanic Caucus. Her policy expertise includes financial services, higher education, technology, telecommunications, health care and energy.

Personal: Born 1981 in Raleigh, N.C.

Education: B.A., political science, Wake Forest University. Summer Business Management Program, Wayne Calloway School of Business and Accountancy.

Professional: Sept. 2003–Dec. 2003, special aide to the finance department, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte. Jan. 2004–Jan. 2005, deputy director of corporate affairs, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte. Jan. 2005–July 2006, mid-Atlantic finance director, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte. Aug. 2005–Feb. 2007, D.C. finance director, Democratic congressional Campaign Cmte. Feb. 2007–Oct. 2007, director, federal government relations, Clark and Weinstock. Oct. 2007–present, legislative clerk, House Cmte. on Rules.

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Joseph was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, and earned her bachelor’s in political science, with minors in history and international studies, from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. She was on the national dean’s list, and on the dean’s list for seven semesters. She quickly landed in politics, working as deputy director of corporate affairs, and later Mid-Atlantic Finance Director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the 2004 cycle, where she was liaison between the DSCC and corporate donors. The next election cycle found Joseph with the DSCC’s counterpart—the Democratic congressional Campaign Committee, where she spent two years as the Washington, D.C., finance director. As such, she was the D.C. and midAtlantic lead staffer, and primary committee contact for the corporate and government relations community. Joseph spent a summer studying business management at the Wayne Calloway School of Business and Accountancy. She is a member of the North Carolina State Society and of the Junior League of Washington, D.C. She is an alum of Chi Omega Fraternity.


HOUSE RULES

Sonny Sinha Director of Technology, High-Tech Adviser H-312 The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-9091 Fax: (202) 225-6763 [email protected]

Expertise: Net neutrality, telecom, data security, patent reform. In an era when a bulk of legislative business—from communication to research to bill-writing—is performed electronically, a congressional committee is only as efficient as its technology director. Sonny Sinha performs that job for the House Rules Committee, working with committee staff and parliamentarians to create more online legislative tools for House leadership, committees, the press, academia, and the public. As director of technology and high tech adviser for the committee, Sinha was responsible for directing the creation and management of the CORE database and Rules Committee Web site that handle internal and external committee functions. Sinha has worked closely with the clerk and other committees to bring Congress along in the information age so the Rules Committee model may eventually be used by parliamentarians, House leadership, and legislative counsel. During the past year, the St. Louis-born, Purdue-trained engineer directed development of the committee’s CORE database that is responsible for tracking amendments and automatically generating committee reports, which are subsequently filed on the House floor and voted upon.

Personal: Born 07/03/1976 in St. Louis, Mo.

Education: B.A., technology scholars program, Catholic University, 2006. executive education certificate, University of Maryland, Smith School of Business and Clark School of Engineering, 2008.

Professional: 1998–1999, product analyst, Thomson Financial Corp. 2000–2004, program manager, American Dynamics. 2004– present, director of technology, high tech adviser, House Cmte. on Rules.

A former program manager with Rockville-based American Dynamics, Sinha developed the newest iteration of the committee’s award winning Web site, which he calls “the public face of the committee.” The latest version contains comprehensive information on the House and Congress, the legislative process, parliamentary procedure, and current legislative language. He introduced processes that made information on bills, amendments and committee action accessible to the online public as soon as they are completed in committee, which he believes contributes to “greater transparency of the legislative process.” Finally, Sinha in his capacity as the committee’s high-tech adviser, tracks legislation on Internet Neutrality, immigration, telecom, data security, and patent reform. Before coming to the committee, Sinha’s work in the private sector provided valuable experience in the information technology arena. In his four years at American Dynamics, he researched federal technology programs and negotiated bids for the company on systems integration services and contracts—one example being a partnership with USAID and Robert Half International to provide bioinformatics infrastructure to Eritrea. During his 16 months as a product analyst with Bethesdabased Thomson Financial Corp., he was responsible for an online financial database that generated $11.5 million in revenue each year. He was the liaison between the product management, technology development and corporate departments on web data accuracy and product quality issues.


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HOUSE RULES

Don Sisson Director of Legislative Operations H-312, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-9091 Fax: (202) 225-6763 [email protected]

Expertise: House rules, jurisdictional conflicts, legislative operations. Now entering his fourth year on the House Rules Committee, Don Sisson has acquired new responsibilities. Having started with the committee in 2004 as a clerk, the native of western New York is now the panel’s director of legislative operations. These days, he is responsible for supervising the front office staff, managing the committee’s schedule and agenda and notifying staff of changes to the agenda and legislative language. He must certify compliance of committee action with House rules, compile and approve all committee reports, file privileged reports on the House floor and monitor the committee’s Web site for content and accuracy. Finally, he acts as liaison to House floor rostrum staff and the parliamentarian’s office. The job requires him to be something of a parliamentarian himself, as he must advise congressional staff on House and special rules, House procedures and the status of pending legislation. Sisson, whose past jobs included working with the mentally disabled, created the House’s bipartisan parliamentary education program that is offered to all House staff. He also helped to manage a redesign of the committee’s Web site, to upgrade its legislative tracking database and to edit and publish the Rules Committee’s Journal and History of Legislation (2005 and 2006) and the Survey of Activities for the 109th Congress.

Personal: Born 01/10/1979 in Albion, N.Y.

Education: B.S., psychology, State University of New York at Brockport, 2004.

Professional: 2000–2004, resident counselor, Lifetime Assistance Inc. 2004, intern, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2004–2006, clerk, House Cmte. on Rules. 2006–2007, director of committee outreach, House Cmte. on Rules. 2007–present, director of legislative operations, House Cmte. on Rules.

Before being promoted to his new job, Sisson was the committee’s director of outreach, a post that required he oversee front office operations and help the panel’s communications director respond to press queries. While acquiring his bachelor’s of science in psychology degree from the State University of New York at Brockport, (where he graduated magna cum laude), Sisson was a counselor responsible for residents in three different homes, most of whom had been diagnosed with severe or profound mental retardation and physical disabilities. Sisson first came to Washington, D.C., in September 2004 to take a paid internship with the House Committee on Ways and Means. After that, the House Rules Committee hired him as a clerk, a job that required him to interact daily with the offices of the House parliamentarian, the House Speaker, the majority leader, and nearly every House committee. Sisson has another side—that of snake ecologist. He cowrote a textbook chapter called “Spatial Ecology and Movement of Resident and Displaced Boa Constrictors on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua: Effects of Displacement and Implications for Conservation.” Sisson was also a teaching assistant in biopsychology, helping students to understand complex concepts related to the central and peripheral nervous systems in humans.

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HOUSE RULES

Daniel A. Turton Staff Director H-204, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-0100

Expertise: Floor procedures, legislative process. Because the House Rules Committee handles just about every major topic that eventually finds its way to the floor, Dan Turton’s job is necessarily varied, complex and tremendously busy. As majority staff director for the panel, the 41-year-old native of Bangor, Maine, manages a Rules Committee staff of 26 and a budget of more than $6.8 million. He is the key contact between committee members and House leaders in both parties, attends all leadership meetings and advises members on the rules of the House, the committee’s processes, and House floor procedure. “I translate and provide guidance for all those outside of the Rules Committee, both in the congressional community and the private sector,” said Turton. Turton’s job puts him regular contact with every staff director and chief counsel on each House committee, consultations that help shape the structure of debate on the House floor as well as potential amendments that may come up. On a daily basis, he interacts with House parliamentarians. The job is necessarily a big one, Turton says, because “the Rules Committee deals with all the major issues that come before the House for consideration in any congressional session.”

Education: B.A., government, Franklin and Marshall College, 1989.

Professional: 1989, intern, House Majority Leader Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. 1989, customer service representative, NAPUS Federal Credit Union. 1990, staff assistant, Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. 1991–1993, assistant to chief of staff, Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. 1993–1994, deputy floor assistant, Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. 1994–1998, floor assistant, Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. 2006–present, staff director

Until he was a sophomore in high school, Turton lived overseas. After earning his bachelor’s degree in government from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he became staff assistant to then-House majority leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., managing the front office operations in what he called a “fast paced” office with more than 30 staffers. In 1991, he became Gephardt’s assistant chief of staff, acting as liaison between the chief of staff and the Democratic congressional Campaign Committee. He also maintained an extensive database of national polling research and managed research projects. He became Gephardt’s special assistant in 1993, managing payroll and benefits for more than 30 staffers and an office spending account of more than $1 million. He also began honing his political instincts, monitoring Gephardt’s relationships with all other members of Congress, as well as other elected officials across the nation—a must for any House leader who must rely on his ties and allegiances to get things done. His political skills were fine-tuned the following year when he became Gephardt’s deputy floor assistant, then floor assistant, then senior floor assistant. In the latter job, Turton was the chief advisor to House leaders on floor procedures, tactics and strategy and was the principal liaison between leaders on the Democratic and Republican sides of the House. Turton is married and enjoys playing golf.


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Committee on Science and Technology 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6375 Fax: (202) 225-3895 http://science.house.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 24/20 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Bart Gordon, TN-6th, Chairman

Ralph M. Hall, TX-4th, Ranking Member

Jerry F. Costello, IL-12th Eddie Bernice Johnson, TX-30th Lynn C. Woolsey, CA-6th Mark Udall, CO-2nd David Wu, OR-1st Brian Baird, WA-3rd Brad Miller, NC-13th Daniel Lipinski, IL-3rd, Vice Chairman Nick Lampson, TX-22nd Gabrielle Giffords, AR-8th Jerry McNerney, CA-11th Laura Richardson, CA-37th Paul E. Kanjorski, PA-11th Darlene Hooley, OR-5th Steven R. Rothman, NJ-9th Jim Matheson, UT-2nd Mike Ross, AR-4th Ben Chandler, KY-6th Russ Carnahan, MO-3rd Charlie Melancon, LA-3rd Baron P. Hill, IN-9th Harry E. Mitchell, AZ-5th Charles A. Wilson, OH-6th

F. James Sensenbrenner, WI-5th Lamar S. Smith, TX-21st Dana Rohrabacher, CA-46th Roscoe G. Bartlett, MD-6th Vernon J. Ehlers, MI-3rd Frank D. Lucas, OK-6th Judy Biggert, IL-13th W. Todd Akin, MO-2nd Jo Bonner, AL-1st Tom Feeney, FL-24th Randy Neugebauer, TX-19th Bob Inglis, SC-4th David G. Reichert, WA-8th Michael T. McCaul, TX-10th Mario Diaz-Balart, FL-25th Phil Gingrey, GA-11th Brian P. Bilbray, CA-50th Adrian Smith, NE-3rd Paul Brown, GA-10th


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HOUSE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY JURISDICTION (1) All energy research, development and demonstration, and projects therefore, and all federally owned or operated nonmilitary energy laboratories. (2) Astronautical research and development, including resources, personnel, equipment, and facilities. (3) Civil aviation research and development. (4) Environmental research and development. (5) Marine research. (6) Commercial application of energy technology. (7) National Institute of Standards and Technology, standardization of weights and measures and the metric system. (8) National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (9) National Space Council. (10) National Science Foundation. (11) National Weather Service. (12) Outer space, including exploration and control thereof. (13) Science scholarships. (14) Scientific research, development and demonstration, and projects therefore.

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HOUSE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Fifty years ago in reaction to the Soviet Sputnik launch, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created. Fifty years ago, also, congressional leaders organized a committee to oversee America’s space program. The House Science and Technology Committee and NASA have remained intertwined ever since. These entities will celebrate their anniversaries this year even as they plan for one of the biggest shifts in the program’s history. NASA plans to phase out the space shuttle in 2010 making way for the new Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and its companion Ares I rocket. But those new vehicles are not expected to launch until 2015 and that is if Congress and the president provide enough money to finish their development. Chairman Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., and committee members will grapple with this funding issue and other policy matters as they work toward reauthorizing the act that governs NASA. “I think that this committee needs to take a hard look at where NASA is headed, and whether or not the course that the current administration has set NASA on is an appropriate one ... and one that should be followed by the next presidential administration, whether it be Democratic or Republican,” Gordon said at a hearing earlier this year. Gordon and others worry that NASA has not been given enough money to fulfill its missions to push the space program to develop outposts on the moon and later reach Mars, while at the same time continue its Earth-based research. From the smallest of computers to the most powerful of rockets, the Science and Technology Committee will have some hefty issues on its agenda this session. Two of the main items will be the reauthorization of acts that govern nanotechnology and the nation’s space program. “NASA and its space and aeronautics research programs are important—important to our standing in the world, important to our nation’s scientific and technological foundation, and important to our quality of life,” Gordon said. The committee will also work on the Nanotechnology reauthorization act and for funding to continue the implementation of the America COMPETES ACT, a bill passed in 2007 that seeks to keep the United States competitive scientifically with emerging international powers. COMPETES stands for Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science. The act provides more money for scientific research and provides incentives and equipment for science and math teachers.


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Charles (Chuck) Atkins Chief of Staff 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6375 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: Science and technology. The House Science and Technology Committee will shift its primary focus from math and science education and renewable energies to the space program and nanotechnologies during the second half of the 110th Congress. As the chief of staff of the committee, Charles “Chuck” Atkins will be right in the middle of these issues. But he said the latest round of hearings doesn’t mean the committee has finished its business on the issues that took center stage in 2007. The committee pushed through the America COMPETES Act, which seeks to keep the nation competitive in science and math through a number of research projects and school funding. Yet neither the committee nor President Bush believes Congress allocated enough money for this legislation. Atkins said the committee will also focus on the barriers to science, technology, engineering and math education in the K–12 system, with particular focus on female and minority faculty as well as foreign students. In 2008, the committee plans to reauthorize the nanotechnology bill as a means of “enhancing commercialization of research results, stepping up research on environmental and health risk, and ensuring coordination among agencies,” Atkins said. The committee also is holding hearings on water technologies that can help communities on issues such as desalination, recycling and conservation.

Personal: Born 01/13/1947 in Atlanta, Ga.

Education: B.S, Georgia State University, 1972. M.A., Ohio State University, 1973.

Professional: 1966–1968, corporal, United States Marine Corps. 1973–1977, manager, Northern Kentucky Area Development District. 1977– 19900, founding partner, Atkins-Elrod and Associates. 1990–1998, campaign manager, various federal and state campaigns. 1993– 1999, chief of staff, Rep. Scotty Baesler, D-Ky. 1999–2006, chief of staff, Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn. 2005–2006, Democratic staff director, House Cmte. on Science. 2007–present, chief of staff, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

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Atkins was the chief of staff to Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., and the Democratic staff director on the science committee. When the Democrats took control of Congress and Gordon became the committee chairman, he asked Atkins to become the committee’s chief of staff. He oversees a team of researchers, scientists and policy personnel who advise Gordon and the committee members. He also speaks to outside groups interested in the committee’s work. In the summer of 2007, he addressed the American Meteorological Society, a professional group for weather enthusiasts. Atkins, a former Marine corporal who served in Vietnam, has been a John C. Stennis Center for Public Service congressional staff fellow. He was also elected to a one-year term as president of the House Administrative Assistants Association in 1995. Prior to working for Gordon, Atkins served as the chief of staff to former Rep. Henry Scott Baesler, D-Ky., and before that worked in community development consulting and real estate. He has taught political science and public policy courses on the college level.



Ed Feddeman Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics H2-389 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6371 Fax: (202) 226-0113 [email protected]

Expertise: Aeronautics. Astronauts are looking forward to a time when they take rockets to outposts on the moon and then beyond, pushing the scientific edge and expanding human knowledge of the solar system. But before they can get there, Congress needs to provide enough funding to build these new space vehicles. That’s where Ed Feddeman comes in. Feddeman focuses on space policy for the Republicans on the Science and Technology Committee at a time where the history of the manned spaceflight program enters a critical juncture. Feddeman focuses almost exclusively on the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics where Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., is the subcommittee’s ranking member. Feeney also represents the congressional district that includes the Kennedy Space Center. Feeney is worried that federal funding won’t keep pace with the needs to maintain the nation’s dominance in space exploration. “The next Administration and future Congresses must continue supporting America’s return to the moon. Otherwise, nations like China will make that journey and challenge America’s preeminence in space,” he warned even last year as he praised NASA for having assigned lunar exploration projects to all ten of its centers.

Education: B.A., Washington & Lee University, 1975.

Professional: 1984–1994, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1994–1996, chief of staff, Rep. Bill Clinger, R-Pa. 1996–1999, chief of staff, Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash. 2000–present, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

The first step will be to keep the space shuttle going until it is phased out in 2010. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will use the shuttle to keep working on the International Space Station. The plan is to replace the shuttle with the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. The Orion will resemble the old Apollo capsules and is expected to be ready by 2015. This new vehicle will be used to take astronauts and cargo to planned lunar outposts. But this timeframe still leaves the manned space program dormant for five years. The subcommittee held a hearing late in the year on nearearth objects (NEOs) tracked by NASA. These NEOs are normally asteroids and comets that orbit near earth, posing a potential threat. Astronomers calculate 20,000 potential NEOs orbiting near earth and the sun. Subcommittee leaders called for a better accounting of these objects that may collide with our planet. Feddeman has worked for the Science and Technology Committee for the past eight years. Before that he served as chief of staff for three years for Rep. Bill Clinger, R-Pa., and four years as the chief of staff for Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash. He also spent a decade on the staff of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation.


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Alisa Ferguson Legislative Director 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6375 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy, appropriations and budget. Alisa Ferguson’s first year as legislative director for the House Science and Technology Committee had her jumping from climate change to high school science equipment and from alternative energy to space exploration. Now settling into her second, she said she is acclimating to being a jack of all trades. “What I have found in the last year is that no two days are alike, it is important to know just enough about each area that the committee covers,” she said, adding that “negotiating with the Senate can be exhausting.” Climate change was a dominant issue and will continue to be for years to come. In 2007, the committee held 10 hearings on climate change and another 11 hearings on related topics, resulting in legislation that would strengthen federal climate change research and make the data more useful to state governments. This legislation was not included in the 2007 energy bill, so Ferguson said the committee will continue to push this bill in the second half of the 110th Congress. This year the committee will work on the reauthorization of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA faces budget constraints at the same time it is trying to complete work on the International Space Station and bringing online a new space exploration vehicle. “The committee will work on legislation to reauthorize NASA and maintain a reasonable balance among aeronautics, earth and space science, and human space exploration missions,” Ferguson said.

Personal: Born 01/09/1976 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Education: B.S.F.S., Georgetown University, 1998.

Professional: 1998, research associate, Center for State Policy Research. 1998–2001, associate, Delaney Policy Group. 2002–2003, leg. asst., Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash. 2003–2006, leg. asst., Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn. 2007–present, leg. director, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

She also anticipates work on nanotechnology, water and e-waste. The committee will examine the environmental impacts of electronic waste from computers, televisions and cell phones, with an eye to find a more efficient way to minimize toxic materials. Last year, Ferguson and the committee focused on research and development of new energy technologies and the growing concern about America’s scientific competitiveness with other countries. The committee passed the America COMPETES Act, which in part authorized scholarship for teachers and provided more scientific equipment to schools. Ferguson came to the committee from the personal staff of Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., who is now the committee chairman. In her previous role, she worked on budget issues, which she continues to focus on for the Science Committee. Before coming to Capitol Hill in 2002, Ferguson worked in the telecommunications and Internet field. Away from the office, Ferguson is an art aficionado, especially modern paintings and photography. She also is an avid cook.

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Louis Finkel Director of Policy and Outreach 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6375 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative procedure. The chief of staff manages the whole committee and the legislative director tracks bills through the process. But its Louis Finkel’s job to help the committee chairman, Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., create the agenda and mold the message. Finkel is the director of policy and outreach for the House Science and Technology Committee. He is the point of contact for the varied community groups that have interests before the committee, which could range from oil companies to teachers unions. “I’m broadly engaged in most of the substantive areas before the committee,” said Finkel, who focuses on energy issues, new technologies and communications. The energy bill, and more specifically its research and development programs, were debated heavily by the committee in 2007. Finkel has said: “Our focus is … increasing the country’s independence and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.” The America COMPETES Act was the other major bill pushed by the committee, with the goal of furthering research and enhancing science and math education to help keep the U.S. economy competitive with emerging international powers. The bill creates short term research and development help while pushing for more science training of teachers and students.

Personal: Born 1973 in N.J.

Education: B.A., George Washington University, 1995.

Professional: 1993–1996, leg. asst., Rep. Peter Deutsch, D-Fla. 1996–1998, senior leg. asst., Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn. 1998–2001, leg. dir., Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn. 2001–2006, member, Lent Scrivner & Roth. 2006, federal affairs consultant, Exxon Mobil. 2007–present, dir. of policy and outreach, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

“The idea is to get well-trained teachers in the classroom to educate the next generation of leaders,” Finkel said a year ago. He expects the continued funding for this effort to be a focus of the committee in 2008. “COMPETES ensures not only that our nation will produce the world’s leading scientists and engineers but also that all students will have a strong grounding in math and science and are prepared for technical jobs in every sector of the economy,” Gordon said. The chairman plans to push for more federal funding for science, technology, engineering and math education, particularly in grades K through 12. Finkel said he has also spent time working on legislation that would help create a nationwide health care information technology system. Proponents of Health IT say it will save lives and money by taking the records out of the doctor’s folders and placing them into streamlined interoperable computer systems Finkel previously worked for Gordon as his legislative director before leaving Capitol Hill to work as a lobbyist for six years. He represented educational institutions, non-profits, technology companies and energy companies, including Exxon Mobil.


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Leslee Gilbert Republican Staff Director H2-389 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6371 Fax: (202) 226-0113 [email protected]

Expertise: Science policy. In a committee with an unusual bipartisan spirit, 2007 was tough for Republican members of the House Science and Technology Committee. The committee’s cornerstone bill of the year focused on increasing gas mileage requirements for new cars, but failed to help in several areas important to Republicans. Leslee Gilbert is the Republican staff director, named by Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, after serving as his speechwriter. Gilbert criticizes the energy bill that ultimately became law, echoing the views of Hall and other GOP members. “We need to do things to bridge the present with the future like spend more on increasing domestic production of resources,” she said. Gilbert manages the staff on the committee with a jurisdiction that spans energy policy to include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), nanotechnology and science education and research. The Republicans considered the America COMPETES Act to be a fairly bipartisan effort. This act, signed by President Bush, expands research efforts and creates new incentives for college graduates to become science, technology, engineering or math teachers in the K–12 system. But the committee split on the energy bill. Hall called it a wasted opportunity that was too limited in its scope because it did nothing to reduce the cost of gas or home heating fuel.

Personal: Born in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Education: B.A., Texas A&M University, 1993. M.A., University of Kentucky, 1995. Ph.D., University of Kentucky, 1998.

Professional: 2000–2003, professor, St. Mary’s University (Minn.) 2003–2005, speechwriter, Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas. 2005–2006, leg. director, Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas. 2007– present, Republican staff dir., House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

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“Instead, the Democratic energy bill substantially increases taxes on our domestic oil and gas producers and mandates an across the board increase in renewable electricity production, putting an unfair burden on States that are not rich in renewable energy resources,” Hall said. Gilbert said the Republicans would have liked to see more money spent on research and development of alternative fuels including clean burning coal and geothermal energy. Hall will once again tout R&D spending as the committee discusses climate change initiatives in 2008. The committee will also work to reauthorize the nanotechnology initiative and the NASA bill. NASA is at a crossroads with the shuttle scheduled to stop flying in 2010, the International Space Station nearly complete and discussions about the future of manned-space flights. Gilbert joined Hall’s congressional staff in 2005 and soon became his legislative director before moving to the committee staff. Before working on Capitol Hill, Gilbert taught history at St. Mary’s University in Minnesota, a small liberal arts college.



Tom Hammond

Expertise: Science policy, national security.

Professional Staff Member

From the destruction of public records to the impact of climate change on national security, the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee had a busy year. Tom Hammond was right in the thick of it all as the minority staff member assigned by Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas.

Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight H2-389 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6371 Fax: (202) 226-0113 [email protected]

Hammond doesn’t expect this work to slow down either. The subcommittee in 2008 is continuing many of the probes started during the first half of the 110th Congress. That begins with two major focuses. One the subcommittee calls “scientific integrity.” They investigate charges that government scientists are censored by press officers or public officials. The other is oversight of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), a branch of the administration that proposes rule changes that can impact science. Beyond these overarching mission, Hammond expects to spend considerable time examining the potential impacts of climate change and mediation costs. He will also keep an eye on satellite programs in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But Hammond will be the first to point out that his job isn’t that easy to predict. “Unlike the legislative subcommittees, it’s hard to predict or plan what investigations we will end up doing this year,” he said. “We go where the issues take us.”

Personal: Born in N.Y.

Education: B.A., Hartwick College, 2000. M.A., U.S. Naval War College, 2005.

Professional: 2000–2001, consultant, Corporate Information Services. 2001–2002, staff asst., Subc. on Energy, House Cmte. on Science. 2002–2006, leg. asst., House Cmte. on Science. 2006–present, prof. staff member, Subc. on Investigations and Oversight, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

The issues led Hammond and the subcommittee into NASA’s troubling relationship with the inspector general. The subcommittee held a hearing to sternly question key NASA staff about destroying a video of a meeting between an administrator and an inspector. NASA executives admitted to destroying the tape to keep it from the public. Some of the other investigations looked at the Department of Energy’s decision to not fund the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, the performance and ultimate removal of the director of the National Hurricane Center and a review of the influence corporate and advocacy groups have on science. Hammond has held several positions with the committee since joining the staff in 2001. Most recently, Hammond worked for the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee for the Republicans, working on legislation related to NASA primarily. During college, Hammond, a New York native, interned for former Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., the chairman of what was then called the Science Committee. After graduating, Hammond worked for a short time at the Republican National Committee and then as a consultant before landing on Capitol Hill.


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Richard Obermann Staff Director Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4482 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: Space and aeronautics. Richard Obermann keeps his eye to the sky. As the staff director on the House Science and Technology’s space and aeronautics subcommittee, Obermann’s job is to track the country’s space program, which is entering a transitional phase unlike anything it has seen in recent years. The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) will completely phase out the space shuttle in 2010, replacing it with new Orion Crew Exploration Vehicles and the Ares 1 rocket. A few years ago, President Bush proclaimed a desire to return to the moon and later Mars with these new But before any of those lofty goals can be reached, the subcommittee led by Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., need to finalize the reauthorization of NASA. The current law expires in October. The subcommittee has also sparred regularly with the White House over funding levels for NASA, which threaten planned scientific research and even manned space flights. “I don’t believe the nation is going to walk away from its human space flight program,” Obermann said. “However, it is not yet clear that there will be a sufficient commitment to a robust and challenging human spaceflight program that makes the most productive us of the International Space Station and also starts to move us back out beyond low Earth orbit to the moon and other destinations.” For years, the Bush administration’s funding requests have fallen below their own budget projections showing what is needed to carry out the president’s plan to some day reach Mars. Congress has had a difficult time making up the difference, Obermann said.

Personal: Born 05/21/1949 in Elmhurst, Ill.

Education: B.S.E., Princeton University, 1971. M.S.E., Stanford University, 1972. Ph.D., engineering, Princeton University, 1977.

Professional: 1977–1988, Mitre Corporation. 1988– 1990, senior program officer, National Research Council. 1990–2006, Democratic professional staff member, Subc. on Space and Aeronautics, House Cmte. on Science. 2007–present, staff dir., Subc. on Space and Aeronautics, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

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Other issues before the subcommittee include the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, which should also become a serious issue in the second half of the 110th Congress. Obermann said he is working on the next generation air traffic management system, which is intended to totally transform the way air traffic controllers manage the skies to deal with the expected tripling of flights by 2025. The new system would be satellite-based instead of relying on ground-based radar. An engineer prior to his Capitol Hill days, Obermann has always been fascinated with space and said he would never turn down a chance to get up there if given the opportunity. It is a love he has passed on to his young children as well.



James Paul Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Research and Science Education 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6375 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: Internet policy, space policy, semiconductor issues, satellite procurement. For more than two decades, James Paul has worked for the House Science and Technology Committee on issues ranging from space exploration to Internet policy. But these days, Paul is almost exclusively focused on the nation’s aging weather satellites and the frustrating process of replacing them. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with the Pentagon, manage two “constellations” of weather satellites with very different functions. The Polar Orbiting Satellites, known as the POES system, makes nearly polar orbits about 14 times a day tracking temperature, humidity, volcanic eruptions, forest fires and more. These are the satellites that give the National Weather Service the information they need to make daily forecasts. NOAA also manages a second group of satellites, known as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, which are used primarily for environmental imaging. Both constellations are aging, Paul said. The process to replace them is long, expensive and cumbersome. Paul’s job is to track the development of the new satellites and make sure costs don’t run over budget. He then must take that information and “translate it into language our members can deal with,” he said. That has not always been an easy job. “The Polar Orbiting Satellites are in much worst shape, suffering from delays and cost overruns,” he said. “If you look at the polar program from the costs we started with and the costs we are working at, we are probably in the neighborhood of $6 billion.”

Personal: Born 07/15/1957 in Atlanta, Ga.

Education: B.S., chemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1982.

Professional: 1983–1985, legislative corresp., Rep. Harold Volkmer, D-Mo. 1985–1993, professional staff member, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1993–present, Democratic professional staff member, Subc. on Research, House Cmte. on Science.


That is $6 billion in additional costs for these satellites. To rein in costs, NOAA and the Pentagon have decided to purchase four new satellites instead of six. The first is set for launch in 2013, with the last reaching the atmosphere in 2026. The geothermal satellite program is facing similar issues. NOAA dropped the planned purchase of these satellites from four to two, but the Bush administration is not ready to abandon the possibility of buying the others just yet. The first new geostational satellite is expected to be launched in 2014. Paul came to Capitol Hill to work for former Rep. Howard Volkmer, D-Mo., and joined the committee in 1985. He spent his first eight years with the panel as a staffer for the oversight subcommittee. He then shifted to the general minority staff, when Republicans took control in 1994 and disbanded the subcommittee. But Paul said he “returned home” in early 2007 when chairman Bart Gordon, DTenn., under the new Democratic majority reinstituted the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.

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Dan Pearson Staff Director Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6375 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: Science policy, investigations. Dan Pearson’s job is to dig into the federal government’s interactions with science, searching for corruptions, misconduct and inappropriate political involvement. He is the staff director for the Science and Technology Committee’s oversight unit, a position he said he holds dear. “This is the best job in the world and I consider myself extraordinarily luck to be entrusted with it,” Pearson said. The Democrats reinstated the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight when they took control of Congress following the 2006 elections. In its first year back, Pearson and the committee, led by Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., kept busy. The subcommittee probed efforts at the Department of Energy to kill an environmental research lab and the Department of Homeland Security to shutdown a first-responders lab in New York City. Pearson also looked into alleged misconduct by the NASA inspector general. The subcommittee is still examining the work the Centers for Disease Control did for FEMA regarding the formaldehyde in travel trailers used to house Hurricane Katrina and Rita victims. “We are currently pushing to improve NASA’s performance in collecting aviation safety data,” said Pearson, who also mentioned committee efforts to block the importing of foreign low-level nuclear waste that would be stored in Utah. That issue will rank as one of the biggest for the subcommittee, vying for attention with NASA aviation safety concerns and the CDC-FEMA probe. But Pearson said it is hard to predict what the subcommittee will work on.

Personal: Born 03/24/1958 in Tacoma, Wash.

Education: B.A., University of Puget Sound, 1980. M.A., University of Washington, 1983. Ph.D., University of Washington, 1991.

Professional: 1987–1989, professor, Whitman College (Wash.) 1990–1991, leg. asst., Rep. George E. Brown Jr., D-Calif. 1991–1993, Republican staff member, House Cmte. on Science, Space, and Technology. 1993– 2002, Democratic staff member, House Cmte. on Science. 2002–2006, Democratic deputy staff dir., House Cmte. on Science. 2007–present, staff director, Subc. on Investigations and Oversight, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

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“In oversight, there is always a scandal that is just about to break that you either help break or you react to,” Pearson said. Pearson started his career as a political science professor before “catching the bug” and moving to D.C. about 20 years ago. In 1991, he began working on Science and Technology Committee issues, taking on more senior roles before he became the Democrats’ deputy staff director in 2002. His oversight experience includes an investigation of a federal inspector general that eventually led to a Justice Department probe and prosecution. When he is not delving into government corruption, Pearson is studying Japanese weapons art. He is a member of a group, led by a Japanese teacher, that has performed at the Cherry Blossom Festival.



Janet Poppleton Republican Chief of Staff H2-389 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6371 Fax: (202) 226-0113 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative affairs, media affairs. Janet Poppleton may split her time between the congressional office of Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, and the Science and Technology Committee, where Hall is the ranking member. But no matter where she happens to be, she is still the Republican chief of staff. Poppleton started as Hall’s press secretary when he was a Democrat. She now oversees both offices and more than a dozen aides on a variety of projects for the committee that span from space travel to helping math teachers. Ultimately, her job is to push the viewpoint of Hall and the other Republicans on the committee, which she sums up this way: “Congressman Hall’s vision for science for the 21st century includes promoting research and development programs that advance energy and technological breakthroughs, strengthening STEM education and maintaining America’s leadership in space exploration.” STEM education refers to science, technology, engineering and math programs. In 2007, President Bush signed into law the America COMPETES Act, passed in a bipartisan vote, which boosts spending on nanotechnology and supercomputing as well as help for math teachers. The president also signed a new energy law that was much more contentious. While Hall liked some of the provisions, Poppleton said he “viewed this measure as a missed opportunity to increase energy production.”

Personal: Born in Longview, Texas.

Education: B.A., Southern Arkansas University. M.A., Stephen F. Austin University.

Professional: 1993–1996, press secretary, Rep. Ralph Hall, D-Texas. 1996–present, chief of staff, Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas. 2007–present, Republican chief of staff, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

Even as staff members were working on these two key bills, they also drafted legislation that seeks to use long-term technology at the nation’s boarders to make them more secure. Poppleton expects to spend a great deal of time promoting this new piece of legislation. The other major focus of the committee in 2008 will be the budget reauthorization for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which is in the middle of phasing out the shuttle program and introducing a new vehicle for space travel, with an eye to one day take a person to Mars. NASA is also trying to finish the International Space Station. Hall has criticized Congress for not giving NASA more funding for this projects. As if these issues were not enough, Poppleton said: “We anticipate that nanotechnology, climate change and water conservation issues also will receive attention.” Poppleton, who holds a master’s degree in English, is a native of Camden, Ark. She first moved to Washington in 1993, when she began working for Hall, who was a Democrat at the time. Janet Poppleton has been with Hall since Bill Clinton’s first year in the White House, so it was no surprise when he named her Republican chief of staff for the House Science and Technology Committee soon after becoming the panel’s ranking member.


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Mike Quear Staff Director Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6375 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: International science cooperation, electronic commerce, technology policy, computer security. Border security can extends beyond the building of fences to include the latest cameras, sensors and tracking devices. The Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation is now working on legislation that will boost the planning and development of high-tech border and port security measures. “Technology can’t replace manpower, but it can help the Border Patrol do its job more effectively. There are thousands of miles of border but only a limited number of agents to patrol it,” said Science and Technology Committee chairman Bart Gordon, D-Tenn. Gordon has placed Mike Quear in charge of the staff that will help subcommittee chairman David Wu, D-Ore., develop this legislation, which is but one of the committees priorities as the 110th Congress comes to a close. Quear has also worked on efforts to bring the latest in information technology to the health care industry, which will streamline medical records, reduce errors and potentially save lives. At a recent meeting, Quear said the huge cost of implementing such a system goes beyond software and implementation. “We have to teach health care providers how to use the system for it to be effective,” he said. The subcommittee held a series of hearings last year to examine the shift of high-tech jobs oversees, a major concern for Wu. Witnesses warned that jobs in this sector are easily transferred to other countries, particularly places like China and India, which are ramping up their engineering and science education programs.

Personal: Born 04/15/1958 in Tipton, Ind.

Education: B.S., chemical engineering, Northwestern University, 1981. M.Eng., chemical engineering, Cornell University, 1982.

Professional: 1982–1988, professional engineer, Union Carbide (Parma, Ohio, and Columbia, Tenn.) 1989–1991, American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow, Dept. of State. 1991–1994, international adviser, House Cmte. on Science, Space, and Technology. 1995–2006, Democratic professional staff member, Subc. on Environment, Technology, and Standards, House Cmte. on Science. 2007–present, staff director, Subc. on Technology and Innovation, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

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The subcommittee’s expansive jurisdiction gives Quear the ability to work on issues ranging from international technology trade to patent law, biotechnology, voting technology and the research and development of Homeland Security activities. In addition, he took a lead role in Gordon’s methamphetamine remediation legislation, which was signed into law in December 2007. Quear joined the committee in 1991 to work on international scientific issues, but he has also focused on competitiveness, computer security, trade and manufacturing. He is a chemical engineer who worked at Union Carbide Corp. before he accepted a fellowship at the State Department. He focused on intellectual property rights and military-sensitive technologies. Outside of the office, Quear is an avid rower, who can often be found on the Potomac River. He took up rowing when he was in graduate school at Cornell and is actively involved with several Washington-area clubs.



James H. Turner Chief Counsel 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-8128 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: Technology policy, energy policy. Jim Turner’s job is to make sure things run smoothly, that ideas get transferred to paper appropriately and that everybody follows the rules. Turner keeps track of all major legislation under the committee’s jurisdiction and helps shepherd each item through the maze that is law making. “As chief counsel, I perform a much different role than I did as a subcommittee staff director,” he said. Committee chairman Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., gave Turner his new role when the Democrats took control of Congress, though Turner has also worked for Republicans during his extended tenure on the committee. The panel is known for its bipartisan cooperation. Energy issues consumed most of his time during the first half of the 110th Congress. In particular, Turner helped draft sections of the energy bill that focused generally on energy conservation in buildings and special high performance green buildings. He hopes to be involved in the committee’s attempts to “improve energy conservation in our country.”

Personal: Born 10/31/1946 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Education: B.S., Westminster College, 1968. M.Div., Yale University, 1972. J.D., Georgetown University, 1975. Senior manager’s in government program, Harvard University, 1991.

Professional: 1984–1991, counsel, Subc. on Science, Research and Technology, House Cmte. on Science. 1991–1994, staff dir., Subc. on Technology and Competitiveness, House Cmte. on Science, Space and Technology. 1992, staff member, Clinton administration transition team for Commerce Dept. 1993–1994, staff dir., Subc. on Technology, Environment, and Aviation, House Cmte. on Science, Space and Technology. 1995–1998, Democratic professional staff member and counsel, House Cmte. on Science. 1998–present, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.


He also helped draft the America COMPETES Act, which stands for America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, And Science Act. This bill, signed by President Bush, helps to strengthen research into such things as alternative fuels and nanotechnology, while also expanding research tools in classrooms. The bill would also create more opportunities for low-income students to take advanced placement courses in high schools, by training more teachers to provides these classes in high-need schools. Turner doesn’t want the passage of the America COMPETES Act to end his involvement in this area. “I hope to be involved in are to look for ways to encourage funding of the America COMPETES Act,” he said, “to begin the process of examining structural changes we need to make to encourage competitiveness of U.S. industry.” Turner is as active in his personal life as he is on Capitol Hill. He is regularly involved in a number of university and community groups, advisory panels and church boards. To further engineering education, Turner has previously served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He also assisted the school’s joint program with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known as MIT, to teach its engineering students about the intersection of science and policy. Turner first joined the Science and Technology Committee in 1977 and although he left for a few years to try the private sector, he was drawn back to continue his work on energy and technology policy.

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James D. Wilson Republican Staff Director Subcommittee on Research and Science Education 2320 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6375 Fax: (202) 225-3895 [email protected]

Expertise: Science policy, aviation, information technology. Jim Wilson is the staff director for the subcommittee that takes the lead on issues involving the growing field of nanotechnology and information technologies, but much of his time is focused on education, teachers and keeping the United States competitive with other nations that are trying to expand their tech industries. The Research and Science Education Committee was instrumental in creating the America COMPETES Act, which President Bush signed into the law. The act emerged from a National Academy of Sciences report called “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” and COMPETES stands for Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science. One of the act’s main goals was to improve the abilities of K through 12 teachers in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math. Wilson said “a centerpiece provision” of the Act is the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarships, which recruit college students graduating in science, engineering or math to become certified teachers through special courses and early classroom experience. Participants will receive $10,000 per year and are required to sign a two-year teaching commitment for every year they receive the scholarship. The COMPETES Act also increases federal support for science research by creating a pilot program to help people with their first research applications, provide more graduate student fellowships and grows a program to help young college faculty members with research.

Personal: Born 10/05/1946 in Morgantown, W.Va.

Education: B.S., West Virginia University, 1968. M.S., West Virginia University, 1970. Ph.D., West Virginia University, 1973.

Professional: 1973–1977, aerodynamic analyst, Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory (WrightPatterson AFB, Ohio). 1977–1987, program manager for fluid mechanics, Directorate of Aerospace Sciences, United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Washington, D.C. 1984, special asst. to director for research and laboratory management, Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Advanced Technology, U.S. Dept. of Defense. 1987–2007, Democratic professional staff member, House Cmte. on Science. 2007– present, Republican staff director, Subc. on Research and Science Education, House Cmte. on Science and Technology.

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Wilson expects to spend some of his time ensuring that this act is implemented properly, but much of his attention during this second half of the 110th Congress will be on nanotechnology. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Brian Baird (D. Wash.), held hearings last year on the status of research activities under the National Nanotechnology Initiative to determine the environmental, health and safety concerns involved with this growing field. The committee expects to reauthorize the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 2008. expects to reauthorize the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 2008. The subcommittee also plans to hold a series of hearings on ways to increase international scientific cooperation, with the hopes of developing legislation. Wilson will be instrumental in advising members throughout this process. Wilson is a former Air Force officer who received his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from West Virginia University. He managed research programs in fluid mechanics for the military before joining the committee staff in 1987.


Committee on Small Business 2361 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4038 Fax: (202) 225-7209 http://www.house.gov/smbiz/ [email protected] Ratio: 16/15 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Nydia Velázquez, NY-12th, Chairman

Steve Chabot, OH-1st, Ranking Member

Heath Shuler, NC-11th Charlie Gonzalez, TX-20th Rick Larsen, WA-2nd Raul Grijalva, AZ-7th Michael H. Michaud, ME-2nd Melissa Bean, IL-8th Henry Cuellar, TX-28th Dan Lipinski, IL-2nd Gwen Moore, WI-4th Jason Altmire, PA-4th Bruce Braley, IA-1st Yvette Clarke, NY-11th Brad Ellsworth, IN-8th Hank Johnson, GA-4th Joe Sestak, PA-7th

Roscoe Bartlett, MD-6th Sam Graves, MO-6th W. Todd Akin, MO-2nd Bill Shuster, PA-9th Marilyn Musgrave, CO-4th Steve King, IA-5th Jeff Fortenberry, NE-1st Lynn A. Westmoreland, GA-8th Louie Gohmert, TX-1st Dean Heller, NE-2nd David Davis, TN-1st Mary Fallin, OK-5th Vern Buchanan, FL-13th Jim Jordan, OH-4th


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HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS JURISDICTION (1) Assistance to and protection of small business, including financial aid, regulatory flexibility, and paperwork reduction. (2) Participation of small-business enterprises in federal procurement and government contracts.

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HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS In addition to its legislative jurisdiction under the preceding provisions of this paragraph (and its general oversight function under clause 2(b)(1)), the committee shall have the special oversight function provided for in clause 3(g) with respect to the problems of small business. Both the House Small Business Committee and the Small Business Administration concentrate on providing small business owners an environment where they can succeed. But, as at least one piece of legislation from last year shows, the two do not always see eye to eye on how to make that happen. In September, The Small Business Investment Expansion Act overwhelmingly passed the House, with the bipartisan backing of the Small Business Committee. The bill, introduced by Small Business Committee member Jason Altmire, D-Penn., allows small businesses backed by venture capital firms to be eligible for federal grants and programs. Critics of the bill said it would allow large companies to pirate federal small business dollars. But both the Small Business Committee’s chairwoman, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., and ranking member, Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, backed the bill. Velázquez said venture capitalists “help spur growth among small enterprises” and that the bill would make it easier for entrepreneurs obtain federal funds. Chabot initially had doubts about the bill, which amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. But he voted for it after inserting an amendment that a company would not be considered small after venture capitalists owned more than half of it. Yet even Chabot’s amendment could not sway the Small Business Administration. An agency representative e-mailed the Los Angeles Times that the legislation “would be a step backward from our recent progress in addressing the misidentification of large firms as small businesses for federal procurement purposes.” Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee, may share the agency’s concerns. Washingtonpost.com reported in September that Kerry was much more skeptical of the bill’s intentions than his House counterparts. Even if Kerry stonewalls the bill, Velázquez and Chabot can point to other triumphs for 2007: The panel, which prides itself on bipartisanship, successfully lobbied the Securities and Exchange Commission to delay installing a provision in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that would disproportionately hurt small businesses. The committee also worked to increase entrepreneurship opportunities for women and veterans and brought to the floor the first changes in the Small Business Administration’s microloan program in six years. (Like Altmire’s bill, the microloan legislation sailed through the House but has yet to be considered by the Senate.) “It’s almost a joke” how well the committee works together, said Katie Fox, the minority press secretary. “I don’t think that’s the case on every committee. But we’re lucky to be working for a common cause.”


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HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS

Lisa Christian Professional Staff Member B363 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5821 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business. Colleagues call Lisa Christian—one of the most recent additions to the House Small Business Committee’s Republican staff—a jack of all trades who is willing to fill in wherever necessary. “It’s difficult to pigeonhole her duties,” said Katie Fox, the committee’s minority press secretary, adding that Christian “handles general office duties and hearings on wide-ranging topics.” Christian recently staffed a hearing on the Export-Import Bank, which helps American businesses arrange international trade deals. The bank’s 2006 reauthorization contained several provisions aimed at bolstering smaller companies, including starting a small business division, and dedicating more staffers to help small businesses secure loans. Since that reauthorization, however, the bank’s small business traffic fell 10 percent, according to a January release from Democratic committee members. The bank also needs to do more both to help small businesses avoid unneeded regulation and keep up with foreign rivals, the release said. But one witness at a January hearing—Loren Yager, director of international affairs and trade for the Government Accountability Office—painted a rosier picture. Yager said the percentage of bank funding awarded to small businesses had increased recently and passed the 20 percent threshold in 2006 and 2007. He added that improved tracking systems allowed the bank to more accurately predict financing needs and capabilities of small businesses.

Professional: 2003–2005, constituent liaison, Rep. Steven Chabot, R-Ohio. 2005–2007, staff asst., Rep. Steven Chabot, R-Ohio. 2007–present, prof. staff member, House Cmte. on Small Business.

Of course, American trade policy in general is important to most small businesses as they seek larger markets for their products. Last November, for example, the committee examined trade agreements with four countries—Colombia, Peru, Panama, and South Korea. The committee’s ranking member, Rep. Steve Chabot, ROhio, observed during the hearing that American goods dispatched to the three Latin American countries faced heavier tariffs than those making the opposite trip. Estimating that small businesses comprise 95 percent of all exporters, Chabot advocated knocking down some of those restrictions. “Free trade boosts our economy, eliminates worldwide barriers, and strengthens our global and regional ties with other nations,” he said. But Chabot and other free trade supporters acknowledge that, as small businessman Gary Ellerhorst said, “legitimate human rights, environmental and economic fair-play concerns” in other countries need to be considered when devising trade deals. Christian came to the committee in 2007 after working several years on Chabot’s personal staff.

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Michael Day Staff Director B-343-C Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4038 Fax: (202) 225-7209 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business issues. Like many committee staffers, Mike Day spent early part of 2008 examining and crunching the Bush administration’s final budget. And, like many of their Democratic counterparts, Day and other members of the Small Business Committee found the budget sorely lacking, believing added investment in small business programs could spark the country’s current sagging economy. The committee rejected President Bush’s proposals in late February, the first step in what could be comprehensive negotiations over the president’s final budget. The president “is turning his back on small businesses at the very moment our economy needs them most,” said committee chairwoman Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y. The president’s budget raises interest rates and provides no new financial support for the Small Business Administration’s microloan program. It also slashes funding for Women’s Business Centers, which provide counseling and support for fledgling women entrepreneurs, by almost 10 percent. Committee members had helped revamp the microloan program and to increase entrepreneurship opportunities for women over the past year.


Education: B.A., Alfred University, 1988. M.P.A., Old Dominion University.

Professional: 1989–1992, staff asst., Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va. 1993, legislative asst., Rep. Leslie Byrne, D-Va. 1993–1995, legislative dir., Rep. Leslie Byrne, D-Va. 1995, congressional liaison, U.S. Agency for International Development. 1995–1996, legislative dir., Rep. Nydia Velázquez, DN.Y. 1996–1998, administrative asst., Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y. 1998–present, Democratic staff dir., House Cmte. on Small Business.

The budget additionally slices 10 percent off the budget of Small Business Development Centers, which provide management advice to prospective business owners. It also increases fees for 7(a), the Small Business Administration’s most primary loan initiative, a move some committee members fear could dissuade banks from handing out loans to small businesses during the current economic slowdown. All totaled, the president’s budget cuts Small Business Administration programs by 15 percent, while the committee’s counterproposal restores much of that funding. As the final budget is hammered out, Day and his colleagues are looking for other ways to help small business owners, including reforming the Small Business Innovation and Research program. Under the program, created by Congress in 1982, federal agencies set aside a portion of their research and development budget solely for small businesses. Those funds give small businesses the startup and development funds needed to compete with larger businesses. In its quarter-century of existence, the program has helped small businesses make technological contributions to sectors ranging from defense to health care to environmental protection. But those opportunities could soon dry up for small businesses—the program is scheduled to be retired this September. Day and his committee colleagues instead hope to revamp the program and preserve it as a resource for small businesses. “We must continue to strengthen this program and align its focus with today’s technological realities,” said Velázquez.


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LeeAnn Delaney Senior Procurement Officer B-343C Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4038 Fax: (202) 225-7209 [email protected]

Expertise: Procurement, small business. A former Small Business Administration contracting officer in her native Oregon, LeeAnn Delaney is now closing in on a decade as senior procurement officer for the House Small Business Committee. But as Democrats enter their second year controlling Congress, committee chairwoman Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., has found herself butting heads with Delaney’s old employer on the procurement officer’s specialty issue—specifically on contracting opportunities for both women and minorities. At a January hearing, Velázquez criticized Small Business Administration higher-ups for proposing rules that would allow only 3 percent of women-owned small businesses to be eligible for federal contracts under the Women’s Procurement Program. “If the rule becomes final, women entrepreneurs would be unjustly kept out of the federal marketplace,” said Velázquez. “This committee will not allow that to happen.” The Small Business Committee has encouraged guidelines that would give at least 5 percent of women-owned small businesses contracting opportunities under the program, which was approved by Congress in 2000 to increase contracting opportunities for women. But that benchmark has never been reached during the Bush administration. In March 2007, the Contracting and Technology subcommittee noted that women small business owners were receiving barely 3 percent of federal contract dollars, costing women small business owners $5.2 billion in possible contracts.

Education: Oregon State University.

Professional: 1980–1987, USDA, Forest Service. 1987– 1999, various contracting positions, Small Business Administration. 1999–present, senior procurement officer, House Cmte. on Small Business.

Additionally, under the administration proposals discussed in January, most of the 3 percent of contracts that will be available to women’s businesses are in specialty industries like cabinetmaking and engraving. “Numbers don’t lie. It is time the federal government … shows women entrepreneurs the respect they deserve,” said Velázquez. The chairwoman also maintains women are not the only entrepreneurs the Small Business Administration is slighting. In fact, the administration revealed in August that it did not meet any of its goals for contracting with small businesses. The data also revealed that, like their female counterparts, minority-owned small businesses received less than 5 percent of federal contract dollars. Furthermore, the committee found scores of contracts that federal agencies claimed were granted to small businesses that were instead handed to large contractors like Rolls Royce or Lockheed Martin. “Once again, the government has neglected to take advantage of the innovations and quality products offered by small firms,” said Velázquez. Delaney, who will continue to work on these procurement issues in the upcoming year, worked for the U.S. Forest Service before starting with the Small Business Administration.

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Kevin Fitzpatrick Minority Staff Director B363 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5821 Fax: (202) 225-3587 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business. Kevin Fitzpatrick may only be entering his second year as minority staff director—but that does not mean the former chief of staff to Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, is just a sophomore when it comes to small business issues. Fitzpatrick also dealt with small business concerns on Chabot’s personal staff, then became minority staff director of the committee when his boss became ranking member. He now puts his experience to use leading the minority staff as they help small businesses win some long-fought battles and gain new access to capital. Six years ago, after scandals at Enron and other corporations, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which enacted stricter accounting and reporting standards for public companies. Few doubted the bill’s good intentions, but small business owners quickly realized that one provision in the bill could severely harm them. Section 404 of the law requires companies to report on and have their internal finances audited, a change committee members say could overwhelm small businesses with a wave of new paperwork and regulations. A Chamber of Commerce survey released in November said nearly half of the country’s small businesses would spend more than 3 percent of their net income just to obey Section 404.

Personal: Born 07/11/1955 in Salem, Mass.

Education: B.A., history and political science, Miami (Ohio) University, 1977.

Professional: 2003–2005, legislative dir., Rep. Steven Chabot, R-Ohio. 2005–2007, chief of staff, Rep. Steven Chabot, R-Ohio. 2007–present, minority staff dir., House Cmte. on Small Business.

Small businesses were supposed to begin observing Section 404 this December. But, for not the first time since the bill passed, small businesses received a reprieve. Christopher Cox, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said in December that Section 404 would not apply to small businesses until late 2009. Both Chabot and the committee chairwoman, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y, backed the delay. “Its burden on small business has not only affected their bottom line, but also their competitiveness in our global economy,” Chabot has said. Meanwhile, as small businesses collected that victory, Chabot sponsored the Microloan Amendments and Modernization Act, the first changes to the Small Business Administration’s microloan program in six years. Chabot met with Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and microloan innovator, while preparing the legislation. The final bill passed the House in September, upping the average loan from $7,500 to $10,000. The bill also increased the ability of lenders, who can give potential entrepreneurs loans at below-market rates, to fix the length of the proposed loan. “This bill will help today’s prospective entrepreneur become tomorrow’s CEO,” Chabot said. But that progress could be stymied by President Bush’s final budget, which proposes increasing the interest rate on the microloans and provides no new funds for the program.


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Katie Fox Minority Press Secretary B363 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5821 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business. Like practically everyone associated with Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, Katie Fox hit a rough patch in early 2007. But just like her former boss, Fox is on much firmer footing these days. Fox left McCain’s then-struggling Straight Talk America last May, landing as minority press secretary for the House Small Business Committee. Also a former staffer for Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, Fox found her first experience working for a committee quite different. “With no constituent work, you can really focus on the impact” of congressional actions and laws, Fox said. That often means setting up hearings that illustrate how government actions influence small businesses. The best of those hearings, Fox said, involve real people with real problems, including a November hearing in which the chief executive officer of a plastics company stressed the importance of free trade agreements. People like Gary Ellerhorst, whose Ohio company helps produce snowboards, “are the most compelling witnesses because they put a face to an issue,” Fox said. Plus, Fox added, snowboard manufacturers and other small business owners usually pique more interest than the average, D.C.-based witnesses, making her job of attracting the press easier.

Personal: Born in Chicago, Ill.

Education: B.A., journalism and political science, Indiana University.

Professional: 2003–2005, staff asst., Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio. 2005–2007, Straight Talk America (Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.) 2007–present, minority press secretary, House Cmte. on Small Business.

Fox said this year the committee will strive to make the lives of small business owners easier by reducing the tax burden on small businesses, particularly by tweaking the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005. The bill, which was actually passed in 2006, cemented reductions in taxes on capital gains and dividends and made fewer taxpayers subject to the alternative minimum tax. But it also contains a last-minute insertion—Section 511— that Fox calls “a strange little provision.” Section 511 of the bill allows federal, state and local governments to withhold 3 percent of the value from most contracts made with businesses, which Fox said was supposed to be a guard against tax evasion. But instead the provision “basically just raises taxes to prevent a tax increase,” Fox said, and “hurts the very businesses (the bill) is trying to protect.” The committee’s ranking member, Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, has cosponsored legislation to repeal Section 511, which Fox hopes will March through Congress in the coming months. McCain, Fox’s old boss, has by now long sewn up the Republican nomination for president. But Fox says she’s more than happy in her new gig. Chabot “is a fantastic guy to work for,” Fox said. “And we are very fortunate to have a majority that works with us and wants to find a middle ground.”

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Joe Hartz Professional Staff Member B363 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5831 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business. A holdover from the staff of former chairman Don Manzullo, R-Ill., Joe Hartz is one of the more veteran staffers on the House Small Business Committee. Now entering his fifth year on the staff, Hartz’s experience gives him extensive knowledge of small business issues, allowing him to handle a wide range of hearings, said Katie Fox, the committee’s minority press secretary. Hartz recently staffed a hearing on the Small Business Innovation Research program, which levels the playing field for small businesses competing with larger corporations to make technological breakthroughs. But the program, which provides research and development grants to small businesses in a wide range of scientific fields, is scheduled to be eliminated in September. And even if it does stick around, the program needs some finetuning, small business advocates say. Witnesses at hearings this winter advocated trimming the program’s application process and allowing companies greater flexibility in how they use the funds. The committee’s chairwoman, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, DN.Y., has said more competition is needed for the research grants, but committee members and staffers in both parties think the program should continue. Without the research grants, “we may have sacrificed some breakthroughs in the science [and] medical arena,” Fox said.

Professional: 2003–present, prof. staff member, House Cmte. on Small Business.

Hartz and the committee also worked on other technological issues last year, albeit none that could trigger biomedical advances. In July, Velázquez,and Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, the committee’s ranking member, tried to broker a compromise between the Corporate Royalty Board and Internet radio stations. The rift centered on a board decision to raise royalty rates for Internet stations on July 15. In the past, stations had paid rates on a sliding scale based on revenues. But the new rates would force all stations to pay flat rates, a move supporters said would benefit struggling recording artists. Many incensed Internet disc jockeys and webcasters claimed the change would plunge them toward bankruptcy. Thousands of internet stations were so riled up that they planned a “Day of Silence” protest in June. But those efforts—and those of Velázquez, and Chabot to delay the new rates for two months so the two sides could further negotiate—failed. The new rates were implemented on schedule. While Chabot obviously hoped for the delay, he also told the Cincinnati Enquirer the new rates would not affect his listening habits. Calling himself “pretty old school,” Chabot said he usually just tunes in while driving his 1993 Buick.


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Janet L. Oliver Counsel/Deputy Staff Director B363 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5821 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business. One small businessman likened it to extortion, while a congressman labeled it “highway robbery.” With those descriptions, it is little surprise that Jan Oliver and others on the Small Business Committee are trying to stem the growing use of business activity taxes. Previously little-known and rarely collected, business activity taxes allow states to bill any company that does business within its borders—even those based in other states. And, as Barry Godwin can confirm, states are becoming more comfortable gathering these newfound revenues. At a February hearing that Oliver staffed, Godwin—controller of a South Carolina-based boating company—recounted how a shipment of his Stingray Boats headed for Massachusetts was stopped in New Jersey. Because Stingray had conducted business in New Jersey, the state was charging it $46,000 in taxes. Even though he felt extorted, Godwin paid the bill, fearing his boats might be seized. Companies like Godwin’s “have become frequent and favorite targets of over-eager tax assessors,” said Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, the Small Business Committee’s ranking member. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., was even more blunt than Chabot, calling the taxes “highway robbery.” California, Pennsylvania, and Florida are among the dozen other states to levy the tax, which state officials defend as necessary to fund essential programs.

Professional: 2003–2005, various positions, Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. 2005–2007, legislative dir., Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio. 2007– present, counsel/deputy staff director, House Cmte. on Small Business.

Kansas revenue secretary Joan Wagnon said in 2005 that her state “cannot afford any narrowing of our tax base,” adding that curbing the use of business activity taxes would be a tax break for large companies. But a recently reintroduced bill hopes to shield smaller companies from state tax collectors. The Business Activity Tax Simplification Act, which has failed to gain traction in past years, directs state and local governments to prove that businesses from other jurisdictions profit from local taxes before being taxed themselves. As Oliver tracks the progress of that bill, she will also continue on another of her pet projects—health care. The week before the hearing on business activity tax, the committee heard the difficulty many small business owners have providing health care for their employees. A doctor from Chabot’s home base of Cincinnati, Stephen Eby, told the committee that rising premiums drove him to raise copays and deductibles, forcing the children of one of his staffers to go on Medicaid. “What is most troublesome about these stories is that they are not exceptional,” Chabot said. “Millions of small-business owners live on the fringe of providing or suspending care.”

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Russ Orban General Counsel 2461 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4038 Fax: (202) 225-7209

Expertise: Small Business Administration. The House Small Business Committee and its chief counsel, Russ Orban, spent much of the past year dealing with an issue dominating the current presidential campaign: health care. The committee reported in January that more than half of the 47 million uninsured Americans live in a household headed by a small business owner. Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., also worried that too many entrepreneurs are forced to decide whether to lay off employees in order to offer benefits to other staff. “When small business owners are forced to divert so much of their time and resources to dealing with this, it takes away from their ability to focus on growing their firms and driving the economy,” Velázquez said. Some small health care providers are also struggling: With insurance companies increasingly missing payment deadlines, providers have been forced to limit their services. Several of these providers asked the committee at an August hearing to consider more sweeping laws and stricter enforcement provisions to quicken the reimbursement process. Orban’s other duties include investigations and oversight of the Small Business Administration, where he once worked for eight years as assistant chief counsel for advocacy. Orban and the committee were still focused on the agency’s efforts to jumpstart the Gulf Coast’s struggling economy last year, even on the eve of the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Personal: Born 11/01/1950 in Dayton, Ohio.

Education: B.S., business administration, Kansas University. J.D., Tulsa University. LL.M., taxation, University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Professional: 2004–present, prof. staff member, House Cmte. on Small Business. 2007–present, general counsel, House Cmte. on Small Business.

Last February, the committee reported that over 400,000 Gulf Coast small businesses had applied for loans from the agency in Katrina’s aftermath—and less than a quarter of them had received full funding. The committee then questioned the Small Business Administration and other federal agencies in August on their efforts to include Gulf Coast small businesses in the region’s recovery effort. The committee found that the region’s small businesses were receiving few contracts from agencies or having previous contracts reduced. The General Services Administration, for example, awarded only 0.6 percent of its contracting dollars over the previous five months to local small businesses. Several agencies even granted millions of contracting dollars to large corporations, then claimed the contracts instead were given to small businesses. “From changing the contracts to take away work and money from the local entrepreneurs, to giving small business contracts to large corporations in the Gulf Coast, we have been seeing it all,” Velázquez said. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Orban has extensive Capitol Hill experience, having worked for Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., and then-Rep. (and now Sen.) Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.


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Barry Pineles Chief Counsel B363 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5821 Fax: (202) 225-3587 [email protected]

Expertise: Regulatory issues. In what has been a topsy-turvy two years for Republicans on the Small Business Committee—sliding to minority status, switching leaders—one constant has been Barry Pineles. A member of the committee staff since the Clinton administration, Pineles now enters his second full year as the committee’s chief counsel. With close to two decades of experience working for the federal government on small business issues, Pineles concentrates on topics that “are more technical in nature,” said Katie Fox, the committee’s minority press secretary. “He … knows the issues better than (just) about anyone in town.” Pineles put that know-how to work last year on the Regulatory Flexibility Act, a law that predates even his involvement with small business issues. The law, passed in 1980, is designed to ensure government regulations and statutes do not create unnecessary burdens on small businesses. While hailing the law’s intent, many small business advocates also believed the original was too watered-down, leading the law to be strengthened during both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. Last year, Pineles and a bipartisan group of staffers and committee members pushed to further bolster the law. The result, the Small Business Regulatory Improvement Act, was passed unanimously by the committee and now waits for action by the full House.


Education: B.S., Cornell Univ., 1977. J.D., Univ. of Iowa, 1982.

Professional: 1984–1986, law clerk, U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Selya. 1986–1995, asst. chief counsel, Office of Advocacy, U.S. Small Business Administration. 1995–1996, atty., Bienstock & Clark (Miami, Fla.) 1996–1998, atty., Ross & Hardies (Washington, D.C.) 1998–1999, regulatory counsel, GST Telecom. 1999–2006, regulatory counsel, House Cmte. on Small Business. 2007– present, chief counsel, House Cmte. on Small Business.

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The bill, introduced by Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., would force federal agencies to mull over the indirect consequences of potential new regulations and to occasionally reevaluate the impact of past regulations. The effect, Pineles said, would be that agencies would be more considerate of the needs of small businesses. The committee’s action was lauded by both the National Small Business Association and the Small Business Administration. But not everyone was satisfied with the new tweaks: Eight advocacy groups, ranging from AFSCME to the Sierra Club, wrote the committee, saying the proposed changes “put corporate interests ahead of the public interest” and would waste federal resources. Pineles also concentrates on procurement issues, another committee emphasis. The House passed a bill in January that would expand access to capital for veterans seeking to open a small business. Meanwhile, the Women’s Procurement Program, which seeks to help women start up and keep small businesses running, saw its funds slashed in the latest presidential budget.


Committee on Standards of Official Conduct HT-2, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-7103 Fax: (202) 225-7392 http://www.house.gov/ethics/ Ratio: 5/5 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, OH-11th, Chairman

Doc Hastings, WA-4th, Ranking Member

Gene Green, TX-29th Lucille Royal-Allard, CA-34th Michael F. Doyle, PA-14th William Delahunt, MA-10th

Jo Bonner, AL-1st Gresham Barrett, SC-3rd John Kline, MN-2nd Michael T. McCaul, TX-10th


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HOUSE STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT JURISDICTION (1) All bills, resolutions and other matters relating to the Code of Official Conduct adopted under House Rule XXIV. (2) Authorized to recommend administrative actions to establish or enforce standards of official conduct. Investigate alleged violations of the Code of Official Conduct or of any applicable rules, laws, or regulations governing the performance of official duties or the discharge of official responsibilities. Such investigations must be made in accordance with Committee rules. Report to appropriate federal or state authorities evidence of a violation of any law applicable to the performance of official duties that may have been disclosed in a Committee investigation. Such reports must be approved by the House or by a vote of two-thirds of the Committee. Render advisory opinions regarding the propriety of any current or proposed conduct of a House member, officer, or employee, and issue general guidance on such matters as necessary. Consider written requests for waivers of the gift rule (clause 5 of House Rule XXVI). (3) Issue guidance for the House of Representatives on the Ethics in Government Act, and responsibility for Financial Disclosure Statements of candidates for the House, and for officers and employees of certain legislative branch agencies, including the Library of Congress, the congressional Budget Office, the Government Printing Office, the Architect of the Capitol, and the United States Botanic Garden. However, the committee has delegated much of its authority with regard to the officers and employees of those agencies to the heads of the agencies. Administers the provisions of the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act for House members, officers and employees. Responsibilities regarding the statutory prohibitions against any of the three giving gifts to an official superior, receiving gifts from employees with a lower salary level or soliciting gifts.

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HOUSE STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT The 110th Congress got off to a rough start for the House Ethics Committee, formally known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. In February 2007, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and minority leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, appointed a bipartisan ethics task force to consider whether the committee’s investigative responsibilities should be given to an independent entity. The task force, headed by Rep. Mike Capuano, D-Mass., recommended in late December that an independent ethics enforcement entity be established to review violations of House ethics standards. However, it is unclear how much weight the task force report will carry because although all of the Democrats on the panel favored the creation of an independent ethics office, none of the Republicans endorsed the recommendation. Under the proposal, the Ethics Committee would still pay a role in the disposition of ethics cases, but only after the proposed Office of Congressional Ethics conducted the investigations. The committee came under fire in 2005 and 2006 when it remained inactive amid rumors of rampant misconduct on Capitol Hill. The committee had fallen victim to political maneuvering when former House majority leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, came under suspicion of rules violations. The task force was created following the investigation of former Rep. Mark Foley’s, R-Fla., sexually graphic communications with House pages. The committee looked into how the case was handled rather than into Foley’s actions, and reached the broad conclusion that it was likely that some members and House employees knew of Foley’s behavior but did nothing to prevent it. Even as the task force considered possible changes to the committee’s responsibilities, it remained active under the leadership of chairwoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, and ranking member Doc Hastings, R-Wash. It launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct by Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., which lasted well into the last session. However, in August 2007 it decided to refrain from deposing witnesses linked to the criminal proceedings involving Jefferson after the Department of Justice expressed concern that the subcommittee’s investigation might complicate the criminal prosecution of the matter. The subcommittee is considering pursuing avenues of inquiry that will not interfere with the pending criminal indictment. In 2008, the committee is likely to examine the conduct of Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., who has been indicted on charges of extortion, wire fraud and money laundering, among other things, in connection with an Arizona land swap deal. When the FBI investigation began, Renzi stepped down from his House Intelligence Committee post. He also announced that he will not seek re-election. Investigations are only one piece of the committee’s workload. It also is tasked with providing ethics training and confidential advice to House staff and employees with respect to matters that involve the code of official conduct and other House standards and rules. Ethics training has become a major function of the committee since the mandatory training provision was adopted with the amendments to the House rules at the beginning of the 110th Congress. The new rules state that every House employee must take at least one hour of general ethics training each year. In addition, officers and certain senior-level staff are required to take another hour of detailed ethics training each year. That training includes briefings on the rules concerning campaign activities, financial disclosure requirements, hosting of official events, casework considerations and outside earned income and employment limitations. This year the committee staff is busy providing guidance on the rules relating to campaign activity and to member and staff activities at national political conventions. House rules state that during a convention, a member may not participate in an event honoring that member, except if he or she is a nominee for president or vice president, if the event is paid for by a lobbyist or by an organization that employs a lobbyist. Certain events are permissible, such as those honoring a delegation or caucus that do not specifically name a member of the delegation or caucus. Members may accept an offer of free attendance at an event taking place during a convention only in accordance with the gift rules. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

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HOUSE STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT

Ken Kellner Senior Counsel HT-2, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-7103 [email protected]

Expertise: Investigations, ethics rules. Senior counsel Ken Kellner has worked on a number of ethics investigations in his 10 years on the committee, including the examination improper communications between former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., and a number of House pages. He also assisted with the investigation into rules violations by former House majority leader Tom DeLay. He continues to handle investigative duties this year, but under committee rules the details of pending investigations remain private until the staff has completed its work. This year the committee is likely to look into the conduct of Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., who has been indicted on multiple charges that include extortion, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with a land swap deal. Renzi has already stepped down from his House Intelligence Committee post and announced that he will not seek re-election. The committee’s investigation of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., is still open, but was put on hold last year at the request of the Department of Justice. The DOJ is building a criminal case against Jefferson, who is alleged to have solicited bribes for performing official acts in several different cases. In 2007, the DOJ informed the Ethics Committee that its investigation might complicate the DOJ’s criminal prosecution of the matter.

Personal: Born 1963 in Queens, N.Y.

Education: B.S., industrial and labor relations, Cornell University, 1984. J.D., Emory University School of Law, 1988.

Professional: 1988–1997, assistant general counsel and litigation attorney, Federal Election Commission. 1997–1999, trial attorney, Dept. of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division. 1999–present, senior counsel, House Cmte. on Standards of Official Conduct.

Kellner’s other committee responsibilities are to respond to inquiries regarding House rules and to provide advice and training to House members and staff. Training has become a large part of the committee’s workload in the 110th Congress. At the start of the first session, House rules were mended to provide that all House employees must receive at least one hour of ethics training every year. Most House employee are required to have just the one hour of general ethics training, but officers and certain senior level staff must take another hour of detailed ethics training each year. The more detailed training covers the rules concerning campaign activities, financial disclosure requirements, hosting of official events, casework considerations and outside earned income and employment limitations. The committee is busy providing guidance in this election year on the rules relating to campaign activity and to member and staff activities at national political conventions. House rules state that during a convention, a member may not participate in an event honoring that member, except if he or she is a nominee for president or vice president, if the event is paid for by a lobbyist or by an organization that employs a lobbyist. The staff also continues to receive questions regarding the gift rules and the privately-sponsored travel rules. When not on Capitol Hill, Kellner works part-time at Georgetown University. He teaches administrative law as part of the school’s paralegal studies program.

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C. Morgan Kim Counsel HT-2, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-7103 [email protected]

Expertise: Investigations, ethics rules. Morgan Kim continues to serve as special counsel on many of the investigative subcommittees formed to look into allegations of public corruption and ethical misconduct by House members, officers and staff. She conducts informal fact finding examinations and helps to write the reports on the findings of the investigative subcommittees. Committee rules prohibit her from commenting on pending matters, but she said that she was the lead investigator on the inquiry into the behavior of former Florida congressman Mark Foley. Foley resigned after it was revealed that he had a number of improper communications with House pages. The subcommittee investigated how the matter was handled, rather than looking into Foley’s actions. The subcommittee found that it was likely that some House members and employees knew of Foley’s behavior but did not move to prevent it. The report that came out of the House page scandal, which Kim helped to write, recommended several changes to the administration and oversight of the House page program. The committee continues to monitor the criminal proceedings against Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. An investigative subcommittee was gathering information about the Jefferson case when, in August 2007, it decided to refrain for now from deposing witnesses linked to the criminal proceedings.

Education: B.A., Georgetown University, 1994. J.D., George Mason University, 1999.

Professional: 1999–2000, judicial clerk, Office of Hon. Kenneth Ryskamp, U.S. District Court, S.D. Fla. 1999–2001, associate and summer associate, Latham & Watkins, Washington, D.C. 2001–2005, assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida. 2005–2006, counsel, Crowell & Moring, Washington, D.C. 2006–present, counsel, House Cmte. on Standards of Official Conduct.

The decision followed the receipt by the subcommittee of communications from the Department of Justice expressing concern that the subcommittee’s investigation might complicate or impede the criminal prosecution and related law enforcement efforts in the matter. The subcommittee is still considering pursuing avenues of inquiry that will not interfere with the pending criminal indictment. Along with her committee colleagues, Kim also is responsible for providing ethics advice and training regarding House rules and the Code of Conduct. Recent issues on which she has been providing advice include travel disclosure, the gift rule, campaign activities and financial disclosure requirements. As it has done in previous Presidential election years, the committee is reissuing guidance that addresses the rules and standards relating to member and staff activities at national political conventions. One such rule provides that during a national political convention, a member may not participate in an event honoring that member, except in his or her capacity as a nominee for president or vice president, if the event is paid for by a lobbyist or by an organization that employs a lobbyist. Events honoring a delegation or caucus that do not specifically name a member of the delegation or caucus are permissible. However, a member may accept an offer of free attendance at an event taking place during a national political convention only in accordance with the gift rule.


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Susan Olson Counsel HT-2, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-7103 [email protected]

Expertise: House ethics rules. As counsel for advice and education, Susan Olson helps provide annual ethics training for all House employees. That training has become a major function of the committee since the mandatory training provision was adopted with the amendments to the House rules at the beginning of the 110th Congress, she said. The new rules stated that every House employee must take at least one hour of general ethics training each year. Employees are required to certify that they attended the training under guidelines established by the committee. In addition, officers and certain senior level staff are required to take another hour of detailed ethics training each year. That training includes briefings on the rules concerning campaign activities, financial disclosure requirements, hosting of official events, casework considerations and outside earned income and employment limitations. The staff conducts the necessary training sessions periodically throughout the year. Olson said she also is providing advice and education relative to other amendments to the House ethics rules, including the amended gift rules and privately-sponsored travel rules. The gift rules substantially limit what House employees may receive from lobbyists. Members and staff may no longer accept any gift, even those valued under $50. All privately funded travel must now be approved by the committee following pre-travel certification by the trip sponsor. In addition, the amount of travel expenses that a member or employee may accept is limited to those that are reasonable under guidelines issued by the committee.

Personal: Born 1959 in Wahoo, Nebr.

Education: B.S., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1982. J.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1985.

Professional: 1985–1986, legislative aide, Office of Bill Barrett, Nebraska State Senator and Speaker of Nebraska Legislature. 1987–1988, legislative assistant, Rep. Doug Bereuter, R-Neb. 1989, legislative director, Rep. Doug Bereuter, R-Neb. 1990–2004, chief of staff, Rep. Doug Bereuter, R-Neb. 2004–present, counsel, Cmte. on Standards of Official Conduct.

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Olson also is advising House members and staff on the new requirements for future employment negotiations and possible recusals for House members and certain staff. These new rules went into effect in September 2007. The new rules provide that members, officers and very senior aides must notify the committee within three days after the commencement of any negotiation or agreement for future employment or compensation with a private entity. The committee considers a negotiation to be a communication between the two parties—merely sending a resume is not considered negotiating for future employment. Those members and aides must recuse themselves from any matter in which there is a conflict of interest, or an appearance of a conflict, with the private entity with which they are negotiating for future employment. After receiving her law degree in 1985, Olson began working as an aide to Bill Barrett, who was speaker of the Nebraska state legislature. She then served as chief of staff to former Nebraska Republican Rep. Doug Bereuter for 14 years before joining the staff of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.



William O’Reilly Staff Director/Chief Counsel HT-2, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-7103 Fax: (202) 225-7392 [email protected]

Expertise: Investigations, general litigation. In 2008, providing guidance on the rules and standards relating to campaign activity and to member and staff activities at national political conventions is a top priority of the committee. Staff director and chief counsel William O’Reilly is overseeing that and other training initiatives of the staff this year. He also is managing the staff’s investigative efforts in this session. The committee has reissued guidance that pertains to activities at national political conventions, and is handling all related inquiries. Among other things, the rules state that during a convention, a member may not participate in an event honoring that member, except if he or she is a nominee for president or vice president, if the event is paid for by a lobbyist or by an organization that employs a lobbyist. Certain events are permissible, such as those honoring a delegation or caucus that do not specifically name a member of the delegation or caucus. Members may accept an offer of free attendance at an event taking place during a convention only in accordance with the gift rule. Campaign activity training provided by the committee is eligible to fulfill the new annual ethics training requirement for all House employees. O’Reilly is working with the committee staff to ensure that House members and staff have adequate opportunity to meet their ethics training obligation.

Education: B.A., University of Virginia, 1980. J.D., University of Virginia, 1986.

Professional: 1986–1996, associate, Jones Day. 1996– 2005, partner, Jones Day. 2006–present, staff director/chief counsel, House Cmte. on Standards of Official Conduct.

The mandatory training rules were adopted at the start of the 110th Congress, and state that every House employee must take at least one hour of general ethics training each year. Officers and certain senior level staff are required to take another hour of detailed ethics training every year. The specialized senior staff training includes briefings on the rules concerning campaign activities, financial disclosure requirements and the hosting of official events, among other things. On the investigative side, the committee continues to monitor the criminal proceedings against Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who is accused of soliciting bribes. A House Ethics subcommittee was gathering information with respect to the Jefferson case when, in August 2007, it opted to refrain from deposing witnesses linked to the criminal proceedings involving the congressman. The decision came after the Department of Justice expressed concern that the subcommittee’s investigation might complicate or impede the criminal prosecution. The subcommittee is still considering pursuing avenues of inquiry that will not interfere with the pending criminal indictment. O’Reilly spent 20 years in private practice at Jones Day Reavis & Pogue, half as an associate and half as a partner, before accepting the staff director position in 2006. He joined the staff at the time when congressional power shifted to the Democrats and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, became chairwoman of the committee.


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Todd Ungerecht Counsel to the Ranking Member HT-2, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-7103 Fax: (202) 225-3251 [email protected]

Expertise: Ethics rules, training, investigations. Todd Ungerecht is in his second year with the committee, the only standing committee of the House of Representatives with membership divided evenly by party. As counsel to ranking member Doc Hastings, R-Wash., he works with counsel for chairwoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, and the chief counsel/staff director on oversight of the many functions of the committee. Those functions include approval of privately-sponsored travel requests, providing required training to House staff and employees and providing impartial and confidential advice to House members and staff. The committee is also tasked with investigations and interpreting actions of the House that involve the Code of Official Conduct and other House standards and rules. Pursuant to the travel rules adopted that went into effect March 1, 2007, all privately funded travel must be approved by the committee following pre-travel certification by the sponsor of the trip. Lobbyists may no longer accompany House employees on official travel, and may not be involved in the planning or arranging of most trips. In addition, the amount of travel expenses that a member or employee may accept is limited to those that are reasonable under guidelines issued by the committee. New ethics training rules adopted at the start of the 110th Congress have increased the training responsibilities of the entire committee staff. The new rules provide that every House employee must take at least one hour of general ethics training each year, and must certify that they attended the training under guidelines established by the committee.

Personal: Born 1965 in Pasco, Wash.

Education: B.A. in History, B.A. in Political Science, Gonzaga University, 1987. J.D., Gonzaga University School of Law, 1990.

Professional: 1990–1993, associate attorney, private practice. 1993–1994, deputy prosecuting attorney, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (Pasco, Wash.). 1995– 1997, legislative assistant, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash. 1997–1999, associate attorney, private practice. 2000, legislative assistant, Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash. 2001, legislative director, Rep. C.L. “Butch” Otter, R-Idaho. 2001–2007, congressional affairs specialist/policy advieor, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Dept. of Commerce. 2007–present, counsel to the ranking member, House Cmte. on Standards of Official Conduct.

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House officers and certain senior level staff also are required to take another hour of more detailed ethics training each year. That training consists of, among other things, briefings on the rules concerning campaign activities, financial disclosure requirements and the hosting of official events. Outside earned income and employment limitations are also covered during the specialized training. The staff conducts the necessary training sessions periodically throughout the year. The committee also provides advice and education relative to other amendments to the House ethics rules, including the amended gift rules. The gift rules substantially limit the gifts that House employees may receive from lobbyists. Members and staff may no longer accept any gift, even those valued under $50. They may accept food or refreshments of a nominal value, but not so frequently that it appears that the member or employee is using their position for private gain. Ungerecht joined the committee in 2007 after six years as a congressional affairs specialist and policy adviser at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Washington state native is not new to Capitol Hill, having worked there for a number of years between 1995 and 2001. His prior Hill experience includes two years as a legislative assistant in the office of Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.


Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 2165 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4472 Fax: (202) 226-1270 http://transportation.house.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 40/34 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

James L. Oberstar, MN-8th, Chairman

John L. Mica, FL-7th, Ranking Member

Nick J. Rahall II, WV-3rd Peter DeFazio, OR-4th Jerry F. Costello, IL-12th Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC-At Large Jerrold Nadler, NY-8th Corrine Brown, FL-3rd Bob Filner, CA-51st Eddie Bernice Johnson, TX-30th Gene Taylor, MS-5th Elijah E. Cummings, MD-7th Ellen O. Tauscher, CA-10th Leonard L. Boswell, IA-3rd Tim Holden, PA-6th Brian Baird, WA-3rd Rick Larsen, WA-2nd Michael E. Capuano, MA-8th Timothy H. Bishop, NY-1st Michael H. Michaud, ME-2nd Brian Higgins, NY-27th Russ Carnahan, MO-3rd John T. Salazar, CO-3rd Grace F Napolitano, CA-38th Daniel Lipinski, IL-3rd Doris O. Matsui, CA-5th Nick Lampson, TX-22nd Zachary T. Space, OH-18th Mazie K. Hirono, HI-2nd Bruce L. Braley, IA-1st Jason Altmire, PA-4th Timothy J. Walz, MN-1st Heath Shuler, NC-11th Michael A. Arcuri, NY-24th Harry E. Mitchell, AZ-5th Christopher P. Carney, PA-10th John J. Hall, NY-19th Steve Kagen, WI-9th Steve Cohen, TN-9th Jerry McNerney, CA-11th Laura Richardson, CA-37th

Don Young, AK-At Large Thomas Petri, WI-6th Howard Coble, NC-6th John J. Duncan Jr., TN-2nd Wayne T. Gilchrest, MD-1st Vernon J. Ehlers, MI-3rd Steven C. LaTourette, OH-19th Richard H. Baker, LA-6th Frank A. LoBiondo, NJ-2nd Jerry Moran, KS-1st Gary Miller, CA-42nd Robin Hayes, NC-8th Henry E. Brown Jr., SC-1st Timothy V. Johnson, IL-15th Todd Russell Platts, PA-19th Sam Graves, MO-6th Bill Shuster, PA-9th John Boozman, AR-3rd Jim Gerlach, PA-6th Shelley Moore Capito, WV-2nd Mario Diaz-Balart, FL-25th Charles W. Dent, PA-15th Ted Poe, TX-2nd David G. Reichert, WA-8th Connie Mack, FL-14th John R. (Randy) Kuhl, NY-29th Lynn A. Westmoreland, GA-8th Charles W. Boustany, LA-7th Jean Schmidt, OH-2nd Candice S. Miller, MI-10th Thelma D. Drake, VA-2nd Mary Fallin, OK-5th Vern Buchanan, FL-13th


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HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE JURISDICTION (1) Coast Guard, including lifesaving service, lighthouses, lightships, ocean derelicts, and the Coast Guard Academy. (2) Federal management of emergencies and natural disasters. (3) Flood control and improvement of rivers and harbors. (4) Inland waterways. (5) Inspection of merchant marine vessels, lights and signals, lifesaving equipment, and fire protection on such vessels. (6) Navigation and the laws relating thereto, including pilotage. (7) Registering and licensing of vessels and small boats. (8) Rules and international arrangements to prevent collisions at sea. (9) The Capitol building and the Senate and House office buildings. (10) Construction or maintenance of roads and post roads, other than appropriations therefore. (11) Construction or reconstruction, maintenance, and care of the buildings and grounds of the Botanic Garden, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution. (12) Merchant marine (except for national security aspects thereof). (13) Purchase of sites and construction of post offices, customhouses, federal courthouses, and government buildings within the District of Columbia. (14) Oil and other pollution of navigable waters, including inland, coastal and ocean waters. (15) Marine affairs (including coastal zone management) as they relate to oil and other pollution of navigable waters. (16) Public buildings and occupied or improved grounds of the United States generally. (17) Public works for the benefit of navigation, including bridges and dams (other than international bridges and dams). (18) Related transportation regulatory agencies (except the Transportation Security Administration). (19) Roads and the safety thereof. (20) Transportation, including civil aviation, railroads, water transportation, transportation safety (except automobile safety and transportation security functions of the Department of Homeland Security), transportation infrastructure, transportation labor, and railroad retirement and unemployment (except revenue measures related thereto). (21) Water power.

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HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE Like a car stuck in traffic—legislatively speaking—the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is continuing along a path of what it started during the last session. But there are openings ahead, and many roads to turn. Chairman Jams Oberstar, D-Minn., and chairs of six of the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittees have offered what they called an ambitious program of hearings for the second half of the 110th Congress. Oberstar said he wanted to build upon the committee’s successes in 2007, when the committee and its six subcommittees held 116 meetings, compared with 123 in the entire 109th Congress in 2005-2006, when Republicans controlled Congress. In contrast, the committee’s ranking Republican, Rep. John Mica of Florida, countered, “The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s achievements were few and far between in 2007.” Oberstar pointed out that much of the committee’s work this year will be concluding the unfinished business of last year, particularly winning Senate approval of 24 T&I bills that have passed the House but are still awaiting action in the other body. Among them are bills reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration renewal, and Coast Guard, and the Federal Railroad Safety Act. FAA’s air traffic control situation continues to be a major issue as the committee works to modernize the system, plagued by continual flight delays. But the committee led the way for the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act,” which rescinded the by the mandatory age 60 retirement rule for airline pilots, which became law. The committee is also examining the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the aftermath of its much criticized work and services to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In early 2008, committee officials sent a letter to FEMA’s administrator, urging him not to let essential services lapse. In 2006, Congress passed the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. In some instances, the transportation committee acted quickly, responding to emergencies. The most important was the examination and funding in the wake of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis that took five lives and plunged dozens of vehicles and their occupants into the Mississippi River. The committee developed a comprehensive program to repair the nation’s structurally deficient bridges in the bill that became law. The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 was approved by both houses; since Congress last enacted the bill in 2000, many of the project authorizations cited in the legislation have been pending for years, including areas to address Louisiana, the Florida Everglades and the Upper Mississippi and Illinois waterway system. President Bush vetoed the $23 billion bill, but the House and Senate moved ferociously to protect the bill loaded with local projects, handing Bush the first veto override of his presidency.


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HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

John T. Anderson Republican Staff Director Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment B-375 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4360 Fax: (202) 226-5435 [email protected]

Expertise: Water resources, environmental sciences. For John Anderson, it’s been water, water everywhere. The Republican staff director of the subcommittee of water resources has spent a large part of his work in the 110th Congress on the $23 billion Water Resources Development Act, which manages and funds programs for shoreline protection, flood control, inland navigation and environmental restoration. The measure was responsible for a rare moment of congressional bipartisanship against President Bush. The House, along with the Senate, voted late last year to override Bush’s veto of the bill. Bush had rejected the measure as fiscally irresponsible, and many government watchdog critics also attacked the act as “water pork.” It was the first veto defeat of Bush’s presidency. “We stood together—Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate, to fight for our local communities that need long-overdue federal assistance,” said Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Anderson’s boss, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., also was a strong supporter of the WRDA bill and the projects it authorized. “There are not Republican projects, there are not Democrat projects; there are projects for the people that are important to their survival,” he said on the House floor in arguing for the bill’s passage.


Education: B.S., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1971. M.A.T., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1972.

Professional: 1972–1973, teacher, Person (N.C.) County Schools. 1973–1978, biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Memphis, Tenn.) 1978–1985, chief of environmental resources section, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Savannah, Ga.) 1985–1999, legislative specialist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Washington, D.C.) 1999–2005, professional staff, Subc. on Water Resources and the Environment, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2006– present, Republican staff director, Subc. on Water Resources and the Environment, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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The fight is far from over. Democrats in February attacked President Bush’s 2009 budget proposal—which included no funding for any of the approximately 900 projects authorized in WRDA—as a direct affront to Congress. “The administration refuses to accept defeat on the Water Resources Development Act of 2007,” Oberstar said. Oberstar also complained that the White House terminated $133 million in targeted water infrastructure projects and reduced the overall budget of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigation and construction projects. It also eliminated watershed grants. But Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator of the Office of Water for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, told the Water and Resources Committee that the President’s budget request for the EPA’s National Water Program is more than $2.5 billion or 35 percent of the agency’s overall budget and “will allow us along with our state, tribal and local partners, to make continued progress in ensuring America’s waters are clean, safe and secure.”



Sharon Barkeloo Senior Professional Staff Member, Budget and Aviation 2165 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4472 Fax: (202) 226-1270 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget appropriations, aviation financing. Sharon Barkeloo learned early—in college—how the government works and as senior professional staff member for the Budget and Aviation Subcommittee, she sees it everyday. She majored in political science and economics and interned in Washington, D.C., during college. When she graduated she went to work for the state legislature in Ohio. At that time, she wrote: “I learned how state government really works, and the woman legislator for whom I worked was a tremendous role model for me. I also made some good friends—the fellow intern with whom I shared an office is still one of my closest friends today, many years later.” Now she is working—for the federal government. On the federal level, she also has seen both sides: she worked as a professional staff member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for seven years and was hired under the Republicans. She joined the Democratic side during the 100th Congress and that’s where she has been ever since. High on her agenda in 2008 is the Federal Aviation Administration authorization. As a senior professional staff member, Barkeloo knows very well that the Democratic majority wasn’t happy with the White House budget for 2009 over transportation matters.

Personal: Born 1964 in Columbus, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Wellesley College, 1986.

Professional: 1986–1987, Ohio State Legislature. 1987–1991, budget staff, Department of Justice. 1991–1999, Office of Management and Budget. 1999–2006, Republican staff, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2007–present, senior professional staff member, budget and aviation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., the committee chairman, says the proposals for the 2009 budget have shortchanged highways, transit, rail and transportation programs. Barkeloo has been involved in dealing with the prospective budget cuts. Among them are funds for the Essential Air Service Program, a cut of $77 million from the level authorized by Congress. About half of the 1,412 communities that receive EAS funding would have to be dropped from the program. Barkeloo has been able to contribute to the committee her combined experience of budget work at the U.S. Department of Justice and an aviation background at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Several of her colleagues at the OMB had worked for the committee, she said. “I’m most interested in working on the FAA bill,” Barkeloo has said. The FAA requested more than $14 billion for fiscal year 2008, approximately $413 million less than the funding level for fiscal year 2007. Under current law, the budget is broken into four programs: Operations; Facilities and Equipment; the Airport Improvement Program; and Research, Engineering and Development. There are some proposed changes to its programs. The FAA has proposed a new structure that gets rid of the Operations and the Facilities and Equipment programs and creates the Air Traffic Organization and Safety and Operations accounts, according to the committee.


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Jim Berard Director of Communications 2163 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6260 [email protected]

Expertise: Communication, aviation, highways. Within 24 hours of the Minneapolis I-35 bridge collapse, Congress passed legislation to make structures more secure. It was Jim Berard’s job as director of communications for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to have the media spread the word about a bill to address structurally deficient bridges nationwide. He described the experience as “very invigorating.” Moments like those are emotional and wrenching, Berard said—but it was also inspiring to see the legislative wheels spin so quickly when constituents needed real help. Berard, like many longtime Capitol Hill watchers, knows that happens only rarely. “Congress acts when it wants to act. Congress doesn’t always want to,” Berard said. Berard spent 15 years as a journalist before coming to Capitol Hill, where he has been a congressional staffer since 1987. Berard has been a congressional staffer since 1987. Beginning in 1997, he worked as minority communications director for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee until the Democrats resumed control in the 110th Congress. As press spokesman, Berard must juggle much information, quickly and succinctly. In some cases, he concedes, he had “assumptions that were incorrect; gave what turned out to be wrong information. (Then) you defer to the chairman.”

Personal: Born 01/08/1952 in Joliet, Ill.

Education: B.A., Northern Illinois University, 1978.

Professional: 1972–1987, reporter, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota radio. 1982–1987, radio program producer, Stanley Foundation. 1987–1995, press secretary, Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn. 1995–1997, press secretary, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. 1997–2007, minority communications director, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The facts, Berard said, are sometimes “a little slippery.” And when Congress is so close to getting a bill passed, “it’s a little frustrating the back and forth, or when you have an emotional situation.” Overall, the committee is working to achieve better results in getting information to the public. “Using e-mail and Web site postings, we are getting background information to journalists days in advance, where previously they could not get this information until the day of the hearing.” Witnesses’ prepared testimony also is being posted on the Web site when it is presented, he said. Still in the process is overhauling the overall Web site, which is a work in progress, he said. It would include additional features including archived video of hearings. The committee has begun to broadcast Web news conferences, to be viewed by reporters in Washington, Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles. Eventually, the committee will “provide off-site journalists with the opportunity to submit questions via e-mail,” Berard said. When he’s not dealing with the media or political issues, he’s still thinking about the D.C. world around him—for his books. Berard wrote The Flying Cat and Other Amazing Stories of the Washington Monument (2000), described as an informal account of the area; and The Capitol Inside & Out, a history of the nation’s legislative center.

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Ryan S. Boyce Staff Assistant 2163 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9446 Fax: (202) 225-6782

Expertise: Transportation issues. Ryan Boyce, staff assistant for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said there have been a lot of groundbreaking achievements for the committee in the 110th Congress. The committee sent to the Congress—which then passed— a Water Resources Development Act for the first time since 2000, which provides for conservation and development of projects to improve rivers and harbors. President Bush vetoed the $23 billion bill, but lawmakers in both houses overrode it, handing Bush the first rejection of a veto in his presidency. Boyce also noted that the Congress passed the Age 60 bill, which raised the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots to 65. He said the House and Senate moved quickly to pass a bill that expedited the release of emergency funds for faulty bridges following a bridge collapse in Minnesota that took five lives and plunged dozens of vehicles and their occupants into the Mississippi River. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee worked to develop a comprehensive program to repair the nation’s structurally deficient bridges. There are 73,784 bridges in the country rated “structurally deficient” by the U.S. Department of Transportation What’s ahead involves major concerns for future railroad and airline projects, Boyce said.

Education: B.A., history, University of North Carolina.

Professional: September 2007–present, staff asst., House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Boyce characterized the proposed railroad improvements and Federal Aviation Act projects as a significant investment in the nation’s future transportation system. The committee is looking toward passage of an FAA Reauthorization bill and develop a strategy to replace aging air traffic control facilities and equipment with Next Generation technology, he said. In June, the Department of Transportation reported that only 72.5 percent of domestic flights by the 20 largest U.S. airlines arrived on time in January through April—the worst showing in those four months since the DOT began reporting in 1995. Those projects would “greatly decrease the stress on our current transportation systems and will save money in the long run by making all methods of travel safer and more efficient,” Boyce said. This year, Boyce said, the committee is working on developing a comprehensive high-speed rail initiative throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic corridors. “Working to improve [transportation’s] efficiency and reliability is very gratifying,” Boyce said. Boyce graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2007 with a BA in History. He started work on the committee in September 2007.


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Susan F. Brita Democratic Staff Director Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management 585 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9961 Fax: (202) 226-0922 [email protected]

Expertise: Federal buildings, real estate. As Democratic staff director of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s subcommittee on economic development, public buildings and emergency management, Susan Brita tackles a full agenda. In what the committee itself calls an ambitious schedule of hearings and legislation for 2008, Brita is in the thick of it. Much of the committee’s work involves the unfinished business of 2007. That includes some issues that have been in the headlines, and others below the public radar, yet very much in the public domain. Included is everything from Emergency Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reform, dealing with the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and recovery of Gulf Coast housing and development. Other issues focus on Economic Development Administration, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the GSA Lease Authority Delegation, and Real Property Management. Still others include the GSA Lease Authority Delegation, the Real Property Management and the National Capital Region. The subcommittee is also concerned about placing the Federal Protective Service within Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s accounts. The committee will monitor the policies, procedures and requirements of FPS.


Education: B.A., Cardinal Cushing College (Boston, Mass.), 1965. M.P.A., George Washington University, 1983.

Professional: 1983–1985, executive asst. to the asst. secretary for management and administration, U.S. Department of the Treasury. 1985–1988, chief of staff, General Services Administration. 1988–1990, professional staff, House Cmte. on Government Operations. 1990–1992, dir. of congressional affairs, International Cultural and Trade Center Commission. 1992–1994, staff dir., Subc. on Public Buildings and Grounds, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1995–present, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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The subcommittee also is involved with oversight of the administrative office of the courts budget, the HDHS, the Coast Guard headquarters, the Architect, Smithsonian facilities and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Brita has worked for the subcommittee and its predecessor since 1992 and has attracted her fair share of praise and controversy during her tenure. Earlier in her career, Brita was the chief of staff of the General Services Administration, which oversees federal government buildings. Her work there is immortalized in the document dump that followed the tobacco settlement. According to tobacco documents, Brita earned a lukewarm reaction from then-Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., after a meeting with him about the government’s move to designating smoking and non-smoking areas on its properties. Helms, who CCed the Tobacco Institute on the letter, thought Brita’s ideas were too restrictive to smokers.



Trinita E. Brown Senior Counsel 585 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-4697 Fax: (202) 226-0922 [email protected]

Expertise: Jurisdiction, appropriations, hazardous materials, railroads. As senior counsel for oversight and investigations, Trinita Brown is deeply involved in what Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn sees as among his priorities. Oberstar said oversight and investigations are much needed because there has not been enough quality in those areas over the last few years. He increased the panel’s investigative staff upon taking the panel’s reins in 2007, and pushed all of the subcommittees to “step up” their oversight activities. One area that is consuming a good deal of Brown’s attention in 2008 is congestion. It’s the common link, committee officials have noted, between all modes of transportation—the railroads, the waterways, the highways, and the air traffic system. “A coordinated oversight agenda will facilitate defining the problems and developing multi-modal solutions and reforms to relieve congestion problems,” Oberstar wrote in his oversight plan. Starting in February 2008, Oberstar and the subcommittee have concentrated on problems they see with the FAA, particularly with the problem of runway incursions and near collisions involving aircraft on the ground. Also this year, investigators are looking into the Federal Emergency Management Administration, with related emergency preparedness and response programs.


Education: B.A., Brown University, 1987. Advanced work in international law and comparative constitutional law, Magdalen College, Oxford University, 1988. J.D., American University, 1990.

Professional: 1990–1993, legislative aide, Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J. 1993–1994, counsel, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1995–2001, Democratic counsel, Subc. on Ground Transportation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2001–present, senior counsel, emergency management issues/Democratic counsel on investigations, Subc. on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.


The committee, according to its Web site, “will continue to oversee issues that relate to the viability of the transportation system, as these issues are of concern to each of the subcommittees.” “In addition,” Oberstar wrote, “protecting the safety and security of the traveling public is critically important to every mode of transportation and requires significant attention and review.” Oversight investigators are also looking at safety, consumer protection, and federal spending in transportation programs. Brown’s role has changed during the past two years. Last year, she had two key jobs on Transportation and Infrastructure Committee: the full committee’s Democratic counsel for investigations and the Democratic counsel for the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, which has jurisdiction Over FEMA. Now, she only works for the full committee. A native New Yorker, Brown first joined the Transportation Committee in 1993.

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Arthur Chan Democratic Highway Policy Director Subcommittee on Highways, Transit, and Pipelines B-370 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-0060 Fax: (202) 225-4627 [email protected]

Expertise: Economics, resource and environmental policy. Arthur “Art” Chan, the Democratic highway policy director for the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit will be in the middle of much governmental traffic ahead. Although he is not involved in its examination of the Federal Aviation Administration, Chan is a major part of what the committee looks at below the headlines: surface transportation. One of the target activities in 2008 involves a follow-up to the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. The report says the nation’s surface infrastructure is “at a crossroads” and “significant decisive action” is needed. Congress created the ad hoc body in the 2005 Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, SAFETEA-LU, specifically to provide recommendations for the next surface transportation. “The commission’s report is going to play a key role in our development of a new surface transportation reauthorization bill over the next two years,” said committee chairman James L. Oberstar, D-Minn. He said the report was only the first step in a long road to reauthorize the nation’s surface transportation program. He heaped praise on it, saying it “lifts our vision above the horizon; challenges our thought processes with innovative ways of addressing established, vexing, complex problems that seem irreconcilable.”

Education: B.A., with distinction, University of Nebraska, 1975. M.A., economics, University of Nebraska, 1976. M.A., political science, University of Nebraska, 1978. Ph.D., University of Nebraska, 1981.

Professional: 1979–1981, research project director, Nebraska Dept. of Motor Vehicles. 1981–1983, freelance writer/photographer. 1983–1985, visiting asst. prof. of business administration, Boston Univ. 1986–1991, asst. prof. of economics, New Mexico State Univ. 1992–1993, senior economist, General Accounting Office. 1993–1994, chief economist, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1994, Democratic chief economist, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2000–2006, Democratic chief economist, Subc. on Highways, Transit and Pipelines, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2006–present, Democratic highway policy director, Subc. on Highways, Transit and Pipelines, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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The majority report identified a need for federal and private-sector investment. With the inflation of construction costs that would phase out much of federal investment in infrastructure in the long run. Chan’s background is rather unusual for Capitol Hill. He is trained as an academic, with a Ph.D.-level education and past experience as a college professor. Chan completed his higher education at the University of Nebraska. He spent several years in academia before becoming a public servant as a senior economist at the General Accounting Office, now known as the Government Accountability Office, in 1992. He moved from there to the House Committee on Public Works in 1993.



Jim Coon Minority Chief of Staff 2163 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9446 Fax: (202) 225-4629 [email protected]

Expertise: Aviation, transportation and infrastructure. Jim Coon, the minority chief of staff, is still on a fast track. And he sometimes has a high-speed bullet train on his mind. While 2008 will be his second year as Republican chief of staff on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he has two decades experience on Capitol Hill. This year his priority is ensuring that ranking member Rep. John L. Mica’s, R-Fla., agenda is incorporated into legislation. Coon has been excited about the possibilities with a range of legislation on the panel’s agenda. Among other things, the National Strategic Transportation Plan would move legislation that puts a High Speed Rail Systems—similar to the Japanese bullet train and the European TVG system on a path to creation. Amtrak reform also has been on the agenda. During the first session of the 110th Congress, the committee held more than 100 meetings, involving more than 340 hours and the testimony of more than 700 witnesses. Eleven committee bills from the first session became law; of those, seven named a federal building or road and one authorized the construction of an arterial road in Minnesota.

Personal: Born 11/28/1959 in Vallejo, Calif.

Education: B.A., Virginia Tech, 1982.

Professional: 1983–1989, legislative assistant, Rep. Robert F. Smith, R-Ore. 1989–1994, legislative director, Rep. Jim Duncan, R-Tenn. 1995– 1998, professional staff member, Subc. on Aviation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 1998–2003, director of legislative affairs, Air Transport Association. 2003–2004, director of legislative affairs, The Boeing Company. 2004–2007, staff director, Subc. on Aviation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2007–present, minority chief of staff, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The biggies, however, were the $23 billion Water Resources Development Act, which Congress passed over President Bush’s veto; the Highway Technical Corrections bill; and the Rail Safety bill. The House also passed an age restriction bill for commercial pilots and Highway Emergency Relief Funds for the repair and reconstruction of the I-35W bridge located in Minneapolis that collapsed in August 1, 2007. Coon also has worked on the overdue Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill and a Highway Technical Corrections bill. Others include the Coast Guard reauthorization and the Federal Emergency Management Agency reform legislation. “When the Committee has worked in a bipartisan fashion, such as on the WRDA bill and the Age 60 bill for pilots, the Committee has been successful in getting legislation signed into law,” Coon said. As the FAA and Coast Guard reauthorizations awaited action, “a number of the nation’s economic development programs remain unfinished business,” he said. “Most importantly, this nation continues to lack a strategic transportation plan that draws on the strengths of all modes of transportation in unison, including a true high speed rail system. After 20 years on the Hill, being back in the minority has been an “adjustment but I believe I was fair, open and honest when I was in the majority and that hasn’t changed in my current role,” Coon said. When he’s away from the Hill, Coon and his wife have their hands full—with fun. They spend much time about school and sports activities for their three children, ages 10, 8, and 4.


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John Cullather Democratic Staff Director Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation 507 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-3587 Fax: (202) 226-0922 [email protected]

Expertise: Coast Guard, maritime and commercial shipping. John Cullather, staff director for the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, knows one of the busiest times for his committee is Coast Guard budget reauthorization. With a long background in maritime issues on Capitol Hill, Cullather is well-suited for his job. He has worked on the Hill his entire professional career, beginning as a legislative assistant to a California congressman in 1977. Cullather moved into the maritime area in 1979 and has worked in that arena almost exclusively since —with a short hiatus to the staff of another Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee more than 16 years ago. In 2008, maritime, particularly with the growth of the U.S. Coast Guard, is a major issue. The Coast Guard’s Marine Transportation System predicts maritime trade to double or triple by 2020, said Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. A recent study also highlighted the trend of available mariners, domestic and international, which if it continues, the nation’s future demand will not be met, Oberstar said. “I would like to hear workable solutions to resolve this possible shortage before it becomes critical,” said Oberstar.


Education: B.A., Lebanon Valley College, 1976.

Professional: 1977–1979, leg. asst., Rep. Glenn Anderson, D-Calif. 1979–1989, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. 1989–1991, staff director, Subc. on Public Bldgs. and Grounds, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1991–1995, senior professional staff member, House Cmte. on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. 1995–present, Democratic staff director, Subc. on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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The president’s 2009 budget includes $990 million to fund integrated Deepwater Systems, the multi year recapitalization project for the Coat Guard’s aircraft and largest sea going ships that continues to build Maritime Domain Awareness, a major goal outline din the President’s National Strategy for Maritime Security. It includes $242 million to maintain and expand the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness team to provide additional network defense measures and increase intrusion analysis capabilities. This year the subcommittee also is taking on cruise ship security; identification certificates for maritime transportation workers; and has delved into the November 2007 oil spill off the San Francisco Bay. More than 58,000 gallons of oil leaked from a ship when it struck a bridge support. The spill and the cleanup response that followed has been a subject of several congressional inquiries. Finally, reauthorization of the Coast Guard, which stalled in 2007, remains a priority this year. An $8.2 billion companion measure in the Senate funds oil pollution prevention and alien smuggling enforcement, as well as $1 billion for the Deepwater fleet upgrade.



Jennifer L. Esposito Staff Director Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials 589 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3274 Fax: (202) 226-3475 [email protected]

Expertise: Railroads, hazardous materials transportation (all modes), pipeline transportation. Safety has always been Jennifer Esposito’s area of concentration. As the Democratic staff director for the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, she worked with the committee that kept a close eye on the Amtrak contract. She also worked on the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act, which the House passed in October to reauthorize the Federal Railroad Administration and beef up safety measures. The legislation calls for $1.1 billion over the next four years; it imposes new work rules that require longer rest periods and work shifts for rail workers that generally cannot exceed 12 hours. It increases the number of rail safety inspections and enforcement personnel. Transportation Committee chairman Jim Oberstar described the bill as the “first time that this committee has brought a rail safety reauthorization bill to the floor for consideration.” According to the Federal Railroad Administration, the total number of train accidents, including collisions and derailments, increased from 2,504 in 1994 to 3,325 in 2005. In 2006, the number of train accidents decreased to 2,925. The National Transportation Safety Board told the committee “many rail carriers require the most burdensome, fatigue-inducing work schedule of any federally regulated transportation mode in the country.


Education: B.A., Pennsylvania State University, 1994.

Professional: 1994–1996, Senate asst. for federal government relations, National Federation of Independent Business. 1996–1997, manager of government relations, American Iron and Steel Institute. 1997–1999, legislative rep., Dept. of Transportation Trades, AFL-CIO. 1999– 2004, senior legislative rep., International Brotherhood of Teamsters. 2004–present, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Congress made some slight modifications to the law in 1969, but this bill provides the first major reform of railroad hours of service standards since 1907. “Although I am encouraged by improvement sin the 2006 rail safety statistics, I believe we still have a long way to go. Serious accidents resulting in fatalities, injuries and environmental damages continue to occur,” Oberstar said. In the last session, Esposito worked most on the Pipeline Inspection Protection Enforcement Safety Act, which was passed by Congress. Given the pipeline accidents that occurred during the last few years, she said it was important to get the legislation passed. “I was just happy we were able to work out a bipartisan agreement and get a safety bill passed,” she said at the time. In 2006, she also worked on SAFETEA-LU and Amtrak reauthorization. Amtrak reauthorization is still overdue, having expired in 2002. She worked on two railroad retirement bills, she said. One bill increased disability benefits from $400 to $700; the other bill gave the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board authority over disbursements. “I think we did accomplish some things. I think we can do more,” she said. Esposito said working on the subcommittee was a career destiny for her. Her father, Sante Esposito, was the full committee’s chief counsel for 17 years. Keeping it all in the family, Esposito calls her dog Milo, a puggle, “a new and frequent visitor to the office.”


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Clayton Foushee Senior Professional Staff Member, Oversight and Investigations 587 Ford House Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-4697 [email protected]

Expertise: Safety, human performance, aviation operations, management effectiveness. From the sea to sky, Clayton Foushee had a busy first session as a senior professional staff member for the Full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the first session of the 110th Congress. Foushee concluded investigations of the Coast Guard’s Deepwater acquisition program, in which numerous flaws were uncovered and reported in the media. The problems led Congress to pass the Integrated Deepwater Program Reform Act during the first session. Foushee also helped lead inquiries of the Federal Aviation Administration’s aging air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure, the privatization of flight service stations and the downsizing of the Federal Protective Service. He also investigated the underreporting of rail safety. Legislation passed the House and awaits Senate action, he said. Also ahead in 2008, Foushee plans to continue work on modernizing the FAA’s air traffic control system (ATC), improving the U.S. transportation system, rebuilding the infrastructure, and reviewing agency management of major federally-funded projects, he said. “In particular, our ATC system is nearing the point of “melt-down. FAA speaks of the new generation ATC system our country can look forward to in the next 10–20 years,” Foushee said.

Personal: Born 06/04/1953 in Graham, N.C.

Education: B.A., Duke University, 1975. Ph.D., University of Texas, 1979.

Professional: 1979–1989, research scientist, NASA. 1989–1992, chief scientific and technical advisor, FAA. 1992–1998, vice president of flight operations, Northwest Airlines. 1998–2001, vice president of regulatory affairs, Northwest Airlines. 2003–2005, vice president and partner, Unisys Corporation. 2005–2007, partner, Zuckert, Scoutt, and Rasenberger, LLP. 2007–present, senior professional staff, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“However, we can’t wait 10 years or even two years, and we’re watching the current system falling apart quickly, while we wait. It is a real and immediate crisis, and we need to act quickly on short-term fixes to the current system, even if they are band-aids, so we can make it another 10 years before a new system emerges.” Clay Foushee has an extensive background in aviation, as a consultant, corporate executive, and as a research scientist. After he earned his Ph.D. in social psychology, he was recruited by NASA to study how astronauts and flight crews handled stressful, emergency situations. He said there were clear factors that distinguished those teams who successfully performed in emergency situations from those who were unsuccessful. That work had clear implications for aviation safety, he said. In the late 1980s, there were a number of high-profile airline accidents due to pilot error. The pioneering work at NASA resulted in a wholesale change in the way that flight crews are trained and placed a new emphasis on the importance of “human factors.” Although a little unorthodox, it was a rather natural progression from scientist, to airline executive, to congressional investigator. “Life as a congressional investigator is very interesting, and you never know what will happen when you begin digging into things,” Foushee said. “Sometimes you get answers and action quickly just by making a phone call to a senior agency official. Sometimes you have to push and turn the screws very, very hard,” he said.

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David A. Heymsfeld Democratic Staff Director 2163 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4472 Fax: (202) 226-1270 [email protected]

Expertise: Transportation issues. There aren’t many flight paths David Heymsfeld doesn’t know about. Or airports, or airtime, or pilot hours, or much of anything in the sky. “I most enjoy work on aviation following my 20 years as staff director for the Aviation Subcommittee,” David Heymsfeld said. He is Democratic staff director for the entire Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Multi-tasking has been very much a part of Heymsfeld’s work on Capitol Hill. In 2007, the top priories were the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, rail safety and Water Resources Development Act. The WRDA bill became law as a result of the override of a presidential veto early this year. The panel also oversaw passage of 9/11 Commission recommendations, which later were signed into law. In all, Heymsfeld helped organize and staff seven markups and committee passage of 29 bills, 24 of which passed the House. His pace is expected to pick up even more this year. Much of the business of the committee’s work in 2008 involved unfinished business of 2007, including the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization and the Federal Railroad Safety Act, said Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., committee chairman. The House passed its version of the reauthorization bill, “providing the funding necessary to improve the air traffic control system and making needed improvements in safety and consumer protection,” he said.


Education: B.A., cum laude, Columbia College, 1959. LL.B., Harvard Law School, 1962.

Professional: 1962–1963, law clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st District. 1963–1967, attorney, Civil Aeronautics Board. 1967–1968, law associate, Hale, Russell & Stenzel (Washington, D.C.) 1968–1973, chief of legal division, bureau of operating rights, Civil Aeronautics Board. 1973–1975, assistant general counsel, Postal Rate Commission. 1975–1994, counsel, Subc. on Aviation, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1995, Democratic counsel, Subc. on Aviation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 1995–present, Democratic staff dir., House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.


“We hope the Senate will pass a bill in the second session so that work on the bill can be concluded,” Heymsfeld said. In the meantime, the House in February passed another extension of the authorization, keeping the agency in business through June 30. Funding the FAA, evaluating the FAA’s facilities and equipment program, reviewing aviation’s safety programs, and looking at potential controller shortages are among many things the committee was evaluating regarding the FAA reauthorization. The main point of contention in the Senate is over whether to include a $25-per-flight user fee. Oberstar, meanwhile, has publicly warned the upper chamber to get moving and act before the FAA “simply runs out of money.” In the meantime, aging infrastructure nationwide also is a major priority for Oberstar and for Heymsfeld, too. A New York native, Heymsfeld spent several years working for the Civil Aeronautics Board and one year working in private practice as an attorney before coming to Capitol Hill.

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Richard Hiscock Senior Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation 2165 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4472 Fax: (202) 226-1270 [email protected]

Expertise: Transportation issues. Richard Hiscock recently joined the subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation as a senior professional staff member. Adding to the weight of his experience, says the boating magazine Soundings, “This man just might save your life.” The magazine article about Hiscock’s maritime experience shows the respect Hiscock has in the maritime community as a fishing vessel safety historian, a marine safety advocate and a former investigator of marine personal injuries. Hiscock recently served as the vice president and member of the Board of Directors of the Marine Safety Foundation Inc., a group that advances the safety of life and property at sea through research, education and coordination. “On any given day, on scores of computers around the nation, a blizzard of e-mails concerning maritime safety arrive from Hiscock,” says Soundings. “As a civilian, Hiscock over the decades has written a Coast Guard safety manual for commercial fishermen.” His role on the subcommittee puts him at the center of efforts to improve Coast Guard security at U.S. ports, as well as ways to improve overall port and vessel security. The subcommittee also is charged with investigating international efforts to implement a comprehensive maritime security framework through the International Maritime Organization, according to a plan laid out by chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn.

Professional: 2007–present, senior prof. staff member, Subc. on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Previously, Hiscock served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee with the International Fishing Industry Safety and Health Conference. He also advised the Coast Guard on fishing vessel safety. Hiscock received the Samuel Plimsoll Award for Outstanding Service. The award is presented annually to the individuals and organization that embodies the spirit of Samuel Plimsoll, a member of the British Parliament who fought against unsafe maritime industry practices, particularly the overloading of ships. He was honored for his career dedication to maritime safety issues. The most important piece of legislation was the passage of the Coast Guard authorization bill. Previously, he served as vice-president of the board of directors for the Marine Safety Foundation Inc. of Southborough Ma., a national public not-for-profit foundation, formed in 1993, dedicated to advancing the safety of life and property at sea through research, education and coordination. He had been president and principle investigator for ERE Associates Ltd., dedicated to providing quality vessel safety and information services without prejudice.

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Leila Kahn

Expertise: Aviation, Amtrak, motor-carrier safety.

Senior Professional Staff Member, Oversight and Investigations

Leila Kahn’s experience working for the Department of Transportation’s Office of the inspector general appears a perfect fit with her current position.

589 Ford House Office Bldg.

As senior professional staff member for Oversight and Investigations, Kahn also is becoming deeply involved in what Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure want to see more of—oversight and investigations.


A former chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee himself, Transportation Committee chairman James Oberstar, DMinn., has beefed up the oversight functions of the panel since Democrats took the helm in 2007. He added staff— Kahn among them—and set them to the task of examining the workings of America’s transportation programs. What they found, in some areas, was not good. In a three-month investigation into the Coast Guard’s program to convert 110-foot patrol boats to 123-foot boats and to modernize their electronics suites, subcommittee staff found contracting problems that Oberstar in a hearing described as “far more disturbing than anything previously disclosed by other investigations. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control situation continues to be a major issue for Kahn as the committee works to modernize the system, plagued by continual flight delays. But the committee led the way for the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act, which rescinded the by the mandatory age 60 retirement rule for airline pilots, which became law.

Personal: Born in Seattle, Wash.

Education: B.A., Portland State University. Master’s degree, Columbia University School of Journalism. Certificate in airline management, George Washington University.

Professional: General Accountability Office. ABC News. Office of the inspector general, Dept. of Transportation. 2007–present, senior professional staff, oversight and investigations, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.


The committee is also examining the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the aftermath of its much criticized work and services to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In early 2008, committee officials sent a letter to FEMA’s administrator, urging him not to let essential services lapse. In 2006, Congress passed the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. Before joining the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as professional staff, Kahn’s responsibilities at the DOT involved reviewing and evaluating programs, including Amtrak and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She also has a certificate in airline management from George Washington University, making her an asset as the committee takes up the FAA reauthorization. And while the committee has no separate oversight panel, Kahn and others charged with oversight have broad reach throughout the transportation realm. Increased congestion is one of several issues that will receive attention this year, as is the connection between transportation policy and energy policy.

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Daniel W. Mathews Staff Director Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management 592 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3014 Fax: (202) 226-1898 [email protected]

Expertise: Transportation, health, House rules and procedures. Daniel Mathews serves as staff director of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management where Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, DD.C., is chairwoman and Rep. Sam Graves, R-Texas, is the subcommittee’s top Republican. Mathews worked on the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 and the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration in the 110th Congress. One of the key issues the committee has begun to look at in 2008 is the Federal Protective Service. In 2003, the FPS was transferred from the General Services Administration to the Department of Homeland Security and is currently assigned to provide physical security and law enforcement to about 8,800 facilities owned or leased by GSA. The service has a workforce of about 1,100 employees and about 15,000 contract guards located throughout the country. Due to staffing and operational issues, FPS is experiencing difficulties in meeting its mission, according to the committee’s investigation. FPS’s workforce has decreased by nearly 20 percent from almost 1,400 in fiscal year 2004 to about 1,100 at the end of fiscal year 2007. Late in 2007, the subcommittee also heard testimony on business opportunities for the redevelopment of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington D.C.


Professional: 1989–1992, legislative asst., Rep. Robert Lagomarsino, R-Calif. 1992–1994, family business. 1995–1998, legislative dir., Rep. Jay Kim, R-Calif. 1998–2001, asst. deputy commissioner of health, State of Texas. 2002–2003, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Rules. 2003– present, staff dir., Subc. on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Mathews also worked on legislation for the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which was established under the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to created jobs, help retain existing jobs, and stimulate industrial and commercial growth in economically distressed areas of the United States. EDA assistance is available to rural and urban areas of the nation experiencing high unemployment, low income, or other severe economic distress, according to the agency. In the 109th Congress, Mathews was appointed to serve on the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparedness for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, which issued a 500-page investigative report entitled A Failure of Initiative. Mathews took over as subcommittee staff director in April 2003. He has worked on the House side of Capitol Hill off and on since 1989. He worked for Rep. Jay Kim, R-Calif., and Rep. Robert Lagomarsino, R-Calif. He took time off from 1998 to 2001 to serve as the Texas assistant deputy commissioner of health. He returned to the Hill in 2002 to work on the House Rules Committee before moving over to his current spot.

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Ward McCarragher Democratic Chief Counsel 2165 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4472 Fax: (202) 226-1270 [email protected]

Expertise: Highway and transit law. As Democratic chief counsel to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Ward McCarragher will be working closely with Senate staff to move some critical pieces of legislation. McCarragher touches just about every facet that is important to the committee, and in 2008 that includes oversight, which he said has been a “sea change” from the past. In McCarragher’s view, that means the committee is expected to carry out many investigations. There have been many accomplishments, but much more to do, McCarragher said. During the first session of the 110th Congress in 2007, McCarragher focused on transportation and public building issues that were involved in legislation that became law. Top among them was the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficient Act, which is designed to move the U.S. toward greater energy independence and security, and the Water Quality Financing Act, which authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to nonprofit organizations for technical assistance for rural and small publicly owned treatment plants. McCarragher also was involved work that led to passage of the National Highway System Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act, which Congress passed in the wake of the tragic Minnesota bridge collapse.

Personal: Born 12/17/1962 in Waukesha, Wis.

Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin, 1985. J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1992.

Professional: 1989, foreign policy analyst, congressional Research Service. 1991, legal intern, U.S. Northern District of California. 1993–1994, intern, asst. counsel, and counsel, Subc. on Economic Development, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1995–1998, Democratic counsel, Subc. on Surface Transportation and Subc. on Public Buildings and Economic Development, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 1999–present, Democratic chief counsel, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“My job title has not changed,” McCarragher said. “However, as majority chief counsel, I spend much more time working with the House leadership on scheduling bills for floor consideration and amendments for consideration than I have in past congresses.” A major issue that still must be resolved in 2008 is the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act. The FAA has proposed a new structure that gets rid of the Operations and the Facilities and Equipment programs and creates the Air Traffic Organization and Safety and Operations accounts, according to the committee. “In the second session, I anticipate working with Senate staff to try to move several critical bills to enactment, including the FAA Reauthorization Act, the Water Quality Financing Act, and the SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act,” McCarragher said. “The Committee is also likely to consider an Amtrak reauthorization bill in the second session and I will be focusing on those rail issues.” As for oversight, McCarragher said, “Under the leadership of Chairman Oberstar, there has been a sea change in the level of congressional oversight of committee programs and agencies. We have just begun to restore oversight to (Transportation and Infrastructure) programs.” McCarragher joined the committee after he finished law school at the University of Wisconsin. Between college and law school, he worked for the congressional Research Service and for a federal court. The bottom line, he says: “I love what I do.”


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John Rayfield Staff Director Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation 507 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-0204 [email protected]

Expertise: Maritime, Coast Guard. A Capitol Hill veteran of 27 years, John Rayfield has worked on maritime and coastal policy in a wide variety of capacities. Among the security issues that Rayfield, as staff director of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, continues to look into is the controversial Coast Guard Deepwater program, which was designed to upgrade the fleet but also has been marked by budget problems. Several years ago, the Coast Guard undertook a massive modernization program called Deepwater and the $24 billion project may be a shortfall of money. Last year the House unanimously passed the Integrated Deepwater Reform Act aimed at preventing a repeat of past failures. Introduced by subcommittee chairman Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., the measure is still pending in the Senate. “This bill is designed to set in place the foundation necessary to allow the Coast Guard to rescue the Deepwater program as effectively as it managed the truly amazing rescues of Hurricane Katrina victims,” Cummings said. Also in 2008 the subcommittee has examined the management of the Coast Guard’s administrative law system, which adjudicates allegations of misconduct or negligence brought against marines by Coast Guard investigative officers.

Personal: Born 1957 in Portsmouth, Va.

Education: University of Virginia.

Professional: 1995–2003, legislative staff, Subc. on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans, House Cmte. on Resources. 2003– 2005, professional staff member, Subc. on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2005–present, staff dir., Subc. on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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Rayfield is also involved with the Coast Guard’s budget legislation. Full committee chairman James Oberstar, DMinn., has expressed concerns about President Bush’s $8.8 billion request for the Coast Guard for 2009 and said he is worried that funding decreases will hurt the agency’s ability to carry out traditional missions like drug interdiction and marine environmental protection. “The amounts requested for these programs for FY2009 are all lower than the amounts that were appropriated in FY2008. Although the amounts for the remaining missions of search and rescue, marine safety and ports, waterways and coastal security were increased for FY2009, the committee remains concerned that the increases are not enough,” Oberstar said. Last year’s authorization provided an opportunity to include language to protect the Delaware River from oil spills and other environmental hazards. The Delaware River Protection Act was drafted in response to a tanker spill in 2004 that dumped 265,000 gallons oil into the river. To combat future spills, the law encourages the use of double-hull tankers, updates spill contingency plans, establishes a test pilot program on how to recover submerged oil, and creates a regional advisory committee to deal with environmental issues.



Ryan Seiger Staff Director, Senior Counsel Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment B-376 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-0060 Fax: (202) 225-4627 [email protected]

Expertise: Clean Water Act, Superfund-related issues. Ryan Seiger, staff director and senior counsel for the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, said the committee has achieved several milestones since Democrats took control in 2007. The Water Quality Financing Act of 2007 was approved by the committee in 2007 and is now pending before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 also was passed, as was the Water Resources Development Act of 2007—over a presidential veto. The Clean Water Restoration Act, “clarifies the original intent” of Congress in 1972 with respect to the jurisdictional scope of the Clean Water Act and “is necessary to ensure that the fishable and swimmable goals of the fishable and swimmable waters are achievable,” Seiger said. The Congress responded to U.S. Supreme Court decision that “have unfortunately second guessed what actions are necessary to protect clean water in this nation,” he said. The high courts decisions also have created a “bureaucratic nightmare for communities and local government to ensure that the goals of fishable and swimmable waters are met, Seiger said.


Education: B.A., University of Pennsylvania, 1993. J.D., Catholic University of America, 1998.

Professional: 1993–1994, staff asst., Rep. Robert Borski, D-Pa. 1994–1998, senior legislative asst., Rep. Robert Borski, D-Pa. 1998–1999, law clerk, Arnold and Porter. 1999–2006, Democratic counsel, Subc. on Water Resources and the Environment, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2007–present, staff director, senior counsel, Subc. on Water Resources and the Environment, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Among other top accomplishments for the panel last year, he said, was authorizing projects and studies for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, many pending for almost seven years. Another was the first House reauthorization of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund since 1994. He described it as a major victory for Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the committee, and Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Fla., subcommittee chair. The clean water fund, which helps local governments pay for water quality efforts, was one of the main priorities of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The subcommittee expects in 2008 to turn its attention to a second Water Resources Development Act. “In 2007, we were successful at moving the Water Resources Development Act 2007 legislation, but in the process had to restrict requests mainly to those from the 109th Congress,” Seiger said. The coming year will also see a continued focus on oversight. The subcommittee plans to approve a reauthorization of appropriations for the BEACH Act and the Brownfields law. When he isn’t working on Capitol Hill, Seiger tries to find “every spare moment” to spend with his wife, three-yearold son Aidan and a new baby on the way. There’s time for the dog too. “Nothing like playing pirates in the backyard to put life in perspective,” Seiger said.


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Stacie Soumbeniotis Democratic Staff Director Subcommittee on Aviation 2251 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9161 Fax: (202) 225-4629 Stacie.Soumbeniotis@mail. house.gov

Expertise: Aviation issues. As the Aviation Subcommittee’s Democratic staff director, Stacie Soumbeniotis continues to lay the groundwork for takeoff: on the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. The House approved a new four-year authorization bill in September and a companion bill is pending in the Senate. One of the big issues that the House is trying to resolve is airport delays “Over the last 10 months, passengers on our airlines have suffered through record numbers of delays and cancellations,” said Rep. Jim Oberstar, D- Minn., chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “In many cases resulting in lengthy tarmac delays.” The first half o f 2007 compiled some of the worst airline delays since the Bureau of Transportation statistics starting keeping figures. Long, on-board tarmac delays increased by almost 49 percent from 2006 and delays of five hours or more increased 200 percent. Oberstar said the administration’s controversial funding proposal directly contributed to other delays—in passing legislation to reauthorize the FAA. Oberstar complained that since 2001 the GOP lead Congress provided very little oversight in airline congestion and delays. Between 2001 and 2006, the Aviation Subcommittee only held five hearings on the topic. “Lack of oversight and failure to use statutory authority by the Bush administration has played a part of our current situation today,” Oberstar said.

Personal: Born 05/19/1967 in Kingston, N.Y.

Education: B.A., Marymount University. J.D., Catholic University.

Professional: 1999–2000, Democratic counsel, Subc. on Aviation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2000–2006, Democratic staff dir./senior counsel, Subc. on Aviation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2007–present, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Aviation, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The committee bill provides a program for relief for airline over-scheduling and delays based on FAA’s current statutory authority that allows it to bring air carriers together to encourage voluntary schedule reductions. The White House sent reauthorization proposals to Congress last February and provisions have been reviewed and modified by several committees and subcommittees. Both the House and Senate released their own versions, and “failed to endorse or adopt most of the provisions of the FAA proposed in its legislation to create a reliable, flexible, cost based funding system,” the White House said. One of Soumbeniotis’s priorities is oversight, she said. Oberstar is making it a key priority this year and he is interested in looking at the FAA’s ability to oversee air carrier maintenance and safety issues, she said. Last year, Soumbeniotis worked on foreign investment in U.S. airlines. There was bipartisan opposition toward a Department of Transportation proposal to define evaluation criteria for determining “actual control” of foreign interests in airlines. The department withdrew its proposal in December. Oberstar sponsored a bill that would have temporarily prohibited the department from issuing a rule to liberalize foreign ownership of U.S. airlines. One bill that the subcommittee worked on last year that was signed into law was the National Transportation Safety Board reauthorization, she said.

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Justin Sprinzen Professional Staff Member 592 Ford House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5504 Fax: (202) 225-9509 [email protected]

Expertise: Oversight and investigations. Justin Sprinzen keeps an eye out for investigations for the Republicans on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He’s the professional staff member— read: main investigator—and he’s got a lot to juggle. Sprinzen keeps up with the Democrats and said he “wants to be on top” of all the committee investigations. He watches everything from commercial drivers’ licenses to air medical companies to the Deepwater inquiry and the Federal Protection Service. He keeps tabs and reports to his boss, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla. Previously, he had worked for Rep. Don Young, R-Ala., who had stepped down as chairman of the committee when Democrats took control of the house in 2007. Sprinzen continues to work on Coast Guard funding and the Water Resources Development Act, which was approved by Congress. He also has been involved in the scrutiny of Amtrak’s operations. Recently, there were disclosures about investigations involving Southwest Airlines and the committee will be examining that, he said. The Federal Aviation Administration alleged that the airline had flown 42 planes in March 2007 that had not undergone inspections, and is considering a $10.2 million fine. “I think it’s an interesting job that requires a lot of juggling, and (dealing) with issues ranging from air safety to highway congestion to the upcoming reauthorization of the highway bill,” Sprinzen said. “It’s across the board.”

Personal: Born in Woodbridge, Conn.

Education: University of New Hampshire, 1992.

Professional: 1996–2001, paralegal. 2001–2003, government affairs representative, American Financial Services Association. 2003–2005, legislative assistant, Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. 2005–2007, special counsel to the chairman, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2007–present, professional staff member, oversight and investigations, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.


Although committee chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., praised the achievements of the panel, Sprinzen’s boss, has said that the committee’s achievements were “far and between in 2007. Mica noted that three major committee bills that became law were approved with strong bipartisan support: the Water Resources Development Act of 2007; the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act, which rescinded the mandatory age 60 retirement rule for airline pilots; and a bill to authorize emergency funding for the reconstruction of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota. “A host of issues remain for 2008,” he added, including FAA reauthorization and a number of economic development programs. Sprinzen said he’s ready to tackle the issues that Mica addressed. Meanwhile, in his spare time, Sprinzen said he spends time working on his house. He also likes to ski and golf.

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Jim Tymon Republican Staff Director Subcommittee on Highways and Transit B-375 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6715 Fax: (202) 225-4623 [email protected]

Expertise: Highway policy, highway finance, surface transportation policy. Jim Tymon, Republican staff director for the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, likes the “moving pieces” part of his job. And it’s not just the fact that he deals with highways, transit, highway safety and truck safety issues. It’s the details. Tymon called 2008 an important year for the subcommittee, with the authorization for highway transit and highway safety programs expiring in September 2009. “So this year we will be holding a lot of hearings and doing a lot of research on the groundwork for the next authorization bill.” Tymon said he loves the idea that the committee “has broad jurisdiction.” One day he may be dealing with a pilot program that would allow Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways. Another time, he may be evaluating the “federal role in overseeing public private partnerships for transportation projects,” he said. “There is always a lot of moving pieces and you need to be able to keep track of all of them,” Tymon said. Tymon has seen both sides, when the GOP was in the majority and now that it is in the minority. “We have less control over the committees agenda,” he said, referring to the Republican minority status.” But there has been development over the past year, by working together.

Personal: Born 07/09/1973 in Teaneck, N.J.

Education: B.A., economics and political science, University of Delaware, 1995. M.A., public policy, University of Delaware, 1997.

Professional: 1997–1999, program analyst, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. 1999–2002, program examiner, Office of Management and Budget. 2002–present, professional staff member; Republican staff director, Subc. on Highways, Transit, and Pipelines, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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In 2007 under chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., the subcommittee also tackled the federal Safe Routes to School program; drug testing of commercial motor vehicle drivers; and, in the wake of a deadly bridge collapse in Minnesota, the state of bridge inspections. Yet while Democrats have claimed a number of legislative successes, ranking Republican John Mica, R-Fla., has accused the committee of mere “wheel-spinning” in 2007 and said too much important legislation remains stalled. Noted Tymon of being in the minority: “We have had to learn to do the same amount of work as we did in the majority with less staff.” Tymon was named staff director of the subcommittee in 2006, when Republicans were in the majority and became Republican staff director for the subcommittee in 2007. He previously worked for the White House Office of Management and Budget and for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.



Helena Zyblikewycz Senior Professional Staff Member 2165 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4472 Fax: (202) 226-1270 [email protected]

Expertise: Transportation-labor issues, motor-carrier safety, and security. Over the past two years, Helena Zyblikewycz, senior professional staff member, has seen similarities and differences in having been in the private sector and working in Congress. Zyblikewycz started working for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in January 2007 after the Democrats took control of the House. Previously, she worked three years for the Transportation Trades Department AFL-CIO. She worked for three years with the AFLCIO. She continues to work on shaping public policy. Her priorities in 2008 include Federal Emergency Management Agency issues, and emergency management program reauthorization; hearings to prepare for the SAFETEA-LU reauthorization in 2009; as well as truck and bus safety issues. She also worked on implementing Recommendations for the 9/11 Commission Act, which was signed into law last year. Early this year Oberstar criticized the White House for producing a budget proposal that he charged cuts public transportation and rail security funding by more than one half. Oberstar noted that the administration’s request of $175 million is “a fraction” of the $1.2 billion authorized for those programs under the 9/11 implementation act. In addition to her other duties, Zyblikewycz assists the committee’s chief counsel with questions regarding the committee’s jurisdiction.

Personal: Born 01/25/1976 in Marlton, N.J.

Education: General course degree in economics, London School of Economics, 1997. B.S.F.S., Georgetown University, 1998. M.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2003.

Professional: 1998–2001, Committee for Economic Development. 2002–2003, California Works Foundation. 2003–2006, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO. 2007– present, senior professional staff member, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure.

She noted that Congress moved 74 pieces of legislation through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during the first half of the 110th Congress, and said it was a pivotal year for highways. The committee played a significant role in the negotiations on rail, public transportation and over the road bus security issues as well as various FEMA programs on that bill. She also worked on the cross-border trucking and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration over the past year. Zyblikewycz has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California-Berkeley and has worked for public policy think tanks. A proud first generation UkrainianAmerican, Zyblikewycz interned at the Ukrainian Embassy one summer in 1996 while attending Georgetown University. According to the Ukrainian Weekly, her assignment was in the press office. She also has experience abroad—she spent a year at the London School of Economics, where she received a general course degree in economics. In addition, she loves gardening and seeks to learn more about horticulture. She volunteers at the U.S. Botanical Garden on the weekends.


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Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 335 Cannon House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-9756 Fax: (202) 225-2629 http://veterans.house.gov/ Ratio: 17/13 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Bob Filner, CA-51st, Chairman

Steve Buyer, IN-4th, Ranking Member

Corrine Brown, FL-3rd Vic Snyder, AR-2nd Michael Michaud, ME-2nd Stephanie Herseth, SD-At Large Harry E. Mitchell, AZ-5th John J. Hall, NY-19th Phil Hare, IL-17th Michael F. Doyle, PA-14th Shelley Berkley, NV-1st John T. Salazar, CO-3rd Ciro Rodriguez, TX-23rd Joe Donnelly, IN-2nd Jerry McNerney, CA-11th Vern Buchanan, FL-13th Zachary T. Space, OH-18th Timothy J. Walz, MN-1st

Cliff Stearns, FL-6th Jerry Moran, KS-1st Richard Baker, LA-6th Henry Brown, SC-1st Jeff Miller, FL-1st John Boozman, AR-3rd Ginny Brown-Waite, FL-5th Michael R. Turner, OH-3rd Brian Bilbray, CA-50th Doug Lamborn, CO-5th Gus M. Bilirakis, FL-9th Vern Buchanan, FL-13th


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HOUSE VETERANS’ AFFAIRS JURISDICTION (1) Veterans’ measures generally. (2) Cemeteries of the United States in which veterans of any war or conflict are or may be buried, whether in the United States or abroad (except cemeteries administered by the secretary of the interior). (3) Compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and education of veterans. (4) Life insurance issued by the government on account of service in the armed forces. (5) Pensions of all the wars of the United States, general and special. (6) Readjustment of servicemen to civil life. (7) Soldiers’ and sailors’ civil relief. (8) Veterans’ hospitals, medical care, and treatment of veterans.

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HOUSE VETERANS’ AFFAIRS During Bob Filner’s first year as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, lawmakers held 60 hearings on everything from the budget to Gulf War exposures to VA contracting problems. Democrats said that in beefing up oversight functions when they came aboard, the panel held almost as many hearings in 2007 than the former GOP chairman did in the entire 109th Congress. Republicans, meanwhile, have remarked archly that quality matters more than quantity. The sparring over hearings underscores a larger tension on the panel between Filner, a Califronia Democrat and proud Vietnam War protester, and his ranking member, Indiana Republican and Army Reserve colonel Steve Buyer. Noted conservative syndicated columnist Robert Novack in a July column, “Buyer regards Filner as unschooled in veterans’ issues and has heaped incredible scorn upon him in extraordinary public scenes.” Early in 2007, Filner publicly accused Buyer of worrying more about “turf” than veterans in passing out the Wounded Warriors Assistance Act of 2007, legislation designed to make improvements in the treatment of wounded combat veterans. The measure passed out of the House Armed Services Committee and, because Filner waived jurisdiction, headed straight to the House floor without stopping at the veteran’s panel. “It is unconscionable Chairman Filner would turn off the lights” on the veterans committee by not letting it work on the bill, Buyer said. Filner, meanwhile, said he wanted to get the important measure approved for veterans as quickly as possible. Another feud broke out in July over pensions for Filipino veterans of World War II. Buyer accused Filner of pushing through the legislation without accepting Republican amendments. Still the committee did manage to enact some key measures. Republicans said they were pleased that the Wounded Warrior Act, which Buyer had helped craft over several years, was substantially adopted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Members and committee staff, however, said they are most proud of allocating the largest funding increase for veterans health care in the 77-year history of the agency. The final appropriations measure provided an increase of $6.7 billion over FY2007 and $3.6 billion over the Bush administration’s request for veterans’ programs. This year the focus is once again on the budget. Filner has blasted President Bush’s 2009 request as “simply not adequate.” While the request included a 5.5 percent increase for health care, Filner said it “barely covers the cost of medical inflation and does not keep up with the everincreasing demand for VA health care.” The committee also is continuing to focus on mental health treatment of veterans and is examining ways to help veterans through the housing and economic crisis.


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Geoffrey Bestor Staff Director Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation 337 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6167 [email protected]

Expertise: Veterans. Putting criminals behind bars and directing the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations have a lot in common, according to Geoffrey Bestor. “A lot of what I do now is similar to what I did as a prosecutor without the criminal aspect,” said Bestor, who came to Capitol Hill in 2007 after practicing law at a private Washington D.C., firm. As the subcommittee’s Democratic staff director, Bestor identifies areas where the Department of Veteran Affairs needs improvement and gathers facts about the source of its difficulties. Legislation rarely is the answer in fixing department shortcomings, Bestor said, because it’s “too blunt of a tool.” “The fix usually is to get management of the agency to address the problem or to devote resources in a new way,” Bestor said. Eighty percent of Bestor’s focus currently involves the “seamless transition” issue, referring to how the Department of Defense and the VA handle the movement of veterans from one department to the other. In 2005, some 400,000 service members moved from active duty status to non-active duty status and the numbers are likely to increase with troops returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, Bestor said.


Education: B.A., European Cultural Studies, American College in Paris, 1976. J.D., University of Michigan Law School, 1981.

Professional: 1981–1983, attorney, Debevois & Plimpton. 1983–1989, attorney, Dickstein Shapiro LLP. 1989–1997, Assistant U. S. Attorney, U. S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 1997, Attorney-Advisor, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice. 1997–1999, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Policy Development, U.S. Department of Justice. 1999–2007, attorney, Dickstein Shapiro LLP. 2007–present, staff director, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

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“The VA and Defense need to become one system information wise,” Bestor said. “You need to be able to get medical information, drug tests, X-rays, and prescription information moved easily.” To improve communication and facilitation between the departments, Bestor added it was important to have liaisons from the VA at military facilities such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center and vice versa. Last year, Bestor also spent much of his time examining the VA’s financial management system. “They don’t have an electronic, financial system that allows for easy visibility of where taxpayer money is going,” Bestor said. “It’s the ‘If you can’t measure, you can’t manage it’ concept.” As part of the fact-finding aspect of his job, Bestor frequently travels to VA facilities in addition to attending briefings with government officials. Prior to coming to the subcommittee, Bestor spent more than two decades practicing law in both the public and private sectors. He said he felt compelled to move to Capitol Hill after following the events of the war on terror closely. “A lot of things have happened in the world that need to be fixed,” he said. “I didn’t want to stand by and watch someone else do that.”



Mike Brinck Staff Director Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 335 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-3668 Fax: (202) 226-4536 [email protected]

Expertise: Employment, small business. Thousands of U.S. troops are expected to return from Iraq and Afghanistan in the coming years, increasing the demand for veterans’ housing, education and vocational training. As Republican staff director of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Mike Brinck will be at the forefront of overseeing this transition of service members from combat to civilian life. A key part of the return to the United States for many military members involves access to education via the Montgomery G.I. Bill—which provides tax-free benefits to veterans and active service members for expenses such as tuition and books. Brinck said he spent much of his time last year considering various legislative proposals to modernize the legislation. He emphasized, however, that PAYGO budget rules, which restrict federal spending to control the deficit, determine much of the legislation’s benefit process. “Unless the PAYGO rules are waived somehow, it’s going to be difficult to do anything major to the G.I. bill, but there’s always hope,” said Brinck, adding that upgrading the legislation would be a focus of a 2008 hearing. Another early 2008 subcommittee hearing focused on the reauthorization of many soon-to-expire vocational programs sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor, including apprenticeship opportunities and transition assistance for incarcerated veterans.

Personal: Born in Fort Madison, Iowa.

Professional: 1992–1995, national legislative director, AMVETS. 1995–1998, staff director, Subc. on Benefits, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 1998–2005, private defense contractor. 2005–present, staff director, Subc. on Economic Opportunity, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

At the hearing, several witnesses emphasized the importance of strengthening the programs, noting a recent VA report indicating that recently discharged veterans are having a more difficult time obtaining civilian jobs and earning competitive wages. A concern at the hearing and for Brinck is the effectiveness of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or USERRA, which prohibits job discrimination based on “service in the Armed Forces Reserve, the National Guard, or other uniformed services.” Because of the legislation’s importance in protecting veterans in the workforce, Brinck said “it’s time for a good oversight hearing. We haven’t had one for a couple of years.” This year, the subcommittee also plans to monitor the VA’s implementation of passed legislation that increased contracting opportunities at the department for small businesses owned by veterans, including veterans with “service-connected disabilities,” Brinck said. The staff director of the subcommittee since 2005, Brinck previously worked as a staff director of the House Veterans Committee Subcommittee on Benefits prior to a seven-year stint in the private sector as a defense contractor. He served in the U.S. Navy for 21 years before retiring in 1988.


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Kristal DeKleer Communications Director 335 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9756 Fax: (202) 225-2629 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Kristal DeKleer not only was new to Capitol Hill last year, but served as a committee communications director of the majority party, a role that had a demanding pace. “We held almost 60 hearings in 2007 in the full committee and subcommittees,” said DeKleer, noting a number that was roughly the same as in the prior two years. Those hearings covered a range of topics, including updating the Montgomery GI Bill, assessing outpatient waiting times at VA facilities and preventing veterans’ suicides, an issue that was in the news after a CBS investigation found that veterans were twice as likely to kill themselves as nonveterans in 2005. “There are a large number of veterans who don’t use the VA for care,” DeKleer said. “We wanted to know what more could be done to reach these people and if they need help.” The hearing followed the signing of a committee bill into law in November directing the secretary of Veterans Affairs to “develop and implement” a comprehensive program to address veteran’s suicides. DeKleer also focused a chunk of her time on a four-part symposium series implemented by Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. The meetings included veteran’s groups, experts and committee members in roundtable discussions on Capitol Hill.

Personal: Born 01/21/1976 in Lakewood, Calif.

Education: B.A., government, Claremont McKenna College, 1998.

Professional: 1998–2000, account coordinator, Goddard Claussen Porter Novelli (Sacramento, Calif.)2000, legislative aide, California State Sen. Adam Schiff. 2000–2002, press secretary, California Assemb. Jenny Oropeza. 2002–2004, press secretary, legislative aide, committee consultant, California Assemb. John Longville. 2005–2007, account executive, Carmen Group (Washington, D.C.). 2007–present, communications director, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

“The chairman wanted to get away from the hearing setting and have a free-flow exchange of ideas,” said DeKleer. “Instead of the traditional format, all the different witnesses could ask each other questions.” The first symposium was a “stakeholder summit” where veterans service organizations such as the American Legion and Military Order of the Purple Heart gathered to discuss legislative priorities for the 110th Congress. The others focused on single issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, the disability claims backlog and traumatic brain injury. “Bob Woodruff [an injured ABC News reporter]’s brother was there, and it was invaluable to hear from a family member about how you care for a patient with traumatic brain injury and how it affected their family,” DeKleer said. DeKleer said the committee has a slew of legislative priorities in the upcoming year, including improving veteran’s mental health care and reducing the backlog of roughly 400,000 veteran’s disability claims. DeKleer came to Capitol Hill from the Carmen Group, where she was an account executive. A four-year veteran of state politics in California, she also did press work for two nonprofits in Washington, D.C, prior to her committee job. She got her start in politics in 2000, when she worked as a legislative aide for then–State Sen. Adam Schiff before he was elected to the House that fall.

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Dolores Dunn Republican Staff Director Subcommittee on Health 333 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-1293 Fax: (202) 225-5486 [email protected]

Expertise: Veterans, health issues. As the Republican staff director on the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, Dolores Dunn’s charge in 2008 is to seek ways to help not just returning servicemen and women, but also the families who care for troops returning from war. That includes, among other things, figuring out how to expanding care by leveraging community resources and to improve access to mental health resources for veterans’ family members. Navigating the line between helping vets and being fiscally prudent remains a constant challenge. Dunn’s boss, subcommittee ranking member Jeff Miller, R-Fla., questioned allowing family members to receive VA mental health treatment. At a March hearing on the issue Miller noted that it could be “very problematic” if family members with pre-existing issues apply for VA mental health care. “That could mushroom into tremendous costs for the V.A. system and, in some ways, even hamper the ability to provide health care to [veterans],” he warned. Dunn said Republican on the panel will also be working this year to improve access to health care in rural areas. “We’re finding that 40 percent of the veterans being deployed live in non-metropolitan areas. It’s a challenge,” she said.

Personal: Born in Baltimore, Md.

Education: B.S., University of Maryland, College Park, 1978.

Professional: 1981–2002, Rep. Bob Stump, R-Ariz. 2003– 2007, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2007–present, Republican staff director, Subc. on Health, House Cmte. on Veterans Affairs. 2007– present, Republican staff director, Subc. on Health, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

Treating returning veterans with traumatic brain injury remains a top concern, and the subcommittee is looking at better ways to provide short and long-term rehabilitation. At the same time, Dunn said the VA is seeing a skyrocketing number of eye injuries that she described as “not the typical blindness” but rather the byproduct of concussions brought about by IAD explosions. Last session she said the committee worked toward removing barriers to VA benefits for returning National Guard and Reserve troops, and said that while they “have made some great strides, we need to continue to move toward that.” Finally, recruitment and retention of health professionals will continue to be a major issue. In 2007, she said, funding levels were a top accomplishment with Congress providing $37.2 billion for veterans health care and an additional $124 million to hire more VA personnel and help reduce the claims backlog. “Our major accomplishment was record appropriations for VA health care funding,” Dunn said. She noted the committee also moved ahead with improving real-time access to veterans’ medical histories—something lawmakers have been pushing since the 1980s—and increased the period of eligibility for veterans to receive care. In addition, the committee passed legislation raising the beneficiary mileage reimbursement to 28.5 cents per mile. While Dunn is relatively new to the health subcommittee, she has been dealing with veterans’ issues in some capacity on Capitol Hill for a quarter of a century. Dunn was a professional staff member on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee for the previous four years.


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Juan Lara Staff Director/Counsel Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 335 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-8878 [email protected]

Expertise: Procurement, VA health, G.I. Bill. Juan Lara’s boss calls him “Mr. G.I. Bill.” The informal title sums up what Lara, staff director for the House Veterans’ Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee has been focused on since he arrived on the panel last year. “Yes, it would be the biggest thing that we’re working on,” Lara acknowledged. Work on modernizing the legislation originally created to help returning World War II veterans receive an education continues in 2008. It’s been a pet issue for Democrats, and now that they hold the majority in Congress they appear to be moving ahead with several proposals. The one gaining the most attention has been a Senate proposal by Jim Webb, D-Va., and endorsed by Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia that would give veterans vouchers to cover tuition at any public or private university in the country. The bill also would give reservists the same benefits as active-duty service members—an issue that Lara and others said is a major sticking point in negotiations. Lara comes to the job with extensive experience in veterans issues, having worked as a lobbyist for the American Legion before coming to Capitol Hill. A veteran himself who served in the Army National Guard in the first Operation Desert Storm, Lara spent three years with the American Legion working on VA medical care, prosthetic research, and often represented veterans before the VA’s compensation appeals board.

Personal: Born 03/27/1968 in McAllen, Texas.

Education: B.A., Texas AM, 1993. J.D., Capital University (Ohio) Law School, 2000.

Professional: 2004–2007, asst. director, legislative affairs, American Legion. 2007–present, staff director/counsel, Subc. on Economic Opportunity, House Cmte. on Veterans Affairs.

“Now I get to work on all the stuff I know we should be doing,” he said. In his role as subcommittee staff director, Lara helps craft legislation and review measures by other lawmakers so he can help advise the chairman, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., on a broad range of health matters. Procurement issues also fall under Lara’s portfolio, and in 2008 he said the panel will look into VA contracting practices. Federal agencies are required under a recent law to set aside three percent of all the contracts they award to veteran-owned businesses. “The concern has been that not all the agencies are meeting their goals,” Lara said. The committee held hearings dealing with the issue, as well as one examining contract “bundling.” More inquiries into both issues, he said, are expected. Lara noted he has experience in the procurement realm as well, having worked in business before getting into veterans’ issues. All in all, he said of working for the committee, “it’s an ideal mix of all the things I enjoy doing.”

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Jim Lariviere Republican Staff Director 333 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3527 [email protected]

Expertise: Defense policy. Partisan disagreements rarely have much bite in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, according to Republican staff director Jim Lariviere. “A lot of the arguments between Republicans and Democrats are over how best to care for veterans … whether they’re getting a billion versus a billion and a half dollars,” Lariviere said. Last year’s scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center— where a Washington Post investigation found unsatisfactory conditions, shoddy management and patient neglect—provoked a sense of urgency among both sides of the political aisle. Although Walter Reed is not a veterans’ hospital, the committee held several hearings on the recommendations of a presidential commission created in response to the newspaper’s revelations. That commission—named after its leaders, former Sen. Bob Dole and ex-Clinton HHS secretary Donna Shalala—included a call to eliminate duplication between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs in the disability and compensation system for veterans. “Currently, the system requires a veteran to take a physical at Defense, get a disability rating and then go to the VA and do it all over again,” said Lariviere. “We need to get Defense out of the rating system.”

Personal: Born 10/01/1957 in Rochester, N.Y.

Education: B.A., history, The Citadel, 1979. M.A., national security studies, Georgetown Univ., 1986.

Professional: 1979–1993, active duty, U.S. Marine Corps. 1993–1999, legislative assistant, Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind. 1999–2003, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Armed Services. 2003–2005, senior public policy advisor, Holland & Knight. 2005–present, staff director, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

Lariviere’s other main emphasis in 2007 was the passage of “Wounded Warrior” legislation that mandated increased coordination between the Defense Department and the VA on managing the health care of seriously wounded veterans. He also hailed the passage of a bill improving vision benefits. “There was a anomaly in the way the law was written,” Lariviere said, noting the legislation fixed a loophole where veterans only could receive assistance for an eye injury caused by combat, even if they later developed trouble in the other eye. Building on the Dole-Shalala commission hearings, Lariviere expects the ranking committee Republican, Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Indiana, to focus on other “seamless transition” difficulties between the VA and the Department of Defense this year. Among other things, the two departments need a better system to talk to each other and transfer medical records electronically, he said. “Mr. Buyer was very big in consolidating the IT systems at the VA,” said Lariviere. “We’ll continue to follow up on legislation passed in the 109th Congress in that regard.” Lariviere started working on Capitol Hill in 1993 after 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 2008, he was selected as a Brigadier General in the Marine Corps Reserve.


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Malcom Shorter Staff Director 335 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9756 Fax: (202) 225-2629

Expertise: Veterans’ issues. Malcolm Shorter’s goal for 2008 sounds straightforward: reforming the GI bill. “It’s a pretty simple focus, but it’s difficult to execute,” Shorter said. That’s because bringing the bill originally intended to give returning World War II soldiers educational benefits isn’t an easy one to bring into the 21st century. Shorter, staff director for the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, called it a “tremendous task.” One of the main sticking points in reforming the GI bill is whether to give National Guard and Reserve officers the same benefits as active duty soldier. Shorter said Democrats on the panel believe it is time to do so, especially because many Guard and Reserve officers are serving just as long in Iraq and Afghanistan as their active-duty colleagues. “The Guard and Reserve are being used in a far different role than when the GI bill was written,” he noted. So far the panel has held two hearings and delved into a number of bills that have been introduced. In the Senate, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., has what many on the committee call the “Cadillac” of the GI bill. Among other things, it would for troops with three years active service since 9/11, pay instate tuition costs up to the most expensive public institution in a given state; provide monthly stipends to cover living expenses based on average housing prices in the area where a vet enrolls; and cover the cost for all required textbooks. “I’m not sure that’s doable for us in the House,” Shorter acknowledged. Of the many proposals, he said. “we’ll probably have to pick and chose the best aspects of them”

Personal: Born 05/17/1959 in Dawson, Ga.

Education:

He was optimistic, though, that Congress would see action on it this year, noting “there ‘s a stomach for it on both sides of the aisle.”

B.S., economics, Rutgers University, 1981. M.S., administration, Central Michigan University, 1995.

Also on tap this session are disability claims and how to best work through what is estimated to be a backlog of between 300,000 and 600,000 claims.

Professional:

“Some people lowball, some people highball it. Still, it’s too many claims to be backlogged, no matter how you look at it,” Shorter said.

1981–2003, U.S. Army. 2003–2004, assistant director, Programming and Budget, Office of Counter-Narcotics, Dept. of Homeland Security. 2005–2006, director, Office of Budget, Finance, and Administration, Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, Dept. of the Interior. 2007– present, staff director, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

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In 2007 Shorter said the nearly $3.8 Congress was able to get for veterans health care—the largest increase in the agency’s 77-year history—was a major cause for celebration. The panel held 60 hearings under chairman Bob Filner, DCalif., and Shorter made a point of noting that the entire previous Congress under Republican control held only 65. He said the committee would continue to do aggressive oversight in the coming year.



Kingston Smith

Expertise: Veterans’ issues.

Republican Chief Counsel

As the chief Republican counsel to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Kingston Smith juggles multiple roles.

335 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3527 [email protected]

“I review all the legislation and ask, ‘Does the drafting do what it’s supposed to do? Does it accomplish its objective? Are there legal and constitutional issues that need to be addressed?’” Smith said. Last year, Smith spent much of his time asking those questions about two key pieces of legislation. The first was a “Wounded Warrior” provision, pushed by the committee’s ranking Republican, Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana, that was included in the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Authorization Act signed by the president in January. The provision requires the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to increase coordination in managing the health care of seriously wounded veterans. For example, the agencies must develop an electronic exchange of personal health information, hire coordinators, and standardize the diagnosis process for disorders such as traumatic brain injury. “The government was losing track of veterans, because there wasn’t a structured, coordinated hand off from the military to the VA,” Smith said. Smith also worked extensively on the massive fiscal year 2008 budget omnibus bill, which included a record $43.1 billion in VA health care funding. In January, the president released an additional $3.7 billion in emergency funds for the department, raising the VA’s overall 2008 budget to more than $87 billion.

Personal: Born 04/11/1946 in Newport News, Va.

Education: B.A., Duke University, 1968. J.D., University of Richmond, 1977.

Professional: 1968–1972, service in Vietnam, U.S. Air Force. 1977–1980, associate attorney, May, Miller & Parsons (Richmond, Va.) 1980–1984, attorney, Office of the General Counsel, Veterans Administration. 1985–present, minority general counsel, deputy minority staff director, general counsel and deputy staff director, general counsel (full cmte.) and staff director, deputy chief counsel, minority counsel (full cmte.), Republican chief counsel, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.


“We certainly hope the budget increases will translate into better services and reduced waiting times for veterans,” Smith said. This year, Smith foresees the development of a legislative process similar to the 109th Congress. He expects the House and Senate to fail to complete work on most major veteran’s bills until the end of the 110th. “It’s déjà vu all over again,” Smith said about the likelihood of another omnibus bill that includes two years of legislative work wrapped into one package. Smith said improving the transition of returning service members from the war on terror back to civilian life from would be a focus of Buyer in 2008, as well as reducing the backlog of disability claims at the department. A Republican counsel for the committee since 1984, Smith is a Vietnam veteran who was on active duty from 1968 to 1972. He stayed in the Air Force Reserve until 1997, serving as a judge advocate general (JAG) staff officer.

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David Tucker Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Health 335 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9756 Fax: (202) 225-5486 [email protected]

Expertise: Health care. David Tucker is mired in the budget. Early 2008 saw Tucker, now chief counsel of the House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee, delving into the Bush administration’s request for VA medical care—one that he called “a decent budget, but one that we don’t think does the job.” The White House, he said, “essentially requested a $2 billion increase for medical care, but they cut a lot of other accounts to make up for that.” Democrats recently submitted their own request for a $3.8 billion increase over the $44.8 billion discretionary budget requested for VA next year by the Bush administration. Part of Tucker’s job has been to put together the “views and estimates” as lawmakers decide what they want to include. Lawmakers are seeking a $2.5 billion increase in health care funding, while rejecting the administration’s plan to set enrollment fees for veterans’ health care. They also dismissed a Bush plan to raise prescription drug co-pays for veterans who have at least modest incomes. Tucker, meanwhile, is assuming greater responsibility on the panel. He was promoted this year to chief counsel of the subcommittee just a year after he was bumped up to subcommittee staff director. He said he was particularly proud that the committee and Congress substantially increased the VA budget last year in the supplemental appropriations bill.

Personal: Born 12/04/1964 in Pomona, Calif.

Education: B.A., University of Utah, 1988. J.D., Marshall Wythe School of Law, College of William and Mary, 1991.

Professional: 1992–1993, operations, scheduling, Clinton-Gore transition. 1993–2005, senior assoc. legislative director, Paralyzed Veterans of America. 2005–2007, counsel, Democratic staff, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2007–2008, staff director, Subc. on Health, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2008–present, chief counsel, Subc. on Health, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

“Now we’re looking at following up on that success,” he said. He also noted that the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act includes a number of health care initiatives important to veterans, including several so-called “Wounded Warrior” provisions. The act enables any veteran with a severe injury or illness to access the same medical and dental care as an active duty service member when such care is not reasonably available from the VA. It also establishes resource center to provide veterans, their families, and their primary caregivers with a single point of contact for assistance with reporting problems, obtaining health care services, receiving benefits information or any other issues they encounter. Tucker said the subcommittee also plans this year to continue oversight of VA programs, particularly the backlogged claims. Tucker came to the committee after a dozen years with the Paralyzed Veterans of America, which, he said, makes VA health care their “primary concern.” “It was great preparation, especially for specialized services” such as mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder, Tucker said.

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Arthur K. Wu Republican Staff Director Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations 333 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3527 Fax: (202) 225-5486

Expertise: Health care policy. The House Veterans’ Affairs Oversight Subcommittee looking into how medical information is passed from battalions and aid stations in Iraq and Afghanistan to hospitals and, ultimately, Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda. So early this year, Art Wu went to see for himself. Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan the Republican subcommittee staff director said wryly, “Well, a lot of money is being spent.” Just how well is the question that Wu wants to answer over the coming months. So far, he said, what he is learning is not promising. On his trip, he noted, he spoke with two Navy doctors who said they have to log on to eight different system in order to access the medical records they need. The inquiry is part of the committee’s attempt to implement recommendations that former Sen. Bob Dole and former HHS secretary Donna Shalala outlined as part of a commission investigating problems throughout the military health care system. The committee has long sought to enact a more “seamless transition” for servicemen and women as they pass from the Department of Defense into the Veterans’ Administration. “These e-medical systems have been stovepipe systems for the past 20 years and they’re still trying to make them work,” Wu said of the system used to share medical information with providers. The committee has held several hearings on the issue, and Wu said he expects to continue delving into IT and innovation issues.

Personal: Born 02/18/1947 in Nanking, China.

Education: B.S., chemistry, Pennsylvania Military College, 1970.

Professional: 1970–1990, U.S. Army. 1991–1994, independent consultant in managed care. 1995–2000, professional staff member, Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2001– present, deputy staff dir., Republican staff dir., Subc. on Oversight and Investigations, House Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

Having worked on the oversight subcommittee for more than a decade, Wu is still leading the charge to improve that data sharing, even after billons of dollars have been thrown at the problem. He said the spigot of money from Congress is about to dry up. Wu said 2007 was for him and others on the committee a year of hearings. While the Democratic majority bragged that they held almost as many hearings last year than the former GOP chairman did in the entire 109th Congress, Wu noted that quality as important as quantity. “The new majority loves having hearings, which I don’t mid as long as they’re substantive,” he said. In 2006 Wu was chosen to be part of a bipartisan committee to investigate the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. “It affected me personally,” said Wu of his time on the committee, which Wu said found “a meltdown on the local, state, and federal level.” “It was utter devastation,” said Wu. “To walk the entire Ninth Ward of New Orleans just seared in your mind.”


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Committee on Ways and Means 1102 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3625 Fax: (202) 225-2610 http://waysandmeans.house.gov/ Ratio: 24/17 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Charles B. Rangel, NY-15th, Chairman

Jim McCrery, LA-4th, Ranking Member

Fortney Pete Stark, CA-13th Sander M. Levin, MI-12th Jim McDermott, WA-7th John Lewis, GA-5th Richard E. Neal, MA-2nd Michael R. McNulty, NY-21st John S. Tanner, TN-8th Xavier Becerra, CA-31st Lloyd Doggett, TX-10th Earl Pomeroy, ND-At Large Stephanie Tubbs Jones, OH-11th Mike Thompson, CA-1st John B. Larson, CT-1st Rahm Emanuel, IL-5th Earl Blumenauer, OR-3rd Ron Kind, WI-3rd Bill Pascrell, NJ-8th Shelley Berkley, NV-1st Joseph Crowley, NY-7th Chris Van Hollen, MD-8th Kendrick Meek, FL-17th Allyson Y. Schwartz, PA-13th Artur Davis, AL-7th

Wally Herger, CA-2nd Dave Camp, MI-4th Jim Ramstad, MN-3rd Sam Johnson, TX-3rd Philip S. English, PA-21st Jerry Weller, IL-11th Kenny C. Hulshof, MO-9th Ron Lewis, KY-2nd Kevin Brady, TX-8th Thomas M. Reynolds, NY-26th Paul Ryan, WI-1st Eric Cantor, VA-7th John Linder, GA-7th Devin Nunes, CA-21st Pat Tiberi, OH-12th Jon Porter, NV-3rd


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HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)

Customs, collection districts, and ports of entry and delivery. Reciprocal trade agreements. Revenue measures generally. Revenue measures relating to the insular possessions. Bonded debt of the United States, subject to the last sentence of clause 4(f). Deposit of public monies. Transportation of dutiable goods. Tax-exempt foundations and charitable trusts. National Social Security (except health care and facilities programs that are supported from general revenues as opposed to payroll deductions and except work incentive programs).

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HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS As taxpayers wait for their federal rebate check and prepare their file their 2007 tax returns, House Ways and Means Committee chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., wants to use the second session of the 110th Congress to talk about taxes like never before with his “mother of all tax reforms.” In October 2007, Rangel introduced the Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007, which the committee described as the “most comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. tax code introduced since the Tax Reform Act of 1986.” The bill would repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax, a parallel income tax Congress created decades ago to stop a handful of wealthy citizens to avoid paying taxes. Because the tax is not adjusted for inflation, it will hit more upper-middle class families if Congress does not act. President Bush signed a one year fix to the AMT into law after Congress acted late last year to fix it, but it will either need to pass a temporary fix again in 2008 or look to bigger reforms. “The provisions in this bill would reform the tax code to provide a greater sense of equity and fairness that is so critical to our voluntary tax system,” Rangel said as he introduced the bill. “It has been more than 21 years since Congress and the administration rolled up their sleeves to discuss tax reform and during that time the tax code has become a jumbled mess of outdated and inequitable provisions that cry out for simplification.” Rangel said the bill is “entirely revenue-neutral to ensure that the tax cuts we provide are not paid for by future generations or through reckless borrowing as has been the case in recent years.” But Republicans called the bill the biggest tax hike in history, and do not like how Rangel balances out his tax cuts in the bill with new taxes for other Americans. The committee started out the second session with the “Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008,” known as the economic stimulus plan. The bill, which President Bush signed into law, will give taxpayers up to $1,200 in an effort to get them to spend it to help the economy. Also during this session, the committee’s broad jurisdiction also will look at trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and other countries and continue to tackle the complex government programs of Medicare and Social Security. In February, Bush and Health and Human Services secretary Mike Leavitt issued a proposal called the Medicare Funding Warning Response Act of 2008. It would limit certain subsidies and it also calls for medical malpractice liability reform and more transparency on doctors’ performance records and procedure costs. The committee’s ranking member, Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La., who will retire at the end of this session, called the proposal a good first step.


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HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS

Matthew John Beck Director of Communications, Democratic Staff 1102 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-8933 Fax: (202) 225-2610 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications and media relations. With a jurisdiction as large as that of House Ways and Means Committee, communications director Matthew Beck juggles a variety of topics. From trade agreements to specific tax laws, Beck is in charge of getting the Democrats’ message across—and, of course, answering questions from reporters. Beck, who has the added responsibility of being a policy adviser now in the second session of the 110th Congress, works to get the word out on what the committee chairman, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and committee Democrats are up to. In his new role, he will work with staff and members to help shape and agenda as well as develop the Democrats’ message on the numerous policies that come before he committee, Beck said. “We are very fortunate to have some of the best policy staff —and members—here at Ways and Means,” Beck said. “The hours are certainly more demanding in the majority, but it is rewarding to see the results of your hard work.” Tax policy continues to be the committee’s biggest priority. Rangel introduced the Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007 in October deemed “the most comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. tax code introduced since the Tax Reform act of 1986.” “The provisions in this bill would reform the tax code to provide a greater sense of equity and fairness that is so critical to our voluntary tax system,” Rangel said upon introducing the measure.

Personal: Born in Albany, N.Y.

Education: B.A., with honors, international relations, Spanish minor, James Madison University, 2000.

Professional: 2001–2004, press secretary, Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash. 2004–2005, press secretary, Rep. Robert Matsui, D-Calif. 2005, communications director, Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich. 2006, co-director of communications, Democratic staff, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2006–2007, director of communications and policy adviser, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2008–present, director of communications and policy adviser, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

“It has been more than 21 years since Congress and the administration rolled up their sleeves to discuss tax reform and during that time the tax code has become a jumbled mess of outdated and inequitable provisions that cry out for simplification,” he said. The bill would eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax and cut the corporate tax rate, which would help American companies remain competitive with foreign companies, Beck said. Congress approved a one-year patch to the Alternative Minimum Tax late last year. Created in 1969 as a way to prevent the wealthy from abusing tax deductions, the AMT was never adjusted for inflation. Without the congressional action, it would have hit more middle- and upper-middleincome families. Beck served as co-communications director from August 2005 through July 2006, while the Democrats were in the minority. He came to that position from the office of Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., now chairman of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee. He also previously worked for the late Rep. Robert Matsui, D-Calif., and Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash. Beck said since going to the majority, he feels there is “more scrutiny” on the Democrats and what he does.

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Cybele Bjorklund Democratic Staff Director Subcommittee on Health 1135 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3943 [email protected]

Expertise: Medicare policies, health issues. With President Bush proposing $576 billion in cuts to Medicare over the next ten years, the administration proposing several other changes to Medicare and the presidential candidates putting health care reform back in the spotlight, the House Ways and Means Committee’s Health Subcommittee has plenty to handle during the second session of the 110th Congress. Cybele Bjorklund continues to serve as staff director for the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, which oversees the Medicare program in general, including the Part D prescription drug program and health care policy. In a busy election year, it is likely the second session will serve as an educational one as expert witnesses and the lawmakers themselves educated one another on the details of health care policy. Early in the session, subcommittee chairman Pete Stark, D-Calif., focused on the Medicare Advantage Plans, which serves about 8.8 million of Medicare’s 43 million beneficiaries, according to the committee. There are private health plans that need to provide equivalent benefits to those covered by regular Medicare, but some are offering benefits not covered by Medicare or at higher costs. Meanwhile, Medicare Funding Warning Response Act of 2008 is a bill based on a White House proposal to reduce Medicare spending. The bill also proposed malpractice liability reform, authorizes the Health and Human Services secretary to release physician performance records and requires that beneficiaries receive price and cost information to help them pick a doctor, plan or treatment options, among several other changes.

Personal: Born 09/25/1967 in Nuremberg, West Germany.

Education: B.A., journalism, University of Oregon, 1989. M.A., Johns Hopkins University, 1994.

Professional: 1991–1993, public affairs specialist, St. Joseph’s Care Group (South Bend, Ind.) 1994–1995, Medicare policy analyst, Health Care Financing Administration. 1995–1997, legislative assistant, Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 1997–2001, deputy staff director for health policy, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions/Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. 2001–present, Democratic staff director, Subc. on Health, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

The bill is a result from a “trigger” created in 2003 that kicked in when the Boards of Trustees for Medicare issued a warning that for two consecutive years, more than 45 percent of total Medicare spending would come from general revenues within the current or following six years instead of the Medicare trust fund. House majority leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he did not support portions of the bill, including the medical malpractice proposals. He said he was “skeptical” that Congress could handle a Medicare package like this “in the current environment, especially since the current administration has made it clear that it is not willing to discuss all options.” Hoyer said lawmakers need to lay the foundation for bipartisan work on the issues in the next Congress. Prior to coming to the House side, Bjorklund served as staff director on health policy for Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., a legislative aide to former Sen. Tom Daschle, DS.Dak., and a Medicare insurance policy analyst at what is now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). She holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, where she worked on health policy with a concentration in law, ethics, and policy.


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John L. Buckley Democratic Tax Counsel 1136 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5522 [email protected]

Expertise: Tax policy. John Buckley started the second session of the 110th Congress working on energy tax credits that did not get included in the energy bill Congress passed last session. The House passed a separate measure passing renewable energy and energy conservation tax credits bill in late February, but it is still awaiting Senate action. As the House Ways and Means Committee’s tax counsel, Buckley anticipates handling even more tax issues and bills carried over from the first session, including fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax and extending about 30 different tax credit that have expired. Congress passed—and President Bush signed into law—a one-year patch for the AMT but committee chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., has a proposal this year, the Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007, which he has deemed “the mother of all tax reforms” that would eliminate the AMT on top of several other changes. Congress created the AMT in 1969 initially to stop the wealthy from abusing tax deductions. The tax is not adjusted for inflation, so without the patch it would have hit more middle- and upper-middle-income families’ 2007 returns without action from Congress. The AMT is a parallel tax to the regular income tax and tax payers are not allowed to take as many deductions, which can lead to a higher tax bill they have to pay.

Personal: Born 08/06/1948 in Hartford, Wis.

Education: J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1973.

Professional: 1973–1994, asst. legislative counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives. 1994–1995, staff dir., Joint Cmte. on Taxation. 1995–present, Democratic tax counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

To stop AMT from affecting even more people as they file their 2008 taxes next year, Congress either has to pass another temporary fix, as it has in recent years, or opt for a bigger reform. There is little debate that the AMT needs to be fixed but how to make up for the money getting rid of it would cost is the point of contention. The AMT patch was initially included in a bigger bill that included extenders for roughly 30 tax credits that expired at the end of 2007. The Senate did not approve the bill so Buckley said he anticipate working on that again this year. Among the list are a research tax credit for business, a state and local sales tax deduction, tuition deductions, and a variety of others. During the last session, Buckley worked on H.R. 976, the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2007, sponsored by Rangel and ranking member Jim McCrery, R-La., that extended tax provisions for small business owners and allowed House and Senate to approve the first increase in the federal minimum wage in almost 10 years. Buckley joined the House Ways and Means Committee in 1995, but has had a 35-year career on the Hill. Prior to working on the committee, he was the staff director for the Joint Committee on Taxation and also spent two decades as the assistant legislative counsel in the House’s Office of Legislative Counsel.

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Charles M. Clapton Republican Chief Health Counsel 1139 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4021 [email protected]

Expertise: Health care policy. Medicare will continue to dominate the agenda of Chuck Clapton, Republican chief health counsel of the House Ways and Means Committee, especially with the White House’s proposal in February designed to change several components of the program. In April 2007, a “trigger” kicked in when the Boards of Trustees for Medicare issued a warning that for two consecutive years, more than 45 percent of total Medicare spending would come from general revenues within the current or following six years instead of the Medicare trust fund, Clapton said. A law passed in 2003, created the trigger. The White House proposed the Medicare Funding Warning Response Act of 2008 on February 15 as a way to reduce Medicare spending by including limiting certain subsidies for single people that make more than $82,000 and married couples with incomes greater than $164,000, according to a summary of the bill. It also includes language on medical malpractice liability reform, authorizes the Health and Human Services Secretary to release physician performance records and requires that beneficiaries receive price and cost information to help them pick a doctor, plan or treatment options, among several other changes. Clapton’s boss, House Ways and Means Committee ranking member Jim McCrery, R-La., called the White House proposal “a useful starting point from which we can begin discussions on ways to ensure it continues to provide vital health care services without bankrupting future generations.


Education: B.A., history, Boston College, 1990. J.D., Catholic University, 1995.

Professional: 1995–1996, legislative aide, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary, Subc. on Terrorism, Technology and Government Information. 1997–1998, counsel, Rep. Harris Fawell, R-Ill. 1999–2004, health counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2004– 2005, chief health counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 2006–2007, assistant for policy, Office of the Speaker of the House. 2007–present, Republican chief health counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.


“Just as seniors heading toward retirement need to examine their future income and spending needs, the law that required the President to lay these ideas on the table provides the Congress with a unique opportunity to conduct a thorough examination of Medicare’s long-term financial footing,” McCrery said. “It would be a grave mistake for the Majority in Congress to ignore it.” The committee has to act on this by June 30. Beyond Medicare, Clapton said the Republicans will also be looking at long-term health care policy proposals, such as tax credit options, covering the uninsured and consumerdirected health care. Price and quality transparency is one of the bigger problems in health care, Clapton said. Patients do not have access to how much certain treatments or procedures cost and do not have any real way to compare doctors, so bills could be introduced to change this. Clapton joined the House Ways and Means Committee in 2007 from the office of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. He also served as the chief health counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he was one of the lead staff on the Medicare Modernization Act Part D, the prescription drug plan.

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Angela Paolini Ellard Chief Trade Counsel Subcommittee on Trade 1139-E Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4021 Fax: (202) 225-5680 [email protected]

Expertise: International trade policy. As the chief rrade Republican counsel, Angela Ellard will focus on working with the House Ways and Means Committee Democrats on free trade agreements with Colombia, Korea and Panama. In the last session of Congress, Ellard worked on the overall new policy unveiled in May 2007, which set up new requirements for countries seeking to enter into free trade agreements with the United States. In what was nicknamed the “May 10” agreement, Democrats in Congress agreed with Republicans and the White House, that countries must observe certain international labor and environmental standards as part of free trade agreements. House Ways and Means Committee ranking member Jim McCrery, R-La., called the policy “a good and fair compromise that takes into account the concerns of all parties.” The new policy is said to have helped the Peru Free Trade Agreement through Congress last year, which Bush signed into law. Others say they also expect it will also help progress on congressional consideration on agreements with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama. In her position, Ellard advises the Republican committee members and staff on trade laws, trade promotion authority, anti-dumping and countervailing duty issues, bilateral free trade agreements with various U.S. trading partners, and multilateral issues such as World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations.

Personal: Born 03/19/1961 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Education: B.A., summa cum laude, Newcomb College, Tulane University, 1982. M.A., public policy, Tulane University, 1983. J.D., cum laude, Tulane University, 1986.

Professional: 1986–1990, attorney, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. 1990–1995, attorney, Weil, Gotshal & Manges. 1995–1998, trade counsel, Subc. on Trade, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1998–present, Republican staff dir./chief trade counsel, Subc. on Trade, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

Elllard will also work on Trade Adjustment Assistance which helps workers who lose their jobs because of trade. McCrery supports extending and expanding the assistance but has opposed the bill proposed by House Ways and Means chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y. McCrery has his own alternative, which emphasizes new training scholarships on top of existing cash allowances, greater training opportunities, including before a worker gets laid off, an expansion of health coverage benefits, and cost-effective accountability procedures, she said. Ellard also will work on China-related issues on behalf of McCrery to make sure, “that any congressional action is balanced to take into account the needs of import-sensitive U.S. industries, U.S. manufacturers and other companies who are dependent on imports to stay competitive, and U.S. exporters.” “We must also make sure that congressional action does not jar already volatile markets, hurt our economy, or violate our obligations under international trade rules. At the same time, however, the United States must continue to enforce all of its rights if China is violating its international trade obligations,” Ellard said. In the 109th Congress, Ellard worked on the successful passage of legislation to implement the Bahrain, Oman and the Dominican Republic-Central America (CAFTA) Free Trade Agreements and she continues to monitor how they have affected the countries involved.

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John P. Gimigliano

Expertise: Energy and tax policy.

Republican Senior Tax Counsel

Energy tax incentives and corporate tax reform will be John Gimigliano’s main responsibilities during the second sessions of the 110th Congress.

1139 E Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-0150 [email protected]

The senior Republican tax counsel and the Republican staff director for Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measure also foresees House Ways and Means Committee work on taxation of carried interest and publicly traded partnerships being high on the priority list. Gimigliano also handles accounting methods, tax credits, corporate reorganizations, the corporate alternative minimum tax and net operating loss issues too. Congress passed an energy bill last session but took out several energy tax-related provisions during the final conference negotiations. The Democrats introduced an energy tax bill in February extending a tax credit for wind, biomass, geothermal and other renewable energy facilities, as well as solar energy and fuel cell properties, but it would remove some tax benefits for oil and gas companies, which Republicans usually oppose. While it has passed the House, the measure still awaits Senate action. Gimigliano served as lead tax counsel on the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and will handle the issue again this year. Gimigliano looks at the long-term extension of the federal production tax credit (PTC), which gives tax credits to alternative-energy companies, for renewable energy such as wind power. He also handles the research and development (R&D) credit.


Education: B.A., Miami University of Ohio, 1990. J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law, 1993. LL.M. (taxation), Georgetown University Law Center, 1994.

Professional: 1994–2005, member and director, Ernst & Young tax practice. 2005–present, Republican senior tax counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

During the first session of the 110th Congress, Gimigliano worked on the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, which President Bush signed into law in December. This law creates a three-year window for homeowners to refinance their mortgage and pay no taxes on any debt forgiveness that they receive, according to a summary of the bill. Previously, if the value of a house declined and the bank or lender forgave a part of the mortgage, the forgiven amount was treated as taxable income, but Congress changed that. In previous sessions, Gimigliano played a central role in hurricane relief legislation and in the enactment in 2006 of the Tax Increase and Prevention Reconciliation Act (TIPRA), which implemented a lower rate on capital gains and dividends. Prior to joining the committee in 2005, Gimigliano was a member of Ernst & Young’s tax practice, including being national director of the electric and gas energy tax practice. Gimigliano is a frequent speaker at industry tax conferences and has published a number of articles on energy and utility taxation. Gimigliano received a B.A. from Miami University of Ohio, a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and an LL.M. (taxation) from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the Ohio and Pennsylvania bars. When not on the Hill, Gimigliano teaches a class Georgetown law school on the taxation of energy markets.


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Nicholas C. Gwyn Staff Director Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support D-317 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-1025 [email protected]

Expertise: Welfare, child care, unemployment, foster care. As staff director of Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, Nick Gwyn will look at the impact the current state of the economy has on workers, particularly on unemployment coverage. Gwyn will work with lawmakers to find ways to expand unemployment insurance coverage for low-wage and parttime workers, which he said are now much less likely to be covered compared to other workers, during the second session of the 110th Congress. Unemployment insurance gives temporary and partial wage replacement for unemployed. Since the system was established in 1935, there has been a significant increase in the amount of women in the workforce and in low-wage and part-time employment, but a decline in manufacturing employment. The Advisory Council on Unemployment Compensation and from the Government Accountability Office have found that many states unemployment programs do not take this into consideration and some restrictions do not cover former part-time workers seeking reemployment in a part-time job and for those leaving employment for compelling family reasons, according to a summary of a hearing that subcommittee chairman Jim McDermott, DWash., held in September 2007. McDermott introduced the Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act that would provide up to $7 billion from the federal unemployment insurance trust funds to encourage, assist and reward States for removing such barriers for jobless workers, according to the committee.

Personal: Born 10/26/1966 in New Orleans, La.

Education: B.A., Tulane University, 1989.

Professional: 1990–1994, legislative dir., Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y. 1994–1998, senior legislative asst., Rep. Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn. 1997–present, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Income Security and Family Support, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1998–2007, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Human Resources, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2007–present, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Income Security and Family Support.

Gwyn also will work on legislation aimed at extending unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed during a period of economic weakness, he said. Improvements to the child welfare system, particularly looking at way to reduce child abuse and neglect and increase permanency for children in foster care, are also on the agenda for the new session. According to the latest statistics, about 3.6 million children were the subject of child abuse and neglect investigations, of which nearly 900,000 children were found to be the victims of substantiated cases of maltreatment, according to a hearing McDermott held in May 2005. An estimated 317,000 children were not able to live safely in their homes and were placed in foster care. In the last session of Congress, in addition to unemployment insurance coverage issues, Gwyn also worked on raising awareness about poverty providing assistance to elderly and disabled refugees. The Social Security Administration has determined that more 40,000 refugees and other “humanitarian” immigrants will lose Supplemental Security Income program cash benefits over the next 10 years, according to the committee, which could include Medicaid benefit.

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Kim Hildred Republican Staff Director Subcommittee on Social Security B-316 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4021 [email protected]

Expertise: Social Security. Social Security disability programs will be Kim Hildred’s main focus during the second session of the 110th Congress. As Republican staff director of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, Hildred said she anticipates looking at service delivery, reduction of the disability claim backlog and “return to work” issues. The disability claims backlog was on Hildred’s radar during the first session of Congress with a May 2007 hearing focusing on the long waitlist for hearing and ways to hire more administrative judges to get cases through quicker. More than 700,000 people are waiting hearings on their Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability claims appeals, according to the committee In February 2008, the inspector general of the Social Security Administration found that the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review needs to put a review plan in place to hold administrative law judges accountable for their work. The IG found that backlog would “be negatively impacted by the caseload performance of some [administrative law judges] if their status quo performance levels continue.” Johnson said the report not only shows that some judges are under-performing but that the Social Security Administration “has no process to hold them accountable.” “This is simply unacceptable,” said subcommittee ranking member Sam Johnson, R-Texas. “American citizens should not have to wait years to learn whether they are eligible to obtain a benefit they have earned.”

Personal: Born 09/06/1956 in Trumbull, Conn.

Education: B.A., Waynesburg College (Pa.), 1978. M.S.Ed., Duquesne University, 1980.

Professional: 1979–1994, policy and program management, Social Security Administration. 1994, fellow, American Political Science Association. 1994– 1997, detailee from the Social Security Administration, Subc. on Social Security, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1997– present, Republican staff dir., Subc. on Social Security, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

Johnson and Subcommittee chairman Michael R. McNulty, D-NY, requested that the inspector general look at problems with the backlog, particularly on the time it takes judges to complete cases. During the first session, Hildred also focused on Socials Security’s role in the employment eligibility verification systems. Since 1996, employers have been able to verifying names and Social Security numbers of new hires against the administration’s database the system. The Government Accountability Office and the SSA’s inspector general have found that the current system has inaccurate information in the records maintained by the Homeland Security Department and SSA. Expanding this program has been a part of immigration reform proposals but some lawmakers want to make sure it works better first before moving forward. Hildred has been with the subcommittee in 1994. She was a key aide to the subcommittee’s previous chairman, former Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla. Prior to coming to the Hill, she was with the Social Security Administration (SSA) for 15 years. Her background includes addiction counseling, state disability claims adjudication, and various disability policy and program management positions at SSA. Hildred first came to Congress through a fellowship with the American Political Science Association.


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Brett Loper Republican Staff Director Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La. Phone: (202) 225-4021 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative process, politics. Brett Loper continues to work as the chief strategist for House and Ways Committee Ranking Member Jim McCrery, R-La. As the Republican staff director, Loper is involved in all the policy areas handled by the committee, but he anticipates focusing on the Alternative Minimum Tax, physician reimbursement and tax break extensions during the second half of the 110th Congress. Congress passed—and President Bush signed—a one year “patch” to the Alternative Minimum Tax late in 2007 to stop the tax from reaching upper-middle-class and middleclass families as they filed taxes for 2007. Congress created the AMT in 1969 with the intent of stopping the wealthy from abusing tax deductions, but because the tax is not adjusted for inflation it would have hit more taxpayers than intended without action from Congress. Because the patch will expire before the taxpayers have to file their 2008 returns, Congress will either have to approve another patch or come to an agreement to eliminate or overhaul the tax law. There are also about 30 miscellaneous tax benefits from research tax credits for businesses to sales tax deductions that expired last year that also need to be renewed.

Personal: Born 08/04/1973 in Jackson, Miss.

Education: B.A., economics, Villanova University, 1995. M.B.A., George Washington University, 2002.

Professional: 1995–1998, legislative assistant, Rep. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. 1998–1999, director of congressional relations, Associated General Contractors. 1999–2002, appropriations analyst, Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas. 2002, director of government relations, Fannie Mae. 2002, deputy chief of staff, House Majority Whip Tom Delay, R-Texas. 2003–2006, deputy chief of staff/director of legislative operations, House Majority Leader Tom Delay, R-Texas. 2006, chief of staff, House Majority Leader Tom Delay, R-Texas. 2006, chief of staff, Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La. 2007–present, Republican staff director, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

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Loper also predicted that physician reimbursement rates under Medicare will resurface this year. Loper worked on a bill Bush also signed into law that stopped a 10 percent cut to Medicare physician payment, but it will expire in six months, meaning all physicians would see a 10 percent Medicare payment reduction on July 1, 2008, if Congress does not intervene. During the last session, Loper worked on the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act, known as the CHAMP Act, which President Bush vetoed and Congress could not override. Congress passed separate legislation to extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program know as SCHIP, until March 31, 2009. Prior to working for McCrery, Loper was chief of staff to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, working his way up the ladder in the leader’s office from deputy chief of staff and a top floor and legislative aide. DeLay resigned from Congress in 2006, after which he became McCrery’s chief of staff. He moved over to the committee when McCrery became the ranking member after the 2006 elections. McCrery will retire from Congress this year. A Mississippi native, Loper is married to Ginger Loper, a former special assistant for legislative affairs to Bush on health care, taxes, and Social Security before the Senate. She now works for the Washington public relations firm Timmons and Co.



Janice A. Mays Democratic Staff Director/Chief Counsel 1102 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3625 [email protected]

Expertise: Tax issues. With three decades of experience behind her, Democratic staff director and chief counsel Janice Mays, will continue to lead the majority staff during the second session of the 110th Congress. In that role she will be helping push chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y.’s quest for a major tax reform and tackle the broad jurisdiction of the committee. Although Congress passed a temporary patch to the Alternative Minimum Tax during the last hours of the first session of the 110th Congress, Rangel wants to see an overall overhaul that would eliminate the tax and make other changes to the tax code. The chairman introduced the Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007 in October deemed “the most comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. tax code introduced since the Tax Reform act of 1986.” Rangel told management and budget director Jim Nussle in February that one of the “most disappointing components” of the president’s FY2009 budget request was that the administration “continues to ignore the pressing need for comprehensive tax reform.”

Personal: Born 11/21/1951 in Waycross, Ga.

Education: B.A. (cum laude), Wesleyan College, 1973. J.D., University of Georgia, 1975. M.L.T., Georgetown University Law School, 1981.

Professional: 1975–1987, tax staff, Subc. on Select Revenue Measures, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1987–1992, chief tax counsel and staff dir., Subc. on Select Revenue Measures, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1993–1995, staff dir. and chief counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1995–present, Democratic staff dir./chief counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

“This administration has been in office for more than seven years and it has failed to provide any leadership on the critical issue of simplifying our tax code,” Rangel said. “This is more than a missed opportunity, it is a downright shame that the administration has not advanced concrete proposals, or even a willingness to participate in discussions, on how to reform our tax laws and eliminate the dangerous AMT or cut our corporate tax rate. I am confident that, if the administration put forth the same effort on tax reform as it did on extending its tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, we could come together to simplify our laws and restore a greater sense of equity and fairness to our tax code.” The committee started out the session tackling the twoyear, $168 billion economic stimulus package and will continue looking at the economy overall as well as trade, energy, health care and social Security. Mays has been on the committee’s staff since 1975 where she started as one of three tax counsels and subsequently helped write the Tax Reform Act of 1986. “I lived through the time where we got a tax cut a year, and we indexed the tax code, I lived through the ‘81 act where everybody had their fun, then all of the years after that which seemed painful to all the people who were involved in it,” she said. Mays, who is one of the most senior female staffers in Congress, was the first woman to serve in her current position, having initially been chief counsel and staff director from 1993 to 1995, when Democrats last held power in the House.


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Karen Brown McAfee Staff Director and Tax Counsel Subcommittee on Oversight 1136 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5522 [email protected]

Expertise: Tax-exempt organizations, tax administration, and Internal Revenue Service. With a “constantly evolving” list of priorities for the second session of the 110th Congress, Karen McAfee, staff director and tax counsel for the Subcommittee on Oversight, knows 2008 will at least include Internal Revenue Service oversight, tax-exempt organizations, and earned income tax credit outreach. McAfee, now in her second year on Capitol Hill, is an expert in issues surrounding tax-exempt organizations having focused on that in her legal career before joining the committee staff in January 2007. She worked for seven years at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in its Washington, D.C. office where she handled tax issues for exempt organizations, such as public charities, private foundations or health care systems as well as onshore and offshore investment funds. House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee chairman John Lewis, D-Ga., held a hearing in July specifically looking at tax-exempt organizations, such as charities and foundations described in Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Lewis said there are approximately 1.6 million tax-exempt organizations described in the twenty-eight categories listed in Internal Revenue Code section 501(c), with two-thirds, or more than one million, falling into the 501(c)(3) category, and the list is only growing. More than 350,000 organizations have been granted taxexempt status since 1997. Under that classification, organizations that qualify can get receive tax-deductible contributions but can not participate in political activities.

Personal: Born 04/20/1971 in Petersburg, Va.

Education: B.S. cum laude, University of Maryland at College Park, 1993. J.D., University of Virginia, 1996.

Professional: 1996–2000, associate attorney, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. 2000–2007, counsel, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. 2007–present, staff director and tax counsel, Subc. on Oversight, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

“The volunteers and organizations that make up the charitable community work day after day providing services to our communities that are critical to all Americans and essential to the well-being of our country,” Lewis said. “The Congress and the public must continue to support this community. I look forward to beginning a dialogue about the important role charities play in American life. The Subcommittee will continue its review of tax-exempt issues throughout the 110th Congress, including charities’ efforts to assist diverse communities and other specific areas of concern.” Before her work at Drinker Biddle & Reath, McAfee was a tax layer for three years at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, also in Washington DC. There she worked on domestic and international tax law, tax accounting, charitable estate planning, domestic and international tax-exempt organizations law, and tax litigation and controversy. McAfee is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Maryland State Bar, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. McAfee replaced Beth Vance, who is no longer on the committee.

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Melissa Mueller Democratic Tax Counsel 1102 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5522 [email protected]

Expertise: Domestic and international taxation issues. House Ways and Means Committee chairman Charlie Rangel’s effort to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax and other tax reform issues will dominate Democratic tax counsel Melissa Mueller’s to-do list for the second session of the 110th Congress. Mueller worked on the temporary fix that President Bush signed into law last year for the AMT. Congress created the AMT in 1969 initially to stop the wealthy from abusing tax deductions, but because the tax is not adjusted for inflation it would have hit more middleincome and upper-middle-income families without action from Congress. The patch as it stands now only affects 2007 tax returns. Congress either has to pass another temporary fix, as it has in recent years, but Rangel would rather see it eliminated completely. There is little debate that the AMT should go, but how to pay for removing it is a point of contention across the aisle. Rangel introduced the Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007 in October deemed “the most comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. tax code introduced since the Tax Reform act of 1986.” It would not just eliminate the AMT but also cut the corporate tax rate, among several other changes. Republicans have said the bill is actually the biggest individual tax increase in history, making way for what is likely to be a big debate, particularly about 30 different tax benefits that expired last year up for renewal.

Personal: Born 1965 in San Antonio, Texas.

Education: B.B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1987. J.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1990.

Professional: 1990–1991, counsel, Business and Commerce Cmte., Texas House of Representatives. 1991, legislative aide, Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas. 1992, legislative counsel, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 1993, personal staff, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. 1995–1998, assistant attorney general, federal legislative affairs, Office of the Texas Attorney General. 1999–2001, counsel, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-TX,. 2002– 2004, legislative director, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass. 2004–2007, tax counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2007–present, tax counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.


Mueller also worked on the Small Business and Work Opportunity Tax Act of 2007, which Bush signed into law in May 2007. The law provides small business tax relief to offset the increase in the federal minimum wage. Congress approved a gradual increase in the minimum wage to $5.85 per hour effective July 24, 2007; to $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008; and to $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Mueller said she will also work on taxes related to financial products, such as H.R. 4912, offered by committee member Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., also one of Mueller’s former bosses. His bill creates rules in the tax code for income, loss, and distributions relating to a prepaid derivative contract, including Exchange Traded Notes, according to a summary of the bill. This is Mueller’s second year back on the House side. She joined the House Ways and Means Committee in 2007 as Democratic tax counsel after working on the Senate Finance Committee in the same capacity. Mueller previously worked for Neal and Rep. Lloyd Doggett, R-Texas, both current Ways and Means Committee members. In addition, she filled the post of assistant attorney general for the Texas attorney general, working in Washington on federal cases and legislative matters. She worked in the first year of the Clinton administration in the Justice Department, under the attorney general, Janet Reno.

379


Kathryn Olson Staff Director Subcommittee on Social Security 1129 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-9263 [email protected]

Expertise: Social Security. As staff director for the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Social Security, Kathryn Olson anticipates focusing on Social Security disability backlogs and how the Social Security Administration handles claims during the second session of the 110th Congress. Olson said ensuring fairness for claimants as well as looking at administration funding issues will be a main topic. About 700,000 people are on a waiting list for hearings on their Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability claims appeals, making some of the severely disabled wait for year for their benefits, according to the committee. A hearing in May 2007 looked at hiring more administrative judges to help the problem. Identity theft and immigration will also be on the agenda as Olson also foresees looking at the role Social Security numbers themselves play in relation to privacy issues and employer verification—topics that also were part of the subcommittee’s agenda during the first session of the 110th Congress. Subcommittee chairman Michael R. McNulty, D-N.Y., held a hearing in June 2007, specifically looking at Social Security numbers and identity theft and ways to enhance security. Patrick O’Carroll, inspector general of Social Security Administration, said his office receives about 10,000 allegations of SSN misuse a year, and investigates approximately 1,500 criminal cases of misuse. He noted that schools, businesses, and state and local governments request Social Security numbers as an identifier mainly because it is convenient although may not be required by law.

Personal: Born 1964 in St. Paul, Minn.


Professional: 1986–1988, legislative asst., Rep. Martin Sabo, D-Minn. 1988–1994, professional staff, Subc. on Social Security, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1995–2001, dir. of income security, National Academy of Social Insurance. 1998–1999, staff dir., Senate Democratic Task Force on Social Security. 2001–present, staff dir., Subc. on Social Security, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

“We found that once collected, the number was used too frequently for other purposes and not always given the level of protection necessary,” O’Carroll said, adding later that Social Security numbers were “never intended to do more than track a worker’s earnings and pay that worker benefits.” “Spending billions of dollars to try and stay one step ahead of counterfeiters is not the answer,” O’Carroll said. “The answer lies in doing everything we can to ensure the integrity of the enumeration process; limit the collection, use, and public display of the SSN; encourage the protection of the SSN by those who use it legitimately; and provide meaningful sanctions for those who fail to protect it or who misuse it themselves.” It would be up to Congress to make those changes via legislation, and some bills are pending that would make a difference, O’Carroll said. Before coming to the subcommittee, Olson was staff director of the Senate Democratic Task Force on Social Security, and was formerly a senior research associate for the National Academy of Social Insurance.

380



Viji Rangaswami Deputy Staff Director Subcommittee on Trade 1104 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3625 Fax: (202) 225-2610 [email protected]

Expertise: Trade issues. Viji Rangaswami returned to Capitol Hill at the start of the 110th Congress. He continues to handle trade issues for the House Ways and Means Committee and will do the same during the second session. Rangaswami, as deputy staff director for the Trade Subcommittee will be tackling expiring trade preference programs as well as implementing free trade agreements. Committee chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y. has a bill to extend three trade preference programs scheduled to expire in 2008. The Andean trade preferences (ATPA), which would have expired in February; preferences for the Caribbean Basin (CBI) countries, which expire on September 30; and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which expires on December 31. The bill extends all three programs until September 30, 2010. The legislation also aims to fix problems with the textile provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the competitive need limitation (CNL) waiver provisions of Generalized System of Preferences. Prior to her return to the committee after the Democrats took control of Congress in 2007, Rangaswami was an associate in the Trade, Equity, and Development Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where she focused on how multilateral and regional trade agreements and unilateral preference programs could promote development, according to the organization.

Personal: Born 03/30/1971 in Louisville, Ky.

Education: B.A., Duke Univ., 1993. J.D., Duke Univ. Law School, 1996.

Professional: 1996–1998, international trade associate, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP (Washington, D.C.). 1999–2004, trade counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2005–2006, Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 2007– present, Deputy staff director, Subc. on Trade, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

Before going to Carnegie, Rangaswami was a trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, where she worked on a trade bills related to China and sub-Saharan Africa. Rangaswami also worked with the Clinton and Bush administrations to on major trade initiatives, including free trade agreements with Jordan, Chile, Singapore, Australia, and Morocco, according to the endowment. She advised members of Congress on trade negotiations, with particular emphasis on the Doha Round, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Central America, and the Southern African Customs Union. Before coming to Congress, Rangaswami was an international trade associate at the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld where she advised U.S. and foreign clients on U.S. international trade and customs law issues, U.S. trade sanctions and developments in international trade policy, and also represented clients before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission in anti-dumping proceedings. She has served as a visiting lecturer at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School. Rangaswami is a self-described “Duke basketball fanatic” who loves to cheer on the Blue Devils in her spare time.


381


Timothy M. Reif Chief Democratic Trade Counsel 1104 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-6649

Expertise: Trade, dispute resolution. Expiring Trade Preference Agreements will be the main items Tim Reif, the House Ways and Means Committee’s chief Democratic Trade Counsel, will handle during the second session of the 110th Congress. In February, committee chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y. introduced H.R. 5264, to extend three trade preference programs scheduled in 2008: The Andean trade preferences (ATPA), which would have expired in February; preferences for the Caribbean Basin (CBI) countries, which expire on September 30; and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which expires on December 31. The bill extends all three programs until September 30, 2010. Rangel said the programs “have been a centerpiece of U.S. efforts to spread the benefits of globalization to the world’s poor and developing countries” by creating jobs and business opportunities for the United States. The legislation also aims to fix problems with the textile provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the competitive need limitation (CNL) waiver provisions of Generalized System of Preferences. Reif said he will also focus on the country’s trade with China, including import safety issues, unfair trade practices and intellectual property concerns. President Bush signed a Free Trade Agreement with Peru into law during the first session of the 110th Congress and the committee will work this session to implement other trade agreements with Colombia, Korea and Panama.


Education: A.B., Princeton University, 1980. M.P.A., Princeton University, 1985. J.D., Columbia University, 1985.

Professional: 1985–1987, attorney, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy. 1987–1989, attorney/ adviser, International Trade Commission. 1989–1993, associate general counsel, U.S. Trade Representative. 1993–1995, trade counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1995–1998, special counsel, Dewey Ballantine. 1999–present, chief Democratic trade counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

Reif worked on the new trade policy unveiled in May 2007 that set up new requirements for countries wanting to enter into free trade agreements with the United States. In the nicknamed “May 10” agreement the White House along with Democrats and Republicans in Congress came to agreed that countries could not have or establish low labor or environmental rules among other provisions. The United States and the Republic of Korea signed a Free Trade Agreement on June 30, 2007, but Congress still needs to approve the plan. Trade is not a new issue for Reif, who before coming to the committee in 1999, had served in the Office of the General Counsel at both at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and at the U.S. International Trade Commission. He also worked at the committee from 1993 to 1995 in between jobs with a stop as Special Trade Counsel with Dewey Ballantine LLP in between. He holds a law degree from Columbia and a master of public affairs degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, where he also earned his undergraduate degree. He is the co-founder of KIDS TO KIDS, a nonprofit corporation that empowers youth in Washington and Uganda to work together to improve education, orphan care, and medical care. He also has held teaching positions at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and at the Georgetown University Law Center.

382



Jonathan R. Sheiner Democratic General Counsel Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. 2354 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4365 Fax: (202) 225-0816 [email protected]

Expertise: Housing, urban development, health. Jon Sheiner will continue in his role as general counsel and assistant to House Ways and Means committee chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., during the second session of the 110th Congress. Sheiner anticipates that low income housing tax credits, health care issues and overall tax policy will be his main focus for the year, particularly as Rangel pursues a major tax reform bill he introduced last October. “The more loopholes we find, the lower we can drive our income tax rate and thereby create a tax code that works for working families,” Rangel said. Rangel said his Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007 would provide tax relief to more than 90 million working families and cut the corporate tax rate to help American companies stay competitive internationally, although Republicans object to many of Rangel-proposed changes. Rangel wants to permanently eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax, a parallel income tax Congress created decades ago that will start to affect more and more people without congressional intervention. President Bush signed a temporary fix to the AMT that Congress approved late last year but Congress will need to revisit the issue again either with another so-called “patch” or with bigger changes like Rangel has proposed. The fix increase the AMT exemption amount to $66,250 for joint filers and $44,350 for single filers so no additional taxpayers have to pay the tax for 2007.


Education: B.A., George Washington University, 1971. J.D., New York University School of Law, 1974.

Professional: 1974–1977, attorney, Consolidated Edison of New York. 1977–1978, associate, Lowenstein, Newman, Rees and Axelrad. 1978–1979, asst. gen. counsel, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. 1979–1985, asst. vice president, public affairs, Consolidated Edison of New York. 1985–1995, legislative counsel, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. 1995–1998, deputy asst. secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development, congressional and Intergovernmental Relations. 1998–2007, Democratic legislative dir., Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2007–present, Democratic gen. counsel, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., House Cmte. on Ways and Means.


A big point of contention is how to pay for the AMT patch. Democrats waived their Pay-As-You-Go rules late last year in order to get the patch through. Meanwhile, President Bush signed the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 in December 2007 as a way to provide relief for homeowners with foreclosure problems. Also related to housing Sheiner said low income housing issues will continue to be on the agenda this year. With past experience at deputy assistant secretary for congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Sheiner knows housing issues and works with Rangel to develop more affordable housing for the same amount of federal investment. Sheiner was a legislative director and tax counsel for almost a decade but moved to his current position when the Democrats took control of Congress has the 2006 election. He works in Rangel’s personal office rather than in the committee office as he juggles balances Rangel’s interests for the committee as well as his New York district, which includes Harlem. He worked for Rangel from 1985 to 1995 before going to HUD.

383


Askia M. Suruma Deputy Chief of Staff 1102 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3625 Fax: (202) 225-2610 [email protected]

Expertise: Procedure, process, parliamentary issues. During the early part of the second session of the 110th Congress, Askia Suruma and the House Ways and Means Committee had to handle the White House’s proposal to stimulate the economy—the first in a long list of major items on the committee’s priority list. In late January, the House approved H.R. 5140, the Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2007. Based on taxpayers’ income, marital status and number of children, the stimulus could put as much as $1,800 back in people’s pockets. Suruma, the committee’s deputy chief of staff for the majority, said that beyond the economic stimulus legislation, committee would also be looking at the any tax provisions in the Farm Bill, and working on Free Trade Agreement bills for Columbia and other countries, as well as extending some existing trade laws in the meantime before full agreements can be put in place. During the first session of the 110th Congress, Suruma said the major items the committee had to handle were the Alternative Minimum Tax, known as the AMT, as well as reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP, which were both at the center of political debate in 2007. Funding for some additional costs of the SCHIP program came from a new tobacco tax that went through the committee. President Bush ultimately vetoed the bill and Congress has not been able to override it.

Personal: Born 04/02/1971 in Manchester, Colo.

Education: B.S., Georgetown University, 1993.

Professional: 1993, intern, Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas. 1993–1995, systems and mail manager, Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas. 1995–1998, press secretary, Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas. 1998–1999, public information officer, Small Business Administration. 1999, special projects dir., House Democratic Caucus. 1999–2001, legislative dir., Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas. 2001–2007, Democratic deputy chief of staff, House Cmte. on Rules. 2007–present, Democratic deputy chief of staff, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

For AMT, Congress approved a “patch” to the tax just before closing the first session. The one-year fix stopped the tax from reaching more taxpayers than initially intended. Congress created the AMT in 1969 initially to stop the wealthy from abusing tax deductions but because the tax is not adjusted for inflation, it would have hit more middleand upper-middle-income families 2007 returns without action from Congress. There was little argument that tax needed to be fixed, but how to handle the $50 billion in revenue that would not be collected because of the patch was a point of contention. Congress eventually passed a bill that provided the patch but did not include a specific off-set to pay for it. Suruma also was involved with the small business tax bill that helped secure a minimum wage increase that Bush signed into law. Suruma previously served as the Democratic deputy chief of staff of the House Rules Committee but moved over the House Ways and Means Committee when the Democrats took control of Congress after the 2006 election. He still serves as a liaison to the Rules Committee and the House leadership and keeps tabs on the committee from a parliamentary perspective to make sure bills can get considered on the House floor. He worked last year on getting the committee’s rules up to date.

384



Jon Traub Republican Chief Tax Counsel 1139 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-4021 Fax: (202) 225-2610 [email protected]

Expertise: Tax issues. In his second year back on Capitol Hill, Jon Traub, chief tax counsel for the Republican staff of the House Ways and Means Committee started the second session of the 110th Congress working on the economic stimulus package, which President Bush signed into law in February. The $170 billion bill is designed to encourage spending by sending $600 or $1200 checks to taxpayers, depending on their income and filing status. Traub also will handle the continuing debate on the Alternative Minimum Tax as well as energy tax credits that come before the committee. He is also the primary person on health care–related tax items and works with the Republican’s Chief Health Counsel Chuck Clapton on the frequent overlap between health care issues and their tax component, such as on health savings accounts and tax deductions for health insurance. Traub handles tax issues with about three other committee staffs and also works with the economists and the legal staff on the Joint Taxation Committee in seeking analysis on various tax proposals. In late 2007, Congress approved a one-year patch to the Alternative Minimum Tax to stop it from reaching uppermiddle-class and middle-class families. Congress created the AMT in 1969 initially to stop the wealthy from abusing tax deductions, but because the tax is not adjusted for inflation it would have hit more middle- and upper-middle-income families 2007 returns without action from Congress. Lawmakers have passed a number of temporary fixes in recent years but both parties want to see changes made.


Education: B.A., Haverford College, 1988. J.D., University of Virginia, 1994.

Professional: 1995–1999, legislative director, Rep. Greg Ganske, R-Iowa. 1999–2004, legislative counsel, Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La. 2004–2006, vice president, federal tax legislation, Securities Industry Association. 2007–present, Republican chief tax counsel, House Ways and Means Cmte.


Traub said AMT continues to be a priority for the committee as well as the “looming storm” of the AMT coupled with the expiration of about 30 different tax benefits that expired last year. Part of Traub’s focus also is dealing with the Pay-As-YouGo requirements that Democrats implemented when they took control of Congress after the 2006 election. Traub noted that Congress paid for the AMT patch signed into law last year by waiving the so-called PAYGO rules, which require Congress to offset revenue loss from tax cuts with other tax increases or reductions in spending. Traub came back Capitol Hill in 2007. He previously worked as the legislative counsel on Rep. Jim McCrery’s, RLa., office staff but from 2004 until last year Traub worked on federal tax legislation at the Securities Industry Association, which merged with the Bond Market Association in 2006 to become the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. When McCrery became the committee’s ranking member, Traub came back to the Hill, although McCrery will retire at the end of this session.

385


Matt Weidinger Republican Staff Director Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support B-316 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4021 [email protected]

Expertise: Welfare, unemployment, child programs. Disability insurance and Child Welfare reforms are just two of many topics Matt Weidinger, Republican staff director of the House Ways and Means Committee Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee will handle in the second session of the 110th Congress. Subcommittee ranking member Jerry Weller, R-Ill., was happy to see that subcommittee chairman Jim McDermott, D-Wash., included several items he has worked on related to child welfare issues in a bill McDermott introduced earlier. Weller wants to “harmonize” federal reimbursement rates for training child welfare workers, as well as provide more equitable access to foster care and adoption services for Native American children in tribal areas and increase the graduation rates of children that grow up in foster care. But Weller objects to what he calls “controversial provisions” that would reduce the federal matching rate for foster care payments in McDermott’s bill. “The chairman’s legislation also proposes a variety of ways to increase spending on child welfare programs, without proposing ways to pay for all of the additional costs,” Weller said at a hearing “We are still waiting to hear from CBO what the total cost of this proposal would be. But the likely high costs of many of the provisions in the chairman’s bill make it difficult to move this year.”

Personal: Born 1967 in Evanston, Ill.

Education: B.S., foreign service, Georgetown University, 1987. M.A., political science, University of Chicago, 1989.

Professional: 1988, paralegal, Arent Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn (Washington, D.C.) 1990–1994, senior legislative asst., Rep. Clay Shaw, RFla. 1995–1998, professional staff member, Subc. on Human Resources, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1999–2000, professional staff member, Subc. on Social Security, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2000–2001, manager of governmental affairs, USX Corp. 2001–2007, staff dir., Subc. on Human Resources, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2007–present, Republican staff dir., Subc. on Income Security and Family Support, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.

As for disability insurance, the Democrats are looking to expand unemployment insurance coverage for low-wage and part-time workers. McDermott’s Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act would provide up to $7 billion from the federal unemployment insurance trust funds to encourage, assist and reward states for removing such barriers for jobless workers, according to the committee. In previous sessions of Congress, Weidinger worked as a staff member of the Human Resources Subcommittee, which was what the subcommittee used to be called. There he helped draft the 1996 welfare law that created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF program, that provides assistance on work, cash benefits, and disability policies. He worked on the Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006, which granted a five year extension for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program, which aims to preventing child abuse, reuniting troubled families, and promoting adoption when children can’t return home. Weidinger has served on the committee staff since 1995. He departed in 2000 to become manager of government relations for USX Corp., but returned the following year. From 1990 through 1994, Weidinger was as a senior legislative assistant to Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., handling health and Social Security issues. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, and he earned his master’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago.

386



Mildeen G. Worrell Benefits Tax Counsel/Staff Director 1102 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3625 Fax: (202) 225-2610 [email protected]

Expertise: Pensions, benefits. Several tax issues dominate Mildeen Worrell’s to-do list during the second session of the 110th Congress, but she will continue to focus on pension issues too. Worrell is the benefits tax counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee and now also serves as staff director for the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. Worrell said the subcommittee serves as a mini tax committee, and has looked at the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), tax incentives for alternative energy facilities and methods, the misclassification of workers as independent contractors rather than employees, tax technical corrections, and pension technical corrections, among several other topics. With committee chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., examining a major tax overhaul this year, as well as the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts expiring, Worrell said the subcommittee will continue handling many major tax issues during the second session. Worrell anticipates the panel will consider bills aimed at addressing unreasonable fees charged to workers in their retirement plans, tax incentives for more affordable housing for working families and an overall reform of education incentives for post secondary school, and possibly K–12. During the first session, Worrell worked on the AMT patch Congress passed and President Bush ultimately signed into law, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 as well as Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax (HEART) Act of 2007

Personal: Born in Barbados.

Education: B.B.A., accounting, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1981. J.D., Boston University School of Law, 1984. LL.M., taxation, New York University School of Law, 1986.

Professional: 1986–1988, attorney/adviser, The Honorable Joel Gerber, U.S. Tax Court. 1988–1991, associate attorney, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan. 1991–2007, tax and benefits counsel, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 2008–present, benefits tax counsel/staff director, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, House Cmte. on Ways and Means.


The HEART ACT will give $2 billion in tax relief for members of the military as well as volunteer firefighters, according to the committee. Through the new law, combat pay can be used as earned income for purposes of claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit. It also makes veterans eligible for low-interest home loans. The law also clarifies that rebates of state and local taxes for volunteer firefighters and that reimbursements for expenses incurred in the line of duty by volunteer firefighters are not taxable, according to a summary of the bill. As for pensions, Worrell will continue to look at the pension gap between workers who have pensions and those who do not as well as the disparity of retirement benefits for corporate executives and rank-and-file workers. In 2006, Worrell was heavily involved in the Pension Protection Act, which rewrote many of the rules on pensions for employers and employees across all industries. It sought to stabilize existing defined benefit plans, and give employers and employees a broad range of options and incentives for encouraging retirement savings.

387

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence H-405, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-7690 Fax: (202) 225-1991 http://intelligence.house.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 11/9 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Silvestre Reyes, TX-16th, Chairman

Peter Hoesktra, MI-2nd, Ranking Member

Leonard L. Boswell, IA-3rd Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, AL-5th Anna Eshoo, CA-14th Rush D. Holt, NJ-12th C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, MD-2nd John Tierney, MA-6th Mike Thompson, CA-1st Janice Schakowsky, IL-9th Jim Langevin, RI-2nd Patrick Murphy, PA-8th

Terry Everett, AL-2nd Elton Gallegly, CA-24th Heather Wilson, NM-1st Mac Thornberry, TX-13th John McHugh, NY-23rd Todd Tiahrt, KS-4th Mike Rogers, MI-8th Darrell Issa, CA-49th


389

HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT ON INTELLIGENCE In December 2005, The New York Times revealed that the Bush administration had allowed the National Security Agency to—without a warrant—surreptitiously listen to phone calls discussing potential terrorist activity that were made or routed through the United States. Then, late last year, CIA director Michael Hayden revealed the agency had destroyed videotapes showing the interrogation of suspected terrorists, saying the tapes “posed a security risk.” Both incidents jarred the intelligence community, at least temporarily. And now the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence continues to deal with the aftermath of the two incidents. Congress passed the Protect America Act in August to temporarily supplement the original law overseeing the collection of foreign intelligence, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. Both houses continued to work toward permanently resolving the issue in the coming months, but the Senate bill, passed in February, gave legal protection to phone companies that cooperate with the eavesdropping. The November House bill did not, and the two bodies were unable to reconcile their bills before the Protect America Act lapsed in mid-February. The president and congressional Republicans blasted Democratic leadership in the House for not quickly adopting the Senate’s provisions. But the leadership refused to back down, and a bid to extend the Protect America Act was voted down. No further action had been taken on the bill by March. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, downplayed the scrap, saying the expiration of the Protect America Act “does not mean we are somehow vulnerable again.” Meanwhile, the panel is also gearing up for an investigation into the videotape destruction. After the committee held a closed-door meeting with Hayden in January, its ranking member, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., said Jose Rodriguez, the official who ordered the destruction of the tapes, did so against the orders of his superiors. Staffers on both sides of the aisle hope for a thorough yet quick inquiry. “It’s been a while since we’ve had an investigation of this nature,” said Mike Delaney, majority staff director of the House panel. But “we can’t get bogged down.” Delaney’s minority counterpart, Jim Lewis, also hopes for an evenhanded inquiry. “I know what can happen when an investigation’s done in a bipartisan fashion,” said Lewis, a former staffer on the Senate/House Joint Inquiry into the September 11th attacks. “And I know what can go awry when one’s done in a purely partisan manner.”

390


HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT ON INTELLIGENCE

Mike Delaney Staff Director H-405, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-4121 Fax: (202) 225-1991 [email protected]

Expertise: Intelligence issues. For the last two years, Mike Delaney has watched intelligence authorization bills flounder in Congress, never making it out of conference. This year was a different story. The 2008 Intelligence Authorization Act not only passed the House in December, it also was approved by the Senate in February. But despite that progress, the authorization bill almost certainly will not become law for a third consecutive year. President Bush promised to veto the bill after it passed the Senate because it prohibits the use of waterboarding and other interrogation methods. Still, Delaney, who has made the passage of the authorization a major goal the last few years, says the House and Senate action constituted real progress. “This being the first authorization with the Democrats in the majority, there was definitely some differences of opinion” on how to best proceed, Delaney said. “This is much better, but we’re still not where we want to be.” The authorization limits the CIA to the 19 interrogation techniques found in the U.S. Army Manual—meaning that, in addition to waterboarding, electric shock, forced nudity and other practices would be forbidden. The bill included funding to hunt Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda operatives and to give troops currently in Iraq and Afghanistan up-todate intelligence. But it also incorporates additional funding for research and development and the hiring and training of linguists to help the intelligence community battle lesser-known foes.

Personal: Born 11/1956 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Education: B.A., psychology, George Mason University. M.A., national security, Naval War College.

Professional: Active duty, U.S. Army. National Security Agency. 2005–2007, professional staff, House Permanent Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2007–present, staff director, House Permanent Select Cmte. on Intelligence.

Committee chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Tex., “is continually concerned about the unknown, the over-the-horizon threats,” Delaney said. “We took our eye off Afghanistan in the past” and it came back to bite us, Delaney said, adding that areas like Africa and Latin America are constantly changing. The House authorization also included funding for an estimate on how global climate change might have national security implications. But, since a National Intelligence Assessment of the issue was already underway, the estimate was replaced in conference. The issues in the final authorization are unlikely to return to the forefront any time soon. Congress is unlikely to override the president’s veto, and Delaney does not know when the authorization could be considered again. With a packed schedule that includes examining the president’s budget and updating the law governing surveillance—not to mention investigating the CIA destruction of interrogation videotapes and any other yet to be revealed intelligence issue—the annual authorization will be just one issue the committee needs to tackle. “We’ve got a lot of issues running on parallel paths,” Delaney said. “It’s a very full boat.”


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HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT ON INTELLIGENCE

James Lewis Republican Staff Director H-405, U.S. Capitol Phone: (202) 225-7690 Fax: (202) 226-5068 [email protected]

Expertise: Intelligence issues. After shuttling to the executive branch for a few years, Jim Lewis returned in 2005 for a second stint on the Republican staff of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, and last year ascended to minority staff director. Lewis, also a former intelligence operative, said his break from the legislative branch will serve him well in his second stint with the committee. His tenure as chief of operations for a U.S. Embassy team advising the Iraqi Ministry of Interior “reenergized how I look at issues,” Lewis said. “It’s allowed me to look at things with a fresh set of eyes.” Lewis said he especially is glad to be back working with members of Congress, who he believes are among the most effective checks and balances on the intelligence community and can help secure sufficient funding for intelligence agencies. “Directors of national intelligence, cabinet secretaries, even presidents—those come and go constantly,” Lewis said. “Representatives can be around for 10, 20, even 30 years. They can make sure progress is continued.” At least at first glance, Lewis believes that progress has been continued in the president’s latest and last budget. He added it was premature to cast too many judgments, but that “it looks like some of the pounding of the table” that Lewis said the intelligence community instigated about inadequate funding levels during the 1990s is being heard.

Personal: Born in Boston, Mass.

Education: B.A., with honors, legal studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1987.

Professional: 1984–1991, infantry officer/counterinsurgency officer, U.S. Army. 1991–2001, senior operations officer, Central Intelligence Agency. 2001–2004, professional staff member, House Permanent Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2005, senior intelligence adviser/senior advisor for counterterrorism and special operations, Iraqi Ministry of Interior. 2005, Chief of Operations, U.S. Embassy, Baghdad. 2006–2007, staff director, Subc. on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence, House Permanent Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2007–present, Republican staff director, House Permanent Select Cmte. on Intelligence.

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Lewis said increased funds could be necessary to battle a host of potential emerging threats, which the committee discussed in a February hearing with director of national intelligence Mike McConnell; Gen. Michael Hayden, director of the Central Intelligence Agency; and other executive branch officials. In the hearing, McConnell singled out the Sudan, Kenya and Nigeria as possible trouble areas, while Lewis notes that threats like Russia, China, Syria, and Iran are potentially retooling. Al Qaeda and North Korea still deserve the most serious attention as well, Lewis added. As the Intelligence Committee’s ranking member, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., put it at the hearing: “Obviously, there are more hotspots than what we care to think about, but they are real and they’re there.” But Lewis believes the members of Congress he works for are capable of helping keep the country safe. “Nothing stays constant” in intelligence, Lewis said, and “new policies are needed to adapt to new threats.” “But I’m amazed to see how much some of these same members have learned since I was last here,” he added. “They’re clearly here to make sure the intelligence community doesn’t fall down on the job.”


Select Committee on Energy Independence B243 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4012 Fax: (202) 225-4092 http://globalwarming.house.gov/ Ratio: 9/6 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Ed Markey, MA-7th, Chairman

F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., WI-5th, Ranking Member

Earl Blumenauer, OR-3rd Jay Inslee, WA-1st John Larson, CT-1st Hilda Solis, CA-32nd Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, SD-1st Emanuel Cleaver, MO-5th John Hall, NY-19th Jerry McNerney, CA-11th


John Shadegg, AZ-3rd Greg Walden, OR-2nd John Sullivan, OK-1st Marsha Blackburn, TN-7th Candice Miller, MI-10th

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United States Senate

‘’The Almanac of the Unelected profiles the career histories of the staff of the United States Senate—a group of tireless professionals who work behind-the-scenes on important policy matters for the American people. On behalf of the Democratic caucus, I am grateful to these outstanding men and women who are helping us shape legislation on a range of issues from economic development to education and health care.” —Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

“I commend the congressional staff for the important role they play in helping members ensure that their constituents are being heard on Capitol Hill. They are some of the Nation’s brightest and I appreciate all they do for the American people.” —Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConneIl, R-Ky.

“Capitol Hill staff are a group of talented, hard-working and dedicated professionals who work with our elected leaders to create policy solutions dealing with our nation’s most difficult challenges. I commend The Almanac of the Unelected for focusing on the career achievements of these impressive individuals.” —Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-IL.

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Leadership http://www.senate.gov/

MAJORITY MEMBERS Harry Reid, NV, Democratic Leader Robert C. Byrd, WV, President Pro Tempore Richard Durbin, IL, Majority Whip Charles Schumer, NY, Chairman, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Patty Murray, WA, Chairman, Democratic Conference Byron Dorgan, ND, Chairman, Democratic Policy Committee Debbie Stabenow, MI, Chairman, Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee Barbara Boxer, CA, Chief Deputy Democratic Whip

MINORITY MEMBERS Mitch McConnell, KY, Republican Leader Jon Kyl, AZ, Minority Whip Kay Bailey Hutchinson, TX, Chairman, Republican Policy Committee John Ensign, NV, Chairman, National Republican Senatorial Committee Lamar Alexander, TN, Chairman, Republican Conference John Cornyn, TX, Vice Chairman, Senate Republican Conference


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SENATE LEADERSHIP After a year of intense partisan warfare in the Senate, expectations of major legislative accomplishments are low heading into 2008. Indeed, Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the Senate Democratic Caucus have largely adopted a public relations strategy that attempts to deliver two messages. One: Democrats are trying to get the people’s work done. Two: Republicans are stopping them. One of the central themes that Reid has attempted to hammer home in the early months of 2008 has been the record-breaking pace of GOP-led filibusters on the Senate floor. Reid includes in his tally bills that were blocked initially but eventually became law, because he says the Republicans are not just out to stop legislation, they also want to delay things they know they can’t stop. On the other hand, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has bristled at the notion that Republicans are filibustering bills in record numbers, saying Reid has not attempted to bring bipartisan measures to the floor and repeatedly refuses to permit Republicans to offer the amendments they want to debate. McConnell has also complained that Reid spent too much time during 2007 having repeated, failed votes on drawing down troops in Iraq. The result was gridlock in the Senate for much of 2007, with an immigration reform bill becoming one of the most high profile victims to partisan squabbling. Even when Reid has succeeded in pushing measures through chamber, he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have faced President Bush’s veto pen numerous times and failed in almost every instance to override the veto. One bright spot for Reid in 2008 came when the economy reared its ugly head, and Democrats and Republicans temporarily put aside the vicious partisan sniping in order to pass an economic stimulus bill that promises to send tax rebate checks to low- and middle-income tax filers by this summer. Still, Reid has been beset by the absence of key senators who have been either running for president or recovering from illnesses, making it more difficult for him to muster the 60 votes needed to beat back Republican blockades. After all, Reid has the narrowest of majorities, with just 51 Democrats to 49 Republicans, and the elongated primary fight between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., for the Democratic presidential nod has kept those two absent for much of 2007 and the first half of 2008. Added to that is how the presidential race has both focused on the Senate—considering Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is the presumptive GOP nominee—and kept the spotlight away from many of the esoteric maneuverings of and legislation in the chamber. That dynamic has made the Senate one the main stages for presidential politics to play out, with reporters focused more on Obama and Clinton’s quest for superdelegate votes at the national convention than they are on the measures the Senate is voting on. Of course, Reid and McConnell have been trying to make the chamber’s politics hospitable to their candidates by trying to force issues that reflect well on the party as a whole and their candidates’ positions. Even so, Reid has laid out a relatively modest agenda for the year that includes patent reform, energy tax incentives, addressing the housing crisis, passing a budget resolution, and addressing specific health care issues, such as mental health.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Richard A. Baker Historian 201 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6900 [email protected]

Expertise: Senate history, U.S. history. Senate historian Richard A. Baker—appropriately for his position—believes in the enduring power of the Senate and the U.S. Congress’ long-standing traditions. “The building’s marble and sandstone halls echo with loud stories, whispered stories, stories told in English and in a multitude of other languages,” writes Baker in his latest book, 200 Notable Days: Senate Stories, 1787 to 2002. “Knowing that individual visitors may come to Capitol Hill only once in a lifetime, these hosts rely on historical vignettes to enliven the experience,” he writes. Baker has been the Senate’s keeper of history long enough to become a part of that history himself. With more than three decades’ worth of first-hand knowledge of the Senate’s workings, he’s often sought out by those outside the chamber to help decipher the rich traditions of the nation’s upper legislative chamber. Over the past four years, Baker and his staff have helped to develop historical scripts for the theaters and exhibition galleries of the new Capitol Visitor Center. The nine-person Senate Historical Office, led by Baker and assistant historians Donald Ritchie and Betty Koed, is “above all, an information office for and about the Senate,” said Baker. “We provide information to members, to staff, to teachers and students across the country, to scholars, to journalists,” he said.

Personal: Born 03/18/1940 in Stoneham, Mass.

Education: B.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1962. M.A., Michigan State University, 1965. M.S., Columbia University, 1968. Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1982.

Professional: 1968–1969, American history specialist, Library of Congress. 1969–1970, acting curator of art and antiquities, U.S. Senate. 1970–1975, research director, Government Research Corporation. 1975–present, historian, U.S. Senate.

The office workload falls into two categories. “One is answering e-mails and phone calls that vary according to what’s hot in the news. If there’s a hot Supreme Court nomination and journalists need to get a crash course on what’s going on [the office is a resource],” he said. The other primary task is project work, he said. The newly updated Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, revised for the first time since 1989, is an example of an ongoing project that enriches understanding of the Senate. Baker said answers to about 90 percent of questions people have on the Senate and its history are on the Senate Web pages. There are many historical resources available through the office’s Web site, including “This Week in Senate History,” a collection of anecdotes tracing the history of the Senate through specific weeks and years; the Senate’s oral history project, which includes personal recollections of careers within the Senate and discussions of how Congress has changed over the years; and historical statistics and photographs that detail the history of the U.S. Senate.” Baker got his start as an American history specialist at the Library of Congress in 1968 and worked his way up over the years to the Senate historian position, which he has held for more than 30 years.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Scott Bensing Executive Director National Republican Senatorial Committee 425 Second Street NE Phone: (202) 675-6000 Fax: (202) 675-6058

Expertise: Political management, legislative affairs. Scott Bensing has one of the least sought-after jobs in Washington: executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in an election cycle in which Republicans are widely expected to lose seats in the Senate. In fact, Bensing and his boss, NRSC chairman John Ensign, R-Nev., were faced at the beginning of 2007 with a daunting 21 seats to defend to the Democrats’ 12. By the end of the year, however, they were looking at 23 seats to protect with the surprise retirement of Senate minority whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., and the death of Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo. Still, Bensing remains cautiously optimistic. “While the overall landscape has gotten worse in terms of the number of seats we’re defending, certain individual races are going very well,” he said, noting that several of the incumbents that were considered most vulnerable last year continue to lead in their states’ polls. He added that he’s encouraged by the fact that Republicans are also playing offense in a couple of states with vulnerable Democrats. “We’re making sure expectations are reasonable, while still providing a lot of hope,” Bensing said. “People don’t expect a whole lot, but we’re going to exceed those expectations.” As NRSC executive director, Bensing leads a staff tasked with helping GOP Senate candidates to run successful campaigns. First, that entails recruiting candidates to run against Democrats or in open seats. Once the candidates are in place, the next task, Bensing said, is helping them get their campaigns “up and running” and making sure that they “aren’t spending too much money too early.”

Personal: Born 11/25/1966 in Providence, R.I.

Education: B.S., political science, United States Naval Academy, 1988. M.A., public administration, American University, 1997.

Professional: 1989–1991, surface warfare officer, U.S.S. David R. Ray. 1992, aide to NATO commodore. 1993–1995, congressional liaison, Secretary of the Navy. 1995–1998, legislative director, Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev. 1999, legislative director, Rep. Steve Largent, R-Okla. 1999–2001, deputy campaign manager, John Ensign for Senate. 2001–2007, chief of staff, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. 2007–present, executive director, National Republican Senatorial Cmte.

The NRSC also helps candidates by providing them with a list of campaign vendors, particularly those that build Web sites and online donation sites, Bensing said. The NRSC also provides assistance in finding experienced campaign staffers. Bensing said the demise of several GOP presidential campaigns in early 2008 created a “huge influx of people” hoping to work on promising Senate campaigns. Bensing, who served as Ensign’s chief of staff, was also legislative director during his tenure in the House of Representatives. He also served as deputy campaign manager and policy director on Ensign’s Senate campaign. Bensing is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy; his military career included in-theater service in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, flag aide to the commodore of the NATO Naval Force, and legislative liaison officer to the secretary of the Navy. When he left the Navy in 1995, he worked as Ensign’s legislative director. He also served as legislative director for Rep. Steve Largent, R-Okla.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Barry C. Black Chaplain of the United States Senate S-332, The Capitol Phone: (202) 225-3489

Expertise: Public speaking, counseling. As Senate Chaplin, Rear Adm. Barry Black (Ret.) is the pastor to all 100 U.S. Senators, their families, and nearly 7,000 Senate employees—a position he described as “the highest ecclesiastical pulpit in America.” As such, Black not only opens the Senate each day with a prayer. He also serves as an unofficial adviser, confidant, and spiritual mentor to the Senate community. Black hosts a weekly prayer breakfast and five Bible studies each week—one for senators only; one for their spouses; one for chiefs of staff; and two that are open to everyone. “We do feed them,” Black joked about his ability to attract Bible-study attendees. In addition, Black holds several 10-week spiritual mentoring classes each year, which he limits to 10 people per class. That gives him the ability, he said, to “mentor them and take them to another level that I can’t do in bible study.” But he also, on occasion, offers advice on legislative matters. When then-Senate majority leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., was contemplating legislation to prevent Terri Schaivo from being taken off life support during the high-profile 2005 debate about the Florida woman’s fate, he sought out Black’s counsel. Black said he advised Frist that “the sanctity of life was the critical issue. I thought, if you’re going to make an error, then why not make it on the side of caution.” The Senate did end up passing legislation that effectively extended Schiavo’s life, but her husband later succeeded in taking her off life support.

Personal: Born 1948 in Baltimore, Md.

Education: B.A., theology, Oakwood College, 1970. Master of Divinity, Andrews Theological Seminary, 1973. M.A., counseling, North Carolina Central University, 1978. Th.D., ministry, Eastern Baptist Seminary, 1982. M.A., management, Salve Regina University, 1989. Ph.D., Psychology, United States International University, 1996.

Professional: 1976–2003, chaplain, U.S. Navy. 2003– present, chaplain, U.S. Senate.

In August of 2006, Black’s book, From the Hood to The Hill, was released. In it, Black writes, “When we give our hearts in total trust to God, He awakens in us a faith that will expect the unexpected. We no longer have to settle for second best and marginal living.” Black encourages our nation’s leaders to spend more time alone with God, reading, praying, and memorizing scripture. He admonishes them to practice the spiritual disciplines. Central to his message is his axiom, “It’s about others ... not that man or that woman in the mirror.” On June 27, 2003, Black made history by becoming the first African American Senate Chaplin. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Black served in the U.S. Navy for over 27 years, ending his career as the chief of Navy chaplains. Black has received many awards over the years, including the 1995 NAACP Renowned Service Award for his contribution to equal opportunity and civil rights, and the 2002 Benjamin Elijah Mays Distinguished Leadership Award from the Morehouse School of Religion. In addition to earning master of arts degrees in divinity, counseling, and management, he has received a doctorate degree in ministry and a doctor of philosophy degree in psychology.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Chuck Cooper Staff Director Senate Democratic Policy Committee 419 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4637 Fax: (202) 228-3432

Expertise: Policy development. As staff director of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, Thomas Charles Cooper looked in 2008 to helping the party prepare for the general elections and to pressing ahead with investigations of contractor abuse in Iraq. Chuck Cooper, as he is known, works for Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.Dak., the DPC chairman, as well as for Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the majority leader, to help the Senate Democratic Caucus advance its policy agenda. The DPC also provides research and legislative support and, from time to time, mounts high-profile investigations from a Democratic vantage point. The allegations of contractor fraud in Iraq have been a staple of DPC inquiries since before the Democrats regained majority control of the Senate in 2007. The DPC has also looked into the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, pre-war intelligence failures, continuing homeland security vulnerabilities, the economy, health care, deficit spending, and Social Security. Cooper said the Iraq probes would continue in the second session of the 110th Congress. Closely related to the DPC’s own investigators is the help it gives to Democratic investigators on other committees, including historical and legal resources. The policy committee has also reached out to Democratic state legislators to share best practices and ideas about policy, strategy, and conveying the party’s message. In the same vein, the DPC staff confers with executive branch agencies, state and local government officials, think tanks, and policy experts around the country.


Education: B.A., political science and English, Miami University (Ohio), 1983. J.D., Case Western Reserve University, 1986. M.S., public mgmt., New York University, 1996.

Professional: 1986–1996, attorney, Smith, Marshall and Weaver (Cleveland, Ohio). 1996–1997, legislative asst., Rep. Sherrod Brown, DOhio. 1997–2000, general counsel and deputy staff director, Senate Democratic Policy Cmte. 2000–present, staff director, Senate Democratic Policy Cmte.

Under Cooper, the DPC has critiqued Bush administration budgets, including proposed Medicare premium levels and reimbursement rates, as well as financing levels for health care, education, job training, and law enforcement. This year, the DPC’s message work has focused on the faltering economy, health care and national security—all areas with some potential advantage for Democrats. The DPC also planned to continue its new online video project, which produces short clips of Democratic senators on the Senate floor, at press conferences and at committee hearings. The clips are made available for distribution on the Internet. Cooper came to Washington in 1996 to work as a legislative assistant for then-Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. The next year, he joined the DPC, first as a policy adviser; he later became general counsel, deputy staff director, and finally director in 2000. Cooper is a former trial attorney at the Cleveland firm of Smith, Marshall, and Weaver. He is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio and of Case Western Reserve University’s law school. He holds a master’s degree in public and nonprofit management from New York University.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Lula Johnson Davis Secretary for the Majority Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-309, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-3735

Expertise: Senate procedure. After working in the Senate Democratic cloakroom for over 20 years, Lula Davis finally made it to the top in 2008. With the departure of longtime Democratic secretary Martin Paone early in the year, Davis was promoted to the official title of secretary for the majority. Like Paone, Davis has helped the Democratic caucus maneuver through Senate parliamentary procedures during good times and bad, serving in the cloakroom when the Democrats were in the majority in the 1980s and early1990s, when they lost the majority in 1994, when they briefly returned to power in 2001, and then went back to the minority in 2003. Flush from their victories in 2006, Democrats now control a majority in both chambers for the first time since the 103rd Congress, and they are expected to keep it for at least the next few years. But despite the Democrats’ current 51-49 advantage over Republican senators, 60 votes are often required to bring measures to the floor for a vote. The Senate’s unique rule for the “unanimous consent” of all 100 senators before moving forward forces Davis to negotiate almost continually with the Republican side in the form of the secretary for the minority, David Schiappa. Davis is often required to walk senators through parliamentary procedures, and her knowledge of Senate rules is counted on to aid Senate majority leader Harry Reid, DNev., and Senate Democrats push their agenda through the narrowly divided chamber.

Personal: Born in Fordoche, La.

Education: B.S., Southern University and A&M College, 1968. M.Ed., Southern University and A&M College, 1977.

Professional: 1978–1979, business education teacher, Livonia High School, Livonia, La. 1979–1980, business education teacher, Poydras High School, New Roads, La. 1980–1987, legislative correspondent/ legislative assistant, Sen. Russell Long, DLa. 1987–1993, floor office assistant, Senate Democratic Policy Cmte. 1993–1997, chief floor assistant to the Democratic leader, Senate Democratic Policy Cmte. 1997– 2008, assistant Democratic secretary, Senate Democratic Policy Cmte. 2008–present, secretary for the majority, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Davis’s duties also include helping inexperienced Democrats speak on the floor and offer legislation; coordinating the timing of Democratic amendments; supervising the cloakroom; and—perhaps most importantly—helping Democrats devise parliamentary strategies to advance their agenda. Davis and her staff help senators follow floor debate by giving them legislative summaries. The cloakroom also keeps records for the Democratic caucus and organizes weekly gatherings for senators and senior staff when the Senate is in session. Another part of Davis job is to handle Democratic appointments to commissions and boards created by statute. During her years as assistant Democratic secretary, Davis was responsible for clearing all unanimous consent requests. She has said that she must have cleared perhaps thousands of requests to name days, weeks and months after innumerable senators’ pet causes. “You name it, I have cleared it,” she has said. She also has said that she has enjoyed every minute of her time working on the Senate floor, with one caveat. “Perhaps some of those really late nights were not enjoyable, especially if we had a long quorum call,” she has said. Davis began her career in her native Louisiana as a business education teacher. She got her start in politics in the office of Sen. Russell B. Long, D-La., in 1980.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Nancy Erickson Secretary of the Senate U.S. Capitol Phone: (202) 224-3622

Expertise: Administration, management. Nancy Erickson’s expertise in management and administration is put to perhaps its biggest test in her position as secretary of the Senate. Her office oversees 26 departments that provide legislative, financial, and administrative services to the Senate. Plus, every act passed by the Senate is examined and signed by the secretary of the Senate. “I am humbled by this opportunity to serve the Senate in this manner. It is a privilege to work with the secretary’s staff who have a wealth of institutional knowledge and take great pride in serving the Senate,” Erickson has said. One of her most important roles is to ensure that the Senate can perform it’s constitutional responsibilities under any circumstance, a task that took on new importance in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Continuity of Congress plans were revised following that event. Erickson manages a vast array of legislative offices that fall under the jurisdiction of her office, including the Senate parliamentarian, the bill clerk, the legislative clerk, the official reporters of debates, the Daily Digest, the Captioning Services Office, the Disbursing Office, Printing and Document Services, and a variety of other offices that support the daily operation of the Senate.

Personal: Born 12/12/1961 in St. Paul, Minn.

Education: B.A., government and history, Augustana College, 1984. M.A., public policy, American University, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1988, General Accounting Office (GAO)/Federal Communications Commission (FCC)/Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 1988–1994, professional staff member, Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 1988, presidential management intern, Health Care Financing Administration, Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1994–2005, deputy chief of staff, Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 2006– 2007, Democratic representative, Senate Sergeant at Arms. 2007–present, secretary, U.S. Senate.

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But Erickson is no newcomer to the workings of the Senate. She became a professional staff member for former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak., before he vaulted into the Senate Democratic leadership ranks. After a stint at the Health Care Financing Administration, Erickson returned to Daschle’s office as deputy chief of staff just as the senator was rising to the top of his party’s leadership. In 2006, Erickson was appointed as the Democratic representative to the Senate sergeant at arms. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., appointed her to the secretary of the Senate position when Democrats took control of the chamber at the start of 2007. Though she has worked for Democrats and was appointed by Reid, the secretary of the Senate has a nonpartisan role serving all 100 senators and ensuring the smooth functioning of the legislative body. A native of Daschle’s home state of South Dakota, Erickson got her bachelors degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls and completed her masters at American University.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Alan Frumin Senate Parliamentarian S-133, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-6128

Expertise: Parliamentary procedure. From his perch on the Senate dais, Alan Frumin acts as the Senate’s referee, making the calls that keep the chamber running smoothly day-to-day. “I’m honored by the fact that we are the custodians of the Senate rules and procedures,” Frumin has said. “The way the rules and procedures are set reflect the culture of the institution and it’s an honor to be in charge.” As lead parliamentarian, Frumin is the Senate’s nonpartisan adviser on the interpretation of its rules and procedures for all 100 members. Chiefly, Frumin and his staff sit just below the chamber’s presiding officer—a senator from the majority party or the vice president, on the occasions when he presides. Frumin’s job is large part is to guide the presiding officer’s responses to parliamentary inquiries and other procedural matters. Frumin and his staff also help senators vet amendments to determine if they are germane and provide confidential advice on how to use the chamber’s rules to their advantage. The Senate parliamentarian serves at the pleasure of the Senate majority leader, and functions under the direction of the secretary of the Senate as a nonpartisan employee of the Senate. Frumin says he’s had the good fortune to work under Sens. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., John Mitchell, D-Maine, Robert Dole R-Kans., Trent Lott, R-Miss., Tom Daschle, DS.Dak., Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and now the current majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid.


Education: B.A., Colgate University, 1968. J.D., Georgetown University, 1971.

Professional: 1974–1977, editor, Deschler’s Precedence of the House of Representatives. 1977–1987, asst. parliamentarian, U.S. Senate. 1987–1995, parliamentarian, U.S. Senate. 1995–2001, asst. parliamentarian, U.S. Senate. 2001– present, parliamentarian, U.S. Senate.

“I’ve worked for both Republicans and Democrats,” Frumin has said. “The change in party affiliation doesn’t affect us, no matter who’s in charge.” That wasn’t true for Frumin’s predecessor, Robert Dove, who was ousted by Lott over his advice on budget bills. Still, Frumin has had his fair share of run-ins with leaders displeased by his rulings. Just last year, Frumin ruled against Reid, D-Nev., who had argued that a recent rules change barring so-called “air-dropped” provisions in conference committees did not apply to bills that were coupled. Frumin’s entire career has been in directing parliamentary practice. He began in 1974 by editing Deschler’s Precedents of the House of Representatives, a House parliamentary procedure manual. After joining the Senate parliamentarian’s office in 1977, Frumin revised the official book of Senate procedure, a task which is required periodically. Parliamentarians have typically served in their positions for long periods, and Frumin has been around for three decades. Sitting parliamentarians hire their own assistants, and for decades, those assistants have advanced to the position of parliamentarian when a vacancy has occurred. This tradition literally protects the institutional knowledge, he said.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Terrance W. Gainer Sergeant at Arms S-151, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2341 [email protected]

Expertise: Security, law enforcement, emergency preparedness. When Terrance Gainer became Senate sergeant at arms in 2007, he was no stranger on Capitol Hill, having served as chief of the Capitol Police from 2002 to 2006. But his return was nevertheless eventful, as Gainer and other security officials had to deal with a bizarre string of events. First, a series of small fires broke out in Senate office buildings in fall 2007, mostly in ladies restrooms. At least 16 blazes took place, and several required evacuations—although all were quickly extinguished and caused minor damage. The U.S. Attorney eventually charged Capitol police officer Karen Emory in connection with the fires; she later pleaded not guilty in federal court. On January 18, Capitol Police arrested a man for allegedly carrying a loaded shotgun and a slew of other weapons near the Capitol. Officials also shutdown several streets surrounding the congressional campus as police investigated a pickup truck associated with the suspect, later identified as seven-time convicted felon Michael Gorbey. Gorbey pleaded not guilty to the charge of a felon in possession of a firearm in Superior Court the day after his arrest. Although the Capitol Police department is the agency charged with being on the front lines of Capitol security, Gainer is the chief law enforcement officer of the Senate. He oversees the Capitol Police as a member of the Capitol Police Board (along with the House sergeant at arms and architect of the capitol), and also serves as the Senate doorkeeper, charged with maintaining order on the Senate floor.


Education: B.A., St. Benedict’s College, 1969. M.A., DePaul University, 1976. J.D., DePaul University, 1980.

Professional: 1968–1984, officer, Chicago Police Dept. 1968–1979, homicide detective, Chicago Police Dept. 1981–1984, chief legal counsel, Chicago Police Dept. 1984–1987, deputy inspector general, State of Illinois. 1987–1989, deputy director, Illinois State Police. 1991–1998, director, Illinois State Police. 1998–2002, assistant chief of police, Metropolitan Police Dept. 2002–2006, chief of police, Capitol Police Dept. 2006, chief executive officer, Blue Falcon Solutions, LLC. 2007–present, sergeant at arms, U.S. Senate.

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Gainer works with agencies such as the FBI and Secret Service on with security plans for special events, such as the State of the Union address, presidential inaugurations, orientation services for new senators and providing police escorts for dignitaries. When the president and other top officials visit the Capitol, Gainer often serves as an escort. Gainer also is expected to assist with security preparations for the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, which are usually well attended by members of Congress and thus require preparations from congressional security officials. The sergeant at arms is the largest office in the Senate, in terms of size of staff, and not everything the office handles is security-focused. Gainer’s team also is responsible for Senate computer and technology services, assisting Senate offices with staffing, mailing, purchasing and other needs, and overseeing the Senate press galleries.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Carolyn Gluck Senior Policy Adviser Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. SC-8, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2158 [email protected]

Expertise: Public health, women’s issues, seniors, and aging. Senior policy adviser Carolyn Gluck’s management of public health and reproductive issues in 2007 for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., reflected the challenge that even the most determined legislative leadership can face when checked by the power of the presidential veto. On one issue after another—human stem cell research, medicine-related appropriations, children’s health—Reid sought during the first session of the 110th Congress to translate the mandate of the 2006 elections into legislative progress with a Democratic stamp on it. But in all these areas, President Bush’s use or threat of the veto frustrated the new majority. Stem cell research—an issue in the elections that restored the Democrats to power—was also a top item in Gluck’s portfolio. Reid introduced S. 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, on the first day of the new Congress, in hopes of building support for a veto override effort that had failed in 1996. Current stem cell policy forbids the use of federal research funds except on the 21 stem cell lines created before Bush’s executive order on the subject in 2001. Reid proposed to expand federal research to include new lines derived from surplus embryos that would otherwise be discarded by fertility clinics. His bill also set ethical guidelines for the research, which he viewed as offering hope to Americans suffering from a variety of debilitating conditions. The version eventually sent to the president included an olive branch: language encouraging the alternative research that Bush favors on stem cells derived from adult tissue.


Education: B.A., University of Michigan, 1996.

Professional: 1996–1997, staff asst., Sen. Harry Reid, DNev. 1997, legislative corresp., Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 1997–2003, legislative asst., Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2003–2005, deputy legislative dir., Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2005–present, senior policy adviser, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Bush vetoed the bill in June. Lacking the votes for an override, Democrats at first included their stem-cell language in the appropriation for the Labor and Health and Human Services Departments, a bill that Gluck handled for Reid. As the year wore on, Democrats stripped the stem cell clause from the “Labor-H” appropriation, in another bid for compromise. Bush vetoed it anyway (on grounds unrelated to the stem cell debate) so the health agency’s appropriation had to be folded into an omnibus spending bill that covered most cabinet departments. Reid did attend in the omnibus bill to improved funding for national health programs and for programs that are important to Nevada. Meanwhile, researchers have reported promising results from adult stem cells—the research path that Bush prefers—so the legislative outlook is uncertain. A University of Michigan graduate and Senate veteran, Gluck has spent her entire career on Reid’s staff, rising from legislative assistant to his top aide on health and reproductive issues.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Bob Greenawalt Senior Tax Adviser Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-221, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2158 Fax: (202) 224-7362 [email protected]

Expertise: Taxes, pensions. Senate Democrats moved early in the 110th Congress on their “6 for ‘06” campaign platform, tightening budgetbalancing rules and drafting the first big increase in more than a decade in the programs that help American families pay for college. Both programs are in the portfolio of Bob Greenawalt, who advises majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on tax and economic policy issues. Soon after reclaiming majorities in both houses, Democrats redeemed their 2006 promise to restore fiscal discipline in the form of “pay-go”—Pay-As-You-Go rules requiring every spending or tax-cutting initiative to have an offsetting tax hike or spending cut. At Reid’s direction, the Senate folded the pay-go rule into its annual budget resolution in May. He managed to keep the lid on until the end of the session, when the Senate passed—without a pay-go offset—a popular change in the alternative minimum tax to curb the creep of the levy into ever-lower tax brackets. Pay-go is a gift that keeps on giving—at least from the budget hawk’s vantage point. It forced Congress to make the break on the Alternative Minimum Tax a temporary, oneyear deal. That means Reid and his colleagues will have to look again in the election year for a way to offset the loss in tax revenues that would be needed for an extension of the alternative minimum tax relief. Alternatively, Democrats would have to make another exception to the austerity rule.

Personal: Born 07/15/1961 in Pottstown, Pa.

Education: B.S., Arizona State University, 1983.

Professional: 1983–1990, Ernst & Young. 1990–1992, tax legislative asst., Rep. Don Pease, D-Ohio. 1992–1999, tax adviser, Sen. John Chafee, R-R.I. 1999–2004, senior tax adviser, Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla. 2005–present, senior tax adviser, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

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But the pain of budget restraint permits Democrats to argue that they have brought back a discipline that is good for the nation’s long-term economic health. Reid has argued that the GOP has relinquished the mantle of prudent budgeting. Reid said that while pay-go rules were in place in the 1990s, the country enjoyed unprecedented levels of economic growth. Early in 2008, some raised questions about the decision in both houses not to invoke the Pay-As-You-Go rules for the hurry-up package of tax rebates and domestic spending jolts enacted early in the session to stimulate the slowing economy. The second session of the Congress also brought the two houses close to agreement on a compromise of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, with tightened rules for institutions that dispense student loans, an expansion of Pell Grants to serve more middle-class families, and a range of other provisions, such special aid to students who take up the teaching profession. Reid and other Democrats have long argued that the reach of the Pell Grants has declined in recent years, even as the cost of college has soared.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Josh Holmes Staff Director Senate Republican Communications Center—Office of the Republican Leader S-229, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-NEWS

Expertise: Communications. Josh Holmes has quickly moved up the ranks of Republican public relations hierarchy—going from working for a junior Senator to running the Senate Republican Communications Center for minority leader Mitch McConnell, RKy., in just five years. The Senate Republican Communications Center is a new addition to Senate Republican public relations efforts in the 110th Congress. While it works in tandem with the conference on messaging and overall strategy, the SRCC is expected in 2008 to become the go-to resource for what Senate Republicans want to convey as they head into a tough election year. “The SRCC achieved success in 2007 by establishing itself as a one-stop shop for Republican senators’ communications needs, and we intend to continue our member-centric focus in 2008,” said Holmes. “We’re looking forward to utilizing all of the voices and expertise of the Republican conference to help disseminate our message throughout the country.” Working closely with the Senate leadership staff, Holmes said the Senate Republican Communications Center’s top priority is to assist every Republican Senate office in effectively communicating the issues that are important to their constituency. The SRCC employs state-of-the-art communications tactics, such as in-house blog lessons, to help Republican senators reach out to non-traditional media, he said.

Personal: Born 04/07/1979 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Education: B.A., political science and justice studies, Arizona State University, 2002.

Professional: 2002, regional political director, Norm Coleman for U.S. Senate. 2003, legislative correspondent, Sen. Norm Coleman, RMinn. 2004, policy adviser, Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash. 2004, policy director, George Nethercutt for U.S. Senate. 2005– 2006, director of rapid response/deputy press secretary, Republican National Cmte. 2007, press secretary, Senate Republican Communications Center. 2007–present, staff director, Senate Republican Communications Center.

“Senator McConnell and Republican leadership see the new media as an opportunity to communicate the Republican message beyond the traditional media audience and engage in substantive conversation with people throughout the country,” Holmes has said. Holmes was initially hired as press secretary for the SRCC in early 2007 but moved up to staff director within six months. Holmes previously served as director of rapid response and national deputy press secretary for chairman Ken Mehlman at the Republican National Committee during the 2006 election cycle. This is Holmes’ second stint in the Senate after working for Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., when he was first elected in 2002. In addition to his service at the RNC and in Coleman’s office, Holmes has worked in the House of Representatives and served in various roles on two Senate campaigns, including Coleman’s and the failed Senate bid of former Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash. A Minnesota native, Holmes headed south to attend Arizona State University. But he hasn’t lost his passion for the Minnesota Vikings and “it’s difficult to find a bigger fan of the Twins,” he has said.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

William J. Hughes Policy Director Republican Policy Committee Chairman Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Tex. 347 Senate Russell Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2946

Expertise: Tax policy and transportation issues, budget and economic development. Bill Hughes is the staff director of the Senate Republican Policy Committee (RPC), chaired by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, the No. 4 Senate Republican. Through the RPC, Hughes has said his staff provides “the best research available to keep senators informed about both legislation considered by the Senate and forwardthinking policies to stimulate the debate.” In 2008, Hughes said, “The RPC will continue to contribute ideas and analysis for both immediate legislative solutions to current problems as well as developing longer-term legislative policies.” The RPC serves the entire Senate GOP conference by formulating and explaining policy, communicating the policies through publications, providing legislative services, and keeping tabs on roll call votes. Hughes’s staff is responsible for policy papers, bill summaries, amendment summaries, issue briefings, a 24-hour legislative news telephone hotline, a recorded vote analysis of all Senate votes, and a closed-circuit Republican TV channel that covers floor proceedings. Republican senators also gather in the Capitol for a weekly Tuesday policy lunch meeting hosted by Hutchison. In 2007, Hughes said she also began hosting policy dinners headlined by leading policy thinkers.

Personal: Born 04/15/1959 in Aberdeen, S.Dak.

Education: B.S., Augustana College (Sioux Falls, S.D.), 1981. M.P.A., Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, 1983.

Professional: 1983–1985, budget examiner, transportation branch, Office of Management and Budget. 1985–1990, senior analyst, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 1990–1992, professional staff member, Subc. on Aviation, Senate Cmte. on Commerce. 1993–1994, Republican staff member, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1995–1999, professional staff member for budget and economic development, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 1999–2001, asst. to the speaker for policy, Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. 2001–2007, policy dir., Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. 2007– present, policy director Republican Policy Committee

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In addition, the RPC hosts weekly briefings for Republican legislative directors, as well as meetings with outside speakers and policy experts to facilitate discussion and explore new ideas for legislative action. Hughes previously served as policy director for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. He worked directly with House leadership, committee chairmen, members of Congress, and top staff of the House, Senate, and Bush administration to pass legislation through both chambers. The experience and contacts he made have proven invaluable in his work for the RPC in shaping policy. In addition to his duties as Hastert’s policy director, Hughes was the lead staff for the Speaker on tax and transportation matters. Hughes also worked for Hastert for two years on budget and appropriations issues before becoming his policy director in 2001. Hughes spent five years with the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he worked to separate transportation trust funds from the federal budget. He also worked as staff on the Senate Commerce and Senate Budget Committees. He began his career as an Office of Management and Budget examiner. The South Dakota native earned a bachelor of science degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Texas in Austin.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Tom Ingram

Expertise: Political strategy, campaigns, communications.

Chief of Staff

Sen. Lamar Alexander’s, R-Tenn., entrance into the Senate GOP leadership ranks last year automatically elevated Tom Ingram into the top echelon of the Republicans’ power structure.

Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander, RTenn. 445 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4944

Alexander was elected by his peers to be Senate Republican Conference chairman in December of 2007, after the surprise resignation of Senate Republican whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., threw the minority leadership into question. The previous conference chairman, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., replaced Lott as whip. Ingram said he does not intend to leave his post as chief of staff for Alexander’s personal office, yet he also plans to be “very involved” in the way the conference runs the Senate Republicans’ public relations efforts. Though many of Kyl’s conference staffers will be staying on, Ingram said he will work to make sure Alexander’s vision of for the conference is realized. Indeed, Alexander won the spot over conservative Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., primarily because of his emphasis on crafting a public relations strategy that would appeal to both GOP base voters and independents. “We can do the best job in the world to rally the base, but if we don’t get independents, we’re still going to lose” elections, said Ingram. Ingram also will be charged with implementing Alexander’s plan to modify the rhetoric coming out of the GOP conference as the party seeks to prevent election losses in 2008.

Personal: Born 09/29/1946 in Ozark, Ala.

Education: B.A., Lipscomb University, 1967. M.S.W., University of Tennessee, 1969.

Professional: 1965–1972, journalist, The Tennessean newspaper. 1972–1974, founder and editor, Nashville! magazine. 1974, press secretary, Lamar Alexander for Governor. 1974–1978, chief political writer, Nashville Banner newspaper. 1978, campaign manager, Lamar Alexander for Governor. 1979–1982, chief of staff, Gov. Lamar Alexander, RTenn. 1982, campaign manager, Lamar Alexander for Governor. 1983–1990, founder, Ingram Group. 1990–1994, Whittle Communications. 1994–1998, venture capitalist. 1998–2002, president, Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership. 2003–present, chief of staff, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.

“We don’t have to be shrill or yell or throw bombs to be successful,” said Ingram. Born in Alabama, Ingram started his career as a journalist. He jumped into the political fray in 1974 as press secretary for Alexander’s first bid for governor, which was unsuccessful. Ingram founded Nashville! following that defeat, but he rejoined Alexander’s 1978 gubernatorial bid as campaign manager and became the new governor’s chief of staff for four years. He left state government in 1983, founding his own corporate consulting firm, called the Ingram Group. After 17 years, he sold the business and worked in communications and as a venture capitalist, before embarking on a four-year stint as president of the Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership, a coalition of economic development organizations. When Alexander won election to the Senate in 2002, he asked Ingram to join him in Washington. “I’ve known Tom since 1966 when he worked for the Tennessean newspaper and I worked for [former Senate Majority Leader] Howard Baker [R-Tenn.]. We’ve worked together closely since 1974, and I’ve done my best work when Tom has been with me,” Alexander said in a statement released when Ingram joined his Senate staff in 2003. Ingram and his family still officially reside in Knoxville, but he spends Monday through Thursday working in Washington.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Chris Kang Senior Floor Counsel Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 332 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3049 Fax: (202) 228-0400 [email protected]

Expertise: Criminal justice, faith-based initiatives, labor policy. Senate assistant majority leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is in charge of directing the floor operations of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and the staff member that leads this effort is Chris Kang. “I act as Senator Durbin’s eyes, ears and advocate on the floor when he can’t be there,” said Kang, who added that when Durbin is on the floor he assists the senator in whatever ways he can. Kang said his job “can be as simple as keeping track of and helping to schedule speakers on the floor or as complex as strategizing parliamentary options to move legislation along.” Part of Kang’s job involves working with Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., floor staff to ensure that Durbin can be a seamless partner in the Senate’s operation. Kang also works with Reid’s staff and the staffs of the committee chairmen to coordinate amendment strategy. Kang’s job since 2007 has been a turnaround from previous years, when he and the Democrats were in the minority and their efforts on the Senate floor were often geared toward blocking legislation that they opposed. Now that they’re in the majority, the Democrats are setting the floor’s agenda.


Education: B.A., public policy and economics, University of Chicago, 1998. J.D., Duke University School of Law, 2001.

Professional: 1999, summer associate, law dept., Chicago Board of Education. 2000, summer associate, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 2002–2005, counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary/ Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 2005–2006, floor counsel, Senate Asst. Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 2006–present, senior floor counsel, Senate Asst. Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

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“Last year, even with only a slim majority, we were able to accomplish many of our goals, from raising the minimum wage and enacting the 9/11 Commission recommendations to making college more affordable and improving the quality of health care for our veterans,” Kang said. “Even though we’re in an election year, I’m hopeful that we can continue to work together in a bipartisan fashion to achieve even more.” Indeed, Kang said he tries to maintain a cordial working relationship with Republican floor staff in an effort to ensure that some work gets done, even in the often partisan atmosphere of Congress. In 2005 and 2006, Kang was named to the list of top 35 aides under the age of 35, published by The Hill. He worked briefly on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions while earning his law degree at Duke University. He was named floor counsel when Durbin became the assistant Democratic leader in 2005. Outside of his job, Kang is active in the local community. He has served as an officer in the Korean American Coalition, a nonprofit organization that encourages Korean Americans to participate in civic and legislative affairs. He also has led a nonprofit fund that, among other things, provides fellowships to law students to enable them to accept summer internships with public interest or government organizations.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Bruce King Senior Budget Adviser Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-221, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-5556

Expertise: Budget, Social Security. Bruce King heads up Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., efforts on budget issues, a continually tricky task given the narrow margins in the Senate and a president unwilling to make deals on spending . A 20-year veteran of Capitol Hill, King’s most challenging task for the majority party in 2008 will be in helping them to pass a budget resolution in an election year. Over the past several election cycles, both Democratic and Republican majorities in the Senate failed to pass a budget in the second session of the Congress. In 2007, Democrats, with King’s help, passed a crucial test of whether they could govern by passing a budget resolution that sought to spend significantly more than President Bush wanted to on domestic programs. But Bush’s refusal to negotiate with Democrats on appropriations bills ended up forcing Democrats to shave almost $22 billion from their spending wish list, and Bush has already threatened to veto this year’s appropriations bills if Democrats do not dramatically reduce earmarks. But King is already an old hand at battling with the Bush White House. After joining Reid’s leadership team in 2005, King spent much of his time working to defeat Bush’s plan to establish private accounts within Social Security. Bush’s plan fizzled, in what was deemed a major victory for congressional Democrats and for Reid in his first major political fight as the Democrats’ new leader.


Education: B.A., Tulane University, 1980. J.D., Stanford Law School, 1983.

Professional: 1985–1986, counsel, Guam Legislature. 1987–1995, legislative asst., Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. 1995–1997, legislative dir., Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. 1997– 2001, minority staff dir., Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 2001–2005, senior counsel, Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J. 2005–2006, senior budget adviser, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2007–present, senior budget adviser, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.


After helping to win the battle on Social Security, King shifted focus to coordinating an effort to develop a Democratic bill providing emergency relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Lawmakers introduced their legislation soon after the hurricane struck the Gulf Coast, devastating New Orleans and other cities in the region. Several pieces of the bill were later pursued separately, though the Republican majority enacted few elements in the first session of the 109th Congress. King graduated from Stanford Law School in 1983 and first worked as a lawyer for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He then traveled to Guam for two years, where he served as a counsel for the territorial legislature before coming back to America and the Hill. He previously worked for Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Jon Corzine, D-N.J., as well as the Senate Budget Committee.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Rohit Kumar Director of Policy and Senior Counsel Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. S-230, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-3135

Expertise: Tax policy, trade, banking and financial services, immigration. As domestic policy director and senior counsel to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Rohit Kumar sits at the nexus of legislative decision-making for Senate Republicans. Kumar oversees a broad variety of legislative and policy initiatives for the leader and his senior team, but his specialties are taxes, trade, banking and financial services, and immigration. With Kumar at his side, McConnell, a master of parliamentary procedure, has proven time and again in the 110th Congress that the Republicans’ robust 49–51 minority can and will be a powerful force in shaping legislation and advancing a bold, forward-looking agenda on major issues. “Our job is to look out for our caucus and get the best deal for the American people,” said Kumar. Kumar proved himself essential to McConnell in helping him navigate immigration policy last year, when McConnell was trying to balance competing forces in the GOP Conference. While some Republicans were pressing McCn-nell to help them forge an immigration deal with Democrats, many others were urging the leader to filibuster at all costs. Already in 2008, Kumar could be seen as a near constant presence on the Senate floor during the divisive debate on an economic stimulus package. Ultimately, Democrats and Republicans forged a deal, a feat Kumar said could repeat itself this year if both parties adopt the right attitude toward legislating.


Education: A.B., political science and economics, Duke University, 1995. J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 2000.

Professional: 1995–1997, legislative assistant, Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas. 2000–2001, law clerk, The Hon. J. Harvie Wilkinson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. 2001, deputy chief Republican counsel, Senate Cmte. on Banking. 2001–2002, legislative director/chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2002, general counsel and senior policy adviser, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. 2002–2005, policy adviser and general counsel, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. 2006, director of policy and senior counsel, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. 2007–present, director of policy and senior counsel, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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“A presidential election year generally yields an unproductive session,” Kumar said. “But that doesn’t mean we are going to take the year off. Divided government gives us an opportunity to do big things.” Kumar, who served in the same capacity for the then–Senate majority leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., in the last Congress, is also prominent in the Indian-American community. He has frequently been cited as one of Capitol Hill’s top staff aides, including The Hill newspaper’s “35 Under 35” list of young professional staff who have earned a reputation for doing their jobs effectively. Kumar got his start in government as a legislative intern in the Dallas office of then-Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, in 1994. He moved to Washington, D.C., to work in Gramm’s Washington office, where he stayed from 1995 to 1997. After finishing law school at the University of Virginia, he clerked for Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson from 2000 to 2001, and then returned to Gramm’s office as legislative director and chief counsel. From June to December 2002, he worked in then-Senate Republican leader Trent Lott’s, R-Miss., office and was picked up by Frist when Lott was forced out of that position.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Regan K. Lachapelle Deputy Communications Director Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-318, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2939 Fax: (202) 228-5576 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. As deputy communications director for Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Regan Lachapelle helps to shape the long-term message of the Senate Democratic Caucus. A staple of the job is planning and coordinating the news conferences and other events that members stage in order to spotlight legislative initiatives, party policy positions and the like. If the early weeks of 2008 were any indication, Democrats are anxious to work with the communications shop on a steady stream of events that make the party’s election-year case for action on a range of fronts from the sub-prime mortgage crisis at home to the troubled situation in Afghanistan abroad. For Lachapelle, a highlight of the first session of the 110th Congress was the staging of an event with singer Paul Simon, Reid, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to promote the expansion of “SCHIP,” the popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program, to an addition 4 million beneficiaries. The event generated much favorable publicity, but the long-running SCHIP expansion effort ultimately fell to President Bush’s veto, on cost grounds. “The ironic part about that one was that we had the votes on our side [for a Senate override of Bush’s veto],” she said. In a reversal of the scenario for a number of other issues last year, it was the House that could not muster a veto-proof majority for the SCHIP bill.

Personal: Born 10/20/1979 in Milton, Canada.

Education: B.A., political science and French, Albion College, 2001.

Professional: 2002–2005, staff assistant, legislative correspondent, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. 2000–2000, intern, Amnesty International USA, Washington, D.C. 2001–2002, assistant public outreach director, Fund for Public Interest Research, Washington, D.C. 2005–2006, deputy press secretary, acting press secretary, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. 1999–1999, intern, Les Verts (French Green Party) Paris, France. 2006–present, deputy communications director, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.


Lachapelle said the effort was important spadework for what will likely be a renewed effort in the next Congress to expand SCHIP. Meantime, she said, Democrats will point to last year’s frustration as an example of how Republications have blocked legislation that the public wants. One of Lachapelle’s busiest stretches last year, in fact, came during the rush to finish appropriations bills and conclude the session in December. Democrats held one event after another “highlighting Republican obstructionism,” she said. Lachappelle joined Reid of Nevada after more than a year as deputy press secretary—and, briefly, acting press secretary—to Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. The job proved to be a useful training ground, since Reed was one of the senators who most often volunteered when leadership needed someone to appear at a media event to enunciate the party’s view. She is a Michigan native who gradated from Albion College in 2000 with a major political science and French. One of the benefits of her current position, says Lachapelle, is that it has acquainted her with a broad cross-section of Democratic caucus membership and a variety of policy issues.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Penny Lee Senior Adviser for Communications and Outreach Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-221, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2158 Fax: (202) 224-7362 [email protected]

Penny Lee coordinates and manages Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., communications and outreach operations. It’s a position that puts her in the middle of the Senate Democratic caucus as she seeks to make sure that the rest of Reid’s leadership team and rank-and-file Democrats are on the same page when it comes to public relations. Lee said she “makes sure we have as cohesive a message as possible.” As senior adviser for communications and outreach, her job involves building coalitions around the Democratic agenda, along with message development, communications strategy, and long-term message strategy. She also oversees management of the Democratic Communications Center—known as the “war room.” In her outreach capacity, Lee said she regularly meets with interest groups that both agree and disagree with Reid’s position. She said she is tasked with letting those groups know what’s happening on the floor with bills that they care about. During debate last year on a housing bill, Lee said that she met with realtors and representatives from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to encourage them to meet with Republicans so that the bill could move forward more quickly. Regardless of whether the group sides with Democrats or not, Lee said, “A lot of people appreciate the fact that they know what the deal is.”

Personal: Born 05/12/1968 in Glenn Allen, Alaska.

Education: B.A., journalism and political science, Baylor University, 1990.

Professional: 1991–1994, assoc., George Shipley & Associates. 1997–1999, exec. dir., PGA Tour Links to Literacy Program. 1999–2001, senior advisers to the general chair, Democratic National Cmte. 2001, dir., Democratic National Cmte., Democratic Business Council. 2002, national finance director, Rendell for Governor. 2003, dir. of public liaison, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. 2003–2005, comm. dir., Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. 2005– 2007, exec. dir., Democratic Governors Association. 2007–present, senior adviser for communications and outreach, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

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With groups allied with Democrats, Lee said she helps to find likeminded constituents to appear with Democratic members at press conferences. For example, she helped coordinate the appearance of a Maryland family that has benefited from the State Children’s Health Insurance Program at a Democratic press conference last year. In 2007, Lee also spent a lot of her time trying to help Democrats deliver on their “Six for ‘06” campaign promises, as well as working on Iraq war and immigration reform message strategy Lee grew up in a Republican household in Alaska and was an intern for Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, but her career has been in Democratic politics. “In Alaska, there’s only one party you can go to for an internship,” she has joked. Prior to working for Reid, Lee worked at the Democratic National Committee in several capacities, but followed former DNC chairman Ed Rendell to the governor’s office in Pennsylvania. Following Rendell’s tenure, Lee took a position at the National Governor’s Association. She left that position in 2007 to join Reid’s team.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Kate Leone Senior Health Counsel Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-221, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2158 Fax: (202) 224-7362

Expertise: Health care. As senior health counsel to Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Kate Leone holds the keys to one of the Democrats’ signature policy issues in a crucial presidential election year. Already in 2007, she has helped spearhead Senate passage of additional funding for low-income children’s health insurance coverage and seen that issue become a significant election year issue, given that President Bush vetoed the bipartisan bill and House Republicans sustained that veto. She also aided Reid in his ultimately failed attempt to pass a bill to allow Medicare officials to negotiate for lower drug prices for senior citizens. Republicans were successful in leading a filibuster of the measure. Leone oversees health issues involving health care coverage, as opposed to public health and social issues. She handles health matters under the purview of Senate Finance Committee, such as Medicare and Medicaid, along with all health insurance and prescription drug issues. Because of the president’s veto, a top issue for Leone in 2008 continues to be reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP. Leone said that of the 9 million uninsured children in the United States, 6 million are eligible for either Medicaid or SCHIP. “If we could get that done, we’d go a long way toward insuring most kids,” Leone has said.

Personal: Born 08/09/1971 in Princeton, N.J.

Education: B.A., Cornell University, 1993. J.D., Columbia University, 1997.

Professional: 1997–1998, law clerk, Justice James H. Coleman, N.J. Supreme Court. 1998–1999, law clerk, Judge John C. Lifland, U.S. District Court (N.J.) 1999–2001, attorney, Health care Task Force, Antitrust Division, Dept. of Justice. 2001–2002, senior policy adviser, Senate Democratic Policy Cmte. 2002–2004, counsel, Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 2005– present, senior health counsel, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.


Because of the open race for the presidential nomination, Leone also may be tasked in 2008 with helping Senate Democrats push the Democratic presidential nominee’s health care policies. Leone graduated with a law degree from Columbia University in 1997. She spent two years in New Jersey clerking for two judges, Justice James H. Coleman at the New Jersey Supreme Court and Judge John C. Lifland at the U.S. District Court. Leone moved to Washington in 1999 and spent two years as an attorney in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice under President Bill Clinton. She joined the ranks on Capitol Hill in 2001 and worked stints at the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and in the office of former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. When Reid replaced Daschle as Democratic leader, he kept Leone on staff.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Marcel Lettre Senior National Security Adviser Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-221, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2158 Fax: (202) 224-7362

Expertise: National security policy. As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., senior national security adviser Marcel Lettre has been at the center of some pitched battles in the 110th Congress. In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and with the nation at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Lettre’s job entails helping Reid take on what Reid has termed the Bush administration’s “flawed” national security policies. That includes the high-profile Senate debates over whether to set a date certain for withdrawal from Iraq. Though Democrats have consistently fallen short of the filibuster—and veto-proof majorities needed to force a drawdown of U.S. troops in the Iraq, Reid has continued to try to keep the issue in the forefront of the Democratic agenda and plans to keep doing so throughout 2008. Additionally, Lettre has worked on the difficult issue of rewriting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to ensure that communications between foreigners that are routed through the U.S. can be captured without a warrant. However, the Senate Democratic caucus has been split over how to ensure maximum civil liberties for American citizens that may be caught in the eavesdropping dragnet, and Reid has found himself walking a fine line in making sure all perspectives among his rank-and-file get heard on the Senate floor. In 2007, Lettre worked on the Senate’s bill to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission to help national and state governments combat and prevent terrorism within the U.S.

Personal: Born 08/09/1972 in Gainesville, Ga.

Education: B.A., political science, University of the South, 1994. M.A, public policy, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, 2000.

Professional: 1994–1995, junior fellow, Nuclear Nonproliferation Project, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 1995–1997, senior staff assistant, American University, Office of the President. 1998–1999, senior policy analyst, Deutch Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction. 2000–2001, associate, Booz Allen Hamilton. 2002–2005, professional staff member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. 2005–present, senior national security adviser, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

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Lettre previously focused on national security issues besides Iraq, but he took on that issue as well when fellow Reid national security adviser, Richard Verma, left in 2007. Lettre has been involved in national security policy for more than 10 years. His first job out of college was with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Nonproliferation Project. For two years in the 1990s, Lettre served as the senior staff assistant to American University’s president, but he returned to national security matters in 1998. From 1998 to 1999, Lettre served as senior policy analyst to the Deutch Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction. From there he worked as an associate at the lobbying firm Booz Allen Hamilton. Lettre’s congressional career began in 2002 when he became a professional staff member for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In 2005, he joined Reid’s staff as a national security advisor. Lettre received his bachelor of arts in political science at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. In 2000, he completed his masters in public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Ryan Loskarn Communications Director Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander, RTenn. Room 413 Senate Hart Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2764 Fax: (202) 224-6984

Expertise: Communications and message development. As communications director for one of the primary public relations entities devoted to Senate Republicans, Ryan Loskarn is in a unique position to craft what his party hopes will be a winning message for 2008. Loskarn is charged with developing and implementing communication strategies to highlight the work of Republican senators. He is a key liaison between Republican Senate communicators, leadership, and the national media, and he will be working in tandem with the Senate Republican Communications Center, which is run out of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., office. His skill at developing message strategies and developing relationships with reporters was impressive enough that newly-minted Senate Republican Conference chairman Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, asked him to stay on after the previous chairman, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., moved into the whip position vacated by former Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., last year. “There is never a boring day or a slow news cycle for the conference, and that makes this a wonderful place to work,” said Loskarn. An expert in strategic communications using both traditional and nontraditional media outlets, Loskarn said Republicans would be focused in 2008 on national and economic security, government spending, and access to health care. “The conference is in a unique position to help Republican senators communicate with their constituents and reach a national audience,” said Loskarn.

Personal: Born 04/17/1978 in Baltimore, Md.

Education: B.A., history and political science, Tulane University, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2001, staff assistant, Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif. 2002–2003, deputy press secretary, House Cmte. on Rules, Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif. 2003– 2007, communications director, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Calif. 2007–present, communications director, Senate Republican Conference.

That task looks to be particularly difficult this year, as Republicans try to defend 23 Senate seats in an environment that many political pundits predict will favor Democrats. But Loskarn will be key to implementing Alexander’s new strategy for the conference, which is expected to veer away from Kyl’s focus on traditional Republican constituencies. Indeed, Alexander won the intra-party conference chairman race in December 2007 by saying he would pursue message strategies that appeal to independents, as well as the Republicans’ base voters. To do that, Alexander is hoping to foster more bipartisan cooperation in the Senate, following 2007—a year that was roundly criticized in both parties as being one of the most partisan in recent memory. Loskarn has spent seven years on Capitol Hill. He formerly served as communications director for Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and as deputy press secretary at the House Rules Committee for chairman David Dreier, R-Calif. A Maryland native, Loskarn received a B.A. in history and political science at Tulane University.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Jim Manley Chief Spokesman and Senior Communications Adviser Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev/Democratic Caucus S-318, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2939 Fax: (202) 228-5776 [email protected]

Expertise: Press relations. A veteran political spokesman on Capitol Hill, Jim Manley is Majority Leader Harry Reid’s chief communications adviser. As the Nevada senator strives, in his own words, to “put a Democratic stamp” on the work of the Senate, Manley shadows him to media events and mingles with the reporters who roam the galleries and hallways around the debate chamber. After a year in which the new majority focused on a core set of promises that he helped the party to communicate during the 2006 campaign, Manley has pivoted again to an election-year posture. “The message for the year is change,” according to Manley. “It is clear we need change, and that is what Senator Reid and Democrats are trying to do. We have made progress, but we have more to do.” The “6 for ‘06” plan—including pledges to raise the minimum wage, reform congressional ethics rules and enact the biggest hike in federal college aid since the GI Bill—was “a template that, once we locked it in place, gave us a roadmap for the year.” Despite strenuous efforts by unified Democrats and the views of “an overwhelming majority of the American people,” the map did not lead to a new direction for the war in Iraq, Manley acknowledged. He blamed “serious obstruction” by Senate Republicans. But Manley also credited Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. coalition forces in Iraq and architect of last year’s troop surge, as a “forceful advocate” for the administration’s strategy.

Personal: Born 02/23/1961 in St Paul, Minn.

Education: B.A., political science, University of St. Thomas, 1983.

Professional: 1990–1993, press asst., Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine. 1993– 2004, press secretary, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions/ Office of Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. 2005–2006, staff dir., Senate Democratic Communications Center/Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2007–present, chief spokesman and senior communications adviser, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev./Democratic Caucus,

“Senator Reid remains absolutely committed to trying to force change’” in Iraq policy during the second session of the 110th Congress, Manley said, but, he added, possibly by “different methods than last year fruitless efforts to enact firm deadlines for troop withdrawals.” Besides Iraq, Manley said the economy and global warming will dominate this year’s Senate agenda. After a presidential candidate is nominated by the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August, “we will closely coordinate our message with the national ticket,” Manley said. Manley has spent 16 years on the Hill, first a press assistant to then–Senate majority leader George Mitchell, D-Maine. After 10 years as a spokesman for Sen. Edward Kennedy, DMass., he signed on in 2005 with Reid, who was still minority leader at the time. Manley was in on the ground floor of a new Democratic Communications headquarters, also known as the “war room.”

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Martha McKenna Political Director, DSCC Phone: (202) 224-2447

Senate Democrats headed into a key election year with a new but broadly experienced political chief at their campaign organization. Martha McKenna took the helm in September 2007, fresh from managing the victorious race of Sheila Dixon, the first woman ever to be elected mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. As political director at the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, McKenna focuses heavily on the recruitment and support of promising candidates around the country— bread-and-butter skills that she honed during the 2006 cycle as campaign services director at EMILY’s List, the organization that pioneered the specialty of electing pro-choice Democratic women to office. McKenna thus helped to write some history in 2006, as women were elected to Congress in the highest numbers since 1992—including all of the House incumbents on EMILY’s List. (The acronym stands for “Early Money Is Like Yeast.”) Also elected that year were two new female senators, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. During the 2004 cycle, Martha was as a political tracker at EMILY’s List, acting as a liaison with women candidates for Congress, Senate, and governor. That cycle made EMILY’s List the nation’s largest political action committee. Its 100,000 members contributed $10.7 million dollars to prochoice Democratic women running for the House, for the Senate, and for governor. EMILY’s List members also contributed more than $33 million to support the organization and its political programs.

Education: M.S., public policy, Eagleton Institute, Rutgers University. B.A., political science, Bucknell University.

Professional: 2007–present, political director, DSCC.

During the 2002 cycle, McKenna managed one of the most closely watched races in the country, the re-election campaign of Rep. John D. Dingell. Dingell—by reputation one of the toughest old bulls in Congress—was made vulnerable by Republican political gamesmanship during Michigan’s redistricting process. After the River challenge fell short, McKenna returned to the Washington area to manage paid communications on Maryland’s Democratic Coordinated Campaign for Kathleen Kennedy Townsend for Governor. McKenna has also served with People for the American Way and has done stints on the campaigns of a number of women running in legislative, municipal, and congressional campaigns across the country. In 1999, McKenna was the research director of the Center for Women’s Initiatives in Northern Ireland, where she conducted research on the status of women in politics. Prior to that, she served as deputy research director at EMILY’s List. McKenna received her B.A. in political science from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and her M.S. in public policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She lives in Baltimore.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Matthew Miller

Expertise: Communications.

Communications Director

Election year is harvest time for campaign organizations such as the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. For DSCC communications director Matthew Miller, that means 2008 is a year of spreading the word on a crop of candidates long and carefully nurtured in the off-season.

120 Maryland Ave. SE Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Phone: (202) 485-3123 Fax: (202) 485-3120 [email protected]

Building on the restoration of the Democratic majority in the 2006 elections, Miller has steadily tended the overall message that the political climate would be friendly to further advances in 2008, what with the continuation of the war in Iraq, the deepening economic gloom and the palpable excitement of voters in the Democratic presidential primaries. Miller has also taken care to highlight concrete examples of election results that could be interpreted as good omens for Democratic Senate hopefuls. He held out Kentucky Democrat Steve Beshear’s defeat of Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher as foreshadowing trouble in 2008 for minority leader Mitch McConnell’s reelection bid. In another traditional GOP stronghold, Virginia, a series of state legislative defeats were viewed as evidence that the urbanizing northern counties of suburban Washington could lead the way for former Democratic Gov. Mark Warner to win the seat long held by retiring (and unrelated) Republican Sen. John W. Warner. Democrats also looked to some of their own strongholds as places where incumbent moderate Republicans might have reelection troubles. Some of these incumbents include: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me.; Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H.; and Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.

Education: University of Texas at Austin.

Professional: 2005–2006, communications director, Rep. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. 2006– 2007, communications director, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. 2007–present, communications director, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

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Miller became chief spokesman for the DSCC in 2007 after two years in the office of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., where he had directed the communications operation for Menendez’s successful election. Miller had been spokesman for Menendez since he was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, prior of his appointment to fill a vacant Senate seat. Earlier, Miller worked as the Florida communications director for the Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004, leading a communications team in ten media markets across the state. He worked for five years for Public Strategies Inc., where as a senior strategist, he devised and executed public affairs campaigns major corporations and advocacy organizations at the state and federal levels. Miller has also managed communications for congressional and Senate races in Texas and Connecticut. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Rodell Mollineau Communications Director Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-318, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2939 Fax: (202) 228-5576 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. With a year under his belt as communications director for Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Rodell Mollineau is stepping up the pace of his juggling act. At the level of day-to-day policy, his shop will tout Democratic efforts to build on the legislative gains of 2007 while shaping the party’s response to the weakening economy. At the level of election-year politics, he says, “We are honing a strong, cohesive message that will resonate with the American people, and we are amplifying it as vigorously as we can.” As Election Day approaches and the party selects a presidential nominee, Mollineau’s office will coordinate the party’s pitch with counterparts in the House leadership and in the national campaign. No surprise after seven years under an administration that launched an unpopular war and, in Reid’s view, weakened the U.S. economy, “You’ll be hearing Democrats talk a lot about how we are working hard for change,” according to Mollineau. Despite some gains in health care, education, and other domestic programs, “we know that last year was not enough. The American people are not satisfied and frankly neither are we,” he says. Democrats will continue their efforts—repeatedly frustrated last year—to push for a change of direction in Iraq.


Education: B.A., journalism, University of Dayton, 1999.

Professional: 1999–2002, press assistant and deputy press secretary, Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 2002, press secretary, Mark Pryor for U.S. Senate. 2003, South Carolina press secretary, Wes Clark for President. 2003–2005, communications director, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor. 2004, Michigan press secretary, Kerry-Edwards 2004. 2006, communications director, Iowa Gov. Thomas J. Vilsack. 2007–present, communications director, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.


A self-proclaimed “Senate political junkie,” Mollineau manages the Senate Democratic Communications Center, sometimes called the “war room.” The center develops communications and message strategies for the caucus and serves as a national megaphone for Senate Democrats. It houses multiple operations including research, rapid response, online communications, event production, and a radio-television studio. A Brooklyn native reared in New York and New Jersey, Mollineau received a degree in journalism from the University of Dayton in 1999. Mollineau started his career in the office of a previous Senate Democratic chieftain, minority leader Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. He later worked for Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and he served on two Democratic presidential campaigns in 2004. Then he became communications director for Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. After the Democrats seized control of both houses of Congress in the 2006 elections, Mollineau accepted the call to run the communications office for incoming majority leader Reid—“my dream job,” he said.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Lisa Moore General Counsel Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-112, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-3542 Fax: (202) 224-7327

Expertise: Nominations, campaign finance, elections. With President Bush’s nominations to all manner of federal agencies and commissions continuing to be a flash point into the last year of his presidency, Lisa Moore still has her hands full as Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., general counsel in 2008. Moore’s job principally entails handling Democratic vacancies on boards and commissions and covers Reid’s Rules Committee work. Most boards and commissions are divided among Republicans and Democrats. For example, party leaders recommend individuals when there are openings on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Election Commission, or the Federal Communications Commission. In 2008, the FEC in particular has become a flash point with the commission unable to convene a quorum to deal with the presidential campaigns’ potential campaign finance violations. Moore also deals with lesser-known panels, including the Medicare Commission, the Senate Art Commission, and the White House Conference on Aging, which do not require Senate confirmation. Still, Reid names individuals to those committees when Democratic vacancies occur. The Rules Committee’s hot-button political issue is campaign finance legislation, but the committee’s chair, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is also supporting legislation to outlaw voter deception and intimidation practices.

Personal: Born 07/18/1969 in Saddle River, N.J.

Education: B.A., Boston College, 1991. J.D., Georgetown University Law School, 1994.

Professional: 1994–1996, staff attorney, Environmental Defense Fund. 1996–1997, law clerk, Court of Federal Claims, Hon. James Merow. 1998–2000, legislative asst., Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 2000–2001, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2001–2004, senior counsel/leg. dir., Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2005–present, general counsel, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

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With Reid’s backing, Feinstein also has pushed a bill to require senators to file their campaign finance reports electronically, but that measure has been blocked by Republicans during the 110th Congress. House members already file their reports electronically. Moore also assists in other legal issues handled by the chief counsel, Ronald Weich, who deals with issues relating to the Senate’s legal authority and other institutional issues. Weich also deals with judicial nominees and Senate Judiciary Committee measures. Moore graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College in 1991 and earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law School in 1994. She then joined the Environmental Defense Fund as a staff attorney. Two years later, she served as a law clerk to Hon. James Merow at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims before coming to Capitol Hill. She joined Reid’s personal staff in 2001, serving first as senior counsel and later as legislative director.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Jennifer Morris Press Secretary Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. S-230, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-3135 Fax: (202) 228-2574

Expertise: Communications. As press secretary to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Jennifer Morris is involved in every facet of McConnell’s high-profile communications team. Morris described her duties as coordinating communications for the GOP leader’s office, including scheduling media interviews. She also coordinates message strategy with other GOP Senate offices, including the Senate Republican Conference—which serves as the chief public relations entity for GOP senators. Among her duties, Morris also fields questions from reporters about every aspect of McConnell’s leadership operation and activities. To do her job successfully, Morris must have a good working knowledge of the issues coming to the Senate floor as well as those being pushed by Republicans. That includes anti-terrorism and homeland security programs, economic security policies, government spending priorities, and health care initiatives, among other things. Of her current job, she said, “It’s an honor to work for such a strong and principled leader who holds the interests of the American people above politics.” She added that she considers it “a privilege to work for a strong and respected leader who was able to produce a number of bipartisan accomplishments for the American people” in 2007 and early 2008.


Education: B.A., Tulane University, 2002. M.P.A., American University, 2005.

Professional: 2002–2003, policy associate, National Taxpayers Union. 2003–2004, field representative, Haley Barbour for Governor. 2004–2006, communications coordinator, National Republican Senatorial Cmte. 2006, press secretary, Bouchard for U.S. Senate. 2007–present, press secretary, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Though Morris’s job primarily has partisan purposes, McConnell, a consummate dealmaker, has also tried to make sure that Republicans get credit for the bipartisan accomplishments of the 110th Congress, and he has repeatedly stressed that “divided government” can achieve great things. McConnell, who chaired the NRSC in the 1998 and 2000 cycles, and his communications team have downplayed expectations of a GOP return to the Senate majority, and they recently shifted to a more bipartisan message strategy. Still, Morris and McConnell’s communications team also have their eye on the 2008 elections as they seek to ensure the Republican Party’s priorities are successfully conveyed to reporters, and therefore, to the electorate. Morris has worked in Senate politics since 2004, where she served as a communications coordinator for the National Republican Senatorial Committee for two years. More recently, she was the press secretary for Bouchard for U.S. Senate—Mike Bouchard’s race in Michigan. In addition to her Senate experience, Morris previously served as a field representative for Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour’s first successful election bid. She has also worked as a policy associate for the National Taxpayers Union, which has, coincidentally, consistently given the fiscally conservative McConnell high rankings.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Gary Myrick Deputy Chief of Staff Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-221, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2158

Expertise: Senate parliamentary procedure, legislative strategy. As Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s deputy chief of staff, Gary Myrick is the top aide in a Democratic leadership team that sets the party’s policy issues, legislation, and procedural strategies. Myrick is arguably the most powerful aide on Capitol Hill, and he already helped Reid, D-Nev., deftly navigate a thorny debate on an economic stimulus package, which passed the chamber in early February. But policy debates to come include a renewed look at the war in Iraq, global warming, and another longer-term economic stimulus measure, to name a few. The tricky part this year will likely be shepherding the 12 annual appropriations bills through the chamber as a reluctant, lame duck president attempts to throw roadblocks in Democrats’ path. Last year, President Bush succeeded in stymieing both House and Senate Democrats with his refusal to negotiate a compromise on domestic spending levels. This year looks to be no different, with Bush already threatening in his State of the Union address to veto appropriations bills if Democrats do not cut earmarks for pet projects half. Beyond helping Reid guide legislation on the Senate floor, Myrick’s duties also include helping work closely on overall political strategy and policy initiatives for the Democratic caucus.

Personal: Born 07/20/1967 in Gilford, Maine.

Education: B.A., University of Maine, 1989. J.D., Washington College of Law at American University, 1994.

Professional: 1989–1994, cloakroom, Sen. George Mitchell, D-Maine. 1994–2003, floor staff, Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 2003–2004, floor counsel, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2005–present, deputy chief of staff, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

When he was elevated to chief of staff at the end of 2006 Myrick took over a staff of about 100 people and is responsible for helping craft policy, develop strategy, and conduct outreach on behalf of the majority leader and Democratic Caucus. Despite the Democrats’ newfound power, Myrick has cautioned that his job is not easy. “We have a one-vote margin,” Myrick said. “We don’t have a governing majority.” Myrick was deputy chief of staff prior to the departure of Reid’s previous chief of staff, Susan McCue. Though McCue left after the 2006 election to become the first president of the ONE Campaign, she returned late last year as a consultant to Reid. Myrick worked with two Democratic leaders before coming to Reid’s office. He began his Senate career with an internship in the office of then–Senate majority leader George Mitchell of Maine and got a full-time job there after graduation. He transferred to the Senate cloakroom while he attended law school at American University. Mitchell left the Senate in 1995. Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak., became the Democratic leader and promoted Myrick to the Senate floor staff. In 2003, when Reid was still the assistant Democratic leader, he hired Myrick to be his “eyes and ears” on the Senate floor. The majority leader credits Myrick with playing an instrumental role helping him gain mastery of the parliamentary maneuvering. When Reid was elected Democratic leader in 2004, Myrick took on an expanded role as deputy chief of staff, helping Reid navigate his first term as leader.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

J.B. Poersch Executive Director, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. 120 Maryland Avenue NE Phone: (202) 224-2447 Fax: (202) 485-3120

Expertise: Political organization, field operations. After helping Democrats seize control of the Senate in 2006, J.B. Poersch predicts that his party will “retain our majority and pick up seats in 2008.” Winning a filibusterproof majority of 60 seats, he allows, will be “really hard to do.” Veteran political strategist John Benzie Poersch Jr., who goes by J.B., serves as executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), managing the election campaign arm of Senate Democrats. Poersch, who reports to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the DSCC chairman, is “is a highly regarded political strategist who is well known and respected for his hard work, political acumen, and enthusiasm,” according to Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Poersch says 2008 “will probably be a challenger-driven cycle” for Senate elections, meaning that “we’ll have to beat some incumbents if we’re going to be really successful.” He looks to strong challenges against GOP incumbents in Democratic-leaning “blue” states, like John Sununu in New Hampshire, Gordon Smith in Oregon, Norm Coleman in Minnesota and Susan Collins in Maine. Key Republican retirements—Sen. Pete V. Domenici in New Mexico, Sen. Wayne Allard in Colorado and Sen. John W. Warner Jr. in Virginia—also offer some opportunity for Democrats to expand their majority. Poersch asserts that the political climate is auspicious for Democrats, with a popular hunger for change, large majorities who believe the country is on the wrong track, and growing worries about the economy.

Education: B.A., Providence College, 1984.

Professional: 1991–2005, chief of staff, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. 2005–present, executive dir., Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte.

But Poersch said it will be difficult for Democrats to score big this year, because 10 of the 23 seats that Republicans must defend are in such GOP strongholds as Idaho and Wyoming and the South. A former Rhode Islander, Poersch served as chief of staff to Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., for 14 years. He ran the presidential campaigns of both Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and former Vice President Al Gore in the battleground state of Ohio. In March 2007, Poersch defended the DSCC’s highlighting of the Bush administration’s dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys in its campaign literature. Schumer used his position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to push for an inquiry into the firings. During the resulting political uproar, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Manuel Rossman Chief of Staff Sen. Republican Whip Jon Kyl, RAriz. S-208, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2708

Expertise: Legislative strategy, tax policy, trade policy. Manny Rossman’s position has remained the same for 2008, but his boss has changed. Following the surprise resignation of former Senate Republican whip Trent Lott of Mississippi last fall, Rossman was asked by the new No. 2 Republican in the Senate, Jon Kyl of Arizona, to stay on in his role as the man behind the scenes of the GOP’s internal vote-counting operation. Though Rossman’s expertise was built around crafting legislation on taxes, trade, health care, pensions and Social Security, Lott elevated Rossman to chief of staff for the whip operation when Lott returned to the GOP leadership ranks at the beginning of 2007. And after a successful year with Lott blocking the Democratic majority’s legislative priorities, Kyl elected to keep Rossman in the job. “It was too good an opportunity to pass up—working with Senator Kyl and continuing to work with Republican Senate offices and our leadership team in building upon the successes of 2007,” Rossman said. Rossman was at the forefront of several important GOP victories last year, including the minority’s ability to force Democrats into adding small business tax breaks to a minimum wage bill and preventing the majority from increasing taxes on some Wall Street brokers as part of an alternative minimum tax measure. Both were achieved by convincing Republican lawmakers to uphold threatened filibusters until the party got its way.


Education: B.A., political science, Colgate University, 1996. J.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1999.

Professional: 2001–2003, legislative assistant, Rep. Philip M. Crane, R-Ill. 2004–2005, legislative director, Rep. Philip M. Crane, R-Ill. 2005– 2006, senior policy adviser, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss. 2007, chief of staff, Sen. Republican Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss. 2008–present, chief of staff, Sen. Republican Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

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Of course, Lott’s—and Rossman’s—biggest success in 2007 arguably was their ability to convince enough GOP senators to oppose repeated Democratic efforts to scale down the war effort in Iraq. Prior to his stint in leadership, Rossman worked for two years as Lott’s chief legislative aide for the senator’s Finance Committee work. That included drafting the Gulf Opportunity Zone and other incentives included in tax relief bills that Lott proposed following 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Rossman also implemented Lott’s agenda on the tax titles of the energy, highway, pension, and tax reconciliation bills and worked to help pass the Deficit Reduction Act and various free trade agreements. Rossman’s previous experience was with two House members who served in leadership positions on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. He served as legislative director to former Rep. Philip M. Crane, R-Ill., and worked as a staff assistant to former Rep. Bill Archer, R-Texas. A native of New York, Rossman received his B.A. in political science, cum laude, from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

David Schiappa

Expertise: Senate procedure.

Secretary for the Minority

As secretary for the minority, David Schiappa essentially serves as the Republicans’ personal parliamentarian.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. S-337, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-3835 Fax: (202) 224-2860

Because the official Senate parliamentarian’s office is nonpartisan, Schiappa has been vital to the Senate Republicans since he began his position in 2001. His mastery of Senate procedure and policy-making give him the perfect tools to provide strategic counsel on the best tactics and timing on floor legislation under Senate rules. Schiappa helps Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and the Senate GOP Conference map out how to use Senate rules to their advantage. For example, sixty votes are usually required by Senate rules to gain agreement to proceed, and Republicans who suddenly found themselves in the minority in 2007 used that rule in particular quite often to stymie the Democratic agenda. Schiappa is the person individual senators call when they want to put anonymous or public holds on legislation in order to prevent it from quickly passing or to make sure they get a chance to modify it. Schiappa also vets and writes unanimous consent requests used by the leader and other Republicans to move Senate business forward. Schiappa, who served as assistant secretary from 1996 to 2001, has been in both the majority and the minority and knows how to maneuver in both positions. “Although it is always better to ‘drive,’ 49 is not a bad number to have as a minority in the Senate,” he has said.


Education: B.A., University of Maryland, 1984.

Professional: 1984–1994, senior cloakroom asst., Senate Republican Cloakroom. 1994–1996, Republican floor asst., Senate Republican Cloakroom. 1996–2001, asst. secretary for the majority, Senate Republican Cloakroom. 2001–2003, secretary for the minority, Senate Republican Cloakroom. 2003–2006, secretary for the majority, Senate Republican Cloakroom. 2007– present, secretary for the minority, Senate Republican Cloakroom.


Schiappa, a 23-year veteran of the Senate, and his team of floor managers brief the leader’s office on floor developments. Schiappa also has a good working relationship with his Democrat counterpart, Lula Davis. The two often come up with acceptable parliamentary resolutions to partisan problems. “Although there will be days that we will be working towards different goals for our respective caucuses, we often working together to assist our leaders as they reach an agreement to move forward on a particular legislative matter,” he said. Despite the Republicans’ current minority status, Schiappa said that McConnell believes that there is an opportunity in this Congress to achieve big things. “I’m encouraged by his approach that the Senate should challenge itself during this period of divided government to address the major issues confronting our country,” he has said.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Joe Shoemaker Communications Director Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 309 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2152 Fax: (202) 228-0400 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, public health. As Senate majority whip Dick Durbin’s, D-Ill., communications director, Joe Shoemaker essentially serves two masters—Durbin and the Senate Democratic Caucus. Shoemaker, who has worked for Durbin since 2001, also works with Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., press staff and the staff of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif., to help coordinate Democratic message strategy, he said. While he serves as Durbin’s spokesman with reporters in Washington and with the Illinois press, Shoemaker also spends about half his time helping to devise long-term public relations strategies for the Democratic majority in Congress. Shoemaker said the primary message Democrats are trying to convey is that they want to “make government work again for people. For too long, it’s worked for special interests or not worked at all.” As a practical matter, that includes Democratic plans this year to reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the wake of massive toy recalls from China due to lead paint, improve food safety after the largest beef recall in U.S. history; and pass a budget that seeks to fund programs that will aid the sagging economy, Shoemaker said. Shoemaker, who first came to Capitol Hill in 1990, has served in a variety of senior adviser roles for different members of Congress. He has been chief of staff for Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., deputy chief of staff for Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and deputy chief of staff and communications director for Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va.

Personal: Born 11/29/1960 in Keokuk, Iowa.

Education: B.S., public affairs and B.S., biology, Indiana University, 1985.

Professional: 1985–1986, program coord., American Science Foundation. 1987–1989, account exec., Hirons-Williams Advertising. 1989–1990, senior account exec., Charles Ryan Assoc. Public Relations. 1990–1991, special projects coord., Rep. Bob Wise, D-W.Va. 1991–1993, investigator, House Government Operations Cmte. 1993–1996, communications dir./deputy chief of staff, Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. 1996–1999, deputy chief of staff, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. 1999–2001, chief of staff, Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash. 2001–2007, communications dir., Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 2007–present, communications dir., Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

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Before coming to Washington, Shoemaker worked in the advertising/public relations industry for two prominent regional firms. He has a strong background in public health advocacy: he helped found the first tobacco control council in the state of West Virginia, served on the state board of directors of the American Cancer Society, and was a member of the Governor’s Task Force on School Health. He has managed, or served on as a senior staff member, political campaigns at the local, state, and national levels. A native of Iowa, Shoemaker attended Indiana University and holds degrees in law, public policy, and biology.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Kyle Simmons Chief of Staff Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. S-230, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-3135 Fax: (202) 228-0034

Expertise: Senate organization. Kyle Simmons is chief of staff to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose love of the institution, politics and Senate procedure have earned him the admiration and respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. McConnell was unanimously voted Republican leader in the Senate in late 2006 after four years as Republican whip, and Simmons has been his top aide throughout those years. McConnell considers him a trusted adviser and skilled campaigner. Simmons has helped deliver two election wins for McConnell, including a landslide victory in his last bid in 2002. Despite looming presidential election and the razor-thin margin, Simmons said he’s optimistic that Republicans and Democrats can work together this year to tackle difficult issues on behalf of the American people. “Last year we had a real opportunity to tackle some of the bigger issues facing the country, and we registered a number of bipartisan accomplishments in the last few months of the year,” said Simmons. “While some say nothing will be accomplished legislatively this year due mainly to the presidential campaign, I don’t agree. We already passed a meaningful economic growth package and will have a number of national security measures we will need to pass too.” He added, “Don’t write off legislative output simply because it’s an even-numbered year.”

Personal: Born 04/03/1964 in Birmingham, Ala.

Education: B.A., University of Kentucky, 1986. M.A., University of Kentucky, 1988.

Professional: 1989–1995, account exec., Hill and Knowlton, Inc. 1995, press secretary, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. 1995–1996, campaign manager, Senate campaign of Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. 1996–2000, chief of staff, Sen. Mitch McConnell, RKy. 2000, Bush-Cheney 2000 presidential campaign. 2001, lobbyist, Quinn Gillespie Public Affairs. 2002–2003, chief of staff, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. 2003–2006, chief of staff, Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. 2007–present, chief of staff, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.


Currently, McConnell relies on Simmons to keep the Republican leadership operation running smoothly. That includes helping to devise floor strategy, legislative strategy, communications strategy, and political strategy. Given the GOP’s new minority status, coordination with the House Republican leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and his team is even more important for Simmons. He often represents McConnell at key leadership meetings with Senate GOP leaders and committee staff, as well as with House Republican leaders. Simmons also oversees staff work for McConnell, who is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee; the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; and the Rules and Administration Committee. Simmons is a regular inclusion on the Roll Call “Fabulous Fifty” list of the most influential staff members on Capitol Hill, released every year. Prior to joining McConnell’s staff in 1995, Simmons did public relations work in his hometown of Louisville. He also served on the 2000 Bush-Cheney presidential campaign.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Sharon Soderstrom Deputy Chief of Staff Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. S-230, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-3135

Expertise: Senate rules and procedures, legislative process, education and labor. An expert in Senate floor procedure and domestic policy, Sharon Soderstrom is an old hand in the Senate GOP leadership circles, and currently serves as deputy chief of staff to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell, who was first elected to the Senate in 1984, served as the Republican whip in the 108th and 109th Congresses. When McConnell’s chief of staff, Kyle Simmons, moved to the Republican Leader’s office, Soderstrom was appointed deputy chief of staff. McConnell, who has a vast knowledge of how the Senate works, has attempted to push forward a strong conservative agenda, despite the GOP’s razor-thin minority status. He relies on Soderstrom as a part of his Senate leadership team to provide strategic counsel and institutional insight. Soderstrom’s responsibilities include supervising negotiation on bills from markup through conference and staff management. Her duties also include identifying key votes that need to be rounded up, coordinating Senate leadership and White House efforts to target members, and serving as a liaison to House Republican leadership and Senate committees. Year after year, Soderstrom is one of a handful of women named to the Roll Call “Fabulous Fifty” list of Capitol Hill staffers for her know-how and access to members.


Education: B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, University of Virginia, 1983.

Professional: 1989–1990, professional staff, Subc. on Children and Families, Senate Cmte. on Labor and Human Resources. 1990–1995, legislative dir., Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind. 1995–1998, chief of staff, Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind. 1999–2001, senior policy adviser, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, RMiss. 2001–2002, senior policy adviser, Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. 2003–2004, Republican staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 2004–2006, deputy chief of staff, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. 2007–present, deputy chief of staff, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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Her achievements during previous Republican control of the Senate included passage of measures relating to homeland security, billions of dollars in relief packages for Americans affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the confirmation of two Supreme Court justices. In the minority, Soderstrom helps craft strategy to stymie the Democratic agenda as well as trying to ensure that Republicans get votes on GOP priorities. Soderstrom previously worked for former majority leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., as well as former majority leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. After Lott was forced to step down from his leader post, Soderstrom served for a year as staff director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where she focused on issues such as special education for students, health care costs, and access issues for the uninsured. From there, she moved to Frist’s leadership office. Soderstrom also worked for Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., until his 1998 retirement. “I have been privileged to serve several fine bosses and to see many aspects of the Senate,” Soderstrom has said. “I am grateful to the Senate Republican leader McConnell for allowing me this opportunity to serve him as deputy chief of staff.”


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Patrick J. Souders Chief of Staff Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill. S-321, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-9447 Fax: (202) 228-0400 [email protected]

Expertise: Floor operations, appropriations, politics. In the day-to-day operations of the United States Senate, Patrick Souders is involved in virtually every major decision and activity on the chamber’s floor. As Senate majority whip Dick Durbin’s, D-Ill., chief of staff, Souder is now in his fourth year overseeing the operations of the Democratic whip’s office and helping Durbin with his responsibilities to the Democratic Caucus. Durbin assists Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in working with the caucus to develop an agenda and helps to move the party’s legislation through the Senate. “Senator Durbin is part vote counter and part traffic cop on the Senate floor,” Souders has said. Durbin helps to determine what legislation the Democrats can bring to the floor, and then tries makes sure that they know where the votes are. Durbin also has message responsibility, according to Souders, and helps to determine how Senate Democrats talk about the priorities of the caucus. In 2007, the caucus’s priorities centered on the party’s “Six for ‘06” campaign promises ranging from raising the minimum wage to implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Democrats also tried repeatedly to force a drawdown in U.S. troops in Iraq. In 2008, Democrats are largely focused on trying to head off what they have called a “looming recession” and much of their agenda will be targeted at implementing economic growth packages.

Personal: Born 01/20/1969 in Quincy, Ill.

Education: B.A., communications, Marquette University, 1991. M.A., arts, Georgetown University, 1999.

Professional: 1991–1995, legislative asst., Rep. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 1995–1996, downstate political dir., Durbin for U.S. Senate. 1997–2004, projects dir., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 2005–2006, staff dir., Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 2007–present, chief of staff, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill.


While Durbin’s leadership role and his responsibilities to the caucus are important, Souders noted, he is first and foremost the senior senator from Illinois. The issues and concerns of the people of Illinois are his priority every day, he said. Since 1985, he has maintained a standing invitation to all constituents visiting Washington, D.C., to join him for coffee on Thursday mornings when the Senate is in session. Souders earned a Congressional Service Award in 2005 from the American Psychological Association (APA) for his work with Durbin to increase access to mental and behavioral health services to underserved communities. That issue also promises to be a topic in 2008. Souders helped Durbin raise awareness of the need for additional funding for the Graduate Psychology Education program, which the APA supports. Souders has worked for Durbin for 17 years. He helped with Durbin’s House re-election campaigns in 1992 and 1994, and with his senatorial campaigns in 1996 and 2002.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Douglas L. Steiger New Policy Director Senate Democratic Policy Committee 419 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3783 Fax: (202) 228-3432

Expertise: Welfare issues, policy. Back in control of Congress after 12 years in the minority, Democrats want to make sure that their policies carry the day, and Doug Steiger is the man who helps them come up with new ways of effecting that. Now in his fourth year as new policy director, Steiger officially works for the Senate Democratic Policy Committee under the direction of Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.Dak., but his job essentially entails working for the entire Democratic caucus. Steiger’s objective is to find new policy initiatives for Democrats even as their daily attention is usually focused on the legislative business of the moment. “We tend to get indications from people within the caucus of issues of interest, and we try to make sure that we collect or find the most interesting stuff coming out of the think tanks for them,” Steiger has said. The policy committee works primarily for the staff of Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. But part of the mission is also to help all the offices within the caucus. Some of the more junior members may need greater assistance in staying informed in different areas than their senior colleagues, Steiger said. Besides making specific proposals, the committee produces internal policy reports and gives informal advice to Senate Democrats on which groups or experts they might speak to on certain topics. It has a network of contacts in think tanks, among policy entrepreneurs, and in academia on various issues.

Personal: Born 02/01/1966 in Lompoc, Calif.

Education: B.A., Stanford Univ., 1988. M.P.P., Univ. of California at Berkeley, 1991.

Professional: 1991–1994, legislative analyst, Office of Management and Budget. 1994–1995, program examiner, Human Resources Division, Office of Management and Budget. 1995–1996, program examiner, Health Division, Office of Management and Budget. 1997–2003, Democratic professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2004, fellow, Atlantic Fellowship. 2005–present, new policy director, Senate Democratic Policy Cmte.

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As the new policy director, Steiger is the point person for a yearly DPC initiative to issue a report containing 50 timely policy proposals for Democratic senators and their staff. Steiger previously worked for Sens. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., and Max Baucus, D-Mont., on the Senate Finance Committee, where he was responsible for foster care, child welfare policy, and unemployment insurance programs. Prior to his stint on the Finance Committee, he was at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under President Bill Clinton, where he held a variety of positions, including budget examiner, and was involved in such areas as welfare and Indian health. Steiger, who was raised in California, was an Atlantic fellow in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2004. He graduated from Stanford University and earned a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California at Berkeley.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Don Stewart Communications Director Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. S-230, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2979

Expertise: Communications. Don Stewart’s job as communications director for Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is likely to only get trickier in 2008 as both party’s ratchet up their rhetoric in advance of what could be a pivotal national election. Though he was not expecting to be working for the minority in 2007, Stewart quickly transformed the GOP leader’s message operation into one of vigorous opposition to the new majority. This year, Republicans have the added strain of attempting to prevent further Senate losses. The party must defend 23 seats, while Democrats only have to hold on to 12—putting the GOP at a distinct disadvantage. “The year ahead will be a tough one, as any election year is, with strong competing forces on different sides of the major debates we’ll have on security, the economy, health care and other critical issues,” said Stewart. “Obviously, Republicans have a much different viewpoint on these issues, such as the future of Iraq, the ability of our intelligence forces to collect information on international terrorists, and the size, role and costs of government.” But Stewart predicted that the GOP message would meet with success. “By December, it will be easy to judge our success by the size the budget, the security of the homeland, and the tax bite felt by the taxpayer; by whether we were able to influence national policies that passed the Congress; and by the bad legislation that Republicans stopped,” he said.

Personal: Born 07/03/1967 in Riverside, Calif.

Education: B.A., political science, Armstrong Atlantic State University, 1997.

Professional: 1990–1994, U.S. Army. 1997–2000, regional director, Sen. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga. 2000–2003, deputy press secretary/ press secretary, Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas. 2003–2006, communications director, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. 2006–present, communications director, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Stewart spearheads what he sees as McConnell’s mandate to shape a cohesive, unified message for all 49 Republicans and work closely with their communications teams. Stewart, who is known as “Stew” by colleagues and reporters on Capitol Hill, offers strategic counsel to McConnell and the GOP leadership team, while also acting as a liaison with his counterparts in House Republican leadership offices, the White House, Bush cabinet press secretaries, and other Republican leadership offices. He oversees the leader’s new communications center, which includes a conservative blog operation, his press office, as well as the Kentucky press shop. The communications center is a state-of-the art resource made available to all Republican senators, Stewart has said. Prior to his service with McConnell, Stewart worked for Senate Republican Conference vice chairman John Cornyn, R-Texas, where he served as communications director. Stewart also served as deputy press secretary and press secretary for another Texas Republican, Sen. Phil Gramm. Additionally, he worked as a regional director for Sen. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga., from 1997 to 2000. A native of California, Stewart began his career in the U.S. Army as an enlisted intelligence analyst.


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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Darrel Thompson Senior Adviser Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-221, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2158 Fax: (202) 224-7362

Expertise: Political strategy, labor issues, faith issues. As a senior adviser to Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Darrel Thompson’s purview covers one of the most basic issues championed by the Democratic Party: labor issues. But even with Democrats in the majority, Thompson’s responsibilities remain a struggle to enact. In 2007, for example, both of Thompson’s attempts to pass labor-friendly legislation failed. A bill to make it easier for unions to organize was filibustered by Republicans, and a provision in the 9/11 Commission recommendations bill to allow transportation security workers to unionize also failed to make the final cut. Thompson’s duties also involve reaching out to a range of individuals and groups to gather input about the policy and political issues facing the Congress, particularly as they pertain to issues dealing with faith and race issues. He deals with national groups and activists from the NAACP to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the Teamsters. A significant part of Thompson’s job is to help Democrats build better relations with the religious community in an effort to blunt the Republicans’ successful efforts to attract church-goers by emphasizing values. Thompson also inherited some of the national outreach activities previously carried out by the former chief of staff, Susan McCue.


Education: B.A., Morgan State University, 1992. M.P.A., John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 2002.

Professional: 1994, financial services field rep., Democratic congressional Campaign Committee. 1996, dir. of financial strategy & planning, Democratic congressional Campaign Committee. 1997–1998, financial services dir., Democratic congressional Campaign Committee. 1999, deputy executive dir., House Democratic Caucus. 1999–2003, senior policy adviser & dir. of member services, Office of the House Democratic Leader, Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. 2003, finance chief of staff & national political adviser, Richard Gephardt for President. 2004, chief of staff, Barack Obama for Senate. 2005–present, senior adviser, Office of the Senate Democratic Leader, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

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Thompson also serves as Reid’s liaison to the House of Representatives, where he communicates daily with the top aides to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The offices coordinate legislative and communications strategies to ensure the party unified in its message, Thompson said. In 2008, Thompson expects to continue working on labor issues as well as legislation aimed at making college more affordable. “We try to say ‘Let’s look at how everyone will benefit,’” Thompson has said. “An affordable college education, that’s not just an African American issue or a working-class issue. It helps everyone.” Thompson said “one of the most meaningful moments” in his political career was being present for President Bush’s 2006 signing ceremony for the Voting Rights Act reauthorization. Thompson joined Reid’s staff after the 2004 elections from Sen. Barack Obama’s, D-Ill., successful Senate bid. Though he did not leave his post to join Obama’s presidential campaign, he does have experience in such matters having worked on the 2004 presidential campaign of former House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. A 1992 graduate of Morgan State University, Thompson received his master’s degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Ronald Weich Chief Counsel Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-221 The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2158 Fax: (202) 228-5583 [email protected]

Expertise: Judiciary. After years in the trenches, Ron Weich finally has the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day squabbles in the Senate and focus on the big picture. As Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., chief counsel, Weich handles broad legal issues such as those involving the Senate as an institution. Institutional matters involve working with the top lawyers in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s, D-Calif., office and dealing with “speech or debate” congressional prerogative matters, such as a discrimination case against former Sen. Mark Dayton and the search warrant served by the FBI on the office of Louisiana Democrat Rep. William Jefferson. Weich also handles Senate Judiciary Committee bills, such as the controversial 2007 immigration bill, and the Bush administration’s often contentious judicial nominations. On immigration, Reid ultimately fell short in 2007 of the filibuster-proof majority needed to pass the bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill. As Reid’s liaison to the Judiciary panel, Weich played a key role in the 109th Congress on Bush’s final two nominations to the Supreme Court. The Senate confirmed both Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito in debates that were less contentious than expected. Weich has spent his fair share of time in the trenches with Reid. In 2006, he was on the Senate floor fighting over judicial nominees, the so-called “nuclear option,” and other judiciary matters.


Education: B.A., Columbia University, 1980. J.D., Yale Law School, 1983.

Professional: 1983–1987, assistant district attorney, New York County. 1987–1989, special counsel, U.S. Sentencing Commission. 1989–1990, counsel, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa./Sen. Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1990–1995, general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Labor & Human Resources. 1995–1997, chief counsel, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass./Sen. Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1997–2004, partner, Zuckerman Spaeder LLP. 2004–2005, senior counsel, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2005– present, chief counsel, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.


Weich also was involved in the investigation into the Bush administration’s dismissal of several U.S. attorneys. “It’s the first time in six years this administration has been held accountable,” Weich has said. A 1983 graduate of Yale Law School, Weich has worked on both sides of the aisle. After completing his law degree, Weich joined the district attorney’s office in New York County, where he worked for four years. Weich first came to Capitol Hill in 1989 as counsel to Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., on the Judiciary Committee. He jumped to the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee in 1990 and became chief Judiciary Committee counsel to Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., in 1995. Two years later, Weich left the Senate to join Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, where, as a partner, he worked as a litigator and as a lobbyist. Weich returned to Capitol Hill in 2005 to join Reid’s staff.

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SENATE LEADERSHIP

Mason Wiggins Executive Assistant for the Sergeant at Arms Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky. S-151, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2341

Expertise: Management, agriculture policy, tax policy, law. Mason Wiggins was appointed in January 2008 by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to serve as the executive assistant for the sergeant at arms, a position that functions as the representative for the minority party within the Office of the Sergeant at Arms. It is his job to ensure that the services provided by the sergeant at arms meet the needs of the Republican Senate offices. “The Republican representative is the Republicans’ eyes and ears in matters before the sergeant at arms’s office,” said Wiggins. “It’s just to make sure that the minority position is heard in all decisions.” In addition to working on a daily basis with Republican Senate offices to address their interests and concerns, Wiggins provides input into policy decisions made by the Sergeant at Arms involving operational, security, and protocol matters. As part of the Sergeant at Arms’ executive management team, he participates in a myriad of activities that helps keep the Senate running. On any given day this could range from attending classified intelligence briefings to traveling with a group of senators to an off-campus event. He also participates as the Republican leader’s representative on special projects, such as the Capitol Visitor Center.

Personal: Born 10/18/1957 in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Education: B.A., philosophy, Catholic University of America, 1979. M.A., philosophy, Catholic University of America, 1981. J.D., Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, 1986. LL.M., agriculture law, University of Arkansas School of Law, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1989, associate counsel, Heron, Burchette, Ruckert, and Rothwell. 1989–1991, legislative assistant, Rep. Sid Morrison, R-Wash. 1991–1997, counsel, House Science Cmte. 1997–1999, agriculture legislative assistant, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. 1999–2003, agriculture and interior appropriations legislative assistant, Sen. Mitch McConnell, RKy. 2003–2006, vice president, federal government affairs, Food Products Association. 2006–2008, tax and finance counsel, Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. 2008– present, executive assistant for the sergeant at arms, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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The job also comes with a few mundane, but critical, support functions. Among them are ensuring that Republican offices receive the appropriate consideration in the provision of a variety of services, including telecommunications, office equipment, parking, IDs, and recording studio access, to name a few. The Sergeant at Arms office is also tasked with ensuring senators’ security at both parties’ presidential nominating conventions this year as well as the inauguration of the new president in January of 2009. Wiggins’ first area of expertise is in agricultural policy. He began his congressional career in 1989 as an agriculture legislative aide for then-Rep. Sid Morrison, R-Wash. He has also worked on agriculture policy for Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., prior to both lawmakers’ rise to the top of the GOP leadership ranks. Continuing his focus on agriculture, he briefly left the Hill in 2003 to lobby for the Food Products Association. Wiggins also has worked on science and technology issues as counsel to the House Science Committee, and prior to his stint in the Sergeant at Arms office, he managed tax and finance policy for Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo.


SENATE LEADERSHIP

Drew Willison Deputy Sergeant at Arms Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S-151, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-2341

Expertise: Environmental issues, transportation. An expert in environmental and transportation spending issues, Drew Willison’s appointment as deputy sergeant at arms has taken him in an entirely different direction. Willison, who previously served as clerk on the Senate Appropriations Committee for Sen. Harry Reid D-Nev., was appointed to his current post after the Democrats won control of the Senate and Reid became majority leader. He now is charged with providing operational, security, and protocol support to the United States Senate. “Drew Willison is an extremely talented and capable member of my trusted team,” Reid said upon Willison’s appointment at the beginning of 2007. “I’m pleased that he will be assisting the sergeant at arms as his deputy in all his duties—the most important one of all being to ensure the safety and security of the United States Senate, its members and staff, and the visitors who come to this hallowed chamber to observe democracy and freedom in action.” Willison brings a wealth of institutional knowledge and an understanding of how the Senate works, having worked as Reid’s clerk for energy and water programs on the Appropriations Committee since 1999. Willison has a deep respect for Reid. “I’m honored that he was kind enough to invite me along for the ride,” said has Willison.

Personal: Born 10/04/1965 in Mt. Vernon, Ohio.

Education: B.A., College of William and Mary, 1988. M.P.A., Ohio State University, 1990. J.D., George Washington University, 2001.

Professional: 1991–1996, special asst. to the division dir., Acid Rain Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1997–1999, senior legislative asst., Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 1999–2006, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Energy and Water, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007– present, deputy sergeant at arms, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.


His current job has four key areas of responsibilities: securing the physical security of the Senate; handling a variety of protocol duties, such as escorting the vice president during the State of the Union and Joint Sessions of Congress; maintaining infrastructure and services ranging from information technology to printing and furniture for the buildings; and running the Senate galleries. “Keeping the Senate safe and secure is job number one, especially since 9/11,” said Willison, who works closely with sergeant at arms Terence Gainer to safeguard the security of senators, staff, and the buildings in which they work. Those buildings are open to the public six days a week. Willison came to Capitol Hill in 1997 as a senior legislative assistant to Nevada’s senior senator. Before joining Reid’s staff, Willison served for six years in the acid rain division of the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2006 on the Appropriations Committee, he focused on perennial—yet demanding—issues such as funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage facility and funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which faced new challenges in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Willison is a 1988 graduate of William and Mary College. He earned a master’s of public administration from Ohio State University and his law degree at George Washington University.

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Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry SR-328A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2035 Fax: (202) 228-4576 http://agriculture.senate.gov/ Ratio: 11/10 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Tom Harkin, IA, Chairman

Saxby Chambliss, GA, Ranking Member

Patrick J. Leahy, VT Kent Conrad, ND Max Baucus, MT Blanche Lincoln, AR Debbie Stabenow, MI E. Benjamin Nelson, NE Ken Salazar, CO Sherrod Brown, OH Robert Casey, PA Amy Klobuchar, MN

Richard G. Lugar, IN Thad Cochran, MS Mitch McConnell, KY Pat Roberts, KS Lindsey Graham, SC Norm Coleman, MN Mike Crapo, ID John Thune, SD Charles Grassley, IA


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SENATE AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION AND FORESTERY JURISDICTION (1) Agricultural economics and research. (2) Agricultural extension services and experiment stations. (3) Agricultural production, marketing, and stabilization of prices. (4) Agriculture and agricultural commodities. (5) Animal industry and diseases. (6) Crop insurance and soil conservation. (7) Farm credit and farm security. (8) Food from fresh waters. (9) Food stamp programs. (10) Forestry, and forest reserves and wilderness areas other than those created from the public domain. (11) Home economics. (12) Human nutrition. (13) Inspection of livestock, meat, and agricultural products. (14) Pests and pesticides. (15) Plant industry, soils, and agricultural engineering. (16) Rural development, rural electrification, and watersheds. (17) School nutrition programs. Such committee shall also study and review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to food, nutrition, and hunger, both in the United States and in foreign countries, and rural affairs and report thereon from time to time.

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SENATE AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION AND FORESTERY Hammering out the details of a new five-year Farm Bill dominated the work of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry in 2007 and continued to remain on the table into 2008 as the House and Senate worked on their differing versions of the measure. The Senate passed a $286 billion measure in December by a 79–14 vote, but not before weeks of wrangling and several controversial amendments narrowly failed, including one to drastically cut back on the bill’s subsidy program. The administration had proposed eliminating subsidy payments for farmers earning more than $200,000 after expenses (from the current $2.5 million cutoff) and it signaled a tough road ahead for the legislation after its December passage. “After months of negotiations, we were able to work within a very strict budget allocation to complete our work and pass a Farm Bill that is good for agriculture, good for rural areas and good for the health of Americans,” Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said in December. Among the items touted by Harkin as the bill’s major achievements was the Average Crop Revenue program, which Harkin pitched as a cost saving mechanism that could free up money for conservation, energy and rural development program. It was designed to help farmers by protecting revenue rather than prices. The revenue target would adjust with the market. The Senate bill would also extend key conservation programs, including allowing the renamed Conservation Stewardship Program to enroll 13 million acres of new farmland a year. The bill includes $2 billion over five years for the program, which has already enrolled 15 million acres and pays farmers who voluntarily maintain and adopt conservation practices on working lands. It would also allow increased enrollment in the Wetland Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Grassland Reserve Program. Another priority for Harkin was ethanol, and the Senate measure supports the construction of biorefineries from cellulose ethanol through a loan guarantee program that would provide up to 80 percent of a project’s cost. It would also boost financial incentives to encourage farmers to transition into biomass crops. Within the nutrition title, the committee sought to modernize the food stamp program, which helps tens of millions of low-income Americans. To qualify, families must have less than $2,000 in assets, a limit that has remained in effect for 30 years. The Senate bill would up the asset limit to $3,500 and exempt education and retirement accounts from counting against the limit. The change is expected to cost $1 billion over 10 years. President Bush has agreed to extend the current Farm Bill through April while lawmakers continue to negotiate.


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SENATE AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION AND FORESTERY

Todd Batta Professional Staff Member 328A Senate Russell Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 Fax: (202) 228-2125 [email protected]

Expertise: Farm credit, animal welfare, agriculture appropriations, forestry. Forget the Farm Bill. Helping to get Dr. Norman Borlaug the Congressional Gold Medal is one of the achievements Todd Batta looks back on with particular fondness in 2007. Batta, a professional staff member on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, was among those who pushed for co-sponsors to recognize Borlaug with the nation’s highest civilian award. The 93-year-old Iowan, who is credited with saving more than a billion people from starvation by developing a highyield, disease-resistant variety of wheat, was awarded the medal in July. The award made Borlaug only the fifth person to win the Nobel Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the congressional Gold Medal. In early 2008, committee chairman Sen. Tom Harkin, DIowa, introduced legislation designating Borlaug’s birthplace and childhood home near Cresco, Iowa, a national historic site. “Dr. Borlaug epitomizes values Iowans hold dear—ingenuity, determination, and a commitment to helping others,” Harkin said. “His life is a perfect illustration of the fact that one person really can make a difference.” For the majority of 2007, however, most of Batta’s time and resources went into amending various aspects of the Farm Bill, including the credit and forestry titles, as well as the rural development and animal welfare programs.

Personal: Born 09/13/1978 in Carroll, Iowa.

Education: B.A., Winona State University, 2001.

Professional: 2001–2002, outreach coordinator, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. 2002–2005, scheduler, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. 2005–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Batta said particular emphasis was placed on increasing access for new and socially disadvantaged farmers within the credit title. Credit is critical to farmers looking to borrow money for machinery, livestock and land. On the forestry side, the committee aimed to establish national priorities for private conservation. Private landowners posses the majority of the country’s forestland and the committee looked for ways to make it easier for them to manage their forests and conserve land. It established national priorities to guide federal and state efforts and help states better plan and assess resources. Within the animal welfare title, Batta worked on a couple key changes: a piece was added to ban importing dogs younger than six months and a measure increasing dog fighting from a potential three-year sentence to a maximum five-year sentence. Looking beyond the Farm Bill, Batta said next up for him involves oversight within forest policy and credit policy. “I also think we want to get a little more engaged at least on the forestry side of the committee in looking into ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, some of those things,” he said. “What the benefits are and what is the relevant role [for the committee].” This is Batta’s fourth year on the committee. He traces his interest in agriculture issues back to his youth in a small Iowa town of 150 people. He said he grew up working on farms. Batta went to work for Harkin in 2001 after graduating from Winona State University and moved to the committee staff in 2005.

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Cameron Bruett Senior Professional Staff Member 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035

Expertise: Livestock and dairy issues, food safety, animal health, homeland security. If aspects of the Farm Bill can seem complicated, here’s a part of the legislation that is fairly straightforward: country of origin labeling. Both House and Senate versions of the measure passed in 2007 included the provision, providing country of origin labeling for beef, lamb, pork and goat meat, fruits and vegetables, and peanuts. A product can be labeled as a product of United States if the commodity was exclusively born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. Cameron Bruett, senior professional staff member on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, who worked on the provision, said it was the major livestock component within the Farm Bill and was included to help market American products. “It is really based on the premise that Americans want to buy beef that is produced in America,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. There could be some questions that are raised by some of our international trading partners.” Bruett’s role on the committee includes an array of programs, including livestock, food safety, animal health, animal disease, and homeland security. Among the accomplishments last year: Livestock for the first time got its own title within the Farm Bill that passed the Senate last December. Bruett said that will only prove to heighten focus on livestock. Once the Farm Bill emerges from conference committee and gets past the president’s desk, Bruett’s focus will turn to a slew of other issues, food safety among them.

Personal: Born 12/09/1974 in Omaha, Nebr.

Education: B.S., Tuskegee University, 1996.

Professional: 1999–2001, government affairs, ConAgra Foods. 2001–2005, EOP Group. 2005– present, senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture.

“Obviously food safety is going to be huge this upcoming year with all the recalls that we are having and increased imports from foreign nations,” he said. “It is just going to be something that folks are going to focus on. I don’t know if there is going to be the political will to get anything done there, but that will be a focus.” But like everyone else on the committee, much of Bruett’s time will eventually go toward helping the Agriculture Department implement the new Farm Bill. “They are going to come out with proposed rules and things of that nature that hopefully will match the intent of what we’ve passed,” Bruett said of USDA. Unlike many of his fellow staffers, Bruett had no Capitol Hill experience before coming to the Senate Agriculture Committee. He used his animal science degree to work at two of the nation’s top animal disease laboratories, located in Ames, Iowa, and Plum Island, New York. He later became a policy analyst for the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Trade Support Team in its Washington, D.C., central office. Bruett then worked as a government affairs analyst and a consultant in agricultural policy before coming to the Hill. A 1997 Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Bruett graduated from Tuskegee University in 1996. He was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, participating in a program set up by the Department of Agriculture to get minorities more involved in agricultural fields.


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Philip Buchan Senior Democratic Counsel 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 Philip_Buchan@agriculture. senate.gov

Expertise: Conservation, pesticides. During the Farm Bill’s last reauthorization, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, pushed through a new program aimed at giving owners of farmland cash incentives to maintain and adopt conservation practices. He wasn’t about to leave it out of the renewal of the bill in 2007, declaring at one point that there wouldn’t be a bill without the program. Philip Buchan is the senior Democratic counsel on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Key among his responsibilities within the Farm Bill last year was Harkin’s Conservation Security Program, whose success was mixed during its first five years. “On the positive side, CSP is up and running in all 50 states, with a high level of producer interest,” Harkin said in 2007. “On the other side, CSP has been compromised in two ways: dedicated funding has been taken away in appropriations and the budge reconciliation bills, and USDA regulations have distorted what we enacted in a way that excludes many of the producers we intended the program to benefit, and fails to maximize the conservation benefits CSP has the potential to provide.” The Senate version of the Farm Bill boosted funding for the renamed program—the Conservation Stewardship Program—to $2 billion over five years and upped the number of acres that could be enrolled each year to 13 million. What’s unclear is whether the budget process does to the program what Buchan said it did during the previous several years. “The program has been getting the death by a thousand cuts,” he has said. “It’s made it difficult to implement properly.”

Personal: Born 05/27/1960 in Hinsdale, Ill.

Education: B.A., Grinnell College, 1983. J.D., University of Iowa College of Law, 1987. M.S.L.S., The Catholic University of America, 1990.

Professional: 1990–1995, staff, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. 1995–1999, lobbyist, Association of Trial Lawyers of America. 1999–2003, director, State of Iowa Office for State-Federal Relations. 2003–present, senior Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

The program was originally designed similar to the commodity title of the Farm Bill—it was based on the people eligible to enroll. If farmers met the basic eligibility standard, they could enroll. But instead, the program has been forced to deal with varying funding levels, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service has been forced to come up with fresh rules, Buchan said. Among Harkin’s other priorities in the Farm Bill was the energy title of the measure. The bill would create financial incentives to help farmers transition into biomass crops, and supports the construction of biorefineries from cellulose ethanol through a loan guarantee program with a cap of $250 million, Harkin’s office said in a statement. Buchan also works on appropriation issues, particularly ones related to research projects. He became interested in working on land conservation when he worked as the director of the State of Iowa’s Washington D.C., office, under Gov. Tom Vilsack.

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Kate Coler Senior Policy Director 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 Fax: (202) 228-2125 [email protected]

Expertise: Nutrition, Forestry and Organics. Kate Coler joined the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry in April 2007, just as debate over the Farm Bill’s reauthorization was heating up. As senior policy director, one of her main areas of focus was modernizing the food stamp program, which helps tens of millions of low-income Americans. To qualify, families must have less than $2,000 in assets, a limit that has remained in effect for 30 years. The Senate bill approved in December upped the asset limit to $3,500 and exempts education and retirement accounts from counting against the limit. Coler said the current asset limit unfairly burdens families in need of short-term assistance. The change is expected to cost $1 billion over 10 years. “It puts an unfair disadvantage to some people in the longterm when what they are seeking is a short-term amount of assistance,” she said. “It is an expensive change, but it should be fair to a lot of people.” The adjustment of the asset limit was among the biggest changes to the food stamp program, but not the only one. The bill also increased the standard deduction an individual can claim to $140 and eliminated the cap on what families can deduct in child care expenses, a limit now at $175 or $200 a month, depending on the age of the child. The bill also boosts the minimum benefits for food stamp recipients, which has remained unchanged for 30 years at $10 benefit a month. The legislation would up that to $12 per month and index that minimum for inflation.

Personal: Born 12/18/1965 in Minn.

Education: B.A., University of Illinois, 1988.

Professional: 1999–2002, lobbyist, Food Market Institute. 2002–2007, Deputy Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, Department of Agriculture.

“All of these changes combined will bring some more people into the program and improve the benefits of people currently participating,” she said. Once the Farm Bill is behind her—House and Senate negotiators are still hammering out details of the respective bills with a veto threat from Bush hanging over them—Coler will turn her attention to the next phase of nutrition measures set to expire. In 2009, those include the child nutrition programs, such as the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs and the Women, Infant and Children program. “We are going to be laying the groundwork,” she said. Part of the focus in the coming year, she said, will be to utilize the programs to not only help feed hungry people, but to improve their diets. “Improve access to fruits and vegetables,” she said, “and food choices that follow dietary guidelines.” Born in Minnesota, Coler earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois. For five years before she joined the committee she was deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services at the Department of Agriculture. Coler has long been involved in human services and health care, but she cut her agriculture teeth as a staffer for former Rep. Thomas Ewing, R-Ill., in the early 1990s.


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Matt Coley Professional Staff Member 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 [email protected]

Expertise: Agricultural economics. If anyone is well-suited to take on peanut issues within the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, it is Matt Coley. The Georgia native, a professional staff member on the committee, helped his family grow peanuts—among other things—on his family’s farm. “I’d like to think that I know the business somewhat, but I learn something new every day,” he said. That experience—along with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in agriculture economics—have helped Coley dive into everything from peanuts to payment limitations to animal agriculture in the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. Until the 2002 Farm Bill reauthorization, peanut producers operated under a quota system, meaning farmers within the system were forced to produce a certain amount at a set price, with the price falling off dramatically once that production amount was reached. In 2002, peanuts moved to a more market-oriented system. But one piece, the payment of storage and handling costs by the government, expired in 2006, putting pressure on Congress to act with the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. Until then, storage and handling costs for peanuts that had been place in the marketing loan program. In order to keep the loan rate for peanuts from dropping significantly, Coley said, the Senate came up with a mechanism where the Department of Agriculture would front the grower the handling and associated costs for peanuts.

Personal: Born in Vienna, Ga.

Education: B.S.A., agricultural economics, University of Georgia, 2003. M.S., agricultural economics, University of Georgia, 2005.

Professional: 2005–present, Republican professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Payment limitations was another area of focus for Coley last year, and will likely continue to play a role in his work. The administration wanted to drastically reduce the limit at which farmers become ineligible for subsidies. Right now, farmers who earn more than $2.5 million after expenses are excluded from the program. The administration wanted that cutoff dropped to $200,000. A measure to that affect narrowly died in the Senate. Once the president signs the Farm Bill, Coley’s focus will turn toward helping the Agriculture Department implement the bill. And all the while, his eyes are on the annual appropriations process. Coley’s career on Capitol Hill began during an internship in the office of Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., when Chambliss was serving in the House in 2002. “I had always done the labor side of farming but I never really knew much about the policy side,” he said. As he was finishing his master’s degree in economics in 2005, a spot on the committee opened up. “With the Farm Bill reauthorization being just around the corner, I thought it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he said. What does he prefer—Georgia or D.C.? “Both have their advantages,” he said. “The town I am from is home to about 2,400 folks. There’s one stop light. So just being able to get down there and get away from everything is pretty nice. But living in the city has its advantages as well.”

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Elizabeth Croker Senior Professional Staff Member 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035

Expertise: Conservation, energy, farm credit. Conservation took on a key role in the Senate Farm Bill’s reauthorization last year. And that put Elizabeth Croker, a senior professional staff member on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, in the thick of the bill’s renewal. Among the major changes, the conservation title within the Senate bill boosted the Conservation Security Program—renamed the Conservation Stewardship Program— to allow 13 million acres to be enrolled a year. The bill includes $2 billion over five years for the program, which has already enrolled 15 million acres and pays farmers who voluntarily maintain and adopt conservation practices on working lands. One new area for Croker and the agriculture community at large is climate change, which also played a role in the Farm Bill. The measure sought to set standards for farmers to monitor, measure and verify greenhouse gas reduction measures that farmers undertake. Another area of expertise for Croker is credit. The Senate bill raised the limit on the amount a farmer can borrow from the Agriculture Department—a limit that hadn’t changed in about 20 years. The limits on what farmers could borrow for both operating equipment and land was boosted from $200,000 to $300,000. Likewise, the bill increased the authorization amount for what is appropriated each year to cover those loans.

Education: B.A., University of Nebraska, 1992. M.A., Johns Hopkins University, 1998.

Professional: 2003–2004, director of public policy, National Corn Growers Association. 2004– present, senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Research is another area of expertise for Croker—and it’s not a small one. The Agriculture Department spends $2 billion on research. Half of that goes to the department’s inhouse research agency. The other half goes to universities for teaching programs and extension programs. The Farm Bill sought to increase the focus on competitive research. Croker said her priorities will soon shift from the Farm Bill to overseeing how the changes to the program are faring. That process begins several months after the new Farm Bill takes effect. And she’ll glean insights into any problems the good old-fashioned way, reading newspapers and talking to people. Previously, Croker worked on energy and ethanol issues, looking for new ways to encourage ethanol development in the wake of ethanol’s increasing demands on supplies of corn. Croker joined the committee from the National Corn Growers Association, where she was director of public policy for one of the largest and most active agriculture lobbyers on Capitol Hill. Before she worked for Corn Growers, Croker served as legislative coordinator for a Texas state senator, a program specialist for the Texas Water Development Board and legislative and communications director for Rep. Bill Barrett, R-Nebr. She earned a master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University in 1998, and graduated with a B.A. in international affairs and economics from the University of Nebraska in 1992.


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Kate Cyrul Majority Communications Director 731 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5702 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Now in her second year as Democratic communications director on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Kate Cyrul is well-versed on range of agriculture issues. Cyrul spent two and a half years working as the communications director for Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who was then ranking member of the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee, before jumping to the Senate last year as the committee dug into the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. “It was there that I realized how important of a role agriculture plays in our day to day lives around the country,” the Connecticut native said of her time on DeLauro’s staff. “When this position opened up, it just made sense to make that jump,” she said. Cyrul made the leap at a hectic time, taking over just as the committee ramped up negotiations of the five-year, $286 billion bill Farm Bill. For weeks toward the end of 2007, its passage was uncertain. But that ended in mid-December when the Senate voted 79 to 14 in favor of the package, the most lopsided Farm Bill vote since 1973, Cyrul noted. “It was a great year,” she said. “We were able to make the investments we wanted to in nutrition, conservation, renewable energy and rural development.” Once the bill is through conference, the focus shifts to the Agriculture Department’s implementation of the measure.

Personal: Born 07/13/1978 in Derby, Conn.

Education: B.A., Bentley College, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2001, press assistant, EMILY’s List. March 2001–2002, public relations associate, Quinn Gillespie and Associates. 2002–2003, press secretary, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. 2004, press secretary, Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif. 2004–2006, press secretary, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. 2006–2007, communications director, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. 2007–present, communications director, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

“It is not just getting the conference report through both chambers, it is also going to be how we implement this bill,” Cyrul said, “and making sure the department implements the new law as we intended it.” That may involve a lot of handholding considering acting Agriculture secretary Chuck Conner said he was “disappointed” with the Senate bill, citing the chamber’s rejection of an amendment that would have cut off subsidies for farmers earning more than $750,000 after expenses. The current threshold is $2.5 million. President Bush also has vowed to veto any Farm Bill that raises taxes or does not include reforms of some farm programs. The other focus area once the Farm Bill is finished is beefing up the committee’s oversight functions, Cyrul said. “We’ve been able to do some things in between the Farm Bill but probably haven’t been as focused that we need to because of the size of this legislation,” she said. Cyrul graduated from Bentley College in Massachusetts, where she started out studying business before switching over to politics. She was a press assistant for the political action group EMILY’s List and later worked for Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.

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John Ferrell Professional Staff Member 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 [email protected]

Expertise: Livestock issues, organic agriculture, sustainable agriculture. Heading into the reauthorization of the Farm Bill last year, Democrats sought to ramp up enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, an 87-year-old law intended to maintain competition and fairness within the livestock industry. That was just one key issue John Ferrell worked on in his role as Democratic professional staff member on the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. To help address the issue, the measure designated a “special counsel for agricultural competition” to oversee and administer enforcement of the act, making the position essentially the same status as an undersecretary, Ferrell said. “We’ve had concerns that things were falling through the cracks between the secretary all the way down to the deputy administrator,” Ferrell said. “So our goal was, let’s reorganize this a little bit and fix it so it is a little more of a high-profile position so things can’t be swept under the rug as easily.” The focus on livestock competition came after a report by the USDA inspector general found widespread inaction by the Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). The report also found that agency management was actively blocking employees from conducting investigations into anti-competitive behavior. Ferrell also worked on the arbitration and contracts provisions within the Farm Bill.

Personal: Born in Hedrick, Iowa.

Education: B.S., B.T., Northwest Missouri State University, 1999. M.S., University of Missouri, 2002.

Professional: 2002–present, Democratic professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

“We feel that arbitration makes a producer waive their rights under the Packers and Stockyards Act,” he said. “We want to make it so that arbitration is voluntary but a producer isn’t forced into it up front.” Enforcement of the act will continue to remain a key part of Ferrell’s work after the five-year, $286 billion Farm Bill’s reauthorization, which lawmakers hope will pass into law this year. The enforcement will come through oversight hearings, Ferrell said. Ferrell said he will also be concentrating on putting more funding into organic agriculture in the coming months. “It is booming so fast, but they don’t have all the market and production information that they need,” he said. “We want to get them more production data, marketing data, price and yield information, more research information.” Ferrell grew up on a farm near Hedrick, Iowa, a small town southeast of Des Moines. A graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, he received he has been working on Capitol Hill since 2002.


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Mark Halverson Majority Staff Director 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 Mark_Halverson@agriculture. senate.gov

Expertise: Agriculture programs and policy, trade, nutrition programs, conservation. As the top Democratic staffer on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, it’s fair to say Mark Halverson had his hands full in 2007. And he won’t catch much of a break in 2008. Last year was dominated by the Farm Bill. This year don’t expect much different. The massive reauthorization of the Farm Bill, originally expected to be complete by the end of September, continued into 2008 after the House and Senate were unable to come to agreement on their differing versions of the measure. They worked early this year toward a March 15 deadline to get the bill signed into law. Halverson is the Democratic staff director on the committee, giving him a close ear with the committee chairman, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. He has worked with Harkin for 20 years, ever since he joined his staff as a legislative assistant. Just getting the Farm Bill finished before the end of the year was celebrated as a big achievement by Harkin and his staff after the chamber spent months debating the measure. The bill passed in mid-December by a lopsided 79 to 14 vote in the Senate. The $286 billion measure, though, was met with immediate resistance from the White House, which balked at the bill’s maintenance of the current cutoff for subsidy payments to farmers—$2.5 million in income. What it lacked in changes to the traditional farm subsidy programs, the bill made up for in new spending for food stamps, conservation and other farm programs.

Personal: Born 08/26/1955 in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Education: A.S., Marshalltown Community College, 1975. B.A., Iowa State University, 1977. J.D., University of Iowa, 1981.

Professional: 1981–1982, private law practice, Des Moines, Iowa. 1982–1984, law clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, Judge George Fagg. 1984–1988, private law practice, Bryan Cave (Washington, D.C.) 1988–1996, legislative asst., Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. 1996–1999, Democratic chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. 1999–present, Democratic staff dir./chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

The Conservation Security Program—renamed the Conservation Stewardship Program—would be given a boost in funding of $2 billion over five years to encourage farmers to maintain and adopt conservation programs on their land. It would expand enrollment to allow 13 million acres a year into the program. The bill would also loosen eligibility requirements for food stamps and pump hundreds of millions more into the program. Another area of focus for Harkin, considering his Iowa roots, was increasing ethanol production. The Farm Bill would provide financial incentives to help farmers transition into biomass crops. It supports the construction of biorefineries for cellulose ethanol by backing loans that cover up to 80 percent of a project’s cost, with a cap of $250 million. Complex Farm Bill negotiations, which could continue for months, wouldn’t be new to Halverson. The Iowa native was the Senate Agriculture Committee’s staff director during negotiations on the 2002 Farm Bill. Halverson earned a degree in animal science from Iowa State University. After law school and seven years of practicing law, he came to Capitol Hill for a job in Harkin’s Senate office before moving over to the committee staff in 1996. Like many of those who work on Harkin’s staff, he grew up on a farm in Iowa.

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Erin Hamm Press Secretary 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 [email protected]

Expertise: Agriculture, communications. This year is Erin Hamm’s second as the Republican press secretary on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. As the Farm Bill moves from debate to implementation, her role will evolve from one focused on closely following the status of the negotiations over the massive reauthorization bill to one that involves helping the Department of Agriculture carry out the legislation. “We write the law, we have to work with them on implementing it,” Hamm said of the Department of Agriculture. What that involves for Hamm is explaining in part what new provisions mean for the department and the country. The Senate version of the measure that passed late last year would authorize significant new spending for farm programs, food stamps and conservation. “Like, ‘Hey there is a new program—did you know that is available?’” she said. “That is a huge undertaking.” Hamm’s responsibilities include communicating with reporters around the country about pending legislation and the priorities of her boss, Ranking Republican Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. Last year was a busy one for Hamm, much like everyone else on the committee. It began with hearings around the country to gather input for the Farm Bill’s reauthorization. “That gave the community an opportunity to have one last sweep through the bill for updates and changes and input for folks that actually have a stake in the Farm Bill, so to speak,” she said.

Personal: Born 06/1980 in New Hamburg, Mo.

Education: B.S., Southeast Missouri State University.

Professional: 2003–2004, southeast Missouri regional field representative, Sen. Jim Talent, RMo. 2004–2007, press secretary, Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo. 2007–present, press secretary, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

It ended on a high note after the Senate passed $286 billion bill with broad bipartisan support. “That was our biggest accomplishment: Strong committee support and then of course a huge victory on the floor in December,” she said. Hamm, who was raised on a farm in southeast Missouri where they grew corn soybeans and wheat, is no stranger to talking about agricultural issues. “It’s just one of those things I’ve been around my whole life,” she said. A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Hamm climbed into the political area with an internship with Jeb Bush’s 2002 Florida gubernatorial campaign. Later, she was a field representative for former Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., and worked as his press secretary for several years before coming to the committee staff.


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Anne Hazlett Minority Counsel 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 Fax: (202) 228-2125 [email protected]

As the new minority counsel on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Anne Hazlett dips her toes into pretty much everything from nutrition to conservation. “I provide technical legal assistance to our policy staff, helping them to draft legislation and review legislation that others have drafted,” she said. And like everyone on the committee last year, her time was dominated by the Farm Bill. Within that, she turned her focus largely to the conservation and energy titles. “In the conservation title we made minor tweaks and improvements to make the existing programs more userfriendly for farmers and ranchers,” she said. The conservation title boosts the amount—to 13 million acres per year—that the newly named Conservation Stewardship Program could enroll, and upped to $2 billion over five years the amount that the program could pay out. The program pays farmers who voluntarily maintain and adopt conservation practices on working lands. The measure also set aside 10 percent of conservation funds for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. Attention will soon turn toward making sure the law has the effect the committee intended. For some programs, it is a process that can take years. “We will be watching implementation really closely, so the oversight role really kicks into gear” after the bill is signed into law, she said.

Personal: Born 08/13/1973 in Charleston, S.C.

Education: B.S., agriculture, University of Kansas, 1995. J.D., Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis, 1999. L.L.M., agricultural Law, University of Arkansas, 2001.

Professional: 2001–2003, asst. counsel, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2003–2004, deputy policy director, Mitch Daniels for Indiana Governor campaign. 2004–present, Republican counsel, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

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Also on her plate once the Farm Bill is finished is next year’s reauthorization of the Child Nutrition bill, a measure that encompasses school lunch and breakfast programs as well as the women, infant and children program. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Hazlett’s interest in agriculture issues didn’t take long to set in. She received her bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Kansas and law degree from Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis. “I come from a state where agriculture is a dominant industry,” she said. “Just growing up in an environment where it is all around you I developed a passion for it at a very early age and my career has followed that path.” Hazlett spent three years as assistant counsel on the House Agriculture Committee before becoming the deputy political director for Mitch Daniels gubernatorial run in Indiana from 2003 and 2004. She then served as chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman from 2005 until 2007.



Laverne (Vernie) Hubert Chief Counsel 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035

Expertise: Agricultural law, general farm issues. Vernie Hubert has seen several sides of Congress, having worked for a House Democrat for nearly 20 years before becoming the deputy counsel and then chief counsel for Republicans on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry in 2004. Agriculture, though, has remained a constant in Hubert’s career throughout his time on Capitol Hill. A Texas native, Hubert came to Washington as an intern on the House Agriculture Committee in 1982. And despite a short respite from Washington—as an assistant prosecutor in Texas—he has been here ever since. Most of that time was spent in the House, where Hubert worked his way through the House Agriculture Committee to become Democratic counsel and legislative director for the panel from 1995 until 2003. The next year, he moved over to the Senate under its now–ranking member, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. Hubert told the National Journal that the party change was not difficult because the rest of his family already switched, and “I’ve always been a conservative.” Among Hubert’s responsibilities are commodities, crop insurance, conservation and water. And with the Farm Bill on the table throughout 2007—and continuing into 2008— Hubert had his hands full.

Personal: Born 07/23/1957 in Bryan, Texas.

Education: B.S., Texas A&M University, 1979. J.D., St. Mary’s University School of Law, 1985.

Professional: 1982–1983, intern, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1986, asst. prosecutor, Brazos County, Texas. 1986–1991, asst. counsel, associate counsel, legislative dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1991–1995, chief counsel and legislative dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 1995–2003, Democratic counsel/leg. dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2004–present, deputy counsel/ chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Within commodities, for example, the committee sought to broaden the scope of the program to include specialty crops and put crop insurance provisions within the commodity title. The committee was also successful in adding a revenue option for producers—the Average Crop Revenue program—to the Senate bill that passed in December, designed to help farmers by protecting revenue rather than prices. The revenue target would adjust with the market. With trade one of the other major areas of responsibility for Hubert, he is sure to keep an eye on any progress within the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations. The talks have been stalled for years. People who “worship at the altar of free trade” want farm legislation geared toward trade agreements and open markets, but Congress will approve “no unilateral disarmament in trade talks, Hubert said in 2006, according to the Southwest Farm Press. “There’s always a kernel of truth in each point of view in trade issues,” Hubert said, according to the Farm Press. “But we have to sit down and examine each kernel.” Hubert studied biomedicine and other sciences before entering law. He has a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science and has done graduate work in virology and animal physiology. He received his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1985. Hubert also served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Service Corps after his 1979 graduation from Texas A&M University. He told the National Journal that he plans to move his family back to Texas some day.


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Susan B. Keith Majority General Counsel 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9315 [email protected]

Expertise: Commodity programs, commodity futures, crop insurance. As the Democratic general counsel for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Susan Keith’s primary responsibility in 2007 included the commodities programs within the Farm Bill. The committee sought to broaden the scope of the program to include specialty crops and put crop insurance provisions within the commodity title. The committee was also successful in adding a revenue option for producers—the Average Crop Revenue program— to the Senate bill that passed in December, designed to help farmers by protecting revenue rather than prices. The revenue target would adjust with the market. “Using a target price to set a revenue target doesn’t work very well for commodities when … producers have been able to get higher prices for their commodities and target prices are less relevant,” said Keith, whose focus includes covered commodities such as wheat, corn, other feed grains, other oil seeds, peanuts, sugar and dairy. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa also pitched the program as a cost saving mechanism that could free up money for conservation, energy and rural development program.

Personal: Born 01/04/1951 in Waterloo, Iowa.

Education: B.S., Coe College, 1973. J.D., University of Iowa School of Law, 1978.

Professional: 1978–1984, attorney, Legal Services Corporation of Iowa (Waterloo, Iowa). 1985–1986, attorney, private practice. 1987–1990, legislative asst., Rep. Dave Nagle, D-Iowa. 1990–2001, senior dir. of public policy, National Corn Growers Association. 2001–present, Democratic general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Payment limitations were also a big issue for Keith and the committee. The issue has been a hot topic in recent years amid arguments from the administration and others that subsidy payments are going toward farmers earning too much. The Senate narrowly rejected an amendment to the final bill last December that would have ended subsidy payments for farmers earning more than $750,000 after expenses, down from $2.5 million. Among Keith’s other responsibilities is examining nominations for the committee. The panel got off to a quick start in 2008 with the confirmation of Agriculture Secretary Edward Schafer in late January. Once the Farm Bill emerges from conference committee, Keith’s focus will turn to implementation of the massive reauthorization bill and oversight. “Now we are in the eighth year of a Republican administration and we haven’t had the Democratic Congress to provide any particular oversight to that administration,” she said. “Last year we were probably more focused on the Farm Bill than on oversight.” Among the issues Keith said the committee would likely look into is “the ability of the Farm Service Agency to even meet its own regulations in terms of how programs are administered.” Keith has previously worked on re-authorization of the Grain Standards Act, which supports the U.S. grain inspection system. She came to the committee in 2001, after 11 years as a senior policy director at the National Corn Growers Association. Like many on Harkin’s staff, she grew up on a farm in Iowa. She received her law degree from the University of Iowa School of Law.

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Stephanie Mercier Majority Chief Economist 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0014 Stephanie_Mercier@agriculture. senate.gov

Expertise: Domestic and agriculture trade policy, farm programs, crop insurance. Agriculture got Stephanie Mercier to Washington. But it was politics that Mercier was focused on when she first got a glimpse of life within the Beltway. She recalled for the National Journal watching the Watergate hearings on television as a 13-year-old. “Watergate transfixed me,” she said. “Others had an adverse reaction, but this got me fascinated with politics.” Mercier stuck with policy, not politics. An Iowa native, Mercier received her bachelor’s at Washington University in 1983 before getting her Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Iowa State University in 1988. Soon after graduation, she arrived in Washington, where she worked for nine years at the Economic Research Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1997, she made the move to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, where she is now the majority chief economist. Among her two main focus areas are trade policy and crop insurance, both hot topics in agricultural circles. Crop insurance became a heated topic in Farm Bill negotiations. A Government Accountability Office report last spring found that crop insurance companies were earning nearly three times the rate of return as traditional property and casualty companies, putting additional pressure on lawmakers to scale back the government’s crop insurance program. While adjustments were made to cut expenses, the Senate rebuffed efforts to drastically scale back the program.

Personal: Born 02/26/1961 in Iowa City, Iowa.

Education: A.B., Washington University (St. Louis), 1983. Ph.D., Iowa State University, 1988.

Professional: 1988–1997, team leader, Economic Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. 1997–present, Democratic economist, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Trade is a topic that will only gain more focus once the Farm Bill is signed into law. The Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations have been stalled for years but could get going again. Negotiators pledged early in 2006 to get some sort of comprehensive agreement on tariff reduction completed by the end of the year, but talks faltered. Many organization members blamed the impasse on the European Union’s intransigence on cutting import tariffs on farm goods, although this was only one aspect of the many trade hang-ups. Agricultural trade with countries such as South Korea and Japan, meanwhile, have taken a hit in recent years after a mad cow scare in 2003. Both countries have re-opened their doors to U.S. beef, but with tough restrictions that has the American meat industry howling. New Agriculture secretary Edward Schaffer will be pressed to address the issue in his one and only year at the helm of the Agriculture Department. In 2005, Mercier was honored at the annual American Agricultural Economics Association meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, for her article in Choices in 2004. Choices is a quarterly periodical published by the association, addressing agricultural issues for a general audience.


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Hayden Milberg Senior Economist 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035

Expertise: Biotechnology, trade. Hayden Milberg’s plate became more full last year, having moved from senior professional staff member to senior economist for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. In addition to tracking the trade and biotechnology issues that he was following prior to the change, Milberg is now responsible for all economic analysis for the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. That includes analyzing all budgetary impacts of legislation for the committee. Within the Farm Bill, which took on the brunt of the committee’s focus in 2007 and the early part of 2008, Milberg’s role included “tracking Congressional Budget Office scores and making sure we are complying with all our budgetary responsibilities,” he said. With a $286 billion measure passing the Senate in December, that was no small feat. He said he’ll continue to remain focused on economic analysis of foreign policy, looking at how events in agriculture are impacting federal policy. Among those events he’ll be tracking: The boom of the ethanol market and its impacts on federal expenditures for the farm safety net and the increasing demand for commodities in the international market and domestic supply. Once the Farm Bill is signed into law, Milberg will join the rest of the committee in guiding implementation of the legislation with the Department of Agriculture, he said.

Education: B.A., Tufts University, 1993. M.P.P., Georgetown University, 1998.

Professional: 2002–2005, dir. of public policy, National Corn Growers Association. 2005–2007, senior professional staff, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. 2007– present, senior economist, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Trade and biotechnology, meanwhile, will continue to be among Milberg’s responsibilities. Pressure will by on new Agriculture secretary Edward Schaffer to firmly reestablish markets to South Korea and Japan. Both countries reopened their markets to U.S. beef—with severe restrictions—after closing them for a period earlier this decade over mad cow disease. The level of trade, though, has yet to regain earlier levels. Milberg has previously worked for Reps. Tom Latham, RIowa, Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., and Wally Herger, R-Calif. He also worked for former Rep. Frank Riggs, R-Calif. Milberg graduate from Tufts University in 1993, and later studied international business management at Oxford University. He went on to get his master’s degree in public policy at Georgetown University and is a 2008 candidate for a doctorate in American government. Milberg came to the Senate Agriculture Committee from the National Corn Growers Association, where he was director of public policy. He is joined on the committee by another NCGA colleague, Elizabeth Croker.

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Martha Scott Poindexter Minority Staff Director 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 MarthaScott_ [email protected]

Expertise: Agriculture. Martha Scott Poindexter brings a mix of public and private sector experience to her role as minority staff director for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, where she is responsible for all aspects of the committee’s legislative and administrative duties. Born in Morgan City, Mississippi, Poindexter received her bachelor’s in home economics at Mississippi State University in 1989. She prepared for a career as a registered dietician, she told National Journal, “because I couldn’t sew or decorate, just cook.” Those plans soon got sidetracked. She literally stumbled upon a job on Capitol Hill soon after graduation, having run into family friend, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., while walking down the street, she recounted to National Journal. Cochran hired her to work on the nutrition title of the 1990 Farm Bill. She’s done a lot in between. She finished her training as a registered dietitian in 1992, before returning to Washington to lobby for sugar growers, according to the National Journal. Poindexter is well steeped in budget issues, having served as a former staff member of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Agriculture from 1997 to 2001. She then went to Monsanto, where she worked as director of government relations from 2002 to 2003, before returning to the public sphere as legislative director for Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. She’s been the Republican staff director on the committee since 2005.

Personal: Born in Morgan City, Miss.

Education:

Budget issues came to the fore in Farm Bill negotiations in 2007. The administration sought to scale back funding to farmers in part by limiting subsidies to those with annual incomes of $200,000 or less. The current cutoff is $2.5 million.

B.S., Mississippi State University, 1989.

Professional: 1997–2001, professional staff member, Subc. on Agriculture, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2002, director of government relations, Monsanto. 2003– 2004, legislative dir., Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. 2005–present, staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

But Chambliss fought hard to keep the payment limitations where they are. “Two hundred thousand dollars to the average guy is a lot of money,” Chambliss said before the Farm Bill negotiations got underway in early 2007. “But what we in agriculture know is, $200,000 in adjusted gross income means once you get to that point, then you’ve got to pay for that $250,000 combine, that $100,000 tractor that you’ve got to have to operate your facilities.” The Senate eventually rejected amendments to reduce the limit before overwhelmingly passing a $286 billion Farm Bill in December. House and Senate conferees were working toward an agreement in March. Poindexter received praise from James Cummins, executive director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation, at a hearing in 2005. “I would also like to commend Chairman Chambliss for appointing Martha Scott Poindexter as the staff director of such an important committee,” he said. “I have worked with her for about 10 years and respect her leadership and breadth of knowledge about Farm Bill conservation programs.”


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Adela Ramos Professional Staff Member 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 Adela_Ramos@agriculture. senate.gov

Expertise: Food safety, animal and plant diseases, agroterrorism, biotechnology, agricultural research. Unlike many of her colleagues, Adela Ramos was not steeped in agriculture before coming to Capitol Hill. She was born in Miami, got her bachelor’s degree at Duke University in North Carolina and continued going further north for her Ph.D., graduating in 2004 from Cornell University in New York. Her life on the Hill began in 2004, when she was a congressional science fellow sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology. She moved over to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry a year later, where she is now a professional staff member. Among Ramos’s areas of expertise are food safety, animal and plant diseases, agro-terrorism, biotechnology and agricultural research. Few of those topics have gotten more attention in recent years than food safety. In February 2008, a California meatpacker ordered the largest beef recall in U.S. history. It was only the latest in a string of recalls and outbreaks of foodborne illnesses that have grabbed headlines. “[Food safety is] definitely an important issue that faces everybody everyday because everybody has to eat,” Ramos said. It’s a topic that is likely to gain considerably more attention from the committee once the Farm Bill is signed into law.

Personal: Born 1976 in Miami, Fla.

Education: B.S., Duke University, 1998. Ph.D., Cornell University, 2004.

Professional: 2004–2005, congressional fellow, American Society for Microbiology. 2005–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Ramos was also involved with the expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, created by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, in 2002. The Senate version of the Farm Bill would expand the program to reach nearly 4.5 million children in elementary schools nationwide. “It’s food that we’re encouraging Americans to eat like fruit and vegetables,” Ramos said before the Farm Bill negotiations got underway in 2007. “If we’re doing that and, at the same time, there’s something wrong with out food supply, that’s definitely an issue.” The bill boosts funding for the program, grants and research to growers of fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops. Agriculture research is another area of concentration for Ramos, one that she said gets too little attention considering its affect on people’s lives. People don’t realize that a safe, affordable, food supply is the result of many years of research—a public blind spot that shows up in the level of funding dedicated to research, she said. The Agriculture Department spends $2 billion every year on research, half of which goes toward its in-house research department and the other half going toward universities and extension programs. The Senate Farm Bill sought to increase the focus on competitive research programs. The topic of animal welfare poked its head into the Farm Bill as well. The legislation would ban importing dogs younger than six months because they are often raised in conditions without animal welfare standards and shipped over with diseases.

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Christy Seyfert Senior Professional Staff Member 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035 christy_seyfert@agriculture. senate.gov

Expertise: Commodities, crop insurance. Crop insurance was among the most fiercely debated aspects of the Farm Bill’s reauthorization last year, putting Christy Seyfert in the thick of the action in her role as senior professional staff member on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. A Government Accountability Office report in spring 2007 found that crop insurance companies earned nearly three times the rate of return as traditional property and casualty companies, adding controversy to the program just as the Farm Bill negotiations got underway. However, the Senate rebuffed efforts to drastically scale back the program in a bill that passed overwhelmingly in December. Adjustments that were made to free up funds for other aspects of the Farm Bill included reducing administrative and operating expenses provided to companies and setting new payment guidelines for farmers. Seyfert was also heavily involved with the supplemental disaster assistance provisions within the Farm Bill. The Senate measure included a multi-year disaster assistance program for the first time, as opposed to the ad-hoc program that is normally provided by Senate appropriators. The Farm Bill’s completion will open the door to a very different type of work for Seyfert and the rest of the staff as it helps the Agriculture Department to implement the legislation.

Education: B.S., University of Georgia, 1998.

Professional: 1998–1999, legislative asst., Rep. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. 1999–2001, legislative staff, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2001–2003, subcommittee staff dir., House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2003–2004, deputy chief of staff, Rep. Max Burns, RGa. 2004, professional staff, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2005–present, senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

“We’ll be monitoring that and then, of course, as they work to make these programs available to farmers and county offices make sure that farmers are being communicated with appropriately and that they understand what we were trying to do,” Seyfert said. Like many other staffers on the Senate committee, Seyfert grew up on a farm in Georgia. “I have a great respect for those who make the investments and make the commitment to provide this country a safe, stable food supply,” she said. “I just really have a great appreciation for farmers and ranchers in this country.” She studied agriculture at the University of Georgia, where she received her bachelor’s degree in 1998. Seyfert’s stint reunites her with the ranking Republican member of the committee, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia. She came to Washington in the summer of 1997 as an agriculture intern in then-Rep. Chambliss’s House office. After she graduated from the University of Georgia in 1998, she came to work for Chambliss as a legislative assistant. She later followed her boss to the House Agriculture Committee, where he was a subcommittee chairman and had a major hand in writing the 2002 Farm Bill. In 2003, she also served as deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Max Burns, R-Ga. But she returned to the House Agriculture Committee again in 2004, after leaving Burns—a vulnerable freshman who was a top Democratic target that year—months before his electoral defeat.


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Dawn DeBerry Stump Senior Professional Staff Member 328-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2035

Expertise: Commodity crops, rural development, forestry. Dawn DeBerry Stump was born in Texas and studied agricultural science and applied economics at Texas Tech University. Two years out of college, in 1996, Stump went to work for the Texas Department of Agriculture, where she helped set up hearings that discussed the impact of World Trade Negotiations on the state. Within three years, she was on the Hill, putting her experience and education to work as a legislative assistant to Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas. She became an expert on biofuels such as ethanol. In 2001, she moved over to the House Committee on Agriculture as a professional staff member. Two years later, she switched to the Senate side, where she is now a senior professional staff member for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Like all members of the committee, Stump’s 2007 was all about the Farm Bill. Her responsibilities included specific commodity programs, such as specialty crops, payment limitations and rural development. Payment limitations were a contentious part of the Farm Bill, with the administration pushing to close loopholes that allow farmers to get around existing payment limits and barring farmers with annual incomes of $200,000 or more from receiving commodity program subsidies. The current cutoff is $2.5 million. Ranking member Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., was vehemently opposed to such a change, arguing that the income cap was “intended to strike at Southeastern agriculture.”

Personal: Born 09/12/1973 in Texas.

Education: B.S., agricultural science and applied economics, Texas Tech University, 1996.

Professional: 1996–1998, market analyst, U.S. Wheat Associates. 1998–1999, director of federal policy and trade, Texas Dept. of Agriculture. 1999–2001, legislative assistant, Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas. 2001– 2003, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Agriculture. 2003–present, senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

“Two hundred thousand dollars to the average guy is a lot of money,” Chambliss said before the Farm Bill negotiations got underway in early 2007. “But what we in agriculture know is, $200,000 in adjusted gross income means once you get to that point, then you’ve got to pay for that $250,000 combine, that $100,000 tractor that you’ve got to have to operate your facilities.” He added: “I don’t know of a farmer in Georgia that has 500 acres in cultivation that probably wouldn’t have hit that threshold, and that’s a small farm in Arkansas or Georgia. Unfortunately, some of these policymakers have no concept of what it’s like when you’re out there having to get dirt under your fingernails and driving a tractor.” Chambliss and other critics of the cap emerged victorious in December, when the Senate narrowly rejected amendments to cut back on the income limit for subsidies, but the fight was poised to continue. Then acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner said the bill faced a tough road ahead. Negotiations to craft a compromise measure between the Senate and House bills continued into March. Stump, who grew up as an active member of 4-H in the west Texas town of Olton, is not the only member of the family who ended up in Washington. Her younger brother Drew has worked for the Agriculture Department.

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Committee on Appropriations S-131, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-7363 http://appropriations.senate.gov/


MINORITY MEMBERS

Robert C. Byrd, WV, Chairman

Thad Cochran, MS, Ranking Member

Daniel K. Inouye, HI Patrick J. Leahy, VT Tom Harkin, IA Barbara A. Mikulski, MD Herbert Kohl, WI Patty Murray, WA Byron L. Dorgan, ND Dianne Feinstein, CA Richard J. Durbin, IL Tim Johnson, SD Mary L. Landrieu, LA Jack Reed, RI Frank R. Lautenberg, NJ Ben Nelson, NE

Ted Stevens, AK Arlen Specter, PA Pete V. Domenici, NM Christopher S. Bond, MO Mitch McConnell, KY Richard C. Shelby, AL Judd Gregg, NH Robert F. Bennett, UT Larry Craig, ID Kay Bailey Hutchison, TX Sam Brownback, KS Wayne Allard, CO Lamar Alexander, TN


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SENATE APPROPRIATIONS JURISDICTION (1) Appropriation of the revenue for the support of the government, except as provided in subparagraph(s). (2) Rescission of appropriation contained in appropriation acts (referred to in section 105 of title 1, United States Code). (3) The amount of new spending authority described in section 401(c)(2) (A) and (B) of the congressional Budget Act of 1974, which is to be effective for a fiscal year. (4) New spending authority described in section 401(c)(2)(C) of the congressional Budget Act of 1974 provided in bills and resolution referred to the committee under section 401(b)(2) of that act (but subject to the provision of section 401(b)(3) of that act).

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SENATE APPROPRIATIONS If 2007 was an extraordinarily hectic year for the Senate and House Appropriations committees, 2008 shapes up to be almost as busy and pointed. In 2007, with new Democratic majorities in both houses bringing back veteran chairmen Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., and Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., the panels first passed a sweeping continuing resolution to complete the 109th Congress’s unfinished appropriations work. Then the committees tackled the highly contentious issue of funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with Democrats trying unsuccessfully to force a withdrawal timetable from Iraq on President Bush and his GOP allies. The committees then took up the fiscal 2008 appropriations bills, and were eventually forced to pass 11 unfinished bills in a massive omnibus bill that Bush signed on Dec. 26. Earlier, he had signed the defense bill providing $459.3 billion in discretionary funding. And throughout the year the committees had to deal with the ongoing controversy over congressional earmarks, which have become a popular target for reformers in both parties. The agenda for 2008 looks practically the same. The Iraq war continues and will require more supplemental spending legislation. The fight over earmarks probably will only intensify in an election year. Democrats and Bush and his GOP supporters could be headed for another showdown over domestic discretionary spending in an election year atmosphere. The early thinking is that when it comes to the domestic spending bills, Democrats in Congress may choose to wait out Bush, hoping that their party takes back the White House in the November 4 election. Another theory is that Democrats may pass a few domestic bills reflecting their priorities, daring Bush to veto them before the election. Bush has riled appropriators with his call in his January 2008 State of the Union for a moratorium on congressional earmarks. He didn’t pledge to end presidential earmarks. And Democrats say they have slashed the number of earmarks and forced House and Senate sponsors to divulge information about their earmarks. Appropriators from both parties, reflecting the committees’ traditional bipartisan view of their powers, said Congress has the constitutional right appropriate money as it sees fit. “What the president won’t tell the viewer tonight is that he is not subjecting his own earmarks to cuts,” Byrd said on State of the Union night. “With the reforms that the Democrats have put into place, congressional earmarks now receive far more public scrutiny than the president’s,” Byrd added.


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SENATE APPROPRIATIONS

Sidney Ashworth Minority Clerk Subcommittee on Defense 119 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7255

Expertise: Defense. President Bush, faced with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, global efforts against terrorism, and continuing efforts to modernize the military, has proposed a five percent inflation-adjusted fiscal 2009 budget increase for the Defense Department. The $585.4 billion plan for discretionary budget authority for the Pentagon is one of the few areas in his $3.1 trillion budget plan where Bush wants to make a healthy increase in discretionary spending authority. But Bush’s proposal includes only $70 billion in forecast emergency spending for Iraq and Afghanistan. Some congressional appropriators predict that the real figure could top $200 billion. Sidney Ashworth, the Defense Appropriations subcommittee’s veteran minority clerk under ranking Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, plays a key role in preparing the annual defense appropriations bill and shepherding it into law. She is also at the center of often-partisan deliberations over the supplemental spending legislation for Iraq and Afghanistan. Democrats say the time is long past for the Bush administration to include such spending in the Defense Department’s regular budget. But Republicans and the administration say that the costs of a war are difficult to predict and should not be made part of the department’s base budget.

Personal: Born in Bucyrus, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Univ. of Maryland. M.B.A., Campbell Univ.

Professional: 1985–1989, analyst, U.S. Army, Korea. 1989–1993, analyst, U.S. Army, Pacific. 1993, liaison officer, U.S. Army, Pentagon. 1994, LEGIS fellow. 1997–2003, clerk, Subc. on Military Construction, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2003–present, Republican clerk, Subc. on Defense, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

While defense spending has risen steadily under Bush, the buildup actually predates him. His proposed fiscal 2009 budget is the 11th straight year of proposed increased Pentagon spending, meaning the trend began in President Bill Clinton’s second term. Congress got bogged down in 2007 in a partisan showdown with Bush over 12 of the 13 appropriations bills, finally sending him an omnibus bill late in the year that he signed. The one exception was the fiscal 2008 defense bill that Bush signed November 13. The bill did not, however, include some $196 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, which Democrats stripped out. They preferred to consider the war money separately as part of their ultimately unsuccessful effort to force Bush to accept language on a withdrawal timetable from Iraq. While there has now been several years of partisan wrangling over war funding, Ashworth has predicted that the committee’s underlying bipartisan spirit will continue. “You have to work on a bipartisan basis to get these bills through,” she said. “I have not worked for both sides, but I’ve been around here long enough to know that’s how it has to be.” She became clerk of the Defense Subcommittee after several years as the Republican clerk for the Military Construction Subcommittee. Ashworth started her career as an Army civilian management analyst in Korea and Hawaii. She came to the committee as a LEGIS fellow in 1994 and remained when Republicans gained control of the Senate in 1995. She joined the Appropriations Committee staff in 1997.

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Dennis Balkham Minority Clerk Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Phone: (202) 224-4092 [email protected]

Expertise: Military construction. President Bush’s proposed fiscal 2009 budget calls for a 3.9 increase in spending on veterans’ programs, an increase that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies, called “modest.” Democrats attacked the president’s plan for $44.8 billion in discretionary spending for the Veterans Affairs Department, saying the rising need for VA services—driven by casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan and an aging veterans’ population—could outstrip any proposed rise in spending. Hutchison was less critical. “I oppose a decrease in medical research. We will closely review the budget proposal,” she said. Hutchison’s top committee aide is Dennis Balkham, the subcommittee’s minority clerk. Balkham is a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran of the Persian Gulf War who has worked on Capitol Hill since 2003. While still in the Air Force he served a tour as the service’s budget liaison to the Senate Appropriations Committee. He was also on Gen. Colin Powell’s staff when Powell was Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, serving as legislative assistant. Hutchison is a leading advocate for veterans’ care and for adequate funding of military construction to provide for a good quality of life for service personnel and their families. She has gotten involved in a few funding issues that could make news in 2008.

Personal: Born 05/17/1953 in San Bernardino, Calif.

Education: B.A., The Citadel, 1975. M.A., government and international relations, University of South Carolina, 1977. M.A., national security, Naval War College, 1993.

Professional: 1997–2003, director of Project Management Office, United States Courts. 2003–2005, professional staff member, Subc. on Commerce, Justice, and the State Dept., Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005– present, Republican clerk, Subc. on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

In his State of the Union address in January 2008, Bush proposed allowing veterans to transfer their education benefits to other family members. But he didn’t propose any funding for the plan, which aides was included in the speech late in the process. Huchison has picked up the idea, introducing legislation in the Senate. As ranking member on the subcommittee, she is a powerful position to find money for the idea. She has also introduced legislation that would stop the VA from trying to collect on education benefits debt run up by service members killed in war zones. In his budget Bush proposed an 18 percent increase in military construction spending, in part to pay for building projects mandated by base closures and consolidations ordered by the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. Hutchison praised that portion of Bush’s budget plan. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill in 2003, Balkham also served as the director of the project management office in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Established in 1939, the office is the administrative arm of the federal judiciary and provides administrative, program management, and policy development support. In that position, Balkham was responsible for coordinating all of the federal courthouses in a national IT project, as well as for securing grants for local courts to develop technology solutions.


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Gabrielle Batkin Majority Staff Director Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies The Capitol, S-131 Phone: (202) 224-7363 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget. Gabrielle Batkin was promoted in 2007 from professional staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee to majority staff director of one of its key subcommittees: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS). She is responsible for advising Democratic members of the Senate on funding and policies related to several departments and agencies of the U.S. government, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The subcommittee is chaired by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, DMd., who in February 2008 decried President Bush’s 2009 budget request as falling far short for law enforcement. Bush’s budget proposal calls for $22.7 billion for the Department of Justice, a 2 percent decrease from last year’s final enacted bill. Mikulski calculates that this would mean a “staggering” 61 percent cut for state and local law enforcement programs. Mikulski has also been a dogged champion of NASA, which is also funded through the subcommittee. Last year she pressed for an additional $1 billion for the space agency to help it recover from the 2003 loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The money was dropped from the Appropriations bill during a House-Senate conference. She has vowed to continue fighting for the increased funding. The president’s budget request would increase funding for NASA to $17.6 billion, up from the $17.1 billion NASA received in fiscal 2008. But the president’s request does not include the additional $1 billion Mikulski seeks.

Personal: Born 05/29/1972 in Van Nuys, Calif.

Education: B.A., Bradley University, 1994. M.A., George Washington University, 1997.

Professional: 1995–1999, legislative correspondent; special projects asst., Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. 1999, legislative asst., Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. 2000, budget analyst, Senate Cmte. on Budget. 2001– 2007, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, majority staff dir., Subc. on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

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Batkin is no stranger to the committee or the budget process. She has served on its professional staff since 2001, when she worked on appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other agencies under the jurisdiction of the former Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies. Prior to joining the Appropriations Committee staff, Batkin honed her budget experience on the Senate Budget Committee, where she specialized in commerce and community development issues. She also served as a legislative assistant to Rep. Frank Pallone D-N.J., whom she advised on environmental issues. For Sen. Frank Lautenberg D-N.J., she worked as both a special projects assistant and legislative correspondent. Batkin grew up in many places, including Pennsylvania, Malaysia, and Egypt, but considers Hamburg, N.J. home. Her favorite activity is spending time with her family, including her husband Josh, and sons Henry, 3, and William, 1.



Art Cameron Minority Clerk Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies S-123, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-7731 [email protected]

Expertise: Appropriations. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies has funding responsibility for a vast swath of the federal government that goes well beyond the venerable Justice and Commerce departments. It’s also responsible for such agencies as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Art Cameron serves as the minority clerk on the subcommittee, working for the ranking Republican, Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama. In his fiscal 2009 budget request, President Bush proposed cutting the Justice Department’s budget by three percent from fiscal 2008, to $23.7 billion. One way Bush proposed accomplishing those cuts was by eliminating two popular grant programs for law enforcement, a move sure to stir sharp debate among appropriators. Gone would be the $175 million Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the $251 million Community Oriented Policing Services Program, a signature program of former President Bill Clinton’s administration that has already been slashed. In the past, Shelby has raised questions about cuts to grant programs and may again before the process plays out. Bush proposed an 18 percent increase in the Commerce Department’s discretionary spending levels, in good part to pay for the Census Bureau as it prepares to conduct the constitutionally mandated 2010 Census. The bureau’s budget would more than double, to $2.6 billion.


Education: B.S., American University, 1985. J.D., American University Washington College of Law, 1989.

Professional: 1996–1998, senior legislative adviser, Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Dept. of the Treasury. 1999–2004, deputy assistant secretary for appropriations and management, Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Dept. of the Treasury. 2004–2005, professional staff detailee for Senate Appropriations Subc. on Transportation and Treasury, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Treasury Dept.’s Office of the Director. 2005, professional staff detailee for Senate Appropriations Subc. on Commerce, Justice and Science, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Treasury Dept.’s Office of the Director. 2006–2007, majority clerk, Subc. on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, minority clerk, Subc. on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.


Shelby, whose home state includes sizable NASA facilities, has been a longtime advocate of the space agency. In his 2009 budget, Bush provides funds for NASA’s plan to phase out its space shuttle program and step up funding for Orion, the project to send astronauts to Mars. Shelby is a big supporter of Bush’s manned space efforts. In 2007, he helped secure an additional $1 billion for NASA in the Senate’s Commerce, Justice and Science spending bill. “Unfortunately, this necessary funding was removed from the final FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act,” Shelby noted. Cameron came to the committee after a career elsewhere in the federal government. He formerly worked for the U.S. Treasury Department as a senior legislative adviser for the Office of Legislative Affairs. He managed legislative matters for a number of federal agencies and was legislative liaison for the undersecretary for enforcement and the inspector general. In 1999, he became the office’s deputy assistant secretary for appropriations and management, managing all stages of the appropriations process for the Treasury Department and 12 of its bureaus.

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Douglas Clapp Clerk Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development S-131 Capitol Phone: (202) 224-7363

Expertise: Nuclear waste cleanup, energy, dams and irrigation. A little over a year ago, Doug Clapp came to the Senate Appropriations Committee from the K Street crowd. Making the leap from lobbyist to congressional employee appears to have been a good move for Clapp, who now has considerable influence over critical issues on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. As clerk, or chief of staff, to the subcommittee, he works closely with senators who make key budget decisions, and who control the purse strings for issues he used to represent as a lobbyist for the state of Washington, including nuclear waste cleanup, energy, dams and irrigation. The native of Tacoma, Washington, holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and came to D.C. in 1993 to work for then-Rep. Mike Kreidler, a Washington state Democrat. He left Capitol Hill to earn his law degree at American University then returned to work for Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., as a legislative assistant on energy and natural resource issues. Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire hired him three years ago when she reopened an office in Washington, D.C., to represent state issues. She named Clapp as director the office, which had been closed three years earlier to save the state money.

Personal: Born in Tacoma, Wash.

Education: J.D., American University. B.A., University of Washington.

Professional: 1993–2004, Aide, legislative assistant, Rep. Mike Kreidler, D-Wash., Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. 2005–2007, lobbyist, Gov. Chris Gregoire, D-Wash. 2007–present, clerk, Subc. on Energy and Water Development, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

In his lobbyist role, Clapp represented the state of Washington on issues such as the Hanford nuclear reservation, the Cold War-era weapons complex that is among the most contaminated radioactive waste sites in the country. He lobbied the administration on issues such as health care, employment security, timber policy, salmon policy, education and energy. His work for Murray and Gregoire left him uniquely positioned to understand the issues important to the Mid-Columbia and the state. When he returned to the Hill, he told the National Journal that “it pays to listen.” “A lot of people are interested and able to share insight,” he said, adding that this helped him when it came to some of the subcommittee’s more complicated issues. “There’s a lot more process involved than was apparent to me as (a legislative assistant),” he told the Journal. “You sit over in Murray’s office, you really don’t worry about what CBO [the Congressional Budget Office] is saying as much. You’re just coming to the clerk and asking him to get it done.”

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Rebecca Davies

Expertise: Appropriations.


Homeland security funding options look they will fuel another year of spirited debate in Congress, and at the heart of the issue will be longtime Republican staffer Rebecca Davies.

Subcommittee on Homeland Security 142 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4319 [email protected]

A veteran of some 15 years at the Senate Appropriations Committee, the minority clerk on Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security is known as an effective behind the scenes figure who knows the process inside and out. She is also known for her loyalty to Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., who is the ranking member both on the subcommittee and the parent Appropriations Committee. In 2007, appropriators and President Bush agreed on a bill that again increased the number of border agents, provided money for the new “virtual border” program that uses advanced electronics rather than actual walls to monitor bits of the southern border and increased funding for detaining and deporting illegal immigrants. The 2008 Homeland Security debate will feature many of the same issues. Debate over funding the virtual fence could get pointed, now that a Government Accountability Office report says that the first 28 miles of the project have not lived up to expectations.

Professional: 1993–1994, Republican clerk, Subc. on Agriculture, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 1995–2003, Republican clerk, Subc. on Agriculture, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2003–present, Republican clerk/staff director, Subc. on Homeland Security, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

In his fiscal 2009 budget proposal, Bush is seeking $40.1 billion for the department. He again wants a healthy increase for Customs and Border Protection, calling for an 18 percent increase to $10.9 billion. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would get a 12 percent increase, to $5.7 billion. Cochran commended Bush’s proposal in these areas. But many members from both parties seem ready to fight the president’s plan to sharply cut programs that give communities across the country grants for security efforts. Such programs have become popular in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. States and cities have been jockeying for a share of the funds, and Bush’s proposal has already prompted sharp criticism. He wants to cut grants to local first responders, states and cities to $2.2 billion, from $4.1 billion in fiscal 2008. The subcommittee funds the Department of Homeland Security’s numerous agencies and programs, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Customs and Border Protection forces, Immigration and Naturalization Services, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Secret Service. The funds, under direction of the Homeland Security panel, used to be under eight different subcommittees, but as part of the reorganization that brought the 22 federal agencies and their 170,000 employees under a new umbrella after the 9/11 attacks, operations were consolidated under one subcommittee.


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Mary Dietrich Minority Clerk Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government 142 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7643 [email protected]

Expertise: Appropriations. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government has sway over a vast swath of the federal bureaucracy, including the budgets of the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the Judiciary, the General Services Administration, and a long list of independent agencies. The common denominator is that the agencies have something to do with financial services. So the subcommittee handles the budgets of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Small Business Administration, and the Federal Trade Commission. The panel, whose senior Republican member is Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, also handles matters regarding the District of Columbia. Brownback, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008 but dropped out early, is a leading advocate of low taxes and of simplifying the federal tax code. He calls the Internal Revenue Code “a legalistic maze that presents a huge burden to American taxpayers.” In late 2007 he introduced the Freedom to Choose Tax Reform Act. The legislation would offer taxpayers an optional plan that would tax the first $102,000 in income at 10 percent and anything above at 23 percent and would allow a $1,000 tax credit for all dependents.

Personal: Born 1964 in Ashland, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Miami University (Ohio), 1987.

Professional: 1987–1996, policy analyst, General Accounting Office. 1996–1998, GAO detail, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. 1998–2002, professional staff member, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2001–2006, clerk, Subc. on the District of Columbia, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, minority clerk, Subc. on Financial Services and General Government, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

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Brownback has also championed Marriage Development Accounts, a program he created to strengthen families in Washington, D.C. The bonus of up to $9,000 to low-income couples in D.C. passed in 2005 and became a $3 million program. The program did not receive any funding in the continuing resolution left over by Republicans in 2006 or in the fiscal 2008 budget, but Brownback continues to press for it and even wants to expand it nationally. While Brownback is a fiscal conservative, Dietrich said he feels strongly that the accounts—which couples can use to buy homes, pay for job training or education, or start their own businesses—can help couples climb out of poverty. In his fiscal 2009 budget proposal, Bush said he wants to increase by $5 million, to $18 million for D.C. public schools, which Mayor Adrian Fenty has taken direct control of, bypassing the old school board. The president proposed another $18 million for charter schools in the capital city. Dietrich has worked for the committee in a series of capacities since 1998.



Minority Clerk

Even as he proposed cutting or ending 33 programs, President Bush proposed a five percent increase in spending for the Agriculture Department in his fiscal 2009 budget.

Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

The vast majority of the money in the $97 billion request would go for mandatory spending on such growing programs as Food Stamps and crop insurance. $20.7 billion would go for discretionary spending, a cut of about $1 billion from the final amount approved for fiscal 2008.

The Capitol, S-131

The president’s request sets the stage for another busy year at the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies.

Fitzhugh Elder IV


For the subcommittee’s veteran minority clerk, Fitzhugh “Fitz” Elder IV, it will mean another hectic year on many fronts as the myriad of agencies and programs covered by the subcommittee, and their advocates, jockey for a piece of the spending pie. Elder, a forestry graduate of the University of Montana, is a longtime aide to the subcommittee’s ranking Republican, Sen. Robert F. Bennett of Utah. An expert in rural housing who speaks to national groups on the topic, he once joked to an advocacy group visiting D.C. from the Council on Affordable and Rural Housing, “there’s nothing like talking about rural housing at the Ritz-Carlton.” In 2007, the agriculture bill was one of the 11 spending bills that ended up rolled into a massive omnibus that Bush signed in late December. The final level of discretionary spending for the department was more than either Bush or either house of Congress had initially proposed.

Education: B.A., forestry, University of Montana.

Professional: 1998–2003, staff member, Sen. Robert F. Bennett, R-Utah. 2003–present, minority clerk, Subc. on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.


The Food and Drug Administration’s budget draws more attention these days, in part because of health scares over medicines imported from China. In his 2009 budget request, Bush is seeking an increase of $130 million, or 5.7percent, for the FDA. The FDA got $1.7 billion in fiscal 2008. The Agriculture Department’s inspection operations at such production facilities as meat-packing plants will also be scrutinized, given such recent incidents as the recall of millions of pounds of ground beef from a California plant where a videotape caught downed animals being improperly prodded to slaughter.

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Christina Evans Democratic Clerk Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies 125 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3088 Fax: (202) 228-0280 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, appropriations. This is Christina Evans tenth year as Democratic clerk on the subcommittee that oversees veterans’ funding and military construction. In this capacity, Evans helps shepherd some of the largest and most politically-sensitive bills through Congress. “Our concerns from year-to-year remain focused on the same objectives: ensuring that veterans’ health care is adequately funded, and that the Defense Department receives the dollars it needs to cover the construction and family housing needs of the nation’s military forces.” The subcommittee’s other priorities include funding the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Evans describes the work of the subcommittee as a balancing act between veterans of current conflicts: Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom - and veterans of past conflicts. On veteran’s health, subcommittee chairman Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.Dak., in February expressed disappointment in President Bush’s budget request for fiscal 2009. “The administration has proposed an increase in funding for the VA, but I’m concerned the need will outpace the increase,” he said. “The war in Iraq is increasing the demand for VA health care. The president is asking veterans to pay more in fees, but using these fees for deficit reduction rather than enhance their care.” The president’s proposal would increase pharmaceutical co-pays for veterans from $3 to $15.

Personal: Born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Education: B.A., University of Central Florida, 1972.

Professional: 1972–1978, reporter and editor, Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel. 1981–1984, asst. press secretary, Sen. Paula Hawkins, R-Fla. 1984–1992, press secretary, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. 1997–1998, public affairs officer, Appalachian Regional Commission. 1998–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

For fiscal 2009, the administration has proposed a $1.7 billion increase in discretionary spending for veterans over last year’s enacted level. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, the ranking Republican on the committee, noted a “modest 3.9 percent increase” for veterans, but shared Johnson’s opposition to Bush’s proposed cuts to veterans’ medical research programs, which would decrease from $480 million in fiscal 2008 spending to $442 million in fiscal 2009. Hutchison was pleased, however, with Bush’s proposed military construction spending: 18 percent above what was enacted for fiscal 2008. On the subcommittee, Evans works closely with Chairman Johnson and professional staff members Chad Schulken and David Bonine. In addition to her duties as Democratic clerk, she also serves as senior defense and foreign policy adviser to committee chairman Robert Byrd, D-W. Va. Byrd, Evans said, aims to have all bills through the committee by the November elections. The elections, she added, make for an ambitious timetable for the committee in 2008. An Ohio native, Evans once worked as a reporter for the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel. She is the mother of two teenagers, 16 and 18.

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Bruce M. Evans

Expertise: Interior Department.


In a bit of a career homecoming, Bruce Evans took over as the Senate Committee on Appropriations’s new Republican staff director in 2007. His new job came about roughly a year after he left his position as GOP majority clerk at the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior for the post of staff director at the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.


Evans’s 2007 return to the Appropriations Committee happened to coincide with one of the panel’s busiest and mostdramatic years. Not only did Appropriations pass a wideranging continuing resolution after the 109th Congress adjourned without finishing its appropriations bills, it also engaged in a late-year showdown with President Bush over domestic spending levels. And it had to deal with what has become the annual ritual of wrangling over Bush’s supplemental spending proposals for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On top of that, the appropriators’ practice of inserting thousands of earmarks into spending bills has become a focus of criticism from government watchdog groups, other members of Congress and presidential candidates. 2008 shapes up to be only a little less busy. “The electoral calendar is decidedly against us this time around, but I don’t see the committee shying away from timely production of bills, per usual,” Evans said.

Personal: Born 08/21/1966 in Olympia, Wash.

Education: B.A., Yale University, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1989, research asst., Office of Congressional Affairs, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. 1989–1990, legislative asst., Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska. 1991– 1995, legislative asst., Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash. 1995–1996, staff asst., Subc. on the Interior and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 1997–2006, Republican clerk, Subc. on the Interior and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2006–2007, Republican staff director, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex. 2007–present, Republican staff director, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

Evans warned that in addition to the now-perennial fight over Iraq war funding, Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress will probably tangle over other spending. “It doesn’t seem likely that either the president of the congressional majority is likely to back down on the question of appropriate discretionary spending levels, so a replay of this year is certainly possible,” he said. “It’s also likely we will spend a great deal more time discussing whether Congress should cede more power to the executive branch in the allocation of federal funds,” Evans added. His boss, Appropriations Committee ranking minority member Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., has been named to a five-member panel of Senate Republicans who have been asked by minority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to study the issue of earmarks. Cochran has reacted negatively to Bush’s effort in his 2008 State of the Union address to call on Congress to further slash the number of earmarks or face presidential vetoes of appropriations bills. “He’s trying to create a new power and diminish the power of the Congress, and that’s not good,” Cochran told the Jackson, Mississippi, Clarion-Ledger. While Evans said 2007 “wasn’t pretty” in terms of the crush of spending legislation, “It’s important and positive that the FY2008 bills ultimately were enacted.”


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Leif Fonnesbeck Minority Clerk Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies The Capitol, S-131 Phone: (202) 224-7233 [email protected]

As its name implies, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, the Environment and Related Agencies has a sprawling jurisdiction. These include such agencies as the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. These are agencies of national scope, but are particularly important in the West, where the federal government is the major landowner. Not surprising then that the subcommittee’s minority clerk under ranking member Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., is a native of the West and long familiar with the intricacies of the issues. Leif Fonnesbeck, born in Anchorage, Alaska, is an attorney who has long worked on land issues in the West. He said that in 2008, the last for Allard in Congress since the senator isn’t seeking re-election, the committee faces a host of pressing issues in tough budget times. Perhaps top on the long list, Fonnesbeck says, “is in a time of tight budget constraints, how to balance the needs of operating programs of the agencies when pitted against the need for adequate funding of maintenance and construction programs which are essential to addressing the enormous maintenance backlog in our nation’s forests, refuges and parks.” Related to that is the pressure on finding firefighting funds in a vast region where population and development growth increasingly means people and their homes are being exposed to wildfires.

Personal: Born 1966 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Education: Bachelor’s, finance, Georgetown University, 1989. Law, University of Arizona, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1995, attorney, Perkins Coie. 1995– 1998, attorney, Birch, Horton, Bittner and Cherot. 1998–2006, professional staff, Subc. on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2006–2007, majority clerk, Subc. on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, minority clerk, Subc. on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

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“We had one of the worst fire seasons on record in 2007 and these are becoming increasingly common,” Fonnesbeck pointed out. “We are attempting to design a more flexible funding mechanism and a way to make these programs more efficient in order to deal with these escalating costs which have grown exponentially because of drought and increasing development in areas adjacent to public lands.” Another perennial issue for the committee is payments for oil and gas drilling on federal lands. He said the committee is “concerned with development impacts” from this development and in “obtaining a fair return to the Treasury from this production.” Fonnesbeck also singled out the need to find adequate funds for Indian tribes in a time of increased competition for federal dollars.



Galen Fountain Democratic Clerk Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 123 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7202

Expertise: Agriculture, appropriations. Since 1995, Galen Fountain has served as the Democratic clerk for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. The subcommittee has lately focused on food safety, the Farm Bill, and international food aid. In the opening months of 2008, it shined a spotlight on the Hallmark/Westmoreland meat recall, the largest in American history. The California company in February voluntarily recalled about 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef following the release of a video, produced by the Humane Society of the United States in January, that indicated violations of production regulations. In February, the subcommittee held a hearing on the matter, which featured secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer. At the hearing, subcommittee chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., called for stricter oversight of the industry. “We must have tougher standards, round-the-clock surveillance and stiffer penalties to ensure our meat inspection system protects Americans,” Kohl said. Fountain has worked on agricultural issues much of his career. He was a district office manager for Rep. Dan Glickman, D-Kans., before the congressman went on to serve as agriculture secretary under President Clinton. From 1990 to 1995, Fountain was chief agriculture counsel for the Senate Committee on Small Business.

Personal: Born 09/03/1951 in Hutchinson, Kans.

Education: B.A., Wichita State University, 1977. J.D., University of Arkansas Law School, 1989.

Professional: 1980–1984, district office manager, Rep. Dan Glickman, D-Kans. 1984–1990, district office manager, Rep. Beryl Anthony, D-Ark. 1990–1995, chief agriculture counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business. 1995–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

On the Appropriations subcommittee, Fountain deals with every issue, including funding for the U.S. Forest Service, farm and conservation programs, and nutrition programs such as the Women, Infants, and Children Program. It also funds the Farm Credit Administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Food and Drug Administration, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. About 20 percent of the agriculture bill is discretionary spending; most agriculture programs— such as food stamps—are entitlement programs, meaning spending money is mandatory. Congressional Democrats in early 2008 were displeased with President Bush’s budget proposal for agriculture, which called for an increase over fiscal 2008 but would nevertheless eliminate or reduce funding to dozens of agricultural programs. The list includes many conservation programs, such as the Resource Conservation and Development Program, which assists state and local governments, and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, an antihunger program. Fountain, a Kansas native, grew up on a farm. He has a bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University and earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas Law School.


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Paul Grove Minority Clerk Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H./ Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 142 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2104 Fax: (202) 228-1323 [email protected]

Expertise: Foreign affairs and development programs. For Republican members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Relations, and Related Programs, and for Paul Grove, their veteran clerk, 2007 was a year of transition. Not only had Democrats taken control of the Senate in November 2006, but Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Republican Senate leader who had chaired the subcommittee, gave up the post. Grove had been a longtime aide to McConnell, both in his Senate office and on the Appropriations Committee. The new ranking Republican is Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., who pledged to continue the panel’s bipartisan spirit, working with the new chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The subcommittee brought in its fiscal 2008 spending bill at $34.24 billion, below the $34.94 billion that President Bush had sought in his budget. The final conference report figure included in the massive omnibus spending bill Bush signed in late December 2007, was $35.3 billion. For fiscal 2009, Bush is seeking $39.5 billion to fund the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, global health initiatives and foreign military and economic assistance programs. The subcommittee’s scope ranges from helping to fund the global war against terrorism to Bush’s HIV/AIDS initiative for sub-Saharan Africa. Gregg told the Senate in September 2007, when it took up the subcommittee’s appropriations bill that the panel’s plan to provide $5 billion for Bush’s AIDS program was particularly significant.


Education: B.A., history, Bates College, 1988.

Professional: 1989–1994, legislative assistant, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. 1994–2001, regional director for Asia and the Middle East, International Republican Institute. 2001–present, clerk, Subc. on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

“It is something that has been bipartisan,” Gregg said. “The president has clearly taken the lead on this issue. This committee has strongly supported those initiatives.” The committee’s $5 billion figure, some $540 million more than Bush had sought, held up in the final bill. Gregg succeeded in a few initiatives, getting language stripped out of the final bill that would have loosened the “Mexico City restrictions” that bar the use of federal funds for providing or even promoting abortions. He also got strings attached to funding for the World Bank, where he said he wanted to see how reforms proposed by Robert Zoellick, the bank’s new president, were working before money would be released. For fiscal 2009, Bush wants a 9 percent boost for the State Department and other operations under the committee’s control. Perhaps his most notable initiative in his last budget is a plan to add 1,000 new diplomatic officers at State and 300 at USAID. Before coming to the committee in 2001, Grove worked for seven years as the regional director for Asia and the Middle East at the International Republican Institute (IRI), a nonprofit group that promotes open elections. Before that, he had worked for McConnell as a legislative assistant from 1989 to 1994.

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Charles J. Houy Democratic Clerk Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii Subcommittee on Defense S-126, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-7293

Expertise: Defense. For more than 20 years, Charles Houy has worked on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Since 1995, he has been its Democratic clerk. In this position, and as a trusted adviser to subcommittee chairman Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, Houy is one of the most powerful staffers on one of the most powerful committees in Congress. Houy avoids attention, however, and is known for his discretion. According to a 2007 profile in the National Journal, colleagues of Houy describe him as one who “likes to keep things close to the vest.” He has been praised on the Senate floor by both Republican and Democratic members for the long hours he has worked for the committee. Former Appropriations chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, once lauded Houy as “a consummate expert on defense issues” who, Stevens said, “is well respected by those at the Department of Defense and his colleagues on the Hill.” At the beginning of fiscal year, the subcommittee received the president’s budget request, which called for significant increases in defense spending, but serious cuts in discretionary spending for non-security related departments. The budget boosts discretionary security-related spending by 8.2 percent, and other discretionary spending by 0.3 percent. Inouye has taken a particular interest in Department of Defense medical programs, which he credits for drastically decreasing combat mortality levels. But, he noted, “this means many more of our servicemembers are returning home with significant injuries,” that can take time to heal and which are often accompanied by long-term effects like traumatic stress.

Professional: 1987–1995, professional staff, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 1995–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Defense, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

“Our challenge is to respond to these new challenges and realities,” he continued. “After everything they have gone through and continue to endure, our government must ensure that we are doing everything possible on their behalf.” In the 107th Congress, Houy was named a Stennis Fellow in recognition of his effectiveness. Nominated by a member of Congress, these fellows are senior-level congressional staff, such as committee staff directors, chiefs of staff, legislative directors, counsels, and senior professional staff. In each Congress, about two dozen staffers are selected for the program, which is operated by the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service at Mississippi State University.


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Jonathan Kamarck Republican Clerk Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies 142 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0410 jonathan_kamarck@appro. senate.gov

Expertise: Transportation and housing funding. President Bush’s proposal to trim or eliminate some popular programs makes 2008 shape up as another busy year for the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies and its veteran Republican clerk, Jonathan Kamarck. In his fiscal 2009 budget proposal, Bush asked Congress to cut highway funding by more than 4 percent and allow him to transfer money from the mass transit account to the Highway Trust Fund. Interest groups reacted with outrage, making it clear they will press congressional committees to resist. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said Bush was offering a “ ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ strategy.” The American Public Transportation Association said it was “outraged” and called on Congress to fully fund transit programs. Bush’s proposals, along with his plans to slash Amtrak’s budget and eliminate HUD’s Hope VI grant program, have been made before and have gotten nowhere. Meanwhile, 2008 looks like it will shape up the same way. The subcommittee’s ranking Republican, Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri, is a longtime advocate of infrastructure spending back in his home state and across the country. He said in late 2007 that the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse of a bridge on an interstate highway in Minneapolis-St. Paul, in which 13 people died, was a wake-up call.


Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin, 1981. J.D., University of Florida, 1984. LL.M., taxation, Georgetown University, 1990.

Professional: 1985–1987, associate, Saul & Barclay, P.C. 1987–1991, attorney, adviser for legislation, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. 1991–1992, housing minority counsel, House Cmte. on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs. 1992–1994, minority staff dir., Subc. on Housing and Urban Affairs, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 1995–1997, housing general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 1997–2005, clerk, Republican clerk, majority clerk, Subc. on Veterans’ Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–present, Republican clerk, Subc. on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

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“That is what we have been talking about in this committee and on this floor for many years,” Bond said in the Senate as he called for more funds for bridge inspections and infrastructure repairs. “We are delighted to have our long-time supporters and some new friends agreeing with us on it.” In all, Bush is seeking $57.1 billion for Transportation Department programs, a 10 percent cut. At HUD, Bush proposed a 4.8 percent cut in discretionary spending, to $38.5 billion. Bond offered a preview of how Bush’s request to end HOPE VI, a program that helps rehabilitate public housing, will fare. “Let’s get serious,” he told his fellow senators. Another issue where Bush will meet Senate resistance was his State of the Union proposal to eliminate congressional earmarks in appropriations bills. Kamarck has served on the Senate Appropriations Committee since 1997 after being a staffer on House and Senate banking and housing committees. A 1999 profile of him in Government Executive magazine called him a “determined negotiator who has left his mark on every major piece of housing legislation that has moved through Congress in the past decade.” A fellow Senate aide is quoted in the profile as saying, “He is the housing-staff guru on Capitol Hill, and he’s tough.” Another called him the “classic, rumpled, night-owl” staffer who works around the clock and has “always got a pile of papers and his accordion folder.”



Charles Kieffer Democratic Staff Director/ Democratic Clerk Subcommittee on Homeland Security S-131, The Capitol Phone: (202) 224-6870 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget process and appropriations. The Politico newspaper in 2008 named Charles Kieffer “one of the most powerful staffers in the Senate.” Kieffer last year assumed the weighty responsibilities of staff director for the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he previously served as deputy staff director. Under the direction of Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., Kieffer oversees all aspects of one of the most powerful committees in Congress. In 2008, Kieffer said the Appropriations Committee’s goal of producing “12 freestanding, bipartisan, fiscally-responsible appropriations bills,” remains. Thanks to the elections, this work must be done faster this year. He also retains his other hat on the committee: Democratic clerk for the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, which Byrd also chairs. For the Homeland Security Subcommittee, the aim is to find the resources not in President Bush’s budget to meet known homeland security vulnerabilities, such as rail, mass transit, border security, and first-responder grants. The subcommittee funds the agencies that merged to form the cabinet-level department, including the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, the former Customs Service, the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.


Education: B.A., government and economics, College of William & Mary, 1976. M.P.A., public administration, American University, 1978.

Professional: 1978–1980, presidential management intern, Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare. 1978–1985, budget analyst, Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1985–1990, special assistant to the dir., Office of Management and Budget. 1990–1995, chief of appropriations analysis, Office of Management and Budget. 1995–2001, acting associate dir. of legislative affairs, Office of Management and Budget. 2001– 2003, deputy majority staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2003–2007, deputy Democratic staff dir./Democratic clerk, Subc. on Homeland Security, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, Democratic staff dir./Democratic clerk, Subc. on Homeland Security, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.


Kieffer said he is proud of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s history of bipartisanship, and more recently, its support for the new Rule 44, which adds transparency and accountability to the process of approving congressionally-directed spending items. “We worked very hard to get the new rule enacted and executed in a responsible, evenhanded way,” Kieffer said. Kieffer previously worked at the Office of Management and Budget during the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton administrations. When he left OMB, both parties courted his services on Capitol Hill. He had more than 20 years of budgeting experience and had served as the longtime appropriations liaison for the OMB. He also won the 2001 Robert G. Damus Public Service Award, which is named for the man who was the major force behind devising and negotiating the major deficit reductions laws of 1990, 1993 and 1995 and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. For 26 years, Kieffer was a trombonist in the Washington Redskins band. A D.C. native, he is a graduate of American University.

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Peter Kiefhaber Democratic Clerk Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies 131 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5271

Expertise: Appropriations. Peter Kiefhaber is one of those Hill staffers whom observers like to call “old school.” Considered something of an institutionalist on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee, he’s a guy who’s all business, people say, and who likes to go by the book. That’s likely a good thing, given that in his capacity as majority clerk for the subcommittee, Kiefhaber answers to chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who is herself a through and meticulous lawmaker. Kiefhaber is said to have a sharp grasp of each bill he works, but also a broad knowledge of the overall committee process. Before coming to work for Feinstein, Kiefhaber was in the personal office of Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D, as legislative director. He did the same job for Sen. Robert Byrd, DW.Va. He joined the Appropriations subcommittee eight years ago. Kiefhaber works on budgets for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, which is controlled through the Department of Agriculture. The subcommittee also has enormous responsibility over what is spent on millions of acres of protected and public lands, as well as over federal policy on clean air and water, and, in some cases, energy.

Professional: 2000–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

Kiefhaber has helped to fight back the Bush administration’s perennial push to open drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which almost passed at the end of 2005, and has monitored the implementation of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, signed into law in 2003, and how it affects the environment and the lumber industry. The forest thinning called for in this legislation may also limit the severity of fires in treated areas. In 2002, the Washington Coal Club awarded Kiefhaber the “Mr. Coal” award—an honor by the Washington-based organization that organizes speakers for the discussion of any and all coal-related matters that may be of interest to its members, who include lawmakers, researchers, and individuals in the coal business.

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Josh Manley Senior Professional Staff Member The Capitol, S-131 Phone: (202) 224-7157 [email protected]

Josh Manley was born in 1980 but he’s already a veteran of statewide politics in his home state of Mississippi and of the intricacies of the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he is a senior professional staff member for the chairman, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. Manley’s responsibilities combine broad policy and issues involving Mississippi, which over the years has benefited from the hundreds of millions of dollars that Cochran has proudly delivered for his state. “My priority issues” in 2008, Manley said, “include formulation of strategy regarding the important issue of the constitutional responsibility of the committee.” That broad area includes Congress’ power to earmark funds for specific projects, an issue that drawn criticism from President Bush, several presidential candidates and many congressional critics. Cochran sees the need for some reform, but is a zealous defender of Congress’s powers, and of the projects he can bring home. He routinely rakes in some of the biggest-dollar earmarks for his home state, last year bringing home $774 million, according to several published reports. Often the target of anti-earmark crusader John McCain, Cochran initially blasted the Arizona senator as unfit to be president. “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me,” Cochran said. With McCain now virtually assured the Republican presidential nomination, Cochran has since said his comment were “ill-advised.”

Personal: Born 1980 in Memphis, Tenn.

Education: B.A., political science, Delta State University.

Manley also helps Mississippi. He is working on “assisting the states affected in their continued recovery of the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina, and coordinating the responsible representation of Mississippi priorities in the committee’s bills,” he said.

Professional:

A native of Memphis, Tenn., Manley is a political science graduate of Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. He was student body president.

2002, field director, Sen. Thad Cochran’s re-election campaign. 2003–2004, staff assistant, Senate Appropriations Cmte. 2005, legislative aide, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. 2006–2007, professional staff, Subc. on Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Related Agencies, Cmte. on Appropriations.

His break came in 2002, when he worked as field director for Cochran’s successful re-election effort. The senator then hired him in Washington, where Manley began as a staff aide at the Appropriations Committee. He also worked on Cochran’s personal staff before being promoted to the professional staff in 2007. In addition to his Senate work, Manley said he is pursuing a master’s of divinity degree at Southern Seminary.


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Margaret Wicker McPhillips Press Secretary Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. 113 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6414 Margaret_McPhillips@cochran. senate.gov

Expertise: Media affairs. There was a big change in Margaret Wicker McPhillips’s life in 2007. Not yet 30 and already a well-known veteran of Sen. Thad Cochran’s press office while known as Margaret Wicker, she got married. McPhillips, as she now prefers to be known, serves a dual role for Cochran. She is in charge of crafting the communications message for Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by her boss. She also works as press chief in Cochran’s personal office. Last year was a hectic year for the committee, with a massive continuing resolution, a battle over a final omnibus spending bill package, supplementals for the Iraq and Afghanistan war and ever-tighter focus on earmarks. McPhillips says her committee job hasn’t changed. She calls herself a “middleman” for reporters who have questions about the appropriations process, as well as helping them contact experts on the committee. Many times, she says, reporters’ questions are rooted in the arcaneness of the appropriations process. “I will spend much of my time working with the media to help them understand the appropriations process and conveying to them the fact that often in reporting about appropriations, the process is essential to the story,” she said. McPhillips also said her work this year will include emphasizing that Cochran and the committee chairman, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., want to see the panel and the full Senate carry out all their work and avoid the delays and tense showdowns of past years. That might not be easy in an election year.

Personal: Born 12/18/1979 in N.C.

Education: B.A., English, University of Virginia, 2002.

Professional: 2002–2004, legislative aide, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. 2004, coalitions director for North Carolina, Bush-Cheney presidential campaign. 2004–2005, legislative aide, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. 2005–2006, deputy press secretary, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. 2006–present, press secretary, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.

“Much of the work of the Republican Appropriations press office will also focus on communicating to the media and the public Senator Cochran’s efforts to ensure that Congress will consider and approve 12 individual spending bills,” she says. Earmark reform remains a focus on the committee, and Cochran “feels transparency is very important,” she said. Her boss has been appointed to a GOP Senate study panel on earmarks that is being chaired by another senior member, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. But while Cochran might go for more process changes, he remains a zealous guardian of Congress’s constitutional right to spend tax revenues. “I foresee spending much of this year emphasizing the relevance and centrality of Congress in the federal budget process,” she said. McPhillips was born in North Carolina, but her family is from Mississippi, making her familiar with Cochran’s work long before she began working for him. She grew up in Tupelo and came to work for him as an intern, and became a legislative aide after graduating from the University of Virginia in 2002. She took a brief leave of absence in 2004 to work for the Bush-Cheney re-election bid.

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Ellen G. Murray Democratic Clerk Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies 131 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7288 [email protected]

Expertise: Higher education, health, appropriations. Ellen Murray is majority clerk for the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. Now working for chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa., she is immersed in committee business that involves monitoring funding for avian flu, agitating for more money to fight a possible flu pandemic and securing funding for the National Institutes of Health and for No Child Left Behind. As Democratic clerk of a subcommittee that funds several major domestic programs, Murray will be instrumental in her party’s attacks on Bush’s plan this coming fiscal year to cut discretionary education programs as well as programs within the Department of Health and Human Services, including Medicare and Medicaid cuts to hospitals, nursing homes, and home health agencies. Harkin has took particular umbrage early this year at cuts to science and medical research. In a statement upon release of President Bush’s 2009 budget proposal, Harkin said that a “continued freeze on the National Institutes of Health funding will have grave consequences for Americans suffering from illnesses from cancer to diabetes. It will also mean that our best and brightest young minds will be discouraged from getting into our premier research field.” Murray has spent the past nine years on Capitol Hill, all of them either at the subcommittee—where she was either clerking for the minority or, more recently, for the majority party.

Education: B.A., Trinity College, 1970. J.D., George Mason University School of Law, 1990.

Professional: 1970–1977, economist, Social Security Administration. 1977–1987, real estate developer. 1990–1992, general counsel, Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1992–1999, budget dir., Administration for Children and Families, Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1999–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

With a bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity College in Washington, D.C., and a law degree from George Mason University, Murray worked in real estate development and as a staff director for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Her career in government began when she took a job as an economist for the Social Security Administration. She later took her public health expertise to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she became a budget official in the department’s office of general counsel. Murray has said that she believes she brings to the committee an ability to think strategically and to juggle several tasks at once. She has also said that her sense that she is “doing something good for the country” makes the long hours on the Hill worth her while. Her boss agrees. “Ellen knows the details of appropriations bills and how to navigate the myriad pathways to getting a good bill passed,” Harkin said of Murray, adding that he admired her “real passion for social and economic justice.” A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Murray is a mother to two boys and has spent more than a decade on the board of directors of the Alexandria Little League in Virginia.


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Scott O’Malia Clerk Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development 188 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2039

Expertise: Appropriations, energy. Developing nuclear energy and the nation’s oil shale reserves, along with funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the perennial battle over the plan to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, are among the long list of issues that Republican clerk Scott O’Malia will focus on in 2008 O’Malia is a veteran aide to Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex., the ranking member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. He came over to appropriations after working with Domenici on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where the New Mexican remains the ranking GOP member. Overall, President Bush is seeking $25 billion in discretionary spending for the Energy Department in fiscal 2009, a 4.7 percent increase from fiscal 2008. He is asking for more money for nuclear power and so-called clean coal technology but wants to cut funding for solar power development. Domenici praised Bush’s overall budget request. “The administration is right to emphasize an investment in global climate change technologies, nuclear energy and competitiveness in its budget,” Domenici said. But at an Energy Committee hearing with Energy secretary Samuel Bodman, Domenici said he was “extremely disappointed” that the final fiscal 2008 omnibus appropriations legislation included a one-year moratorium on publishing final regulations for a commercial leasing program for oil shale resources on public lands.

Professional: 1992–2001, legislative asst., Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. 2001–2003, dir. of federal legislative affairs, Mirant Corporation. 2003–2004, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 2004–present, clerk, Subc. on Energy and Water Development, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

Domenici said the failure to move on developing domestic oil shale is short-sighted, since he said shale reserves in the western United States equal three times Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves. The Corps of Engineers funding remains a major focus for the committee. Even as work progresses to rebuild vital infrastructure in Louisiana and Mississippi in the wake of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, levees in other parts of the country also need emergency work. In his fiscal 2009 budget request, Bush sought $4.7 billion for the corps’ regular budget, along with $5.76 billion in an emergency request. The stalled plan to build the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada will also occupy the subcommittee. For decades, the Energy Department has been working to build the repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. While Congress has approved the site, funding the program has been problematic and powerful foes, including Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., have bottled up the program. From 2001 to 2003, O’Malia directed federal legislative affairs for Mirant Corporation, an Atlanta-based wholesale energy company. He began his Senate career as a legislative assistant to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., covering energy, environment, electricity, and tax matters.

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Nancy Olkewicz Majority Clerk Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch 135 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3477 [email protected]

Fourth-generation Washingtonian Nancy Olkewicz celebrated 30 years of Senate service in February 2008, and that experience certainly helps in her current position as the majority clerk of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch. “I feel as though I grew up here in the Senate,” Olkewicz said. “I am happy to be able to help provide funding for the agencies who feel like my second family.” Chaired by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., the panel oversees appropriations for a range of legislative needs, from agencies such as the Library of Congress to specific projects like the Capitol Visitor Center. In the first session of the 110th Congress, Olkewicz spent much of her time on the CVC, which, by the start of 2008, was four years behind schedule and more than $300 million over budget. In 2007, Olkewicz worked with CVC officials to help get the project back on track, and the facility is now set to open in November 2008. Making sure that happens is perhaps the biggest issue Olkewicz will focus on this year. Aside from the CVC, Olkewicz will help tackle what she called a “serious backlog” of deferred maintenance on infrastructure projects on the Capitol campus, which total around $1 billion, and will focus on plans for the 2009 presidential inauguration.


Professional: 1978–2001, projects assistant, Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md. 2001, staff assistant, Subc. on Energy and Water, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2001–2003, staff assistant, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2003–2006, professional staff, Subc. on Energy and Water and Subc. on Legislative Branch, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2006–present, majority clerk, Subc. on the Legislative Branch, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.


Olkewicz assisted on several pieces of legislation that became law in 2007, including one measure that authorized that the proceeds from the sale of holiday ornaments in the Senate Gift Shop to fund the Senate Employee Child Care Center. She also helped draft a resolution in support of a National Veterans History Project week, and assisted in the effort to name the CVC’s main hall to “Emancipation Hall” after the slaves who helped build the Capitol. Aside from the CVC, another big 2007 focus for the panel was the merger between the Capitol Police and Library of Congress police forces. Although originally approved in 2003, the exact terms of the merger had never been agreed upon, as LOC officers expressed major concerns on how the unification would affect their status and retirement. But after Landrieu and House Administration chairman Robert Brady, D-Pa., worked together to ensure that every LOC officer would get a job after the merger, it finally moved ahead.

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Timothy S. Rieser Democratic Clerk Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 127 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7284 [email protected]

Expertise: Foreign operations, appropriations. As the majority clerk for the Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, Timothy Rieser speaks frequently for the chairman on foreign policy issues. In his post, Rieser answers to subcommittee chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and is somewhat more visible than other clerks on Appropriations. He is well known in the foreign aid community because he was involved in setting up a victims’ compensation fund for Iraqi civilians killed in the war. He conducted interviews after the death of activist Marla Ruzicka, a champion of the special victims’ fund. And he has also been a point man for Leahy on Colombia. Rieser has worked as the subcommittee’s Democratic clerk for 13 years now. Before joining the subcommittee, he worked in Leahy’s personal office. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over the government’s efforts overseas, except the deployment of troops. It funds internationally oriented agencies, including the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the Peace Corps. Leahy has criticized President Bush’s budget proposals, saying they sacrifice health care, education, housing, law enforcement, and home heating investments to a “costly, misguided and mismanaged war in Iraq.”

Personal: Born 01/03/1952 in Palo Alto, Calif.

Education: B.A., Dartmouth College, 1976. J.D., Antioch Law School, 1979.

Professional: 1995–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

Calling the Appropriations Committee “the only regulator on the spigot” of Iraq war funding, he vowed early this year that intend “to have a strong hand on that spigot this year as we consider the request for an additional $108 billion in supplemental emergency funds.” Leahy also said he will seek to use foreign aid dollars more effectively to address key causes of poverty, instability and conflict. As one of the Senate’s leading foreign policy voices, Leahy has also been outspoken in both his support for and his criticism of administration action. Leahy, like many Democrats, believes in a foreign policy that combines “soft power” programs like foreign aid and reconstruction with a strong military posture. Rieser comes from Northwick, Vermont, where he was once a public defender. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and earned his law degree at the Antioch School of Law. According to the Dartmouth News Web site, his father, Leonard, was a physicist and longtime faculty member at the university who contributed to the Manhattan Project.

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Peter Rogoff Democratic Clerk Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies 133 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7245 [email protected]

Expertise: Appropriations. There is perhaps no higher compliment for a Capitol Hill staffer than to be credited for the boss’s rise in political fortune. That, after all, is what Capitol staffers are hired to do—to act as the behind-the-scenes operatives who make lawmakers’ legislation look good, make lawmakers’ policies look good, and make lawmakers look good. Such was the compliment handed to Peter Rogoff recently when sources on the Senate Appropriations Committee staff credited the rise of committee member Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., with Rogoff’s legislative know-how and political acumen. As majority clerk for the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, as well as Murray’s top aide, Rogoff is described by observers as a “formidable” Hill veteran whose political instincts well complement his boss’ style. Rogoff brings years of Hill experience to the issues of transportation safety and the HUD budget, which Murray has criticized for not adequately addressing highway safety as well as port security. With jurisdiction over air transportation, the subcommittee has also focused on FAA reauthorization, including a debate over how the Federal Aviation Administration is financed. Another area of jurisdiction is Amtrak, the government-operated passenger train service.


Education: B.A., Amherst College, 1983. M.B.A., Georgetown University, 2001.

Professional: 1983, research assoc., Investor Responsibility Research Center. 1984– 1985, government relations specialist, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. 1986–1989, professional staff member, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 1990–1994, professional staff member, Subc. on Transportation and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 1995–2003, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Transportation and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2003–2007, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2007–present, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.


Rogoff has more work on his hands this year. Murray has called President Bush’s 2009 budget request “more of the same. More promises, fewer dollars. More rhetoric, less investment in America.” She also is taking up the fight of the Boeing Corp., based in her home state, which lost a $35 billion air tanker contract this year to the European company Airbus. Rogoff started out in Washington, D.C., at a young age—as a lobbyist for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. A native of Queens, N.Y., he began his career on the Hill at the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. He spent three years there before moving to the current subcommittee almost two decades ago, where he was minority clerk for much of his stint until Democrats seized control of Congress in the 2006 election. With Rogoff’s help, Murray has acquired an increasingly visible and influential role, not only chairing the subcommittee but also taking on the No. 4 spot in Senate leadership and filling in for chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., when he was ill. A graduate of Amherst College, Rogoff holds a master’s degree in business administration from Georgetown University.

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Bettilou Taylor Clerk Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies 156 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7230 [email protected]

Expertise: Health, education, appropriations. Bettilou Taylor’s boss, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, can’t speak highly enough about his longtime aide. “Some call her the 101st senator, but I think that diminishes her standing,” the senior senator from Pennsylvania said on the Senate floor in October 2007, right after the Senate passed the subcommittee’s annual appropriations bill totaling $152.1 billion. Taylor’s standing spreads across the aisle, since Specter and the current Democratic chairman, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa have operated the subcommittee on a bipartisan basis. The subcommittee faces its usual pool of issues. Highlighted this year will be President Bush’s No Child Left Behind education reform effort, which is up for reauthorization. However, it faces hazy prospects in an election year. Democrats say Bush’s proposed funding increase for the nationwide program is woefully inadequate. HHS funding will also be a focus. Bush proposed spending cuts for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health programs. The National Institutes of Health, which got big budget increases in Bush’s early years, would have its budget frozen from fiscal 2008. And Bush also proposed cuts in job training programs at the Labor Department.

Personal: Born in Phillipsburg, Pa.

Professional: 1974–1989, staff asst., Subc. on Transportation, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Subc. on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary; House Cmte. on Appropriations. 1989–1998, professional staff member, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 1998–present, clerk, Subc. on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations.

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Specter’s deep admiration for Taylor was shown in 2005 when he reacted with a fury to syndicated columnist Robert Novak’s contention that Taylor, whose husband was a consultant for public television stations, was behind a committee hearing at which Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, was questioned. In a letter to editors of newspapers that carried Novak’s column, the senator said Novak had “libeled” his senior aide. He called her “one of the most respected, really revered, staffers after serving 16 years in the United States Senate.” “The hearing was my idea,” Specter added, brushing aside Novak’s charge that there was a conflict of interest. In 2007, Taylor received an exemplary public servant award from the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges for her long work on behalf of higher education. Taylor was born in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania. On visits back to her home area, she often meets with local education groups to get a feel for how the federal programs she works on in Washington are working at the grassroots level.


Committee on Armed Services 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3871 Fax: (202) 228-0036 http://armed-services.senate.gov/ Ratio: 12/12/1 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Carl Levin, MI, Chairman

John McCain, AZ, Ranking Member

Edward M. Kennedy, MA Robert C. Byrd, WV Jack Reed, RI Daniel K. Akaka, HI Bill Nelson, FL E. Benjamin Nelson, NE Evan Bayh, IN Hillary Rodham Clinton, NY Mark L. Pryor, AK Jim Webb, VA Claire McCaskell, MO

John Warner, VA, Chairman James M. Inhofe, OK Jeff Sessions, AL Susan M. Collins, ME Saxby Chambliss, GA Lindsey O. Graham, SC Elizabeth H. Dole, NC John Cornyn, TX John Thune, SD Mel Martinez, FL Roger Wicker, MS

INDEPENDENT MEMBERS Joseph I. Lieberman, CT


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SENATE ARMED SERVICES JURISDICTION (1) Aeronautical and space activities peculiar to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems or military operations. (2) The common defense. (3) The Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force, generally. (4) Maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, including administration, sanitation, and government of the Canal Zone. (5) Military research and development. (6) National security aspects of nuclear energy. (7) Naval petroleum reserves, except those in Alaska. (8) Pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and privileges of members of the armed forces, including overseas education of civilian and military dependents. (9) Selective service system. (10) Strategic and critical materials necessary for the common defense. Such committee shall also conduct comprehensive study and review of matters relating to the common defense policy of the United States.

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SENATE ARMED SERVICES With its best-known leader, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as the likely Republican presidential nominee, the Senate Armed Services Committee undertook a heavy wartime agenda with the 2008 election campaign as a backdrop. In a sense, McCain’s political fortunes tracked with the progress of the war in Iraq, which continued to dominate the committee’s work in its first year under the control of its new Democratic chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. The 110th Congress convened with Democrats restored to majority control in large part because of popular disenchantment with the war. Levin was a leader of Democratic efforts to begin large-scale troop withdrawals from Iraq, as part of a shift of the U.S. mission from combat to support of Iraqi forces. Ranking Republican McCain was a key supporter of the new strategy that President Bush announced early in 2007: a “surge” of about 30,000 additional troops, coupled with aggressive tactics against the insurgency, especially in the capital of Baghdad. Levin and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., mustered a slim Senate majority early in the summer for a measure calling on the president to begin troop redeployments and declare a shift to a support mission. But Democrats never had the veto-proof margin needed to force a new policy on the administration. Meanwhile, the surge gradually showed signs of working—along with the turn of certain key Iraqi groups against Al Qaeda—to improve security in Iraq. As the commander of coalition forces, Gen. David Petraeus, testified about the progress at a dramatic committee hearing in September, McCain was engineering a comeback for his presidential campaign. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democratic committee member who was skeptical of the surge, was waging her own presidential campaign. Beneath the contention over the war, the Armed Services Committee maintained its custom of businesslike bipartisanship in the annual deliberations over the Defense Department authorization bill. With its House counterpart, the panel drafted significant changes in a number of the Bush administration’s defense budget and policy areas. At the same time, the committee’s relations with the Pentagon improved noticeably as Defense secretary Robert M. Gates—an intelligence and military expert well-known to congressional veterans—settled in as Donald Rumsfeld’s replacement. The final defense authorization for fiscal 2008 raised military pay by 3.5 percent, half a point above Mr. Bush’s request; ordered tougher oversight of defense contractors in Iraq; and authorized increases in active-duty force strength of 13,000 for the Army and 9,000 for the Marines. The authorization also included a significant reordering of Bush’s weapons procurement priorities—including a $9.8-billion budget for the strategic missile defense, a reduction of more than half a billion dollars from his request. As the second session of the Congress got underway, military commanders had begun the gradual withdrawal of five “surge” battalions from combat in Iraq. The Army chief of staff, Gen. George Casey, told the committee that the term of combat deployments could be reduced by July from 15 months to 12 months. Among its many other duties, the Armed Services Committee prepared to monitor this leading indicator of efforts to begin reducing the wartime strain on U.S. ground forces.


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SENATE ARMED SERVICES

Daniel J. Cox Jr. Professional Staff Member 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9617

Expertise: Conventional weapons programs and policy, Army and National Guard force structure issues, Iraq policy. Early in the second session of the 110th Congress, the Army chief of staff, Gen. George Casey, told the Senate Armed Services Committee to expect a milestone in the modernization of his force. After years in development, Casey testified, parts of the Army’s Future Combat System would finally appear as prototypes rather than just as visual slides presented to congressional oversight panels. As a veteran Democratic staffer responsible for oversight of conventional weapons programs and policy, Daniel J. Cox Jr. counts the Future Combat System among the projects in his portfolio. His particular duties relate to the modernization and force structure of the Army and the Army National Guard. A veteran of almost 28 years in the U.S. Army—with service in Vietnam and Desert Storm—Cox brings his military experience to his role as an adviser on Iraq policy to the committee’s chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. Cox’s legislative work also encompasses military acquisition systems, Army programs, ground procurement and research and development issues for the Marine Corps, and unmanned aircraft systems.

Education: B.S., United States Military Academy, 1969. M.S., Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1978. M.B.A., Long Island University, 1981.

Professional: 1969–1997, active duty, U.S. Army. 1997– present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.

Cox also serves as a majority staffer for the Subcommittee on Airland, reporting to chairman Joseph I. Lieberman, IDConn. One of the key issues before the committee has been the evolution of the Army’s Future Combat Systems, a program to transform the military into a high-tech “system of systems” that links soldiers, unmanned weapons platforms and command staff. Like other weapons modernizations programs, the FCS has faced the challenge of development at a time when the demands of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have diverted money for other important defense spending sectors. Casey and Army secretary Pete Geren told the panel that the FCS remains vital to the service, and is on track despite budget cuts. The Airland panel also continues to monitor the development of the next generations of Army and Marine combat vehicles and helicopters, as well as the new Joint Strike Fighter plane. Cox’s work on the committee since 1997 has been informed by wartime experience as an Army officer that spanned two wars and included a variety of combat arms command and staff positions. In Vietnam, he was commander of D Troop, 17th U.S. Cavalry. He later served as senior armor observer-controller at the Combat Maneuver Training Center in Germany. During Operation Desert Storm, Cox was deputy commander of the 7th Army Mobile Training Team, conducting combat replacement crew training and weapons systems replacement operations. His last active duty assignment was as a military in adviser on State Department peacekeeping operations. A West Point graduate, Cox also taught political science and international relations as an assistant professor at West Point.

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Madelyn R. Creedon Democratic Counsel/Lead Majority Staff Subcommittee on Strategic Forces 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3871 Fax: (202) 228-0036 Madelyn_Creedon@armed-services. senate.gov

Expertise: Energy and defense issues. As partisan debate escalated in 2007 over the nature of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Congress pressed ahead with this nation’s strategic missile defense program, but only after scaling back President Bush’s plans. As counsel to the Armed Services Committee and lead staffer on its Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Madelyn Creedon was in the thick of these developments. Her portfolio includes nuclear proliferation issues, U.S. nuclear weapons policy, Pentagon space programs, and the Energy Department’s defense-related programs. The possibility of terrorists or hostile nations armed with nuclear weapons remains a major U.S. concern but the intelligence on these issues proved last year to be as murky as ever. In October, Bush raised the specter of “World War III” in a remark about Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, Democrats expressed concerns about possible planning for a strike against Iran when the administration asked for money to enable the B-2 stealth bomber to carry “bunkerbusting” warheads. But in December, the declassified portions of a new National Intelligence Estimate were widely judged to show that Iran had put aside key elements of its nuclear weapons program, prompting Democrats to call for a new stress on diplomacy. Bush insisted, however, that Iran remains a nuclear threat. It remains in the purview of the Armed Services Committee to monitor the situations in Iran and North Korea.

Personal: Born 11/01/1951 in Indianapolis, Ind.

Education: B.A., University of Evansville (Ind.), 1973. J.D., St. Louis University, 1976.

Professional: 1976–1980, lawyer, private law practice. 1980–1990, trial attorney and acting asst. general counsel, litigation, Dept. of Energy. 1990–1994, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 1994–1995, general counsel, Defense Base Closure and Realignment Committee. 1995–1997, associate deputy secretary for national security, Dept. of Energy. 1997–2000, Democratic counsel, lead minority staff, Subc. on Strategic Forces, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2000–2001, deputy administrator for defense programs, National Security Administration, Dept. of Energy. 2001–2007, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2007–present, Democratic counsel and lead majority staff, Subc. on Strategic Forces, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.


Under a new chairman, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and ranking member, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., the panel drafted policy and budget priorities for Department of Energy defense programs, missile defense, and other strategic weapons matters. Also on Creedon’s watch were oversight of Pentagon space programs, such as modernization of space radar. The Pentagon in 2009 is seeking more than $10.4 billion for missile defense programs. As associate deputy secretary for national security at the Department of Energy during the Clinton administration, Creedon has extensive background on the cleanup of nuclear sites, and on the sharing of cleanup jurisdiction among states and federal agencies. Creedon first began working for the Armed Services Committee in 1990. Although she left in 1994 for the Base Realignment and Closure Committee and then the Department of Energy, she returned as counsel to the committee’s Democrats in 1997 and served in that role until 2000, when she became the deputy administrator for defense programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration. She returned as counsel to the committee in 2001.

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Richard D. DeBobes Staff Director 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7530

Expertise: International law, military operations, Department of Defense organization. As Senate Armed Services Committee staff director under the new Democratic majority, Richard DeBobes oversaw a 2007 session marked by tough debate over the direction of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Democrats and Republicans found some common ground as well, acting on a significant expansion of the Army and the Marine Corps and tackling a full slate of weapons modernization programs—some of them troubled. DeBobes brought extensive military and legislative background to his work as top committee staffer to the new chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. His experience on Capitol Hill dates to the Reagan administration, when he was a Naval officer serving as legislative assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Levin was at the center of Democratic efforts in 2007 to prod the Bush administration to re-deploy U.S. troops out of Iraq, even as the new commander of coalition forces, Gen. David Petraeus, directed a strategic surge of troops to improve security in Iraq. In collaboration with Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., Levin has sought to steer the U.S. war mission from combat to training and support of Iraqi forces. Through several variations, the Levin-Reed legislation generally proposed non-binding goals for troop withdrawals—rather than the strict timetables sought by some Democrats. At one point last summer, Levin-Reed won a narrow majority of votes in the Senate, but it never approached the 60 votes needed to break a GOP filibuster.


Education: B.A., Georgetown University, 1959. LL.B., Fordham Law School, 1962. LL.M., The George Washington University, 1972.

Professional: 1963–1975, lawyer and military judge, Dept. of the Navy. 1975–1980, director, international negotiations branch, Judge Advocate General of the Navy. 1980–1984, commander, Naval Legal Service Office (Norfolk, Va. 1984–1989, legislative asst. to the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. 1989–1994, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 1995–2001, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2001–2003, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2003–2007, Democratic staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2007–present, staff director, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.

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Levin has nevertheless persisted in arguing that only a clear signal of a U.S. course-change will push Iraqi leaders to make the political compromises necessary to end the sectarian violence and defeat the insurgency. Despite their inability to change the U.S. mission in Iraq by legislative mandate, Democrats could argue that their steady pressure on the Bush administration has been useful to the all-important political element of the counterinsurgency. Under the direction of DeBobes, the committee’s annual cycle of Pentagon budget and policy deliberations was a tool for continuing scrutiny of a full spectrum of military issues. For example, the controversy over conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center spurred the committee to demand improvements and monitor their implementation. In tandem with its House counterpart, the committee pushed through another record Pentagon authorization that raised military pay by 3.5 percent, set the Army and Marine Corps on a course for force expansion, and pressed ahead with weapons modernization programs. DeBobes joined the committee staff in 1989, after 26 years as an attorney in the Navy. His last assignment was as a legislative assistant to the then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. William Crowe Jr.



Evelyn N. Farkas Professional Staff Member 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4126 Fax: (202) 228-0037

Expertise: Foreign policy, emerging threats and capabilities, counterterrorism, anti-drug policy. As the senior lead staffer on Asian Pacific affairs for Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Evelyn Farkas has seen progress in the Bush administration’s efforts to curb North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Indeed, she said the committee chairman has essentially “declared victory” in his bipartisan campaign to prod the administration to engage more deeply on this key issue in the struggle against nuclear arms proliferation. Even before Democrats assumed majority control of the panel in 2007, Levin led the way in a bipartisan expression of no confidence in the administration’s North Korea policy. Among other things, he authored a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act requiring the president to appoint a senior coordinator for North Korea policy. During the first session of the 110th Congress, the U.S. reinvigorated its role through the so-called “Six Party Talks” aimed at rolling back Pyongyang’s weapons program. Farkas tracked the negotiations for the chairman, along with related intelligence reports, some of which were produced as a result of his legislation. Congress took note of the administration’s heightened involvement in the arduous talks, toning down the explicit directions it had earlier laid out for how North Korea policy must be coordinated.

Education: B.A., Franklin & Marshall College, 1989. M.A.L.D., The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, 1995. Ph.D., The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, 1999.

Professional: 1989–1990, assistant to director, Committees on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations (New York, N.Y.) 1990–1993, assistant to director, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Laxenburg, Austria). 1993, Rosenthal fellow, House Cmte. on Foreign Affairs. 1995–1996, research analyst, Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis (Cambridge, Mass.) 1996, research analyst, Carnegie Conflict Prevention Project (Cambridge, Mass.) 1996, human rights officer, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Gorazde, Bosnia). 1997–2001, assoc. professor; asst. professor, Command and Staff College, Marine Corps Univ. (Quantico, Va.). 2001–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.


A committee veteran with a background in international relations and foreign languages, Farkas covers a global beat with specialties in peace and stability operations, ethnic conflict, export controls and counterdrug policy. She joined the Democratic staff just as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks expanded the scope and stepped up the pace in the defense and global affairs arena. In August, 2007, for example, Farkas made her second trip to Pakistan, to confer with leaders of the U.S. counterterrorism effort and their Pakistani counterparts. In January 2008, she toured Columbia, Panama and Venezuela to review efforts in that region against terrorism and the illicit drug trade. Farkas’s Asian Pacific portfolio also includes such U.S.South Korea issues as the organization of military commands. She helped Levin to draft a provision in the latest Defense Department authorization that would facilitate family reunions between U.S. citizens and their relatives in North Korea. Farkas counts on her Far-East watch list the U.S. security relationship with Japan and relations with India and China. Farkas focused on European affairs early in her career. She served four years as assistant and associate professor on the faculty of the Marine Corps University’s Command Staff College, spent half a year working in Bosnia in the aftermath of the 1992–95 war, and she has written a book, Fractured States and U.S. Foreign Policy: Iraq, Ethiopia and Bosnia in the 1990s. The new edition will be out in paperback this year.

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Richard W. Fieldhouse Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee on Strategic Forces 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0750

Expertise: Defense issues. In the first session of the 110th Congress, the Senate Armed Services Committee continued to monitor the nuclear intentions of Iran and North Korea, while overseeing a significant reordering of President Bush’s priorities for missile defenses. Richard Fieldhouse is a key committee staffer in these areas, advising chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., on such issues as nuclear arms, chemical and biological warfare, and nonproliferation policy. Fieldhouse, in his second decade as a professional staffer with the panel, also covers issues before its Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, chaired by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, U.S. officials have stepped up their attention to the threat that would be posed by nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons in the hands of any hostile state or terrorist. Iran and North Korea have long been the focus of nuclear nonproliferation efforts. North Korea’s test of a short-range missile in 2006 aroused the fears of neighboring nations, which, along with the United States and others, have pursued the six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. While talks with North Korea yielded some hope in early 2007 for that nation’s “denuclearization,” there remained grave concern about the path that both North Korea and Iran have followed toward securing nuclear arsenals.

Education: B.A., political science, Bates College, 1980.

Professional: 1991–1996, legislative asst., Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. 1996–2007, professional staff member, Subc. on Strategic Forces, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2007–present, lead professional staff member, Subc. on Emerging Threats and Capabilities/Subc. on Strategic Forces, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.

Increasingly, the spotlight has turned to Iran’s nuclear pursuits, but the picture was muddied late in 2007 with the release of unclassified portions of the National Intelligence Estimate. The document’s tentative finding was that Iran had discontinued development of key aspects of its nuclear program. That prompted Democrats to criticize Mr. Bush’s aggressive rhetoric about Iran’s nuclear program and to call for greater emphasis on diplomacy and have complicated the administration’s push for consideration of multinational sanctions against Iran. The Armed Services Committee’s experts expected to continue their oversight of the North Korea and Iran situations, as well as other nonproliferation issues. Meanwhile, Democrats continued aggressive oversight of the nation’s missile defense program. Levin, Reed, and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., the new chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, have criticized its cost, management, and prospects for becoming reliably operational within a reasonable amount of time. The defense authorization for fiscal year 2008 called for a $9.8 billion budget for the strategic missile defense, a reduction of more than half a billion dollars from the president’s request. Fieldhouse joined Levin’s personal office staff in 1991 and moved to the committee in 1996. Before Capitol Hill, he researched and wrote about defense issues at private sector organizations, including the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

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Creighton Greene Professional Staff Member 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6115 Fax: (202) 228-0036

Expertise: Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, intelligence programs. Despite the challenge of modernizing weapons programs while covering the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Senate Armed Services Committee pressed ahead in 2007 with key procurement programs, including a big step toward restoring the diminished Navy fleet. The defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2008 includes fund for 10 new ships—five more than President Bush initially sought—in an effort by Congress to sustain the fleet at a level of at least 313 ships after a long decline. Creighton Greene, who follows Navy, Air Force, and Marine policy for the Democrats on the Armed Services Committee, was closely involved in drafting the authorization. The authorization meant that the Navy can begin in 2010 to boost its rate of attack submarine production from one to two a year—a development long sought by supporters of the undersea fleet. The budget and policy blueprint for the Pentagon also added money for a new T-AKE cargo ship, and an LPD-17 transport ship. Development of the littoral combat ship also continued—but at reduced levels because the new program has been plagued with cost overruns. The shipbuilding authorization was a move toward for the kind of stability that the Navy and its contractors need, according to Greene. But he has also noted that expansion in shipbuilding can put a crimp in other procurement areas—notably, in recent years, aviation.

Personal: Born 06/23/1949 in Pikeville, Ky.

Education: B.S., Morehead State University (Ky.), 1970. M.S., Morehead State University (Ky.), 1972. M.B.A., Virginia Tech, 1988.

Professional: 1972–1975, member, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 1975–1990, analyst, Office of Management and Budget. 1990–present, prof. staff member, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.


All of the services face a continuing struggle to pay for expensive new weapons systems while pressing ahead on the battlefield. There also are longstanding concerns about cost control across a whole range of Navy platforms. On the aviation front, a major focus of the committee’s budget experts continued on the F-35, better known as the Joint Strike Fighter—a developing aircraft at the center of the military’s efforts to create “joint” systems for the use of all the services and some allies. Despite the wishes of the Pentagon, Congress has once again kept two contractors in contention to make the aircraft’s engines—Pratt & Whitney and a team consisting of General Electric and Britain’s Rolls-Royce. Greene served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers early in his career, but most of his experience is in Washington, D.C. He was an analyst at the Office of Management and Budget for 15 years before joining the Democratic staff of the Armed Services Committee in 1990.

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Gary Leeling Counsel 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3871 Fax: (202) 228-0036 gary_leeling@armed-services. senate.gov

Expertise: Personnel issues, military health care. Several years after it was first proposed by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebr., a significant expansion of Army and Marine active duty forces was signed into law early in 2008. That was the headline. The fine print of the Defense Department authorization for fiscal year 2008 contained an array of provisions intended to ease the wartime strain on U.S. troops and their families in areas from health care and pay to personnel recruitment and retention. This is the territory that Gary Leeling covers as counsel to the Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee. A career lawyer in the Army for nearly three decades before he came to Capitol Hill, Leeling is an expert on military and civilian personnel issues at the Pentagon. Early in the 110th Congress, with Democrats back in control of both houses, President Bush proposed in his annual budget to address recruitment and retention problems by expanding ground forces, raising military pay and improving benefits. Under the committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the committee surpassed the president’s request in a variety of ways, including raising pay by 3.5 percent, half a point more than the administration had sought. Early in 2008, Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, told the committee that the length of combat tours in Iraq could be reduced from 15 months to 12 months if the withdrawal of five “surge” battalions was finished according to plan by July.

Personal: Born 05/23/1947 in Deadwood, S.Dak.

Education: B.A., South Dakota State Univ., 1969. J.D., Univ. of South Dakota Law School, 1972.

Professional: 1970–1998, active duty, U.S. Army. 1998– 2007, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2007–present, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.

While Bush’s surge of combat strength to 15 battalions produced significant security improvements in Iraq in 2007, it also added to the stress on U.S. military. The increase in Army end-strength, combined with shorter combat tours, was a major step on a challenging path toward restoring the service to its pre-war state of readiness and to build the kind of versatility needed for the expected conflicts of the 21st century, Casey indicated. Levin and other committee members said they will closely monitor the Pentagon’s force expansion and its efforts to improve readiness. As Casey and Army secretary Pete Geren have noted, nearly half of those deployed from active duty, Guard and reserve units leave families with children at home. Hence the high premium on the work of Leeling and other committee staff who tend to the full spectrum of health and benefit issues affecting the military community. The services have a number of recruitment tools—mostly involving pay, bonuses, and other quality-of-life items— that it continually adjusts. The committee is responsible for overseeing these adjustments, some of which come as part of the mammoth defense authorization that must pass every year. Leeling spent 28 years in the Army. He signed up when he was in law school and went on to serve as a JAG corps officer, retiring in 1998 and joining the Armed Services Committee staff that same year.

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Peter K. Levine General Counsel 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8631

Expertise: Legal issues and nominations, lobbying disclosure laws, federal procurement system, environmental policy. In the first year of renewed Democratic control of Congress, the marquee defense story was the success of the minority Republicans in blocking efforts to legislate U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq. But under a new chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee quietly found much common ground in their annual policy marathon: the creation of the budget and policy blueprint knows as the Defense Department authorization bill. Levin chose an adviser of two decades’ standing, Peter Levine, to be the committee’s general counsel and his lead staffer in producing the authorization. Levine brought to the job much experience in oversight of defense management issues and in environmental and procurement policy. He also advises Levin on civilian nominations at the Pentagon—a key position as incoming Defense secretary Robert Gates filled out his roster and ushered in a period of improved relations between Capitol Hill and the Bush national security team. The 2008 authorization imposed substantial policy changes on the president’s budget request and his national security policy—often with bipartisan support.


Education: A.B., Harvard College, 1979. J.D., magna cum laude, Harvard Law School, 1983.

Professional: 1983–1986, associate attorney, Crowell and Moring (Washington, D.C. 1987– 1994, counsel, Subc. on Oversight of Government Management, Senate Cmte. on Governmental Affairs. 1995–1996, counsel, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. 1996– 2001, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2001–2002, Democratic staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2003–2007, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services. 2007–present, general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.

Levin sharpened the committee’s focus on one of his longtime concerns: acquisition and procurement policy at the Pentagon. This perennial trouble spot drew special scrutiny after a finding of official impropriety in the award of contracts to Boeing in the mid-1990s. Levine, who helped Levin write the original Lobbying Disclosure Act in 1995, has since been active in the committee’s monitoring of defense contracting policy. Repeated reviews of weapons-buying policy over the course of several administrations have highlighted chronic problems and made it a topic of bipartisan concern for Levin and the committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Levin launched inquiries into three specific acquisition concerns: shortcomings in Iraq reconstruction and support contracting, abuses of interagency contracting and of contracting for services, and the need to reinvigorate the acquisition workforce. Another top priority for Levine has been the military’s response to the detainee abuses that came to light after September 11, 2001, and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Levin and McCain have collaborated on several initiatives to guard against improper treatment of detainees. Before joining the Armed Services Committee staff in 1996, Levine was counsel to the Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. He then served in Levin’s personal office for two years.


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Bill Monahan Democratic Counsel 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3871

Expertise: Foreign policy, European Command, Central Command. After assisting the committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, DMich., in the creation of a special Armed Services Committee unit to investigate the treatment of detainees, Bill Monahan has trained his focus on security and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan, among other issues in a broad defense and foreign policy portfolio. Monahan is a majority staffer covering Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as NATO. His military jurisdictions are European Command and parts of Central Command. Monahan remains involved in monitoring whether the NATO allies live up to their commitments to provide troops and equipment for the Afghanistan conflict. Levin wants to encourage allies to support the Afghanistan mission in other ways, such as helping to pay for the training and expansion of the Afghanistan National Army; providing trainers to be embedded in Afghan units; and assisting in the Afghan government’s expansion of its own reconstruction capacity. Levin pressed those concerns in the run-up to the spring NATO summit in Bucharest, where alliance support for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan was to be a top issue. Monahan has also helped the chairman to track the problem of safe havens for extremists in Pakistan’s tribal areas across the border from Afghanistan. Levin is interested as well in the prospects for other NATO missions outside its traditional regions. The crisis in Darfur raises one such possible mission.

Personal: Born 07/03/1964 in Winchester, Va.

Education: B.A., history, Yale University, 1987. M.P.A., international relations, Princeton University, 1994. J.D., University of Virginia, 1994.

Professional: 1994–1995, legislative staff, Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Nebr. 1995–1999, legal adviser, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. 1999–2003, legal adviser, Office of the Legal Advisor, U.S. Dept. of State. 2003– present, Democratic counsel, Senate Armed Services Cmte.

Monahan has been involved in a broader security assistance debate about the respective roles of the Pentagon, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development in the training and equipping of security forces of other nations. Monahan continues to watch the detention and interrogation policy issues that came to the fore after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. With the committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former chairman John Warner, R-Va., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Levin has worked to keep U.S. personnel in compliance with a 2005 law—which the senators helped to draft—that forbids cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners. Levin supports holding the CIA to the same uniform standard—in the Army Field Manual on Interrogations—that binds the military’s treatment of detainees. Monahan joined Levin’s staff in 2003 after serving as a legal adviser on arms control and disarmament at the State Department. He had previously been an aide to then-Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Nebr., after receiving his law degree and his master’s degree in international relations.

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Christopher John Paul Minority Executive Officer Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. 241 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7138 Fax: (202) 228-2862 [email protected]

Expertise: Defense, veterans’ affairs, aerospace, national security, commercial aviation issues. As Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., battled toward the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, Chris Paul, his top defense adviser, pressed the senator’s priorities as ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee staffer. Among other things, high on Paul’s agenda this year includes support for the strategic troop surge that led to something of a comeback for U.S. fortunes in Iraq. McCain and other supporters of the surge blocked repeated efforts by the majority Democrats, led by committee chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., to scale back the U.S. presence in Iraq. “There are two keys to any surge of U.S. troops: to be of value, it must substantial and it must be sustained,” McCain told Iraq strategists in a speech before the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank in January. Virtually alone among the war’s prominent supporters, McCain was sharply critical of its prosecution since shortly after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, arguing that President Bush’s team sent too few troops to get the job done. He has also been a key voice in the denunciations of detainee abuse, U.S. equipment shortages and other problems besetting the war effort. Beyond the preeminent issue of the war, Paul has worked as McCain’s executive officer to lead minority staff through the annual challenge of drafting the defense authorization for the coming fiscal year; it is the principal vehicle for congressional input on Pentagon policy and spending issues.

Personal: Born 06/24/1959 in Lakehurst, N.J.

Education: U.S. Naval Academy, 1982.

Professional: 1977–19901, active duty, U.S. Navy. 1990– 1991, Navy fellow, Sen. John S. McCain, R-Ariz. 1991–2005, professional staff member and military legislative assistant, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. 2005–2007, staff dir., Subc. on Airland, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services, and legislative assistant, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. 2007–present, minority executive officer, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.


McCain’s lead staffer on military matters for more than 17 years, Paul is an expert on aerospace and aviation who was assigned to the Airland Subcommittee during the 109th Congress, when McCain was chairman of the panel. The subcommittee dealt with program cuts for the new Air Force fighter jets, the F-22 Raptor. McCain has carefully scrutinized such large and expensive programs as the F22, the Army’s Future Combat Systems initiative, and the Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter program. As a veteran Navy pilot and the son and grandson of admirals, McCain continues to insist that the troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world have the equipment and support that they need to fight as safely and effectively as they can. Paul likewise comes from a Navy background, having served in the service until 1991, when he left active duty for a permanent position in McCain’s office after a fellowship on Capitol Hill. He continues to serve in the reserves.

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Dick Walsh Professional Staff Member 228 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3094

Expertise: Military pay, morale, civilian employee issues, welfare and recreation programs, nominations. As minority counsel for the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dick Walsh helped Republicans move Defense secretary Robert M. Gates and his team through the confirmation process after the 2006 elections. Then he set about an array of legislative tasks to help ease the strain on the troops that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have placed for several years. Through such efforts, the result from the committee was a bipartisan package of provisions in the 2008 Department of Defense authorization designed to implement Gates’s program to gradually restore the armed services to their pre-war state of readiness. At the same time the bipartisan measure was meant to begin reconstituting the force for the threats anticipated in the 21st century. The authorization is the annual budget and policy blueprint created by Congress. The measures included a multi-year expansion of the size of the Army and the Marine Corps, a 3.5-percent military pay hike (a sum that was up half a percentage point higher than what President Bush had proposed) and a variety of improvements in health care and housing for military families—which have borne the brunt of the wartime stress on the all-volunteer force. This combination of actions was intended in part to shore up Pentagon efforts to the address the challenge of wartime recruitment and retention of a well-educated, well-motivated force. Walsh, a 30-year Navy veteran, is a specialist in the complex pay, benefits, and welfare issues that go into the sustenance of the armed forces.


Education: B.S., national security affairs, United States Naval Academy, 1971. J.D., Univ. of Virginia School of Law, 1979.

Professional: 1996–1998, dir. of legislation, Office of Naval Legislative Affairs. 1998–2001, executive dir., Senate Affairs Division, Office of the Secretary of Defense. 2001– present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Armed Services.

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For its part, the Pentagon, has undertaken to ease of the actions it took in order to wage simultaneous wars and support President Bush’s strategic surge of troops to improve security in Iraq. Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, told the committee in February that he expected by July to cut the term of combat deployments from 15 months to 12 months. “The cumulative effects of the last six-plus years at war have left our Army out of balance, consumed by the current fight and unable to do the things we know we need to do to properly sustain our all-volunteer force and restore our flexibility for an uncertain future,” Casey told the panel. Walsh attended the Naval Academy and took his commission in 1971. After receiving a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1979, he served as a JAG, or Judge Advocate General. He finished his 30 years of active duty in Washington, first as director of legislation for the Navy and then working on Senate affairs at the Pentagon under then–secretary of defense William Cohen.


Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 http://banking.senate.gov/ Ratio: 11/10 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Christopher J. Dodd, CT, Chairman

Richard C. Shelby, AL, Ranking Member

Tim Johnson, SD Jack Reed, RI Charles E. Schumer, NY Evan Bayh, IN Thomas R. Carper, DE Robert Menendez, NJ Daniel K. Akaka, AK Sherrod Brown, OH Robert P. Casey, PA Jon Tester, MT

Robert F. Bennett, UT Wayne Allard, CO Michael B. Enzi, WY Chuck Hagel, NE Jim Bunning, KY Mike Crapo, ID Elizabeth Dole, NC Mel Martinez, FL Bob Corker, TN


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SENATE BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS JURISDICTION (1) Banks, banking, and financial institutions. (2) Financial aid to commerce and industry. (3) Deposit insurance. (4) Public and private housing (including veterans’ housing). (5) Federal monetary policy, including the Federal Reserve System. (6) Money and credit, including currency and coinage. (7) Issuance and redemption of notes. (8) Control of prices of commodities, rents, and services. (9) Urban development and urban mass transit. (10) Economic stabilization and defense production. (11) Export controls. (12) Export and foreign trade promotion. (13) Nursing home construction. (14) Renegotiation of government contracts. Such committee shall also study and review on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to international economic policy as it affects United States monetary affairs, credit, and financial institutions; economic growth, urban affairs, and report thereon from time to time.

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SENATE BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS Market volatility and the recent downturn in the American economy will no doubt be at the top of this year’s agenda for the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. Committee chairman Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn, made that clear early in the session. The committee has oversight and legislative jurisdiction over a wide array of matters, including banking, financial institutions, deposit insurance, export controls, terrorist financing, foreign trade promotion, monetary policy, housing, urban development and mass transit, and international economic policy as it affects United States monetary affairs, credit, and financial institutions. The committee’s first hearing of the year examined ways to reduce foreclosures and stimulate the economy. Many were called to give an account of the current state of the institutions and industries they oversee, including officials from the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission, HUD, the FDIC, the OCC, the OTS, the FHFB, and OFHEO. “Americans today are worried, deeply worried, about their future and the future of our great nation,” Dodd said. “A year ago, I chaired the first hearing in the Congress on the subject of predatory lending. I talked then about the possibility that more than 2 million Americans could lose their homes as a result of such lending. Some scoffed at that prediction. Well, no one is scoffing now.” Among the committee’s unfinished business from last year is an FHA reform bill, which passed the Senate last December but must still be negotiated with the House, a lending reform bill that will be the subject of hearings this year, and the Reed-Allard homelessness prevention bill that the committee passed last year, but which is being blocked on the floor. With jurisdiction over public transportation, the committee will turn its attention to the federal statute that authorizes federal transit and highway programs, and which is set to expire next year, as well as a national infrastructure bank designed to use public and private resources to leverage financing for projects from transportation systems to water systems. Finally, the panel will focus on the regulation of industrial loan corporations, credit card marketing and billing practices, enacting comprehensive flood insurance reform and numerous subjects in the area of securities, including executive compensation, proxy access, hedge fund regulation, and accounting and regulatory issues surrounding the increasing globalization of securities markets.


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SENATE BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS

William Duhnke Republican Staff Director and Counsel 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: Global and national security issues. Talk with other staffers on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and one hears that Bill Duhnke is often the silent force behind much of what happens. A 15-year veteran of Capitol Hill, Duhnke is a relative newcomer to the Senate committee, joining the panel in mid2006 and taking over as counsel and Republican staff director just about a year ago. Having worked for ranking member Richard C. Shelby of Alabama off and on since 1995, Duhnke’s uppermost thought each workday is how best to take care of the senator’s interests. “All I do is eat, drink and sleep financial services,” Duhnke says. In his capacity as counsel, the Wisconsin native focuses on issues as diverse as deposit insurance and export controls, or terrorist financing and urban development. In his role as GOP staff director, he is responsible for the management and activities of the committee’s 20-some employees, which includes hiring, firing, salaries and work assignments. Duhnke came to the Banking Committee from the Select Committee on Intelligence, where for a decade he rose through the ranks to become staff director and chief counsel.


Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1984. J.D., Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, 1996.

Professional: 1984–1991, U.S. Navy. 1992–1993, dir. of operations, Presidential Commission on Assignment of Women in Armed Forces. 1993–1995, dir. of operations, Defense Base Closure Commission. 1995–1997, legislative asst., Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. 1997–1999, counsel, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 1999–2000, deputy staff dir., Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2000– 2001, staff dir. and chief counsel, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2001–2007, Republican staff dir. and counsel, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2007–present, counsel and Republican staff director, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

During his maiden year on Banking, one of his chief priorities was reauthorizing the Terrorist Risk Insurance program. While there is a consensus that government should step in as a backstop so private companies might again fill the need for insurance, he said, there were different perspectives on what government’s role should be. Shelby believed government should host a temporary program that phased out as the private marketplace took over. Duhnke’s priorities in 2008 will no doubt be driven by the latest economic downturn. Issues still facing the committee include government-sponsored enterprises, Iran sanctions and how to tackle the housing market and sub-prime issues. After earning his bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin, Duhnke joined the U.S. Navy and attended Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida. He graduated first in his class as a Distinguished Naval Graduate and earned his wings in 1986. He then joined Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three in Barber’s Point, Hawaii. His last assignment before completing his Naval service in 1991 was in the White House. After leaving the Navy, he served on the staff of the Women in the Armed Forces and the Defense Base Closure commissions. He joined Shelby’s staff as a legislative assistant after the 1993 round of base closures, covering defense appropriations and authorizations, as well as NASA and veterans’ issues. Duhnke attended the Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law at night while serving on the commissions’ and Shelby’s staffs. He earned his law degree in 1996. Duhnke is married to Laurie Ann Schoeben of Waukesha, Wisconsin. They have two daughters, ages twelve and nine.

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Amy Friend Majority Chief Counsel 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2823 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: Banking, finance, currency. Amy Friend came to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs as majority chief counsel last December. Calling her “an outstanding lawyer with a keen understanding of banking and consumer protection law and the legislative process,” the committee’s chairman, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., hired her away from her job as assistant chief counsel at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. That office charters, regulates, and supervises all national banks. “Amy’s experience, knowledge, and expertise make her a wonderful addition to the Banking Committee staff,” Dodd said. “Her talents and the wealth of private and public experience she possesses will be of enormous benefit to the committee as we address important issues that impact our nation’s economy, our markets, consumers and investors.” Her former boss—Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan—applauded Friend’s “knowledge and counsel.” “I know that Senator Dodd and the entire Senate Banking Committee will benefit,” Dugan said. “She’s been a vital member of the OCC legal team for the past ten years, and she’ll be greatly missed.”

Education: B.A., University of Pennsylvania. J.D., George University Law Center.

Professional: Minority general counsel, former House Cmte. on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs. General counsel, Subc. on Consumer Affairs and Coinage. Legislative director, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. Counsel, Subc. on Criminal Justice/legislative assistant and Rep. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. 1998–2008, assistant chief counsel, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. 2008–present, majority chief counsel, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.


In her post under Dugan, Friend was part of a bureau that falls under the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and that supervises the federal branches and agencies of foreign banks. OCC’s staff of examiners conducts on-site reviews of national banks and provides sustained supervision of bank operations. The agency issues rules, legal interpretations, and corporate decisions concerning banking, bank investments, bank community development activities, and other aspects of bank operations. Before joining the comptroller’s office, Friend spent a decade working on Capitol Hill, most recently as minority general counsel for the then–House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs, which is now the House Committee on Financial Services. Before that, Friend served as general counsel for the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Coinage, as legislative director for Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and as counsel for the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Legislative Assistant to then Rep. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Friend earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and did her undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

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Joseph Hepp Professional Staff Member 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: Money laundering, international business, banking regulations, competitiveness issues in capital markets and manufacturing. Money laundering, international business, and banking regulations are just some of the areas of expertise that Joseph Hepp brings to Republicans on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, where Hepp serves as a professional staff member. Hepp started last year working on oversight for issues such as the Export-Import Bank and anti-money laundering. Competitiveness issues in capital markets and manufacturing is another issue at which this Boston College graduate excels, as well as homeland security, financial regulatory policy, and banking soundness. Hepp came to Capitol Hill just out of college, joining the Senate Banking Committee as assistant chief clerk. Her held that job from 1991 until 1994 under Donald W. Riegle, DMich., who was the panel’s chairman from 1989 to 1994, and who retired from Congress at the end of 1994. After Riegle’s departure, Hepp left the Hill to accept a post as President Clinton’s appointee to the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The Export-Import Bank—an independent agency of the executive branch created in 1934—is the official export credit agency of the U.S. federal government. Its mission is to create jobs by financing the sale of U.S. exports to international buyers. During his seven years at the Export-Import Bank, Hepp served in a variety of roles, the last being in a senior management position as special assistant to the chief operating officer and vice chair.

Education: Boston College, 1990.

Professional: 1991–1994, assistant chief clerk, Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Cmte. 1994–2001, appointee, Export-Import Bank of the United States. 2001–2006, partner, Clegg International Consultants, LLC. 2006–2007, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Rules and Administration. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Comte.

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Hepp left the bank in 2001 to join a small strategic consulting firm called Clegg International Consultants, LLC. The firm was founded by Jackie Marie Clegg, who held high posts at the Export-Import Bank and who is the wife of Senate Banking Committee chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. Hepp worked as a partner in the firm, but then returned to Capitol Hill two years ago to take a professional staff position on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. When Hepp first took the job in 2006, he worked under the leadership of Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss. A year later, Hepp returned to the place he first started on the Hill—the Senate Banking Committee. This time, it was as a Republican professional staff member, a job where he could once again put that money-laundering and international business expertise to good use.



Roger Hollingsworth Senior Policy Adviser and Deputy Staff Director 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 Roger_Hollingsworth@banking. senate.gov

Expertise: Financial services. A week before last Christmas, Roger Hollingsworth got a new job. The senior policy adviser to the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee added another title to his resume—that of the committee’s deputy staff director. Not bad for a guy in his mid-30s who had joined the committee barely 11 months earlier—fresh from a private company that represented investment banks, broker-dealers, and mutual fund companies. “Roger brings a wealth of knowledge, judgment and experience to the committee,” said the panel’s chairman, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., in making the announcement about Hollingsworth. “His experience in both the Senate and private sector will be an asset as the committee continues to tackle important issues facing our nation.” After graduating from the State University of New York at Albany with a degree in communications and a minor in finance, Hollingsworth came to Capitol Hill, where he was legislative assistant to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and legislative director and deputy chief of staff to former New Jersey Sen. Jon Corzine, also a Democrat. In the latter position, Hollingsworth worked on various bills before the Senate Banking Committee, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, mutual fund reform, Securities and Exchange Commission fees, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Education: B.A., communications major, finance minor, State University of New York at Albany.

Professional: 2005–2006, vice president of government affairs, Securities Industry Association. 2007, senior adviser, Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Cmte. 2007– present, senior policy adviser and deputy staff director, Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Cmte.

For two years, he was vice president and director of federal government affairs at the formerly named Securities Industry Association (SIA). The organization, which merged with the Bond Market Association, is now known as the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. It represents more than 650 securities firms with members that include investment banks, broker-dealers, and mutual While at the Securities Industry Association, Hollingsworth grew familiar with the inner workings of the Senate, as his job frequently put him in touch with the Senate Banking Committee, Senate Finance Committee, and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. He learned to navigate the Senate Banking Committee’s operations and its players while managing SIA issues before the panel— particularly on legislation related to the financial services industry. Hollingsworth returned to Capitol Hill in 2007, joining the Banking Committee as senior adviser to chairman Dodd.


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Aaron Klein Chief Economist 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: Economics. In his seven years on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Aaron Klein has honed considerable expertise in mass transit funding formulas, transit security, terrorism risk insurance and deposit insurance reform. Such is the range of issues covered by a chief economist, which is Klein’s title on the Democratic-controlled committee. Now in the majority party for more than a year, Klein is advancing the agenda of his boss—committee chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. Among Dodd’s priorities for the committee are addressing subprime lenders that target minorities, immigrants, and the elderly; focusing on 2/28 adjustable rate mortgages, which comprise as much as 80 percent of subprime loans; and urging the Federal Reserve and other federal regulators to adopt the same guidelines that are applied for exotic mortgages in the subprime market to higher-cost subprime adjustable rate mortgages. In his time on the Senate Banking Committee, Klein has worked on both transit funding formulas and transit policies, which include transit security.

Education:

Among the landmark legislation that Klein handled were: a mass transit bill that provided record funding increases for mass transit throughout the nation; currency and exchange issues for the original Terrorism Risk Insurance Act; the problems of credit card debt among college students; issues associated with immigrants remitting money; and the Financial Literacy and Education Improvement Act, which created a presidential commission to enhance financial education for all Americans.

B.A., (high honors) math and social science, Dartmouth College, 1998. M.P.A, economics, Princeton University, 2000.

The latter is part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, which aims to improve financial literacy and education.

Professional:

Klein continues to handle monetary and economic policy issues for the committee, including the Federal Reserve and Council of Economic Advisors. This past year, he also worked on regulatory issues and on deposit insurance reform.

2001–present, chief economist, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Klein has helped create federal, state, and local government partnerships with nonprofits to improve financial education. He has also worked on other major legislation, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Corporate Accountability Act and the 2002 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Klein grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2006 to represent the area in the Maryland House of Delegates.

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Sarah Kline Counsel 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: Transit, Federal Home Loan Bank System, terrorism insurance. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act and the National Transit Systems Security Act were among the bills Sarah Kline worked on last year in the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. Both pieces of legislation passed the Senate last year and were signed into law—the former the day after Christmas and the later last summer. Kline has now been with the committee for eight years, working as counsel, and those two accomplishments in 2007 demonstrated the committee was serious about implementing the agenda of the chairman, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. Dodd—who frequently made reference to terrorism attacks on transit facilities in London, Madrid, and Moscow and who has drawn comparisons between a safe public transportation system and a strong economy—made it clear when taking over for Democrats last year that transportation security would be a focus of the panel’s attention. Committee staffers like to point out that the United States spends about $7 per airplane rider on security measures but less than $0.01 per transit rider. Kline, a Stanford Law School graduate who remains a member of the California Bar Association, also worked on the transit title of the SAFETEA-LU technical corrections bill, which was reported out of committee, but has yet to pass the Senate.

Education: B.A., magna cum laude, Harvard University, 1992. J.D., distinction, Stanford Law School, 1998.

Professional: 1998–1999, clerk, Judge James R. Browning, U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. 2000– present, counsel, Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.

“This year I will continue handling transit, insurance, and the Federal Home Loan Bank System,” said Kline, referring to a system that the Federal Home Loan Bank Act created during the Great Depression to install confidence in the nation’s financial institutions and provide low-cost funds to American lenders who provide home mortgages, small business loans, and agricultural loans. For the last 20 years, the system’s mission has included affordable housing and community development lending. “I expect the committee will begin to lay the groundwork for the reauthorization of SAFETEA-LU’s transit provisions, which expire next year,” said Kline, whose responsibilities before Dodd took control were for staffing under Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md.) the committee’s former ranking member, who retired at the end of 2006. “We will also continue working on GSE regulatory reform legislation, which includes the Federal Home Loan Bank System. And we will examine various insurance issues, including insurance for natural catastrophes and insurance regulation.” At Stanford, Kline was an editor for the Stanford Law Review. Her undergraduate degree is from Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1992. Before joining the Senate Banking Committee, Kline worked as a clerk to Judge James R. Browning of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Kline’s prior experience includes marketing for both public sector and nonprofit entities.


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Shawn Maher Staff Director 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: Financial issues, budget, taxes. Shawn Maher likes to say that he came to Capitol Hill “by happenstance.” He was finishing up a federal judicial clerkship—hoping to find work in New York as a public defender or prosecutor—when a job came open in the Washington, D.C., office of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, D-Mass. That was almost 20 years ago. Today, the Harvard University graduate and New York University–educated lawyer finds himself in a powerful position as staff director for the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. “Washington is not a city where people move in order to find a nice balance between their personal and professional lives,” Maher once said during an interview for New York University’s alumni page. “The rhythm of the city is unlike that of many other cities. The work day—particularly on Capitol Hill—cannot in any way be contained within normal channels, given evening sessions of the Senate, conferences, dinners, receptions, and other events…. One learns never to plan a vacation until Congress is in recess!” Maher’s decision to go to law school was no doubt inspired by his father, who gave up a secure and prosperous corporate practice with a Wall Street law firm when Maher was six to open a small office in New York’s rural Putnam County.

Education: B.A., Harvard University, 1982. J.D., New York University, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1989, clerk, Judge Mary Johnson Lowe, Southern District of New York. 1989–1993, legislative director, Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, D-Mass. 1993–1995, staff director and chief counsel, Subc. on Consumer Credit and Insurance, House Cmte. on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs. 1995–1997, policy counsel, Democratic National Cmte. 1997–2006, legislative director, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn. 2007–present, staff director, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

“That decision was all the more remarkable for the fact that he had seven children to feed,” Maher told NYU. “For more than thirty-five years, he handled all manner of civil and criminal cases. He worked hard, kept his word, and was a tenacious advocate for his clients, including criminal defendants whose causes were not especially popular.” If Maher has a second role model, it’s his boss—Sen. Christopher Dodd, the Connecticut Democrat who is chairman of the Banking Committee. Maher has been with the senator more than a dozen years—first at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), where Dodd was chairman and Maher was policy counsel. When Dodd stepped down from his DNC position in 1997, Maher moved to Dodd’s Senate office as legislative director, a position he held until 2006, when he became staff director and general counsel for the Banking Committee. When Democrats won the Senate and Dodd took over as Banking Committee chairman for the 110th Congress, Maher stepped into a powerful position as the panel’s staff director. The most rewarding moments, he says, are when he’s “been part of achieving meaningful changes in law.” After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Harvard in 1982 and his J.D. from NYU School of Law in 1987, Maher spent two years clerking for the Honorable Mary Johnson Lowe in the Southern District of New York.

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Colin P.J. McGinnis Senior Policy Adviser 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3314 Fax: (202) 224-5137 Colin_McGinnis@banking. senate.gov

Expertise: International issues. As the senior policy adviser for the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee looks to his 2008 agenda, perhaps one of the most intriguing items will be what to do with Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution oversight has become a key issue for Colin McGinnis, the 22-year Capitol Hill veteran whose stints with House and Senate Democratic lawmakers have rounded out his resume with experience in economic security, budget, tax, and national security issues. In his capacity as senior policy advisory to the committee, McGinnis provides strategic advice and support for legislative initiatives in international affairs, including anti-terrorism, anti-money-laundering, economic sanctions, and related issues. As liaison to the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents for committee chairman Christopher Dodd D-Conn., McGinnis will play a role in parsing a February task force report that examined the Smithsonian’s revenue-generating activities. The report describes “an institution unnecessarily divided against itself, a division that persists despite recently improved communication efforts.” The 70-page report found that the Institution’s business unit is plagued by poor internal communication, diffuse organization and inadequate oversight.

Education: B.A., magna cum laude, Carleton College, 1984. Master of Divinity, Yale University, 1990.

Professional: 1985–1986, legislative assistant, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn. 1986–1988, legislative director, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn. 1989, campaign manager, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn. 1990–1991, communications director, Rep. Martin Olav Sabo, D-Minn. 1991–1997, senior policy adviser, Sen. Paul Wellstone, DMinn. 1997–2003, chief of staff, Sen. Paul Welstone, D-Minn. 2003–2005, chief operating officer, International Orthodox Christian Charities. 2006–present, senior policy adviser, Sen. Christopher Dodd, DConn.


McGinnis this year will continue to help Dodd with policy development and oversight of international financial institutions, as well as anti-terrorism issues under the committee’s jurisdiction. Those issues are likely to include election reform, Iran sanctions legislation, climate risk disclosure and reforming the Bank Secrecy Act. In the past, savings associations have commented on the challenges of complying with the Bank Secrecy Act, whose monitoring, training and compliance requirements are considered onerous by some. In addition to his Banking Committee duties, McGinnis’s responsibilities include providing key support for Senate Rules and Administration Committee legislative initiatives. McGinnis’ notable legislative experience includes work on the International Sex Trafficking Act; Torture Victims Protection Act Reauthorization; Workforce Investment Act; Mental Health Parity Act; Homeless Veterans Assistance Act; Violence Against Women Act amendments; 1995 Farm Bill amendments on meat labeling, energy conservation, and renewable energy; and campaign finance reform amendments. McGinnis, a Yale University divinity school graduate, took a brief leave from the Hill to become chief operating officer at International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), an international humanitarian relief organization. While there, he helped deliver more than $32 million in services to 17 countries each year. He also led a team that developed USAID-funded HIV-AIDS programs in Ethiopia and Romania.

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Jonathan Miller Democratic Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: Housing, consumer banking, mortgage issues. Last year marked a decade of Jonathan Miller working with the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. With his expertise in housing, consumer banking and mortgage issues, the Georgetown University graduate this past year tackled the FHA Modernization Act, foreclosure prevention and anti-predatory lending as a Democratic professional staff member. Miller expects the FHA Modernization Act, which passed through the committee and the Senate last year, to go to conference shortly. The committee staff hopes to see it signed in the first half of 2008. Foreclosure prevention was another of Miller’s challenges. The Harvard Kennedy School of Government graduate organized a number of events, including the Homeownership Preservation Summit and hearings on how to mitigate the foreclosure crisis caused by abusive lending and regulatory neglect. Another big chore was working on anti-predatory lending legislation, S.2452. The bill by the committee chairman, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., is also known as the Home Ownership Preservation and Protection Act. Miller last year helped to organize a series of hearings on predatory lending for the committee. Those hearings examined lenders who charge excessive or illegal fees to consumers, such as loan origination fees above the legal limit or excessive fees collected for recording loans with public agencies.

Education: B.A., history and philosophy, Phi Beta Kappa, Georgetown University, 1979. M.A., public policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1987.

Professional: 1988–1989, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Small Business. 1990– 1992, legislative dir., Rep. James Moody, D-Wis. 1990–1992, associate staff, House Cmte. on Ways and Means. 1993–1995, legislative dir. and chief of staff, Rep. Joseph Kennedy, D-Mass. 1995–1997, Democratic staff, House Cmte. on Banking and Financial Services. 1997–present, Democratic professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

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Former Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., who has retired, introduced legislation to address predatory lending every year he chaired the committee, from 2001 through 2006. With the Democrats now in control, Miller believes the effort has its best chance in years to make it through Congress. This coming year, Miller expects to take on regulatory reform for government-sponsored enterprises. “I will be working to see if we can pass legislation to create a new, stronger regulator for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks,” Miller said. Miller has been on the Hill for two decades—starting in 1988 as a professional staff member for the House Committee on Small Business. After a year there, he did a series of two-year stints in various jobs, first as legislative director for Rep. James Moody, D-Wis., then as associate staffer for the House Committee on Ways and Means, next as legislative director and chief of staff for Rep. Joseph Kennedy, DMass., and finally as a staffer for the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services.



Mark Oesterle Republican Chief Counsel and Deputy Staff Director Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: Flood insurance, financial accounting, regulatory relief. While his expertise is in banking, securities and insurance, Mark Oesterle gets pulled into just about every issue that comes before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. As Republican chief counsel and deputy staff director for the committee, Oesterle said he does “a lot of everything.” “Somehow, we’re going to make ourselves experts, if we’re not experts already,” the Pittsburgh native said. Oesterle has worked for the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, off and on since 1997. For most of that time, Shelby was the panel’s chairman. Then Democrats took over the Senate after the November 2006 election. “In the end, it’s all about taking care of Shelby’s interests, and keeping him well informed,” he said. A chief priority for Oesterle last year was reauthorizing the Terrorist Risk Insurance Act. While there was consensus that government should step in as a backstop so private companies might again fill the need for insurance, he said, there were different perspectives on what government’s role should be. Shelby believed government should host a temporary program that phased out as the private marketplace regained confidence in providing insurance, and took over. “So the debate taking place is: has that happened or hasn’t it?” Oesterle said. “We came to a compromise with Senate Democrats on the amount of years to extend (the program), which will be seven, and virtually no expansion.”


Education: B.A., political science and history, Fordham University, 1991. J.D., George Washington University, 1996.

Professional: 1991–1993, litigation asst., Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper and Scinto. 1995–1996, leg. asst., Rep. Fred Heineman, R-N.C. 1997– 2001, staff member, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. 2001–2005, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 2005–2007, chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 2007–present, Republican chief counsel and deputy staff director, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

His priorities in 2008 will no doubt be driven by the latest economic downturn. Issues still facing the committee include government-sponsored enterprises, Iran sanctions and how to tackle the housing market and sub-prime issues. “Sub-prime is the biggest,” Oesterle said. “It’s dominating the headlines, it’s dominating the economy, so it’s a very important issue. An odd thing coming out of it is the reduced status of a lot of America’s banks and financial houses. They’re looking for capital throughout the world, and it’s raised a sovereign wealth issue.” With the committee since 2001, Oesterle has acquired expertise in flood insurance, financial accounting and regulatory relief by working on Gulf Coast recovery legislation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Export-Import Bank reauthorization, and pension accounting standards. “You never know where the committee is going, especially since we’re not in control anymore,” he said, referring to his party’s relatively new minority status in the Senate. Before joining Shelby, Oesterle was a legislative assistant to then-Rep. Fred Heineman, R-N.C. From 1991 to 1993, he was a litigation assistant at Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper and Scinto, a firm specializing in intellectual property law. Oesterle graduated from Fordham University in 1991 and earned his law degree from George Washington University in 1996.


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Neal Jeremy Orringer Professional Staff Member 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 [email protected]

Expertise: National security and industrial matters. Among Neil Orringer’s top projects last year was shepherding the Foreign Investment and National Security Act through the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. The legislation, which President Bush signed into law last July, reforms the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an inter-agency panel chaired by the secretary of Treasury that reviews the national security implications of foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies or operations. The new law strengthens the role of the Director of National Intelligence, requires the designation of a lead agency for each covered transaction, and provides for a 30day review of transactions covered by CFIUS to determine its effects on national security. “If implemented correctly, the law will protect our national security and ensure that appropriate foreign direct investment is not inhibited,” Orringer said. Another of Orringer’s priorities was the International Emergency Economic Powers Enhancement Act. This one, signed last October, increases penalties for those who violate U.S. sanctions law. Under the law, people can suffer severe fines if they invest in a country or terrorist organization that the president has deemed a major threat to the United States.

Personal: Born in Manchester, N.H.

Education: B.A., politics and economics, Brandeis University, 1998. M.A., national security studies, Georgetown University, 2000.

Professional: 1999–2001, military legislative assistant, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., member of the Senate Armed Services Cmte. 2001–2002, military legislative assistant, Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., member of the Senate Armed Services Cmte. 2003–present, legislative assistant, Se. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

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A final focus last year was the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act. Signed just before New Year’s day, it allows states and cities—as well as mutual fund managers—to adopt measures for divesting from companies involved in four key Sudan business sectors. It requires federal government contractors to certify they are not involved in business in four key sectors of Sudan’s economy. And it requires the departments of State and Treasury to report on the effectiveness of current Sudan sanctions. This coming year, Orringer expects his time will be spent on issues pertaining to investments of sovereign wealth funds in the United States, export controls and economic sanctions and the Defense Production Act, a law enacted after the start of the Korean War that authorizes the federal government’s requisition of property for national defense and gives the government the ability to control consumer and real estate credit. Orringer was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, and raised in Mansfield, Connecticut. His mother and father— Stephanie and Nelson Orringer of Storrs, Connecticut—are an adjunct professor of English at the University of Connecticut and a university professor emeritus of modern and classical languages, respectively.



Dean Shahinian Democratic Senior Counsel 534 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7391 Fax: (202) 224-5137 dean_shahinian@banking. senate.gov

Expertise: Securities regulation, banking regulation, financial privacy. With his particular expertise, there were few people better suited last year than Dean Shahinian to work for the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee’s majority on the subprime credit crisis. Well versed in securities regulation, banking regulation, and financial privacy, the Democratic senior counsel for the committee also worked on credit ratings and transparency; data privacy and security; and securities issues that included shareholder proxy access, accounting issues, regulatory consolidation, mutual recognition, company disclosures regarding climate, scheme liability and executive compensation. “In the coming year, I expect to continue working on oversight and legislative matters raised by the subprime crisis and on securities issues involving the impact of sovereign wealth fund investments, role of credit rating agencies, role of investment advisers and other issues,” said Shahinian, who has now been with the committee more than a decade. He first came to the panel in 1997 after being selected for his job by the former ranking member, Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md. Now he works for the committee’s chairman, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. Shahinian deals with a host of securities issues related to credit rating agencies, regulation of the stock exchanges, changes in market technologies, and ongoing oversight of the


Education: B.S., Yale University, 1974. M.S., Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. J.D., University of Virginia.

Professional: Special asst., Rep. Carl D. Perkins, D-Ky. Attorney-adviser, Securities and Exchange Commission. Counsel to the commissioner, Securities and Exchange Commission. Asst. chief counsel for corporate activities, U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision. 1997–present, Democratic senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 2006, adjunct professor, Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America.

While on the committee, Shahinian has staffed more than 100 committee hearings and commiserated with representatives of federal and state agencies, trade associations, securities firms, depository institutions, consumers, insurers, and congressional offices. He has worked on such high profile issues as the Credit Rating Agency Reform Act, the Financial Services Regulatory Relief Act, and the Military Personnel Financial Services Protection Act; and the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The latter mandated major changes in the corporate governance and disclosures of many U.S. corporations, and Shahinian has discussed it—as well as other legislative issues—before gatherings of lawyers, business executives and graduate students. Shahinian earned his undergraduate degree at Yale University, his master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, and his law degree from the University of Virginia. A member of the Federal Bar Association Banking Law Committee Executive Council and a former member of the board of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Club of Washington, he has worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission as an adviser and as counsel to the commissioner. He also worked at the Office of Thrift Supervision as an assistant chief counsel.


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Committee on the Budget 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-0642 Fax: (202) 228-2007 http://budget.senate.gov/ Ratio: 11/11/1 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Kent Conrad, ND, Chairman

Judd Gregg, NH, Ranking Member

Patty Murray, WA Ron Wyden, OR Russ Feingold, WI Robert C. Byrd, WV Bill Nelson, FL Debbie Stabenow, MI Robert Menendez, NJ Frank Lautenberg, NJ Benjamin Cardin, MD Sheldon Whitehouse, RI

Pete V. Domenici, NM Charles E. Grassley, IA Wayne Allard, CO Michael Enzi, WY Jeff Sessions, AL Jim Bunning, KY Mike Crapo, ID John Ensign, NV John Cornyn, TX Lindsey Graham, SC

INDEPENDENT MEMBERS Bernard Sanders, VT


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SENATE BUDGET JURISDICTION (1) Committee on the Budget, to which committee shall be referred all concurrent resolutions on the budget (as defined in section 3(a)(4) of the congressional Budget Act of 1974) and all other matters required to be referred to the committee under titles III and IV of that Act, and messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating thereto. (2) Such committee shall have the duty (a) to report the matters required to be reported by it under Titles III and IV of the congressional Budget Act of 1974; (b) to make continuing studies of the effect on budget outlays of relevant existing and proposed legislation and to report the results of such studies to the Senate on a recurring basis; (c) to request and evaluate continuing studies of tax expenditures, to devise methods of coordinating tax expenditure, policies, and programs with direct budget outlays, and to report the results of such studies to the Senate on a recurring basis; and (d) to review, on a continuing basis, the conduct by the Congressional Budget Office of its functions and duties.

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SENATE BUDGET In a year noted for its fierce partisanship, the leaders of the Senate Budget Committee came together in 2007 to introduce legislation designed to tackle what they called a “fiscal challenge of unprecedented proportions”—the nation’s long-term fiscal imbalances. With the upcoming retirement of the baby boomer generation, the federal government is facing huge shortfalls between expected revenues and the trillions of dollars needed to fund federal health and retirement programs, according to panel officials. If the problem is not addressed within the next few years, it is possible that the federal government could go bankrupt. “We cannot ignore the coming crisis and hope that future leaders will solve this problem,” committee chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., said in a statement. “The longer we wait, the harder the choices become.” To tackle the problem, Conrad and ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., introduced the Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action Act of 2007, which would create a 16-member task force made up of eight Democrats and eight Republicans, designated by congressional leaders and the president. Fourteen members of the task force would be members of Congress; the other two would come from the executive branch. Chaired by the Treasury secretary, the task force would review the nation’s current and longterm finances, identifying factors that could harm the fiscal balance. The panel then would work to find solutions to those problems, which be presented in a report to Congress and the president. “A bipartisan effort to find solutions, which will be fast-tracked through Congress and guaranteed an up or down vote, is the best approach to ensuring that future generations inherit a government they can afford,” Gregg said in a statement. Looking at the nation’s fiscal health is the primary responsibility of the committee. Established in 1974, the panel has one main job: draft Congress’s annual budget plan and monitor action on the budget for the federal government. To do so, the committee is charged with creating the congressional Budget Resolution, a broad look at how much Congress will spend in the upcoming years. Alongside the House Budget Committee, the Senate panel also is tasked with overseeing the Congressional Budget Office, which analyzes the fiscal impact of pending legislation.


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SENATE BUDGET

Steve Bailey Senior Analyst for Taxes and Revenues 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2835 [email protected]

Expertise: Tax and pension policies. As senior analyst for taxes and revenues for the Senate Budget Committee, Steve Bailey studies how taxes can be used to address the nation’s fiscal state. Bailey’s boss, Senate Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., does not think that the nation’s fiscal state is in particularly good shape—thanks in large part to the administration of President Bush. Conrad has long argued that Bush has failed to address the nation’s deficit problem. In recent years, Bush has made the problem worse, Conrad argues. When Bush introduced his fiscal 2009 budget proposal in February 2008, Conrad took to the Senate floor to point out several flaws with the plan, many of them touching on tax issues. “This president has been the most wildly irresponsible fiscal steward in this country’s history,” Conrad said. “That is a fact. The next president and the next Congress better get ready because they are walking into an absolute fiscal quagmire.” Bush’s desire to enact $2.2 trillion in tax cuts while cutting Medicare and Medicaid by $600 billion over the next 10 years in particular drew Conrad’s wrath, with the budget chairman noting that $51 billion would go to fund tax cuts for those who earn more than $1 million a year in 2009 alone. In comparison, it would take $826 million to restore the cuts in education that are in the budget proposal, Conrad noted.

Personal: Born 03/03/1950 in Miami, Fla.

Education: B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1972. J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law, 1979.

Professional: 1973–1983, legislative analyst, Social Security Administration. 1983–1990, legislative dir./tax counsel, Rep. Don Pease, D-Ohio. 1990–1998, lobbyist, Black, Kelly, Scruggs and Healey. 1998–2001, tax counsel, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. 2001–present, senior analyst for taxes and revenues, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.

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“If you do the math, he is saying it is more than 60 times as important to provide additional tax cuts for those earning over a million dollars a year, because the tax cuts for that category—the cost of the tax cuts are over $51 billion for next year,” Conrad said. Conrad also criticizes Bush for not fully seeking to fix the Alternative Minimum Tax, the extra tax certain people with higher incomes are required to pay. “Regarding the alternative minimum tax, which everybody says has to be fixed, he has the money to fix it for one year,” Conrad said. “He doesn’t have a dime to fix it for any of the next four years after that. So we are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars that are not in this budget.” A Florida native, Bailey worked for the Social Security Administration before serving on Capitol Hill.


SENATE BUDGET

Jim Esquea Analyst for Income Security, Medicaid, and SCHIP 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5811 [email protected]

Expertise: Income security, Medicaid, veterans’ affairs. Jim Esquea works as the analyst of welfare and income security, Medicaid and SCHIP for the Senate Budget Committee’s Democratic staff. Figuring out how much should be allocated to fund the nation’s federal health care programs has been an ongoing battle between President Bush and the Democratic leadership, with Bush seeking to make huge cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. No one is doubting that the programs need fixed, however. At a hearing on health care issues in February 2008, Senate Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., noted that the number of uninsured Americans continues to skyrocket—the figure was set at about 47 million in 2006. At a January hearing on health care, Conrad noted that Medicare and Medicaid could make up 12 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product by 2050. If other health care spending factors are included, about 40 percent of the nation’s GDP could be used, Conrad added. “That is almost incomprehensible, but that is the course we are on, and we simply cannot permit that to play out,” Conrad said. While the federal government clearly must face that issue, the long-term focus needs to be on addressing rising health care costs, Conrad argued. “This is not just an issue of federal health spending and its impact on the federal budget,” Conrad said. “We can see it in the private sector as well. If we continue on the current trajectory, the private sector will be overwhelmed by rising health care costs.”


Education: B.A., Wesleyan University, 1990. M.P.A., Columbia University, 1994.

Professional: 1990–1992, department paralegal supervisor, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. 1994–1999, program examiner, Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget. 1999–2001, analyst for income security and veterans’ affairs, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 2001–present, analyst for income security, Medicaid, and SCHIP, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.


At that hearing, Conrad said the government needs to be willing to make reforms that will have significant upfront costs but the potential to save money in the long-term and improve the nation’s overall health. Expanding research efforts, better coordinating care for the chronically ill, changing provider incentives and beneficiary cost-sharing to encourage use of best practices, promoting healthy lifestyles and preventative care and adopting widespread use of health care information technology are among those options, Conrad said. “I hope the word gets out,” Conrad said. “Our colleagues have got to join us in this effort. There is no sitting on the sidelines this time.” Conrad’s Republican counterpart Jim Bunning, on the other hand, has praised Bush’s budget as fiscally sound, and noted that the $3 trillion among the country’s approximately 300 million inhabitants comes to “approximately $10,000 for every man, woman and child in America.”

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SENATE BUDGET

David Fisher Director of Health Policy 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6988 [email protected]

Expertise: Health care policy. As health policy director for the Senate Budget Committee’s Republican staff, David Fisher crunches the numbers that make up the health care costs in the congressional Budget Resolution. But Fisher also gets to assist his boss, ranking member Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., in creating health care policy, since Gregg sits on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. One unique thing about the budget panel is that much of the committee’s work is front-loaded into the first four months of the year, Fisher said. While the panel focuses their efforts on creating the yearly Budget Resolution— which creates a five-year budget plan for Congress—appropriators analyze the president’s budget proposal and try to figure out just how much money they should actually spend for various government agencies and programs. Fisher said that he expects much of the budget panel’s health-related efforts in 2007 to be focused on providing health care to the uninsured. According to the latest estimates by the Census Bureau, more than 46 million Americans do not have health insurance. Finding the flaws in the nation’s current federal health care programs could help solve the problem, Gregg has argued. In 2007, he introduced legislation that would give private-sector organizations access to Medicare data, so those groups could study the quality, cost and effectiveness of the health care system.

Personal: Born 02/21/1968 in Deerfield, Ill.

Education: B.A., Georgetown Univ., 1990. M.A., public policy, Georgetown Univ., 1994.

Professional: 1997–2001, leg. asst., Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minn. 2001, lobbyist, Medtronic Inc. 2001–2002, dep. chief of staff, Rep. John Thune, R-S.Dak. 2003–2004, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 2005– present, dir. of health policy, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.

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Openness of the health care system has long been a battle cry for the Senator. In 2007, Fisher worked on the Gregg-introduced Safer DATA Act, which requires the Federal Drug Administration to work with academic institutions and private groups to pool information contained in large health care databases. That collaboration will help officials to better monitor the nation’s drug supply, Gregg argued. Language based on the measure was included in an FDA reform package that President Bush signed in September 2007. “It improves the FDA’s ability to collect, manage and analyze safety data about drugs already on the market,” Gregg said in a statement. “In short, this law offers better protections for the thousands of Americans who depend on prescription medication for a better quality of life.” Fisher also helped out on a number of other issues in 2007, including work on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and efforts to improve Medicare payments to physicians. Fisher said he expects to work on the physician payment fix once again this year, as members grapple with how much they should allocate to pay doctors who treat patients on Medicare.


SENATE BUDGET

Joel Friedman Deputy Staff Director 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0642 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget process. Joel Friedman came to the Senate Budget Committee in 2007, becoming one of two deputy staff directors on the panel along with John Righter. But this isn’t Friedman’s first time handling budget issues for a congressional committee. Back in the early 1990s, Friedman served in a number of roles for the House Budget Committee, including director of budget analysis and deputy director of budget priorities. It was a time of transition, Friedman recalled, as the Republicans took control of Congress in 1994 and Democrats had to learn to operate in a minority position. But when Democrats won back control in 2006, Friedman decided to return to Congress, this time in the Senate. “It just seemed like a good opportunity,” he said, adding that he was excited to work for Budget chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. “New opportunities were being created, in part with the Democrats coming in the majority.” Friedman’s career took a pretty unique path in between his congressional stints. He spent four years employed by the U.S. Treasury Department at the Ministry of Finance in South Africa, working as a technical adviser. He also served as a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan group that studies how federal and state fiscal policy effects low and middle-income Americans and the overall health of the economy. Friedman served as a senior fellow there, examining everything from Bush’s tax cuts to House and Senate tax and budget proposals.

Personal: Born 09/12/1958 in Wash.

Education: B.A., international relations, Pomona College, 1980. M.A., public affairs, Princeton University, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1991, financial economist, Office of Management and Budget. 1991–1996, budget analyst and deputy director of budget priorities (majority), director of budget analysis (minority), House Cmte. on the Budget. 1996–2000, technical adviser, Ministry of Finance, South Africa, U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2000–2006, senior fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 2007–present, deputy staff director, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.


In his current position, Friedman can put that range of experience to good use. Friedman tackles a range of issues, from the panel’s top priority—looking at the long-term fiscal sustainability of the congressional budget—to analyzing issues such as the rising cost of health care and the upcoming retirement of the baby boomer generation. “I get my hands into almost everything,” he said. Friedman said he also expects to look at how a potential economic recession will effect the congressional budget, which typically is focused on doing “what’s best for the economy,” including by creating jobs. “I think what we do on the Budget Committee is sort of unique, as we take a big picture look at public spending,” Friedman said. “You really get all the tradeoffs. You’re forced to think about the tradeoffs.”

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SENATE BUDGET

Jim Hearn Director of Federal Programs and Budget Process 621 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2370 Fax: (202) 224-4835 [email protected]

Expertise: Policy analysis, budget process, financial analysis of legislation, telecommunications. Have a question about the budget process? Go see Jim Hearn, who has spent nearly 25 years studying aspects of the congressional budget. As director of federal programs and budget process for the Senate Budget Committee, Hearn helps lawmakers, staffers and others understand the complicated budget process by answering questions and preparing detailed analysis of often difficult-to-understand budget issues. He also gets the word out to others as co-editor and contributor to the Budget Bulletin, which is produced by the Republican side of the panel to point out selected issues with the budget. Hearn’s efforts on Capitol Hill have not gone unappreciated. Ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., recognized Hearn for his work with a special award in May 2007 that officially honored his 12 years in the Senate. “Jim Hearn is one of the most knowledgeable professionals in the budget business,” Gregg said in a statement. “It is a real credit to the Budget Committee to have individuals of his character and talent on our staff.”


Education: B.A., political science and statistics, Boston University, 1981. M.P.P., University of California at Berkeley, 1984.

Professional: 1984–1995, principal analyst, Congressional Budget Office. 1995–2004, senior analyst for government finance and management, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 2005–present, director of federal programs and budget process, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.

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It was not the first time Hearn has been honored for his service; in the 109th session, he was selected as a prestigious Stennis Congressional Staff Fellow, a bipartisan, bicameral fellowship for senior Capitol Hill staffers, according to a Budget Committee press release. In its final report, Hearn’s fellowship class called for an end to the fierce partisanship that has struck Congress in recent years. To do so, Members not only need to put their own partisanship aside but also engage more effectively with their constituents, who have, in general, grown to distrust their representatives, the fellows argue. During his time on the budget panel, Hearn has advised three sets of chairmen, with a specialty in policy analysis and the federal budget, according to the release. He began his career as an analyst in the Congressional Budget Office, joining the Senate Budget Committee in 1995. Recent issues of the Budget Bulletin have ranged in topics, from the status of the annual Farm Bill and the Congressional Budget Office’s annual forecast to the various ways the PAYGO system was used in the first session of the 110th Congress. Members of Congress, staffers, reporters and others utilize the Bulletin regularly to better understand current issues, according to the committee.


SENATE BUDGET

Betsy Holahan Communications Director 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6011 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications planning, public affairs. Senate Budget Committee ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., has long led the call for fiscal responsibility, and Betsy Holahan is the person in charge of getting the word out. Holahan is now in her third year as communications director for the committee’s Republican staff. In 2007, much of her work centered the Stop Overspending Act, legislation Gregg introduced at the start of the 110th Congress that would establish a new budget process designed to create a comprehensive plan to rein in spending and reduce the deficit. This year, Holahan expects her work will focus on helping to move forward the Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible fiscal Action Act, which would create a special group of 16 members—14 members of Congress and two executive branch officials, including the Treasury—who would study the nation’s long-term fiscal imbalances and find ways to fix them. But Holahan also expects to continue work on the panel’s yearly duties, which include monitoring the spending bills passed by Congress and drafting the fiscal 2009 budget resolution, which creates a long-term congressional spending plan. “The unusual thing about the Budget Committee is that the annual budget resolution is not signed into law, but is [a] non-binding resolution that Congress has agreed to abide by in budgeting for annual government spending,” Holahan said.

Personal: Born 1970 in New Haven, Conn.

Education: B.A., English, Syracuse University, 1992.

Professional: 1996–1997, communications mgr., The Farm Credit Council. 1997–2001, press secretary, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kans. 2001, press secretary, Joint Economic Cmte. 2001–2003, public affairs specialist, U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2003–2005, sr. advisor to asst. secretary for public affairs, U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2005– present, communications director, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.


Holahan said she likes working on the budget panel because of the variety of issues members tackle each year. Unlike some committees, which focus on specific topics, the federal budget touches every thing that the government does, including spending on energy, education, health care, agriculture and transportation, she said. And while a lot of the legislative work being done on Capitol Hill could potentially be impacted by the results of the 2008 presidential elections, the budget resolution was expected to pass sometime in the spring and shouldn’t be affected, Holahan said. “However, it is interesting to see what the different presidential candidates are saying about their various spending proposals, since one of them will be sending Congress its [fiscal 2010] budget proposal,” Holahan said. Prior to joining the budget committee, Holahan worked in the public affairs department at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She also served as press secretary for the Joint Economic Committee.

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SENATE BUDGET

Lisa Konwinski

Expertise: Budget process.

General Counsel, Budget Process, Budget Rules and Points of Order, Legal Issues

A longtime Senate Budget Committee staffer with a law degree from the University of Michigan (and additional experience in both the private sector and on Capitol Hill), Lisa Konwinski is an expert at the overall budget process.

621 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.

There are three Senate panels that deal with congressional spending over the course of a year. The first is the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is charged with passing the annual appropriations bills that go to fund all federal government programs, from the Department of Defense to the Library of Congress to education initiatives such as No Child Left Behind. Then there’s the Finance Committee, which—like the Ways and Means Committee in the House—has its own special jurisdiction over taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Established in 1974, the Senate Budget Committee plays a unique role in that it is charged with drafting the annual congressional budget plan and overseeing the Congressional Budget Office, the agency that figures out just how much any individual piece of legislation would cost the government.


This is how the Senate Budget Committee described the process on its Web site: “While the budget resolution prepared by the Budget Committee sets out a broad blueprint for the Congress with respect to the total levels of revenues and spending for the government as a whole, these other Committees prepare the legislation that actually enacts specific tax and spending policies.”

Personal: Born 06/29/1966 in Lansing, Mich.

Education: B.A., University of Michigan, 1988. J.D., University of Michigan, 1991.

Professional: 1992–1994, attorney, Moore & Van Allen (Charlotte, N.C. 1994–1996, senior legislative asst., Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. 1996–1997, associate staff, House Cmte. on Rules. 1996–1997, counsel/Rules Cmte. associate, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. 1997–present, Democratic general counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.

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Despite all the attention that goes to the budget process over the course of any given year, committee chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., and his ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., have argued that the nation’s overall fiscal health is in serious jeopardy. So, they recently introduced the Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action Act, which would create a special task force of members of Congress and executive branch officials. That group would study the nation’s fiscal outlook and present special recommendations to address any problems discovered. Among the concerns: the impending retirement of the baby boomer generation, a rapidly growing national deficit and ongoing defense costs, including the billions of dollars spent to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.


SENATE BUDGET

Sarah Kuehl Senior Policy Analyst for Social Security and Medicare 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0559 [email protected]

Expertise: Public policy, Social Security. Sarah Kuehl has spent more than seven years on the Senate Budget Committee, and has spent much of that time helping to analyze Social Security and Medicare for the panel. With the impending retirement of the baby boomer generation, the effect of Social Security and Medicare on congressional spending habits is expected to be major in upcoming years. Kuehl’s boss, Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad, DN.Dak., spent most of the first months of 2008 criticizing President Bush’s fiscal 2009 budget proposal, and Bush’s handling of Social Security certainly helped fuel Conrad’s fire. Although the budget panel does not play a direct role in congressional appropriations, it is charged with passing the annual budget resolution, which creates a long-term spending plan for the federal government. Conrad argued at a February press conference that Bush is hurting the nation’s fiscal health by taking money away from Social Security to pay other bills. “If you look at what is scheduled to happen in this next year, according to the administration’s own estimates, while the deficit goes up over $400 billion, the debt will go up over $700 billion in one year,” Conrad told reporters. “The big difference, of course, is Social Security money that is being used to pay other bills. It doesn’t get included in any deficit calculation, but every penny of it gets added to the debt.” Bush’s budget proposal also would hurt Medicare, as the president seeks to cut the program to make way for permanent tax cuts, Conrad argued at the press conference.

Education: B.A., history and public policy, Univ. of Denver, 1996. M.P.P, public policy, Harvard Univ., 1998.

Professional: Research and teaching assistant, Harvard University. senior legislative assistant, Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Nebr. 2001–present, senior policy analyst for Social Security and Medicare, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.

“He says we have got to have savings out of Medicare, and so, he proposes savings out of Medicare and Medicaid of some $600 billion over 10 years,” Conrad said. “But at the same time, he says make the tax cuts permanent at a cost of $2.2 trillion. We believe that is a very odd sense of priorities.” Conrad has said that both Social Security and Medicare need to be addressed by Congress, arguing the nation’s entire health care system needs to be reworked. A number of issues must be addressed, including rising health care costs, the need to improve health information technology and better coordinating care for the chronically ill, many of whom are elderly. Kuehl, who received her B.A. from the University of Denver, may be the only congressional staffer with a scholarship named after her. The Kuehl Family Scholarships, offered at her alma mater’s Institute for Public Policy, range from $2,500 to $5,000 and are awarded on a merit basis.


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SENATE BUDGET

Mike Lofgren Budget Analyst 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9373 [email protected]

Expertise: Defense issues, foreign relations. Budget analyst Mike Lofgren has analyzed congressional budgets and defense issues for over a decade, first at the House Budget Committee and now in his current role in the Senate panel, where he studies national defense and foreign affairs. With ongoing military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq continuing, it is likely he will have plenty to analyze. When committee ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., reviewed President Bush’s fiscal 2009 budget proposal shortly after it was released, he noted that the proposal “does not accurately reflect the expected costs of the Global War on Terror and instead only budgets enough for a portion of FY2009.” If those costs are not reflected up front, it could lead to increased, unexpected additional spending down the line—which could lead to deficits, Gregg argued. It wasn’t the first time Gregg had addressed Bush’s tendencies to leave big chunks of money out of the budget. In December 2006, he joined Senate Budget Committee chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., in sending the president a letter calling for an end to wartime supplemental funding increases. And in January 2007, Gregg took to the Senate floor to tell the Defense Department to tighten its spending habits and stop submitting emergency budget requests.


Education: B.A., history, University of Akron, 1975. M.A., history, University of Akron, 1977.

Professional: 1983–1994, staff aide, Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio. 1995–2004, budget analyst for defense, House Cmte. on the Budget. 2005–present, budget analyst, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.

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Bush’s $3.1 trillion fiscal 2009 budget proposal emphasized defense issues while cutting domestic programs such as Medicare. About $537 billion is included in Bush’s budget proposal for defense, Gregg noted, a more than 7 percent increase from fiscal 2008. That does not include the money needed to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—those funds are included in Bush’s emergency spending part of the proposal. The president estimated he would need $70 billion to fund the two military conflicts in the upcoming fiscal year, and he also asked for $5.8 billion in emergency spending for Hurricane Katrina recovery, which would go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help fund levee projects, according to Gregg’s analysis. In his analysis, Gregg did praise Bush for seeking to limit entitlement spending for programs such as Medicare. “Because of the explosion of health care costs, unfettered growth of government health programs represents the greatest threat to our economy and the future quality of life of our children and grandchildren,” Gregg wrote. “The President is right to continue to try to address them.”


SENATE BUDGET

Denzel McGuire Staff Director 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0642 [email protected]

Expertise: Management. Denzel McGuire has worked alongside her boss, Senate Budget Committee ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., in a variety of roles. For nearly two years, McGuire served as the deputy staff director for the Budget panel—but she also spent time in his personal office as the legislative director and policy director. In October 2007, Gregg promoted McGuire to acting staff director, charged with advising Gregg on various budget issues and overseeing the day-to-day activities of the committee staff. “I am very pleased that Denzel has agreed to take on this additional responsibility,” Gregg said in a statement announcing McGuire’s promotion. “She has been an integral member of my staff for a number of years, and has provided excellent counsel during the past two budget cycles. Denzel will continue to be a valuable asset to the Budget Committee as we work to control spending, reduce the deficit, and show the growth of entitlement spending.” Aside from addressing spending issues, Gregg also sought to address the downturn in the U.S. economy early on in 2008, specifically targeting rapidly decreasing home sales. Gregg cosponsored the Home Ownership, Manufacturing and Economic Growth Act, which provide a $15,000 tax credit for any American purchasing a new home, foreclosed home or a home where foreclosure is pending, according to a Gregg press release.

Personal: Born 02/13/1970 in Roanoke, Va.

Education: B.A., University of Virginia, 1992.

Professional: 1993–1995, professional staff, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. (6th district). 1995–1998, professional staff, House Cmte. on Education and the Workforce. 1999–2003, professional staff, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 2003–2004, education policy director, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 2005–2006, legislative director, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. 2006–2007, policy director, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. 2006–2007, deputy staff director, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 2007–present, staff director, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.


“This measure would help reduce our record-high housing inventories and stem the slide in home prices that are affecting homeowners across the country,” Gregg said. “It also would provide a big boost of confidence for our housing and credit markets and help energize the economy.” The bill also includes language seeking to generate and keep American jobs by lowering taxes on job creators, increasing accessibility to small business incentives and protecting small businesses from excessive and frivolous lawsuits, according to the press release. Gregg also helped pass law in 2008 seeking to avoid foreclosures by offer temporary tax relief to individuals and their lenders to negotiate alternate payout solutions. According to the legislation, any homeowner who purchased a mortgage before January 1, 2007 is eligible to receive mortgage forgiveness from their lender, tax free. Forgiveness is offered to those whose mortgage debt is under $2 million.

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SENATE BUDGET

Jamie M. Morin Senior Analyst for Defense and International Affairs 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0872 Fax: (202) 228-2007 [email protected]

Expertise: National security issues, defense, intelligence, international affairs. With the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq expected to continue well into 2009, Jamie Morin no doubt will remain busy on the Senate Budget Committee as analyst for defense and international affairs. Much of Morin’s work involves monitoring the Department of Defense’s budget—and as committee chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., said at a committee hearing in February 2008—it’s a pretty big one. “If we look at defense outlays, we can see that under the president’s request, defense spending will exceed the highest levels during the Cold War,” Conrad said at the hearing, held February 12. “We’ll spend more than at the peak of the Vietnam War or the peak of the Korean War, even after adjusting for inflation. Keep in mind, we had several times as many troops deployed overseas during those war years as we do today.” President Bush requested about $515.4 billion in defense funding for fiscal 2009. Specifically, the president requested about $70 billion to fund the two wars; Defense secretary Robert Gates told the Budget panel that the cost to fund the wars could reach up to $170 billion. That, not surprisingly, hasn’t sat well with Conrad, who said: “It’s disappointing that the Bush administration has again left realistic war costs out of its budget.”

Personal: Born 1975 in Mich.

Education: B.S., foreign service, Georgetown Univ., 1996. M.S., public administration and public policy, London School of Economics, 1998. Ph.D., political science, Yale Univ., 2003.

Professional: 1995–1997, economic development consultant, J.E. Austin Associates. 1999, intern, Office of Asst. Secretary of Defense for Strategy & Threat Reduction. 1999–2003, part-time director of strategy development, Realstrategy LLC. 2000–2001, economist-strategy specialist, J.E. Austin Associates. 2001, visiting fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. 2002–2003, national fellow in public affairs, Miller Center, Univ. of Virginia. 2003–present, sr. analyst for defense and international affairs, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.

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The Budget Committee will not get to play a direct role in whether Bush will receive that much—that will be determined by the Appropriations Committee, likely with serious input from congressional leadership. But expect Conrad, alongside ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., to use their positions as chief monitors of Congress’s long-term spending plan to their full advantage. One of Conrad’s biggest 2008 achievements, for example, was helping to get a provision in the defense authorization bill requiring the President to include war costs in his annual budget request. A native of Michigan, Morin has been with the Budget Committee since 2003. A graduate of Georgetown University, Morin received a master’s degree in public administration and public policy from the London School of Economics and a Ph. D. in political science from Yale University. Before heading to Capitol Hill, Morin penned a report entitled “Did Congress Shape America’s Post-Cold War Defense? Measuring the Politics of Budgetary Retrenchment,” which was presented in 2003 before the American Political Science Association.


SENATE BUDGET

Mary Naylor Staff Director 634 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0862 Fax: (202) 224-2007 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget process. In a time when congressional staffers are known for switching offices after only a few years of service—or even heading to K Street for the shot at more money—Washington state native Mary Naylor is notable, as she has spent much of her Senate career working for her current boss, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. Naylor began her career as an administrative assistant for Conrad in 1989, working her way up as a legislative assistant and deputy chief of staff before taking her current job as staff director of the Senate Budget Committee. That loyalty has not gone unappreciated, as the senator offered thanks on the Senate floor in November 2007 for her years of public service. “No one has worked harder in this chamber at the staff level to try to get us back on a fiscal track that makes sense than Mary Naylor,” Conrad said. “She has been with me many years. She was the person who ran all of my budget operations before I became chairman of the Budget Committee, and when I became chairman, I asked her to be the staff director because there is no one for whom I have higher regard than Mary Naylor.” Indeed, Conrad has praised Naylor many times publicly over the years for putting together a top staff and make the case for how Democrats believe the budget affects Americans.

Personal: Born 08/21/1967 in Spokane, Wash.

Education: B.A., political science, Northwestern University, 1989.

Professional: 1989–1991, admin. asst. to legislative dir., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. 1991–1993, legislative asst., Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill. 1993–1996, legislative asst., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. 1996–1999, legislative dir., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. 1999– 2001, deputy chief of staff and deputy asst. secretary for policy, management, and budget, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. 2001–present, Democratic staff dir., Senate Cmte. on the Budget.


Fiscal responsibility certainly is a priority for Conrad. Alongside ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., Conrad introduced a proposal to create a Bipartisan Task Force that would consist of 14 members of Congress and two executive branch officials, including the secretary of the treasury, who would study the nation’s long-term fiscal imbalances and find ways to improve them. Of course, there are a number of other issues the panel is set to analyze in 2008, and Naylor no doubt will play a big role in overseeing that effort. In its first review of President Bush’s fiscal 2009 budget proposal, the committee wrote that the increasing national debt remains an issue that must be addressed, alongside a rise in defense spending, the upcoming retirement of the baby boomer generation and funding for education. Naylor graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in political science.

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SENATE BUDGET

David Pappone Senior Analyst for Budget Review 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0564 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget policy. Numbers are the focus for David Pappone. As the senior analyst for budget review for the Senate Committee on the Budget’s Republican staff, Pappone helps tackle the Congressional Budget Resolution, which sets a congressional budget plan for Congress for the next five years. He also closely monitors the appropriations process, studying whether the upcoming spending bill matches the federal government’s long-term fiscal outlook. In 2008, Pappone also expects to spend much of his time helping out on the Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action Act, which was introduced in September 2007 by Sens. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., and Judd Gregg, R-N.H. The intent of the measure is to bring members of Congress together to improve the nation’s long-term fiscal imbalances. If the bill becomes law, the task force would consist of 16 voting members—eight Republicans and eight Democrats. Four members would be chosen by the Senate majority leader, four by the Speaker of the House, three by the Senate minority leader, three by the House minority leader, and two by the president, one of whom must be the Treasury secretary, who would serve as task force chairperson. All other members would be current members of Congress. The 16-person body would study the long-term fiscal outlook of the federal government, and then would present a report to Congress and the president by December 9, 2008. The recommendations in the report would be introduced as legislation, and be fast-tracked for a vote.

Personal: Born 1977 in Sioux Falls, S.Dak.

Education: B.A., University of Iowa, 1999. M.A., public administration, George Washington University, 2002.

Professional: 2000–2002, budget analyst, Budget Office, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education. 2002–2003, senior analyst for education and general science, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 2003–present, senior analyst for budget review, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.

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But while members debate the merit of the bill, Pappone will continue his work reviewing the federal government’s budget. Although it might seem tedious to some, the effort is actually unique each year. “The budget process ... is always new and different, based on presidential and congressional priorities and the state of the economy,” Pappone said. “Everything will be more politically charged this year because of the [presidential] elections, but I expect the work products and schedule on the Budget Committee to be very similar to past years.” The Senate Budget panel is the only congressional committee Pappone has served on since coming to Capitol Hill in 2002. The University of Iowa graduate previously worked as a budget analyst for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.


SENATE BUDGET

Allison Parent General Counsel 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0642 Fax: (202) 228-2007 [email protected]

Expertise: Senate and budget procedure. Now in her second year as general counsel for the Senate Budget Committee, Allison Parent said her No. 1 goal for 2008 is the same as many of her colleagues who serve the panel: Help get legislation passed establishing a bipartisan task force that would study the nation’s fiscal imbalances and generate ideas on how best to solve the problem. “It’s a team environment around here,” Parent said. Introduced by committee chairman Kent Conrad, DN.Dak., and ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., the Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action Act had 18 cosponsors by early March 2008. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., introduced a companion measure in the House. Supporters of the measure say the task force is needed because the United States is facing a looming fiscal crisis it is not yet prepared to handle. Long-term projections show that there will be an “unsustainable imbalance between government spending and revenues that simply cannot be corrected by economic growth alone,” according to a memo released by the Budget panel. This will be accelerated when the 70 million members of the baby boomer begin to retire in big numbers. When that happens, health care entitlements and social security will absorb a huge amount of the federal budget—20 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product by 2034, according to the Budget Committee.

Personal: Born 03/26/1974 in Bellevue, Wash.

Education: B.A., finance, University of Texas–Austin, 1996. J.D., South Texas College of Law, 1999.

Professional: 2001–2003, associate, Enron Corporation. 2003–2005, Steptoe and Johnson LLP. 2005–2007, deputy counsel, Senate Budget Cmte. 2007–present, general counsel, Senate Budget Cmte.


The task force would be made up of 16 voting members. Both political parties would be evenly represented, and the secretary of the treasury would serve as the task force chairperson. At least 12 of the task force members would have to approve any recommendations the group makes, and three-fifths of both the Senate and the House would need to approve the any legislation that is generated from the task force’s recommendations. Aside from working to get the task force bill passed, Parent said she also expects to continue her daily duties of monitoring congressional spending and preparing the Budget Resolution, which establishes a long-term spending plan for the federal government. Parent earned her law degree from the South Texas College of Law in 1999. She studied finance at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1996, and she worked at the law firm Steptoe and Johnson before joining the Budget panel in 2005 as deputy counsel.

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SENATE BUDGET

Nancy Perkins Senior Policy Adviser 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0642 Fax: (202) 225-9905 [email protected]

Expertise: policy, environment. Like many of her colleagues on the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee, Nancy Perkins said her goal is to help bring additional financial restraint to Congress. In 2008, Perkins said she expects to work on the annual Budget Resolution and monitor the fiscal 2009 appropriations bills. In fact, monitoring the congressional funding process is one of the things Perkins likes best about her work, she said. “I enjoy tracking the funding from its conception at OMB, through the budget process, and building on my former roles, through the appropriations process to its delivery of services to constituents,” Perkins said. “It is quite a maze!” The Budget Committee is unique because it does not pass any legislation approving spending measures. Rather, the committee advises Congress on top-line spending. If a Budget Resolution is adopted, it provides a vehicle for spending enforcement, Perkins said. The panel makes its greatest impact by quietly-yet-effectively working behind-the-scenes to create congressional enforcement of restrained spending, she said. “This is very different from appropriations, which essentially writes the checks to constituents for tangible programs and projects through federal programs,” she said.

Personal: Born 1971 in Alexandria, Va.

Education: B.A., public policy, Duke University, 1993. M.E.M., Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 1997.

Professional: 1994–1995, legislative assistant, Coastal States Organization. 1997–2000, special assistant to the chief scientist, National Ocean Service. 2000–2001, policy analyst, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2001–2005, legislative assistant, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. 2001, budget analyst, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2005–2006, professional staff, Senate Appropriations Sub Cmte. on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. 2006, professional staff, Senate Appropriations Sub Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007, legislative director, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. 2007– present, senior policy adviser, Senate Cmte. on Budget.

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Perkins should know all about the appropriations process; she spent several years at the Senate Appropriations Committee, first working for the Commerce, Justice, Science and Relation Agencies Subcommittee and then for the Homeland Security Subcommittee. The overall budget process in the Senate has been pretty partisan in past years, and Perkins said she expects the 2008 presidential election will make the overall process even more partisan. When Perkins joined the Senate Budget Committee in 2007, she helped on efforts to enforce the fiscal 2008 budget resolution, she said. She also spent part of the year working in the personal office of Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., where she oversaw the senator’s legislative shop and helped advance his efforts on the Coastal Estuarine Land Protection Act, which is designed to protect the environmental integrity of undeveloped coastal and estuarine areas. Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., introduced companion legislation in the House. Perkins has a solid background in environmental issues— she has a master of environmental management degree from Duke University and worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coastal States Organization.


SENATE BUDGET

Cheri Janas Reidy Director for Revenues and Budget Review 624 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0557 [email protected]

Expertise: Public finance issues, taxes, debt limit issues, budget enforcement, and budget process. Cheri Reidy covers a range of issues for the Senate Budget Committee’s Republican staff, and predicted at the start of the 110th Congress that reducing entitlement spending would take up much of her time. The issue certainly has been one to take up much of the panel’s time thus far. The baby boomer generation—70 million members strong—is expected to start retiring in big numbers in the next few years, which will cause a huge growth in the cost of federal health and retirement programs. According to estimates by the committee, Social Security and programs such as Medicare will take up about 20 percent of the gross domestic product by 2034. Reidy’s boss, ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., took that call to the Senate floor in February 2008. “Try to put this in perspective. By the year 2030, when the baby boom generation is almost fully retired and is receiving its benefits, the cost of supporting that generation through Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will be so high that if you put it in the context of what we traditionally spend in this government, we will have no money available to do anything,” Gregg said. “We’ll have no money for national defense, no money for education, no money for laying out roads, no money for environmental protection.”

Personal: Born 07/16/1958 in Auburn, N.Y.

Education: B.A., psychology, University of Rochester, 1980. M.S., public policy analysis, University of Rochester, 1981.

Professional: 1981–1982, research asst., American Enterprise Institute. 1982–2006, senior analyst for revenues/senior analyst for budget review and revenues, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 2007–present, director for revenues and budget review, Senate Cmte. on the Budget.


Conrad has been support of proposals put forth by President Bush designed to decrease the cost of health care entitlement programs. Under these directives, when, for two consecutive years, more than 45 percent of funding for Medicare is taken from general revenues to cover the program, a trigger will be issued preventing such a move. The administration also has put forth plans to use technology to “communicate more effectively the costs of health care and create a more integrated system and greater transparency in the quality of care delivered,” Conrad said on the floor. In addition, the president seeks legislation to prevent frivolous lawsuits from being filed against physicians. “None of these ideas that the administration has put forward are radical. None of them are even targeted in a way that would significantly affect very many beneficiaries,” Conrad said. A native of Auburn, New York, Reidy graduated from the University of Rochester and worked the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, before coming to Capitol Hill.

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Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation 508 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510-6125 Phone: (202) 224-5115 Fax: (202) 224-1259 http://commerce.senate.gov/ Ratio: 12/11 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Daniel K. Inouye, HI, Chairman

Ted Stevens, AK, Co-Chairman

John D. Rockefeller, WV John F. Kerry, MA Byron L. Dorgan, ND Barbara Boxer, CA Bill Nelson, FL Maria Cantwell, WA Frank Lautenberg, NJ Mark Pryor, AR Thomas Carper, DE Claire McCaskill, MO Amy Klobuchar, MN

John McCain, AZ Kay Bailey Hutchison, TX Olympia J. Snowe, ME Gordon Smith, OR John Ensign, NV John Sununu, NH Jim DeMint, SC David Vitter, LA John Thune, SD Roger Wicker, MS


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SENATE COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Coast Guard. Coastal zone management. Communications. Highway safety. Inland waterways, except construction. Interstate commerce. Marine and ocean navigation, safety, and transportation, including navigational aspects of deepwater ports. (8) Marine fisheries. (9) Merchant marine and navigation. (10) Nonmilitary aeronautical and space sciences. (11) Oceans, weather, and atmospheric activities. (12) Panama Canal and interoceanic canals generally, except as provided in subparagraph (c). (13) Regulation of consumer products and services, including testing related to toxic substances, other than pesticides, and except for credit, financial services, and housing. (14) Regulation of interstate common carriers, including railroads, buses, trucks, vessels, pipelines, and civil aviation. (15) Science, engineering, and technology research, development, and policy. (16) Sports. (17) Standards and measurement. (18) Transportation. (19) Transportation and commerce aspects of outer continental shelf lands.

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SENATE COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION Fuel economy standard reform was perhaps the most significant piece of legislation to come out of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee last year. Included as a cornerstone of H.R. 6, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 that passed the Senate by a vote of 86 to 8, it represented the first time fuel economy standards had been raised since 1975. To Democrats, it was particular important because the panel’s majority believed that updating and increasing fuel economy standards was one of the key components of a wider effort to help the nation achieve energy independence. Though the legislation passed the committee in a bipartisan manner, it faced many challenges as the panel’s staff prepared to send it to the floor and then later, to conference with the House, which didn’t have CAFE in its version of the energy bill. The negotiations entailed many meetings with various interest groups—both from the environmental community and the automobile industry. Under chairman Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, the committee also turned its attention to FAA reauthorization, which became one of the first major pieces of legislation the committee reported out last year. The bill focused on updating and modernizing the air traffic control system in an effort to reduce delays and improve safety. Committee leaders were particularly concerned that the bill would respect the special needs of air service in rural parts of America, especially Alaska, which rely heavily on air service because of a lack of roads to most communities. The bill involved multiple committees, but Congress has yet to reach consensus on the legislation and negotiations continue in 2008. Inouye and ranking member Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, last year introduced S. 1965, Protecting Children in the 21st Century, to address the problem of children being exposed to inappropriate content, child predators and “cyber bullies” on the Internet. A key piece of the legislation requires all schools that receive E-Rate funding to provide education regarding the dangers of the Internet. The committee passed the bill by unanimous consent, and is awaiting floor action. Finally, the panel got started on legislation designed to educate the American public about the digital television transition that Congress has mandated take place by February 17, 2009. Because the transition will require all full-power television stations to cease their analog broadcasts and broadcast only in digital format, consumers with analog TVs will need to purchase a converter box to view over the air broadcasting.


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SENATE COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION

Todd Bertoson Senior Counsel 227 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-1251 Fax: (202) 224-9334 Todd_Bertoson@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: International fisheries management, climate change, coastal zone management. Perhaps one of the most gratifying things about Todd Bertoson’s work last year on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee was watching the Maritime Administration reauthorization bill get tucked into the Defense Authorization bill and signed into law. Bertoson became senior Republican counsel for the Commerce Committee only last year, but he came with plenty of experience—having worked three years for the panel’s ranking Republican and having toiled years on many of the issues—coastlines, communications, highway safety, interstate commerce, sports, weather activities, and nonmilitary space sciences—that the panel regularly tackles. Last year, the Commerce Committee reported out many pieces of legislation related to the oceans, climate change and the U.S. Coast Guard. Most, however, have yet to pass the Senate. Among those Bertoson considers the most important are the Coast Guard Reauthorization bill, which the Commerce Committee passed in the middle of last year. Bertoson predicted the bill would pass the Senate in 2008. The committee has also reported out several climate change bills, including a bill on Ocean Acidicfication and a bill to restructure the federal climate change science program. Among the legislation he worked on designed to protect the ocean environment was the Ballast Water Management Act, which the committee reported, but which stalled in the Senate.


Education: B.A., business administration, University of Washington, 1997. J.D., University of Washington, 2004.

Professional: 2004–2006, legislative assistant, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. 2006–present, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Finally, Bertoson worked on legislation designed to expand knowledge of the marine environment—including the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act, which the committee reported out, and S. 39, a bill that would authorize NOAA’s Ocean Exploration and National Undersea Research Program. Bertoson joined the Commerce Committee in September 2006. But he began working four years ago for the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, as a legislative assistant. It was in that job that he acquired expertise in homeland security, transportation and oceans-related legislation. He excelled in the latter arena, immersing himself in the topics of coastal zone management, inland waterways, marine and ocean navigation, inter-oceanic canals, and Outer Continental Shelf lands. He helped to craft the Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization, the United States-Russia Polar Bear Conservation and Management Act, and the Tsunami Warning and Education Act. Among the top issues Bertoson expects to work on the coming year are U.S. Coast Guard reauthorization; combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing on the high seas; and climate change. “I expect to work on several pieces of climate change legislation, including climate change science legislation, climate change adaptation legislation, and climate change technology legislation,” Bertoson said.

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Chris Bertram Senior Budget Advisor and Professional Staff for Aviation Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade and Tourism 427 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2887 Fax: (202) 224-0326 [email protected]

Expertise: Safety, transportation programs. Chris Bertram has over two decades of experience in Washington, D.C., having served in the executive branch, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. During that time, he has been involved in most major legislative efforts related to aviation, surface transportation and transportation security. In the current Congress, he is the senior budget adviser and professional staff for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee. Amtrak Reauthorization, which was reported out of Commerce and passed by the Senate, consumed much of his time last year. So did Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization, which was reported out of Commerce but has not yet had a Senate vote. He also worked on the transportation security provisions of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation Act, and on the automobile fuel efficiency standards provision—also known as CAFE—in the energy bill. His extensive background on transportation issues began more than a dozen years ago when he joined the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as a staff director for the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. He was responsible for developing legislation related to all facets of surface transportation infrastructure and safety. He helped draft the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century (TEA-21) and the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st century (AIR-21), which increased airline funding, modernized air traffic control, reduced flight delays and bolstered airline competition.

Personal: Born 1964 in West Germany.

Education: B.A., Trinity University (Texas), 1985. M.P.P., Harvard University, 1988.

Professional: 1988–1990, presidential management intern, Office of the Secretary, Dept. of Transportation. 1990–1996, senior analyst, Office of Management and Budget. 1996– 2001, staff director, Subc. on Highways and Transit, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2001–2003, chief financial officer and assistant administrator for financial services, Federal Aviation Administration. 2003–2005, senior staff member, Subc. on Aviation, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation. 2005–2007, staff director, Subc. on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation. 2007–2008, senior budget advisor and professional staff, Subc. on Aviation, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation.


In 2001, he moved to the FAA as chief financial officer and assistant administrator for financial services. He oversaw a $13 billion budget and served as FAA administrator Jane Garvey’s top adviser on financial issues. Upon joining the Senate Commerce Committee in 2003, he served as a senior staff member for the Aviation Subcommittee before moving to the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee. There, he was a point person for highway reauthorization legislation, as his subcommittee handled the bill’s safety titles, including trucking, automobiles, hazardous materials, and other areas of safety. Now back with the Aviation Subcommittee, Bertram expects his single biggest task this year will again be FAA reauthorization. During his time in the Senate, Bertram has also worked on issues related to the highway bill, automobile safety, trucking safety, freight railroad policy, pipeline safety, maritime industry assistance programs and the National Transportation Safety Board. Born in 1964 in the former West Germany, Bertram graduated from Texas’s Trinity University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree, and earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University in 1988. He worked as a senior analyst for the White House Office of Budget and Management from 1990 to 1995.

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Jeff Bingham Senior Republican Staff Member Subcommittee on Space, Aeuronautics and Related Sciences 560 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4852 Fax: (202) 224-7660 Jeff_Bingham@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: NASA, National Science Foundation, space issues. For the past three years, Jeff Bingham has brought a wealth of NASA-related knowledge and expertise to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. As senior Republican staff member for the Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences, Bingham spent much of last year working on the America Competes Act, the provisions of which acknowledged NASA’s historical role in energizing U.S. technical excellence. It also authorized NASA’s participation in activities that enhance America’s technological and scientific excellence. That bill, including the NASA provisions, was signed into law last summer, and will be followed by authorization legislation that the subcommittee will develop this year. That legislation will authorize specific programs and activities in which NASA’s role can be enhanced and increased, along with new funding authority for those activities. “My role was to draft the relevant NASA language and prepare materials to explain it, justify it, and then to support it at the staff level through the various levels of consideration of the bill, through committee, on the floor, and through conference with the House,” said Bingham. A Salt Lake City native, Bingham has spent the better part of two decades honing his reputation as one of the Hill’s foremost experts on NASA.

Personal: Born 09/20/1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Education: B.A., political science, University of Utah, 1971.

Professional: 1974–1990, chief of staff, Sen. Jake Garn, R-Utah. 1990–1991, NASA consultant and participant in the Synthesis Group, Space Exploration Initiative. 1991–1994, senior policy analyst, Science Applications International Corporation. 1994–1996, legislative coordinator, International Space Station Program. 1996–1999, manager, Space Station Information Center. 1999–2000, author, NASA History Office. 2001, special assistant, NASA Chief of Staff Courtney A. Stadd. 2001–2002, acting associate administrator, Legislative Affairs, NASA Headquarters. 2002–2004, senior adviser/special assistant, NASA Administrator. 2004, writer, speaker, consultant, Self. 2005–2007, staff director, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subc. on Science an Space. 2007–present, senior Republican staff member, Subc. on Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences, Senate Comte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

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That experience began in 1990, when Bingham became a NASA consultant and participant in the Synthesis Group, chaired by former astronaut, General Tom Stafford. The group was charged with developing alternative architectures for missions to the moon and Mars under the Space Exploration Initiative. In the years following, he would work for the International Space Station Program, the Space Station Information Center (also known as the “War Room”), the NASA History Office and the Bush-Cheney NASA Transition Team. He has worked on and off at NASA headquarters, including as senior adviser and special assistant to the NASA administrator. Bingham in 2005 became staff director for the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Science and Space, which at the time had jurisdiction for NASA and the National Science Foundation. Now that Democrats control Congress, Bingham is the senior Republican staff member of a reconstituted Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences, but his NASA expertise remains in demand. This year, he expects his chief legislative focus will be NASA reauthorization legislation. “NASA is at a critical point in its history as it transitions from a human spaceflight program focused exclusively on low-Earth orbit to a capability to send humans further into space—back to the moon and potentially other destinations, eventually including Mars,” he said.



Robert W. Blumenthal Communications Director 508 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5115 Fax: (202) 224-1259 Rob_Blumenthal@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: Corporate communications, marketing, international and satellite telecommunications issues. Rob Blumenthal is one of the newest staffers working for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. With his extensive corporate communications and marketing background, he should find his new job as committee communications director a breeze. He arrived in January from the INDUS Corporation, where he served as communications director for the federal information technology solutions provider. “After many years in the private sector, I’m thrilled with the opportunity to join the Commerce Committee,” Blumenthal said. “Whether in the public or private sector, I know that my first priority is to work with reporters to do everything I can to make their jobs easier and to get them the information they need. And the chance to work on the variety of issues that the committee deals with is a huge plus. It’s never the same question twice, and there’s always something new to learn.” A graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, Blumenthal brings to the committee more than a decade of experience in international and satellite telecommunications issues, having also worked for ICO Global Communications and CompassRose International, both in Washington, D.C., as well as for Spotcast Communications Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Education: B.A., Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn.

Professional: 1995–1997, account executive, Young & Associates, Rockville, Md. 1997–2000, marketing coordinator, the Americas, ICO Global Communications, Washington, D.C. 2000, manager, corporate communications and business development, The Americas, Spotcast Communications, Inc., Silver Spring, Md. 2001–2006, senior director/ senior adviser, projects and research, CompassRose International, Washington, D.C. 2006–2007, director communications, INDUS Corporation. Jan. 2008–present, communications director, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

During his nearly two years at INDUS, Blumenthal focused on public relations, Internet marketing and Web site communications. He was responsible for directing all internal and external corporate communications for company, which employs more than 600 people and posts $100 million in annual revenue. In addition, he directed the company’s overall strategic communications approach. At ICO and Spotcast, he again held management positions in corporate communications and marketing. At CompassRose, he was senior director for projects and research, which meant he was responsible for project management in the areas of international telecommunication and Internet regulatory affairs for government clients as well as private organizations. He was also responsible for managing client-specific and general research efforts, with a focus on ICT, market access, spectrum management and telecom issues in the developing world. He monitored developments in global telecommunications and in the satellite and information technology markets, as well as major legislative and regulatory developments in the United States and internationally. In his new job, Blumenthal is responsible for developing and executing communications strategy, including overseeing all press communications, the committee’s Web site, news releases, speechwriting and statements from Commerce Committee chairman Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii.


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Mimi Braniff Republican Deputy Chief Counsel 510 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8907 Fax: (202) 224-1259 [email protected]

Expertise: appropriations, environment, economy, workers’ compensation law. When Mimi Braniff joined the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation last autumn as Republican deputy chief counsel, she was thrust immediately into the time-consuming task of negotiating Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, colloquially known as CAFE. Working with staffer Chris Bertram, she took a lead role in representing Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, during negotiations with the House. When the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 was signed into law in December 2007, the new fuel economy standards became the first statutory fuel economy increase for passenger cars in more than three decades. The 34-year-old Braniff was born in Houston, Texas, but raised in Alaska. She came to the committee from the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she worked more than three years developing appropriations legislation and drafting bills, report language and amendments, writing floor statements for Stevens and advising the senator on policy and funding for appropriations bills. She frequently met with government officials and Alaska constituents to help Stevens develop funding priorities. She first joined Stevens’ staff in early 2003 as a legislative assistant providing legal advice to the senator on the environment, the economy, the U.S. Postal Service and issues before the Governmental Affairs Committee.

Personal: Born 1974 in Houston, Texas.

Education: B.S., political science, Lewis & Clark College, 1996. J.D., Pepperdine School of Law, 1999.

Professional: 2000–2001, attorney, Law Offices of Daniel J. Donahue. 2001–2003, Attorney, Doran, Blackmond LLP. 2003–2004, legislative assistant, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. 2004–2007, GOP professional staff member, Senate Appropriations Cmte. 2007–present, GOP deputy chief counsel, Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Cmte.

With a bachelor’s degree in political science from Portland’s Lewis & Clark College and her law degree from California’s Pepperdine School of Law, Braniff now advises Commerce Committee Republicans on a wide range of policy, legislative and legal matters. She also oversees the hearings of seven subcommittees. In 2008 she is working on telecommunications issues such as monitoring the DTV transition, and sports issues such as steroid use. Her early legal career included stints with law offices in Los Angeles and South Bend, Ind., where she practiced federal and state litigation, insurance defense and worker’s compensation litigation. In Los Angeles, she was the lead attorney in six workers’ compensation trials. Her legal clerking began in London, England, at Bryan Cave LLP. She was then a judicial clerk at the Los Angeles Superior Court under Judge Charles McCoy. Her honors while at Pepperdine included the American Jurisprudence Award, the Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction Award and the Dean’s Award, all of which she won in the fall of 1998. She was admitted to the Supreme Court Bar in 2004, and is also a member of the bars of U.S. District Courts in Indiana and in the Central District of California. Married with a small child, she says her hobbies include tennis and “whatever hobby my 2-year-old is interested in.”

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Joe Brenckle III Minority Communications Director 256 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3991 Fax: (202) 224-1259 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, press, media. In his post as Republican communications director for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Joseph Brenckle supervises the production of all news releases, talking points, opinion, editorials, and letters to the editor on every issue that comes before the panel. Those have included telecom and communications, fisheries and ocean conservation, transportation security, and fuel economy. A top issue this year for the panel and ranking member Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is the transition to digital television. Congress mandated that broadcasters switch from the current analog system by 2009, and Stevens has been instrumental in making converter boxes available to families that continue to use analog. Brenckle has long said his goal is to make sure relevant points from committee hearings or speeches “don’t get lost in the beltway news machine.” He sees himself as a resource for reporters to do their job and to provide useful tools, such as the committee’s Web site. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of San Diego and a master’s degree from Georgetown University, the Fairbanks, Alaska, native started his career in the media as a production assistant for NBC/MSNBC during the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Personal: Born 07/1974 in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, history, University of San Diego, 1996. Master’s degree, American studies, Georgetown University, 2002.

Professional: 1996, production assistant, NBC/MSNBC— Republican (San Diego) and Democratic (Chicago) Conventions. 1996–2000, staff assistant/legislative correspondent, Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska. 2000–2003, press secretary, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources—Chairman/ Ranking Member Frank Murkowski, RAlaska. 2004–2005, press secretary, Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo, R-N.J. 2005–2006, communications director, Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz. 2006–present, Republican communications director, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee/Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.

After the conventions, he joined the University of San Diego Office of Public Relations as an assistant director for the news bureau. For seven months, he helped to write press releases and to coordinate media relations for the oncampus presidential debate between Bill Clinton and thenSen. Bob Dole, R-Kans. He came to Washington, D.C., in December 1996, and worked as a staff assistant, legislative aide, and finally press secretary for then-Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska), first in the senator’s legislative office and then for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where Murkowski served as chairman and ranking member. In the first post, he worked on fisheries issues, including the U.S./Canada Inter-Parliamentary Committee, promoting U.S. and Canadian relations. In the latter, he was a press secretary, helping to coordinate media strategy for committee hearings and events and to organize national media press conferences. He produced talking points, news releases and editorials on energy and natural resource issues. After Murkowski won the Alaska governor’s office in the 2002 elections, Brenckle became a special assistant to the governor for a year, then was press secretary for Rep. Frank A LoBiondo, R-N.J., and then communications director for Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz. He left the latter post in July 2006 to join the Senate Commerce Committee. Brenckle is married and likes to spend his spare time hiking, camping and bike riding.


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Margaret Cummisky Staff Director and Chief Counsel 560 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0411 Fax: (202) 228-0303 margaret_cummisky@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: Aviation, communications. Margaret Cummisky likes to describe herself as the “traffic cop” for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee—the one who makes sure the panel sets its priorities for the year, organizes hearings, and advances legislation to meet its goals. As staff director and chief counsel, Cummisky this past year helped conduct 96 hearings and report 41 bills. The Senate passed 25 of those bills as stand-alone pieces of legislation or as part of larger bills. Nine were signed into law as standalone bills or as part of other comprehensive legislation. She was party to key committee accomplishments that included the first increase in CAFE standards in 30 years— which were included in the Energy bill—major transportation security enhancements included in the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation bill, and programs to encourage science and technology education and innovation included in the America COMPETES Act. “I am blessed to have a great chairman who is well-respected on both sides of the aisle and a master at compromise, and the most talented staff on the Hill,” Cummisky says of Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. This year, part of Cummisky’s duties will include making sure the committee completes action on the Consumer Products Safety Commission Reauthorization and the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bills.

Personal: Born in Wahiawa, Hawaii.

Education: B.S., Georgetown University, 1979. J.D., University of Southern California, 1982.

Professional: 1982–1987, litigation attorney, Reinwald, O’Connor, Marrack & Hoskins (Honolulu). 1987–1990, legislative assistant, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. 1990–1991, attorney, Reinwald, O’Connor, Marrack & Hoskins (Honolulu). 1991–2005, legislative director, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. 2005– present, staff director and chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

“We also plan to aggressively monitor the digital television transition to ensure that no one gets left in the dark when the analog signals are turned off in February 2009,” she said. “In addition, we will continue to examine ways to encourage the deployment of affordable broadband throughout America, particularly in rural communities.” Cummisky came to the committee four years ago with almost two decades of experience working in Inouye’s personal office—first as a legislative assistant and then as his legislative director. In those jobs, she acquired expertise in aviation, commerce, judiciary, communications, ethics, Federal Aviation Administration, and transportation issues. A graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, Cummisky was a litigation attorney for the Honolulu law firm of Reinwald, O’Connor, Marrack & Hoskins, where she handled cases ranging from administrative law to unfair and deceptive trade practices before coming to Capitol Hill. During her free time, Cummisky enjoys spending time with her sons—ages 10 and 12—playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and “shuttling them between their sports teams, Scouting events, and karate.” “I also spend a lot of time supervising their homework, and am reliving the joys and stress of elementary and middle school,” she said.

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Floyd DesChamps Senior Professional Staff Member 428 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8172 Fax: (202) 224-1259 Floyd_DesChamps@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: Space, environmental issues, nanotechnology. It may be an understatement to say that Floyd DesChamps—a senior professional staff member to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee—is one of the nation’s experts on science and space policy. DesChamps’s expertise is the sort that lands him on panels discussing nuclear energy at the American Nuclear Society’s annual meeting, Or talking about space exploration—including unmanned lander missions and robotic orbiters—at meetings of the Mars Society, an international group that promotes Mars exploration. Or musing about the signs of global warming—shrinking sea ice, melting glaciers and the thawing trend in permafrost—during briefings conducted with the Arctic Research Center. DesChamps is a mechanical engineer with a background in nuclear power and more than two decades of experience working in the nation’s science and technology fields— from design and manufacturing to program management and the development of public laws governing the operation of federal and international research facilities. With those credentials, he has for more than a decade helped committee Republicans explore the issues surrounding climate change, space exploration, environmental issues, and nanotechnology, the science of microscopic machines.

Personal: Born in S.C.

Education: B.S., mechanical engineering, University of South Carolina, 1983. M.S., engineering management, University of Maryland, University College.

Professional: 1995–1997, professional staff member, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. 1997–2001, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 2001–present, senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

His expertise in global climate change will be crucial to DesChamps’ boss—likely GOP presidential nominee John McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona who will no doubt be pressed to articulate his position on global climate change. Moreover, there is likely to be increased public scrutiny of how White House hopefuls have legislated to prevent the buildup of greenhouse gases that are considered a major culprit in the climate change problem. DesChamps was raised in Pinewood, South Carolina—surrounded by seven siblings and parents determined to send all eight of their children to college. DesChamps and each of his brothers and sisters made it through college on their own, working part-time jobs and paying the bills with student loans and college grants. He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of South Carolina, and received a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Maryland’s University College. Before coming to the Hill, he worked for Westinghouse Electric, helping to develop the nuclear power system for the Seawolf class of attack submarines. He also worked for a year at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and at the Commerce Department, where he focused on technologies for restoring nuclear sites. He landed in McCain’s office in 1995 through a Commerce Department fellowship. Two years later, he moved to the committee. By 2001, he had become the chief staff aide on the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee.


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Stephen Gardner Senior Democratic Professional Staff Member, Surface Transportation/ Merchant Marine Subcommittee Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade and Tourism 427 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9000 Fax: (202) 228-2339 stephen_gardner@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: Railroads, transportation safety, regulation and security. In his work with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Steve Gardner looks forward this year to achieving one of his chief goals—enactment of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007, which passed the Senate last year and now awaits House action and conference deliberations. An expert on railroad issues—including regulation, security and safety—Gardner is senior professional staff member for the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security Subcommittee. Another of Gardner’s aims to year is to see the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2007 pass out of the Senate. The legislation was reported out of committee last year and is awaiting floor consideration and conference deliberations. The Arlington, Virginia, native can count at least one goal reached: Last year, President Bush signed legislation designed to implement recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. “There was broad support in committee and the Senate for this bipartisan legislation,” Gardner said. “The challenges to enactment came from areas outside the committee.” This year, the Hampshire College graduate expects to be taking a hard look at truck safety issues and to begin preparing for the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization in the next Congress.

Personal: Born in Arlington, Va.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, music composition, Hampshire College, 1998.

Professional: 1997–2000, track worker, brakeman, conductor, foreman, Buckingham BranchRailroad/Guilford Rail System. 2001, intern, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2001–2002, legislative aide, Former Rep. Bob Clement, D-Tenn. 2002– 2004, legislative aide, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del. 2004–present, senior Democratic professional staff member, Subc. on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Having been with the committee for four years, Gardner conducts research, drafts legislation and committee reports, advises committee members and coordinates and manages hearings and executive sessions for the subcommittee. In the past, he has played significant roles in Amtrak reauthorization legislation; the Pipeline, Inspection, Protection, Enforcement and Safety Act of 2006, or PIPES Act; the National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2006; and the Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2001. Gardner’s acquired his expertise for transportation issues— and particularly the railroad industry—as a former railroad track worker, brakemen and maintenance-of-way foreman for the Buckingham Branch Railroad. He was also a railroad dispatcher and conductor for the Guilford Rail System. He brought his transportation knowledge to the Hill in 2001 as an intern for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, then worked as a transportation legislative aide first for in the office of former Rep. Bob Clement, D-Tenn., then for Sen. Tom Carper D-Del. Gardner is interested in architecture, Russian literature, and recording, composing, and performing experimental music. He also collects regional and craft-brew sodas.

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Amanda Hallberg Democratic Professional Staffer Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5021 Fax: (202) 225-2035 Amanda_Hallberg@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: oceans, fisheries, National Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Coast Guard. As a Democratic professional staff member to the Oceans Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Amanda Hallberg answers not only to committee chairman Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, but also to 11 Democratic members of the panel that oversees oceans, fisheries, the National Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard. Hallberg’s key responsibilities include the management of the subcommittee, which is formally called the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard. She conducts staff oversight of the National Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, which is responsible for issues related to ocean policy, conservation and management of marine fisheries and other living marine resources, coastal zone management, marine sanctuaries, coastal and atmospheric science, weather, satellite systems, mapping, and climate change. The subcommittee also has oversight over the Coast Guard, which has a vast array of security and non-security missions. One of the key pieces of legislation Hallberg worked on last year was the Coast Guard Authorization Act, which the committee passed last August.

Personal: Born 1983 in Takoma Park, Md.

Education: B.S, Hawaii Pacific University, 2004.

Professional: 2005–2006, staff asst., Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation. 2007–present, Democratic professional staffer, Subc. on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

“We hope to pass the bill through the Senate soon and work with the House to pass it into law this year,” said Hallberg, who received her bachelor’s degree four years ago at Hawaii Pacific University. “The Coast Guard is crucial in carrying out security and non-security missions for the United States. This bill would grant the Coast Guard additional authorities needed to carry out these missions.” Other legislation that occupied her time last year was the Ocean and Coastal Exploration and NOAA Act, which the Senate passed last spring, and which would create a coordinated national ocean exploration program within NOAA, “which is crucial in expanding our limited knowledge of the oceans,” Hallberg said. Finally, Hallberg worked on the Integrated Deepwater Reform Act, which the Senate passed last December. The subcommittee staff is now working with the House in hopes of striking a consensus on the legislation. “The Coast Guard has a fleet of aging surface and air assets, which are crucial to carrying out all eleven of the Coast Guard’s missions,” Hallberg said. “The Deepwater program is vital in ensuring these assets are replaced, but it has had a lot of problems in the past regarding increasing costs and slipping schedules. This bill is critical for oversight of the program that is planned to be carried over the next 20 years.” This year, Hallberg expects to be working on: seafood safety legislation; an offshore aquaculture bill that would create a national framework for offshore aquaculture permits while addressing environmental concerns; and oversight of illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.


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Dabney Hegg Professional Staff Member 254 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0411 Fax: (202) 228-0303 Dabney_Hegg@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: Port and cargo security, merchant marine, shipping. Dabney Hegg was one of three transportation related staffers who worked last year on the 9/11 Commission Implementation Act, which was eventually enacted into law. The bill—which contained significant provisions to improve the security of all modes of transportation—fell under the jurisdiction of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, where Hegg has expertise in port and cargo security, the merchant marine, and shipping issues. In her post as a senior Democratic professional staff member with the Surface Transportation/Merchant Marine Subcommittee, Hegg answers to committee chairman Daniel Inouye. She works daily with Inouye, D-Hawaii, and the subcommittee chairs—drafting legislation and providing oversight for those agencies over which the subcommittees have jurisdiction. On the 9/11 bill, Hegg focused on the maritime and supply chain security provisions, the authorization of the National Preparedness Consortium and the DHS Centers of Excellence. Among her other priorities last year were the Maritime Administration Authorization Act of 2007, which Hegg managed for the committee and which was enacted into law as a title to the Defense Authorization Act for FY2008; and the Coast Guard Authorization Act of FY2008, which was reported out of committee last summer.

Personal: Born 08/1974 in Charleston, S.C.

Education: B.A., history/political science, College of Charleston, 1998. M.A., public policy, George Mason University, 2006.

Professional: 1993–1995, intern, Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C. 1997–1998, deputy director, South Carolina Democratic Coordinated Cmte. 1999–2004, legislative asst., Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C. 2004–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

This year, Hegg expects to be working on transportation security, which she says entails “constant oversight issues that Senator Inouye is very engaged on.” “We hope to be able to complete the Coast Guard Authorization Act, a Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act, and the annual Maritime Administration Authorization Act,” said the native of Charleston, South Carolina. Hegg worked for former Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., as an intern in 1993. From 1999 to 2004, she held a variety of positions in the senator’s office, including legislative assistant for agriculture, environment, transportation, public works and related appropriations bills. She played a key role in the Tobacco Buyout legislation and in legislation establishing the Congaree Nation Park in South Carolina. In 1997, Hegg became deputy director of the South Carolina Democratic Coordinated Campaign. Hegg joined the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in 2004. A graduate of South Carolina’s College of Charleston, Hegg has two bachelor’s degrees—one in political science and the other in history—and a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University. Hegg is married with two children, and her hobbies include hiking, gardening, snow skiing, and deep sea fishing: in fact, she caught a grand slam the very first time she tried her hand at the sport. She also enjoys playing with the family’s two English bulldogs and horseback riding. Hegg is an active member of Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society.

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Lila Helms Deputy Staff Director/Policy Director Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies 254 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0411 Fax: (202) 228-0303 [email protected]

Expertise: Commerce, science, transportation. Lila Helms’s long history on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, as well as the Senate Appropriations Committee, have given her a unique perspective and expertise across the range of issues under the Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction. Under the new leadership of Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, there will be greater oversight of the agencies over which the committee has jurisdiction. A wide range of issues needs to be addressed this Congress, and it is Helms’s job as deputy staff director and policy director to ensure all those issues are aired and legislation moves to full Senate consideration. Inouye’s priorities this session include improving security for all modes of transportation and ensuring consumers benefit from changes in communications technology and that their personal information is protected. The committee will also tackle consumer protection issues and the integrity of scientific research, as well as marine and environmental conservation. While working for the Senate Appropriations Committee from 1998 to 2005, Helms shepherded through funding for numerous programs important to American quality of life, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology programs.

Personal: Born 05/12/1962 in Darlington, S.C.

Education: B.A., University of South Carolina, 1984.

Professional: 1987–1992, legislative asst. and other positions, Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, DS.C. 1993–1997, professional staff member, Subc. on Oceans and Fisheries, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 1997–1998, senior professional staff member, Subc. on Science, Technology, and Space, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 1998–2005, Democratic clerk, Subc. on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–present, deputy staff director/policy dir., Subc. on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


While in her post as Democratic clerk for the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary, she worked on many of the same issues that consume her time at the Commerce Committee, including oceans legislation and funding for Senate prerogatives such as trade enforcement, communications initiatives, embassy security, and state and local law enforcement needs. During her tenure on the Commerce Committee, she has handled encryption and manufacturing and scientific competitiveness issues for the Subcommittee on Science and Technology. While on the Oceans and Fisheries Subcommittee, she worked on the reauthorization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Act. During the 109th Congress, Helms was the committee’s policy director, where she focused, among other things, on monitoring telecommunications reform. Now that Democrats are in charge of the panel, she finds her duties expanded with the additional title of deputy staff director. Helms began working on Capitol Hill in 1987 as a legislative assistant for then-Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., after working as a page in the South Carolina statehouse. Her hobbies include gardening and playing piano. She also has a Plott hound dog.

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Jenilee Keefe Deputy Communications Director 2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-5021 Fax: (202) 225-2035 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications, education, telecommunications, health care and emerging technology. Jenilee Keefe joined the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee last November, jumping into the challenging post of communications director for chairman Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii. In her job, she must develop a message and communications plan for the full committee, as well as subcommittees. She writes the committee’s press releases and statements, coordinates print, radio, television, and Internet media outlets at committee hearings, briefings and mark-ups, handles daily inquiries form the press and maintains the committee’s Web site. This past year, she worked closely with policy staff to disseminate information regarding the committee’s legislation—notably bills related to the fuel economy provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act, as well as the commerce portions of the 9-11 Recommendations bill. Keefe had experience with the communications job, assisting the former committee communications director for nearly a full year before taking on the task herself. During much of 2007, Keefe was the committee’s assistant to the minority deputy staff director and general counsel, tracking the progress of all legislation that was referred to the panel, monitoring floor action, mark-ups, hearings and briefings and researching federal statutes, previous legislation and other topics that might interest the committee. She also prepared briefing books for hearings, nominations, and executive sessions for Inouye.

Education: B.A., political communication, George Washington University, 2003. J.D. candidate, Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (Washington, D.C).

Professional: 2003–2004, field lead, organizer, KerryEdwards Campaign. 2005–2006, policy adviser, associate, Bernstein Strategy Group/ Leslie Harris and Associates (Washington, D.C.). Jan. 2007–Nov. 2007, assistant to the Democratic communications director, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Nov. 2007–present, deputy communications director, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

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Before coming to the Hill, Keefe spent much of 2005 serving as a policy adviser and associate for the Bernstein Strategy Group and Leslie Harris and Associates. From June 2003 through November 2004, she was active in that year’s presidential campaign, serving as a field organizer for Democrat John Kerry’s campaign. In that job, she supervised five campaign field offices, built a local volunteer organization of nearly 6,000, created a database of volunteers, and cut her teeth in press and constituent communications by arranging press conferences, roundtables, house parties and rallies for the candidate. Keefe—a George Washington University graduate who expects to earn her law degree in two years from Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law—enjoys traveling, experimenting with new foods, photography and learning new genres of dance. “Most recently, I’ve taken ballroom and flamenco,” she said. “However, lately I spend most of my time attending law school weekday nights and planning for my summer wedding.”



Christine Kurth

Expertise: Telecommunications.

Republican Staff Director and General Counsel

Among Christine Kurth’s most significant projects working last year with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee was working on CAFE reform.

254 Russell Senate Office Bldg.

The reforms, which were signed into law, were a cornerstone of H.R. 6, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007. Like others on the committee, Kurth had worked on the issue for years.

Phone: (202) 224-1246 Fax: (202) 224-1259 christine_kurth@commerce. senate.gov

“This was the first time fuel economy standards have been raised since 1975,” said Kurth, who retains her post as Republican staff director this year with a new title—general counsel. “This is an important issue because updating and increasing fuel economy standards is one of the key components of a wider effort to help our nation achieve energy independence, which also includes conservation, domestic production and the development of alternative sources of energy.” The legislation requires a 40 percent increase in the fuel economy for passenger cars and light trucks. It requires fuel economy for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020. It’s expected to save 1.1 million barrels of oil per day by 2020, equal to one-half of what the U.S. imports from the Persian Gulf. While the legislation passed out of committee in a bipartisan fashion, it faced many challenges as staffers prepared to go to the floor and to conference with the House, which didn’t have CAFE in its version of the energy bill. This required many meetings with various groups—both from the environmental community and the automobile industry— and negotiations between members.


Education: B.A., Valparaiso University, 1992. J.D., Valparaiso University, 1995.

Professional: 1997–2000, trial attorney, Contempt Division, National Labor Relations Board. 2000–2001, professional staff, Subc. on the Interior, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2001–2003, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy. 2003–2005, deputy general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Appropriations. 2005–2006, deputy staff dir., Senate Cmte on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 2007–2008, Republican staff director, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 2008–present, Republican staff director and general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


FAA Reauthorization was one of the first major pieces of legislation the committee reported out last year. The bill focused on updating and modernizing the air traffic control system, which is intended to reduce delays and improve safety. “I was involved in ensuring that the senator’s concerns regarding the special needs of air service in rural parts of America—especially Alaska, which has a heavy reliance on air service due to its lack of roads to most communities— were addressed.” The bill was reported out of committee, but the reauthorization involves multiple committees. This could make it difficult to reach congressional consensus this year. For now, Congress will be extending the current authorization while working on a final bill. Kurth said it’s important that Congress agrees on an FAA reauthorization bill that addresses “our nation’s need to modernize the air traffic control system, but also takes into account very remote areas of nation—such as in Alaska— which in many instances relies on air service exclusively.”

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Chan D. Lieu Senior Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences 427 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0415 Fax: (202) 228-0303 [email protected]

Expertise: Science, technology. In his sixth year with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Chan D. Lieu is a senior professional staff member who handles science and technology issues for the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation and for the Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences. His areas of expertise include research and development funding, U.S. innovation and global competitiveness, and space-related issues. In addition, Chan covers hi-tech topics such as cybersecurity, spam, and spyware. His duties include drafting, amending, analyzing and negotiating legislation on science, technology, and innovation issues; developing background papers, witness questions, talking points, opening statements, and other material for committee hearings; and conducting program and budgetary oversight for science-related federal agencies. Lieu played a significant role last year in the drafting and passage of the America COMPETES Act, which President Bush signed. The legislation is a response to the National Academies’ “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report on the risk of losing America’s innovative and economic competitive edges.

Personal: Born 01/24/1975 in Saigon, Vietnam.

Education: A.A., political science, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, Calif., 1995. B.A., international affairs, George Washington University, 1998. M.I.S., management, Carnegie Mellon University, 2001.

Professional: 1998–2000, systems analyst, KPMG LLP, Arlington, Va. 2001–2002, security specialist, Presidential Management Intern, General Services Administration. 2002–2007, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation. 2007–present, senior professional staff member, Subc. on Science, Technology, and Innovation/ Subc. on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The legislation provides increased funding for the nation’s science research agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The legislation also strengthens education in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. “The primary challenge was coordinating across three different committees of jurisdiction—Senate Commerce, Energy, and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions,” Lieu said. “In addition, we could not be as aggressive with funding some programs due to the restricted budget climate, but overall we feel that it was a good product and we hope that the authorization levels set in the bill will be followed.” Lieu was also instrumental in passage of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. This coming year, Lieu expects to work on reauthorization for NASA and the National Nanotechnology Initiative. NASA was last authorized in 2005 and the NNI was initially authorized in 2003. With degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and the George Washington University, Lieu came to the Hill in the summer of 2001 as a presidential management fellow for the General Services Administration’s Office of Citizen Services and Communication. There, he was the lead security specialist on FirstGov.gov projects and major e-government initiatives, including e-Authentication, GovBenefits, DisasterHelp, and DisabilityDirect. His personal interests include rock climbing, mountain biking, snowboarding, running, traveling, photography, and international affairs.

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Paul J. Nagle Republican Chief Counsel 254 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4878 Fax: (202) 224-1259 [email protected]

Expertise: Telecommunications issues. Paul Nagle has now held his job as Republican chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for a full year. Nagle first joined the committee in March of 2005 as a counsel working for the then-majority, primarily focusing on telecommunications and Internet issues. He was there barely seven months when his boss—Sen. Ted Stevens, RAlaska,—was thrust suddenly into the minority because of Democratic gains in the 2006 elections. When he took over as senior counsel in March 2007, Nagle remained active in the telecommunications and Internet arenas. And his job remains a demanding one, thanks to the ever-changing nature of the industries he covers. He must keep pace with the rapid advances in communications technology, the multitude of new communications industries, and changes at the Federal Communications Commission. He must negotiate with a swarm of stakeholders who have a vested—and typically lucrative—interest in telecommunications law. His work helping to rewrite the Telecommunications Act of 1996 thrust him into the world of franchise relief, use of spectrum, and the creation of a new broadband program. His participation in the drafting of the Call Home Act of 2006—which authorized the FCC to reduce phone bills for troops deployed overseas, including the waiver of government fees, assessments, or other charges—introduced him to Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and how to negotiate agreements with foreign governments to reduce international surcharges on phone calls.

Education: B.A., Univ. of Maryland, 1996. J.D., Catholic University, 1999.

Professional: 1999–2002, associate attorney, Wilkinson Barker & Knauer, LLP. 2002–2005, attorney-adviser, Federal Communications Commission. 2005–2007, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 2007–present, Republican chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


Nagle earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland in 1996 and his law degree in 1999 at Catholic University, where he also received a certificate from the Institute for Communications Law Studies. He began his legal career in 1999, joining the Washington, D.C., law firm of Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, as an associate counsel. While there, he handled regulatory issues and transactions for telecommunications clients. The Columbia, Maryland, native stayed there four years before moving to the Federal Communications Commission, where he worked as an attorney and adviser in the Office of Legislative Affairs from 2003 to 2005. While there, he specialized in broadband, wireline, and homeland security. He also helped carry out the commission’s legislative activities.

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Jessica Rosenworcel Senior Counsel 428 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224 9340 Jessica_Rosenworcel@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: Telecommunications, FCC. Jessica Rosenworcel came to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation last March from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, where she was a senior legal adviser immersed in the nation’s telecommunications issues. At the Commerce Committee, Rosenworcel holds essentially the same title as did at the FCC: She is a senior counsel to the panel, with primary responsibility for communications and media issues. While at the FCC, Rosenworcel worked primarily for Democratic commissioner Michael Copps on television, radio and cable policy issues arising under the Communications Act of 1934 and Cable Television Act of 1992. Responsible for developing office strategy for telecommunications, Internet, wireless, and media issues, she provided legal analysis and voting recommendations for the commissioner. She also helped drafted his speeches, editorials and press statements. The Boston native was also Copps’s legal adviser on competition and universal service. She developed policy positions on rural communications, broadband deployment, Internet access, E-Rate and VoIP. During this time, she became well acquainted with the workings of Congress, as her job required her to coordinate the commission’s policy decisions with congressional offices and to draft Senate testimony.

Personal: Born in Boston, Mass.

Education: B.A., economics/English, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., 1993. J.D., New York University School of Law, 1997.

Professional: 1997–1999, communications associate, Drinker Biddle & Reath, Washington, DC. 1999–2001, attorney, adviser, Common Carrier Bureau . 2002–2003, legal counsel, Wireline Competition Bureau. 2003–2006, legal adviser, FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps. 2006–2007, senior legal adviser, FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps. 2007–present, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Rosenworcel first joined the FCC as legal counsel to the chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, an arm of the FCC that oversees federal policy on telecommunications companies. In that job from 2002-2003, she advised the bureau chief on universal service and broadband policy, coordinated wireline policy with the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Cable Services Bureau, and International Bureau. She also taught World Bank telecommunications workshops for the Economic Ministry of Latvia. When she took the Senate Commerce post, Copps said he greeted the news with “mixed emotions” because he had relied so extensively on a woman he called a “remarkable public servant.” “Jessica has it all,” Copps said, “keen intellect, vision and superb practical judgment for the art of the possible. She has led my staff through some of the most challenging proceedings in the recent history of the commission, and she has done it with both admirable strength and a wonderfully pleasant demeanor. “All of these skills will suit her well and contribute enormously to the work of our friends on the Senate Commerce Committee. Their gain is my loss, but the public interest benefits no matter what government post Jessica happens to hold.” After earning her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University, then her J.D. from the New York University School of Law, Rosenworcel became an associate at Drinker Biddle & Reath.

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David Strickland Democratic Senior Counsel Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism 428 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-1270 Fax: (202) 228-0327 david_strickland@commerce. senate.gov

Expertise: Privacy, e-commerce, product safety, and consumer protection law. Last year saw great strides for the issues that David Strickland typically works on as senior counsel on two subcommittees under the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. As lead counsel to the Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism and the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety, the Harvard Law School graduate watched three of his major issues signed into law. One was the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act, which was signed into law as part of H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The legislation requires a 40 percent increase in the fuel economy for passenger cars and light trucks. The nationwide fleet of cars must achieve 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The legislation is expected to save 1.1 million barrels of oil per day by 2020, equal to one-half of what the U.S. imports from the Persian Gulf. “I worked on this issue for over six years,” says Strickland, whose expertise runs from Internet fraud and identification theft to passenger car and light-truck fuel efficiency and vehicle safety. “It was the first congressionally mandated increase in fuel economy in 32 years.” Another issue was pool safety. Between 1990 and 2000, drowning was the second-leading cause of unintentional death among children in the United States ages 1 to 19. For children ages one to four, drowning is the number one cause of accidental death in the United States.


Education: B.S., Northwestern University, 1990. J.D., Harvard University, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1996, associate, Wiley, Rein & Fielding. 1996–2001, associate director of legislation, Association of Trial Lawyers of America. 2001–2008, Democratic senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 2008–present, senior counsel, Subc. on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety/Subc. on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


To address this, the committee reported the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. The Act was signed into law as part of H.R. 6. The legislation would require all new pools and spas to be equipped with anti-entrapment drain covers and to establish a state swimming pool safety grant program to provide incentives for states to adopt pool and spa safety laws. Finally, Strickland worked on “do not call” issues, shepherding two bills that strengthened the Federal Trade Commission’s Do-Not-Call Registry. Passed by the House and sent to the president in February 2007 was the Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act, which provided permanent authority for the FTC to collect fees to run the registry. The original authorization expired in 2007. The second bill, S. 2096, the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act, required that the numbers placed on the registry be permanent—removable only if disconnected and reassigned. The president signed both bills into law.

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Gael Sullivan Senior Professional Staff Member 516 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9000 Fax: (202) 228-2339 [email protected]

Expertise: Aviation. In recent months, Gael Sullivan has been working on the FAA funding provisions of the Aviation Investment and Modernization Act in hopes he might watch the legislation move to the Senate floor some time this year. Senate negotiators, says the senior professional staffer for the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, “have been pushing for legislation that will properly fund modernization and provide greater equity in the funding of the national air transportation system.” Other air-traffic legislation that Sullivan expects to work on in 2008 is the Airport and Airway Extension Act. The bill, H.R. 5270, passed the House and Senate in February and was sent to President Bush. Sullivan said it “ensures that critical airport infrastructure grant making will go forward and that the current taxes and fees continue to be collected.” As the Senate Commerce majority’s go-to guy on aviation, Sullivan works closely with the office of the Aviation Subcommittee and is responsible for planning hearings, developing legislation, and the day-to-day operations of the subcommittee. He briefs committee staff and members on issues they will be voting on and meets with the airline industry, aviation manufacturers, and labor unions that are interested in matters before the committee. Sullivan is typically toiling on tasks that involve the health of the aviation industry.


Education: B.A., University of Massachusetts (Amherst), 1990.

Professional: 1991–1993, administrative aide, Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms. 1993–2000, legislative corresp., legislative asst., legislative dir., Washington office dir., Rep. Bob Wise, D-W.Va. 2000–2001, legislative dir., Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif. 2001–present, Democratic senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

This last year, he worked on the Aviation Security Improvement Act, S. 509, which was signed into law and completed the 9/11 Commissions transportation recommendations. He played a part in the FAA Reauthorization, S. 1300, the NTSB Reauthorization, security-related air-traffic issues and international issues such as the US/EU Open Skies proposal. Sullivan called the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 a “bipartisan effort to strengthen aviation security.” “Developing air cargo security language to ensure the security of all cargo flying on passenger aircraft without severely limiting the flow of commerce was the primary challenge,” Sullivan said. Sullivan’s passion for aviation is in his blood. His father worked in the steel/aerospace/defense field. The younger Sullivan served as a legislative correspondent, legislative assistant, legislative director and Washington office director for Rep. Bob Wise, D-W.Va., who was a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Aviation Subcommittee. Before joining the committee in 2001, he was also the legislative director for Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., and was responsible for Filner’s House and Transportation Committee work. Sullivan is married with two sons.

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Jean Toal Eisen Democratic Senior Advisor and Deputy Policy Director Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard 560 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0415 Fax: (202) 228-0303 [email protected]

Expertise: Science, NASA, technology policy. Jean Toal Eisen, an 11-year veteran of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, this year moved up several notches—from senior professional staff member for committee Democrats to senior advisor and deputy policy director. Where she once was responsible for helping committee Democrats find ways to improve competitiveness through technology, space, and science policies, she now tackles the whole range of Commerce Committee issues, while also helping the committee’s staff director and deputy staff director on committee and floor procedures. This past year, Toal Eisen helped develop Commerce portions of the America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) to promote economic competitiveness through investment in scientific research and education. The legislation was crafted in response to the National Academies report, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm.” “This committee and the chairman, Senator Daniel Inouye [D-Hawaii], have a long history of supporting the sciences and believing that investment in science and technology research and education can benefit the nation,” Toal Eisen said. The South Carolina native also helped the committee’s lead staffers during floor consideration of measures in the committee’s jurisdiction, including the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation legislation, the Energy Policy Act and the Amtrak reauthorization bill. This coming year, she expects climate change will be top on her agenda.

Personal: Born 10/07/1971 in Columbia, S.C.

Education: B.A., math and philosophy, Yale University, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1995, legislative corresp./researcher, Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C. 1995–1996, information systems manager, Democratic Leadership Council. 1996–1997, network manager, DCS Corp. (Alexandria, Va.)1997–1999, Democratic professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 2000–2007, Democratic senior professional staff member, Subc. on Science and Space, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. 2007–present, Democratic senior adviser and deputy policy director, Subc. on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


Toal Eisen’s previous years on the committee provided her valuable expertise in space commercialization, nanotechnology, workforce computer security issues and space agency programs—from the space shuttle to the Mars rovers. In previous years, she has also been instrumental on the National Competitiveness Investment Act, considered a major step toward implementing the Bush administration’s “American Competitiveness Initiative.” Toal Eisen came to the Hill in 1992 as an intern, and then a legislative correspondent and researcher, for former Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C. From there, she became an information systems manager for the Democratic Leadership Council. She worked briefly in the private sector as network manager for Alexandria, Virginia–based DCS Corp. from 1996–1997, then moved back to the Hill in 1997 to become a professional staff member for the Commerce Committee. She became a senior staff member in 2000. Toal Eisen has a young son, loves watching college basketball, and coaches the Commerce Committee’s softball team, which is called the “Frozen Pineapples,” a reference to the home states of former chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and current chairman Inouye.

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Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-4971 Fax: (202) 224-6163 http://energy.senate.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 11/11/1 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Jeff Bingaman, NM, Chairman

Pete V. Domenici, NM, Ranking Member

Daniel K. Akaka, HI Byron Dorgan, ND Ron Wyden, OR Tim Johnson, SD Mary L. Landrieu, LA Maria Cantwell, WA Ken Salazar, CO Robert Menendez, NJ Blanche Lincoln, AR Jon Tester, MT

Larry E. Craig, ID Lisa Murkowski, AK Richard Burr, NC Jim DeMint, SC Bob Corker, TN John Barrasso, WY Jeff Sessions, AL Gordon Smith, OR Jim Bunning, KY Mel Martinez, FL



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SENATE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

National energy policy, including international energy affairs and emergency preparedness. Strategic petroleum reserves. Outer continental shelf leasing. Nuclear waste policy. Privatization of federal assets. Territorial affairs, including Freely Associated States. Regulation of Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and other oil or gas pipeline transportation systems within Alaska. (8) National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska. (9) Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. (10) Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. (11) Antarctica. (12) Arctic research and energy development. (13) Native Hawaiian matters. (14) Ad Hoc issues.

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SENATE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES Just two years after the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, they took on the enormous task of writing and passing another energy bill, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. They started writing the energy bill from scratch and passed it through the Senate before the July recess. President Bush signed the bill into law in mid-December. Key features of the law included an increase of fuel efficiency standards, a boost in homegrown biofuels, and economy-wide energy solutions to cut carbon emissions. According to the committee, the law will “make a bold commitment to research, development and demonstration of new technologies that will cut greenhouse gas emissions” and create “green collar jobs,” making it “a national priority to train America’s workers for new jobs in emerging energy technology fields.” This year, the committee wants to make sure the bill we passed gets implemented properly. Last year, an amendments containing a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) as well as a package to extend tax credits to renewable energy was voted down before the bill was passed. Democrats are trying again this year, but are running into the same resistance as they attempt to pay for the tax credits by eliminating some given to the oil and gas industry in 2005. The other big bill that came out of the committee in the first session was the America COMPETES Act, or the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act. The Act supported doubling funding for basic research in physicals sciences, to keep our nation globally competitive in science, math and engineering. May members predict that climate change will be part of their agenda during the second session. presented with a growing number of global warming bills in the Environment Committee that differed in many respects, Sens. Joe Lieberman and John Warner created a new bill that has become the major vehicle for cap-and-trade legislation. It was successfully marked up in the Environment Committee in December of 2007. During the second session, the committee will work on renewable electricity legislation as well as take a look at oil prices for consumers. Hearings are scheduled for another bill the committee is working on, the Forest Landscape Restoration Act, legislation that would restore forests and ecosystems primarily in the West. Mining law reform is expected to be a major issue that the committee will consider. The last time mining legislation has been renewed was 1872. In the second session, some committee members will be working more on carbon capture storage research and development. This year, the focus is on developing a regulatory framework for the provisions included in last year’s energy bill. Coal and carbon capturing refers to a new field of conservation technology intended to trap carbon dioxide emissions from large-scale sources, such as fossil fuel–burning power plants, and stores it safely underground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.


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SENATE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Allyson K. Anderson Professional Staff Member 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4971 Fax: (202) 228-0539 Allyson_anderson@energy. senate.gov

Expertise: Carbon capture and storage, geothermal energy, unconventional oil and gas R&D. Allyson Anderson came to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as a science fellow. Before her job with the Senate, Anderson worked for Exxon Mobile as a petrophysicist. “I was sort of hired as the staff geologist,” she said. During the first session of the 110th Congress, Anderson worked on the 2007 energy bill, specifically on carbon capture storage and geothermal energy—each of which had their own title within the measure that President Bush signed into law in December. Reducing greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide emissions, is a topic of great concern to Anderson’s boss, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex, chairman of the committee. “I was lucky. Most people work here 10 years and don’t pass an energy bill. It was a big year for that [carbon capture storage]. It’s still big,” Anderson said. Coal and carbon capturing refers to a new field of conservation technology intended to trap carbon dioxide emissions from large-scale sources, such as fossil fuel-burning power plants, and stores it safely underground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

Personal: Born 1974 in Pella, Iowa.

Education: B.A., music, University of Northern Iowa, 1997. B.S., geology, University of Northern Iowa, 1997. M.S., geology, Indiana University-Purdue University, 2000.

Professional: 1998–1999, teaching assistant, Department of Geology, Indiana University–Purdue University. 1999–2002, teaching assistant, Department of Geology, University of Kansas. 1999, laboratory technician, Sois Laboratory, Dept. of Geology, Indiana University. 2002–2003, researcher, Kansas Geological Survey. 2004–2006, senior petrophysicist/geoscientist, Exxon Mobile Exploration Co. 2006–2007, American Geological Institute congressional science policy fellow, Senate Cmte. on Natural Resources. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

“With discussion centered on coal use in a carbon-constrained world, integrated carbon capture and storage systems may present the most immediate solution for continued use of coal and other carbon intensive fuels while not contributing further to carbon dioxide emissions and global warming,” Bingaman said in a press release touting the field. This year Anderson is continuing her work on carbon capture storage research and development. Now, however, the focus is on developing a regulatory framework. “Now they have a program and the money to do it,” Anderson said. Bingaman has said the framework will “assist early industry movers in selecting the appropriate geologic storage sites, operation of their facilities, and managing the facilities for decades following the closure of a geologic storage operation.” He already held one hearing in 2008 on carbon regulations for storing CO2 and indicated others may follow. Another issue Anderson expects to work on in the second session of the 110th Congress is how the Security and Exchange Commission requires petroleum companies to report their oil reserves. She will also be looking at ways of to have international cooperation on how oil reserves are reported. Outside of geology, Anderson’s other passion is music. A bassist who taught bass instruction for grades K–12 for nearly a decade, Anderson also has played professionally with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra. Still, she said, she feels she has found her professional home on Capitol Hill. “This is my dream job,” she said. “I love it.”

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Angela BeckerDippmann Professional Staff Member 312 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5269 Angela_Becker-Dippmann@energy. senate.gov

Expertise: Special projects, energy policy. Upon passage last year of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex., specifically thanked Angela Becker-Dippmann for her work. Becker-Dippmann brings years of experience to the committee, where she was previously a key energy policy adviser to committee member Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. She also has worked on the effort to keep oil drilling out of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Bingaman told the Senate in December the bill holds many accomplishments for the committee but there still remains much to do in 2008. One ongoing challenge, he said, is the problem of how to further incentivize the development of renewable energy. “I hope we will have a chance to revisit the renewable electricity standard in the new Congress,” he said. And he added, “I also hope we can revisit this issue of tax incentives. We failed earlier today to maintain in the legislation a package of tax incentives which I think is very important for the energy policy of this country.” Bingaman had pushed a package that featured significant funding for tax incentives for efficiency and conservation, according to his office, but that package was narrowly rejected.

Personal: Born 1974 in Wausau, Wis.

Education: B.A., psychology, Carleton College, 1996.

Professional: 1997–2001, contributing/managing editor, Energy NewsData Corporation. 2001–2002, legislative assistant, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. 2003–2004, senior policy adviser, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. 2005–2006, communications director, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. 2006–2007, policy director, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.


That fight started up in a big way early in 2008 and continues still. Republicans have blocked legislation renewing tax credits for renewable energy investments because they object to financing it by eliminating tax breaks granted to oil companies or domestic manufacturing in 2004. Becker-Dippman has also worked on and likely will continue to deal this year with issues regarding the drilling of oil and gas on public lands. A General Accountability Office report last year requested by Bingaman, auditors found the absence of price thresholds in oil and gas leases issued by the Interior Department’s Mineral Management Service in 1998 and 1999 already cost the government about $1 billion. The agency says that future foregone royalties would be $6.4 billion to $9.8 billion over the lives of the leases. “I will continue to work to pass this forward-looking approach to energy tax policy,” Bingaman said in a newsletter to constituents in January. As an aide to Cantwell, Becker-Dippmann assisted in several energy-related consumer protection cases and conservation efforts. One such effort was Cantwell’s attempt to stop oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In the 109th Congress, she proposed an amendment to take this item off the budget. When arctic drilling language found its way into a defense spending bill, Cantwell led a filibuster that successfully removed the measure.

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Tara Billingsley Professional Staff Member 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4756 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy markets, international energy, fuels. Tara Billingsley spent nearly all of her time last year as a professional staff member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee working on the renewable fuel standard in the 2007 energy bill. The provision, which passed as part of the bill President Bush signed in November, mandates an increase in the amount of renewable fuel to be blended into gasoline to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. The program was developed in cooperation with refiners, renewable fuel producers and many other stakeholders, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. “Renewable fuel standard occupied my entire year—95 percent of my time,” Billingsley said. It’s not likely to let up this year. Sen. Pete Domenici, RN.M, the ranking member of the committee, said in February that the renewable fuel standard may need changes to be effectively implemented. Domeneci maintains that the standard that passed as part of the energy bill was significantly different from the version drafted in the Senate Energy Committee. The final RFS was inserted by the House and there was no conference to work out the differences, he noted in a news release.

Education: B.A., international studies, American University, 1995. M.A., international studies, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, 1998.

Professional: 1995–1996, project manager, SJA International, Inc. 1998–1999, policy analyst, Charles L. Fishman, P.C. 1999–2002, industry economist, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Dept. of Energy. 2002–2007, energy security team leader, Office of Intelligence, U.S. Dept. of Energy. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

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“I think it is pretty obvious that either a lot of good administrative people will have to get together and resolve this in a way that would be extraordinary or we’ll have to end up changing things,” Domenici said. In addition to following up on the renewable fuel standard, Billingsley said her focus in 2008 also will include work on other fuel issues, including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex., has argued for releasing oil from the reserve because of threats by Venezuela to withhold its supplies and because of other security concerns—a suggestion that is at odds with the White House. Billingsley previously worked at the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, where she was responsible for compiling profiles of the energy use patterns and habits of various nations. She has also authored a monthly analysis of policies by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that was published on the Energy Information Associations’ Web site.



Karen K. Billups Deputy Chief Counsel Phone: (202) 224-4971 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy and environmental policy, natural resource production and conservation, and nominations for jurisdictional government agencies. As the deputy chief counsel for the Republican aisle of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Karen K. Billups has focused on issues ranging from electricity, oil, gas, and nuclear energy to international oil and gas supply. She has worked with ranking member Sen. Pete Domenici, D-N.Mex., since 2003. Last year the committee dealt with a load of legislation and Billings had a had in almost all of it. “I sort of do whatever,” she said. “We’re short staffed on at the moment.” Two years ago, Billups worked on legislation dealing with the reclamation of abandoned mines, which came in the form of a reconciliation bill tagged onto the omnibus energy bill. She is now working on the implementing of that comprehensive law, which extends federal Abandoned Mine Land fee collection authority to 2021 at reduced rates. The bill, once fully implemented, will “result in substantial increases in AML funding to states and tribes and focus AML reclamation on projects that benefit public health and safety,” according to the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs. Billups also has worked on a number of nuclear issues, including the and potential new construction of nuclear power sites.

Education: BA, Southern Methodist University, 1984. JD, University of Texas School of Law, 1987. Bar admission, District of Columbia, December, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1990, counsel, Baker & Botts (Washington, D.C.). 1990–1991, Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel (Washington, D.C.). 1991–1993, legislative and regulatory counsel, Balch and Bingham (Washington, D.C.). 1993–1995, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1995–1999, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 1999–2003, director, federal affairs/Washington counsel, Entergy Corporation (Washington, D.C.). 2003– present, deputy chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

This year, Billups says she will be phasing out of nuclear issues and concentrating more on international oil and gas supplies, such as analyzing and doing oversight hearings on the domestic supply of oil and gas supplies. Earlier this year the panel held a oversight hearing on the U.S. oil supply, at which Domenici pointed out that oil prices have risen nearly 60 percent over the past year because, as he defined it “of geopolitical instability, a lack of additional refining capacity and the tightness of the global market.” Meanwhile, he noted, that the Energy Information Administration expects consumption to rise 0.6 percent worldwide by the year’s end. Domenici, who has urged drilling on the outer continental shelf, said the statistics point to the need for expanding new domestic sources of oil. The switch from being in the majority to minority hasn’t translated into less work, she noted, because the committee works on a good bipartisan basis. “There’s always less work when you're in the minority, but it’s less so in this committee,” Billups said. As the deputy chief counsel, Billups is charged with a full range of issues, she says, including energy and environmental policy, natural resource production and conservation and nominees for jurisdictional government agencies. She also has primary responsibility for abandoned coal mine reauthorization, nuclear waste and international energy policy.


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Jonathan Black Professional Staff Member 312 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4971 [email protected]

Expertise: Climate and environment. As a professional staff member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Jonathan Black’s main priority is focusing on global warming legislation, a hot topic on the Hill this year. Black is the lead staff member for Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s own global warming cap-and-trade legislation, S. 1766. The New Mexico Democrat has regulating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that companies can produce. Bingaman has been working on the issue for several Congresses, but previous versions of the bill haven’t passed. Even so, Black said 2007 was an important year because “there was a lot more added interest to do something.” Sen. Bingaman’s process to develop cap and trade legislation has been a deliberative and thoughtful exercise. In 2006, Black helped him organize a day-long conference that brought together business interests, non-governmental organizations and think tanks to discuss ways to reduce greenhouse gases. Black said this conference was a watershed moment that helped prompt further conversation about how to address important details of climate change legislation. On July 11, 2007, Sens. Bingaman and Arlen Specter, RPa., introduced The Low Carbon Economy Act (S. 1766), which was subsequently referred to the Environment and Public Works Committee. The bill was introduced with the backing of a bipartisan group of senators and support from major labor unions, conservation groups and business entities.

Personal: Born 11/24/1977 in Long Island, N.Y.

Education: B.A., University of Richmond, 1999. M.A., George Washington University, 2001.

Professional: 2001–2003, staff assistant, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 2003–2006, Democratic legislative assistant, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

presented with a growing number of global warming bills in the Environment Committee that differed in many respects, Sens. Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and John Warner, R-Va., created a new bill that Black said adopted several elements from Bingaman’s bill and others that were referred to the committee. This new bill, the Lieberman/Warner Climate Security Act has become the major vehicle for capand-trade legislation and was successfully marked up in the Environment Committee in December of 2007. “There is a lot of common ground between Bingaman/ Specter and Lieberman/Warner,” Black said, adding Bingaman hopes to work with Environment and Public Works Committee chairman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., as well as Lieberman and Warner to find common ground and pass a bill this year, Black has studied at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California and St. Petersburg State University in Russia. He keeps himself personally informed of climate change issues, visiting power plants, natural gas production facilities and coal mines to talk with stakeholders.

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David Brooks Democratic Senior Counsel 312 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4103 [email protected]

Expertise: Public lands, national parks. David Brooks is responsible for public lands issues on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is dealing with several issues related to the federal lands in this Congress. Brook’s area of expertise is among committee chairman, Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s top priorities on the committee. The New Mexico Democrat has called public lands a vital national resource. “Our public lands provide us with many benefits, from domestic energy, recreational activities, hunting, and even the chance to get away from our busy lives,” Bingaman says on his Web site. “I support the protection of our valuable natural resources, including wildlife and plant life, and will continue to do all that I can to ensure these resources remain for future generations.” In the 106th Congress, Bingaman introduced and passed the Community Forest Restoration Act, legislation that provides $5 million annually to grant funding to his home state to work with the U.S. Forest Service to implement “responsible” forest thinning initiatives. In 2008, Bingaman and Sen. Pete Domenici, the ranking Republican on the committee and his New Mexico colleague, want to take that legislation to a much bigger level. The two senators, along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced a bill earlier this year that would focus on undertaking large-scale national forest restoration projects.

Personal: Born 04/21/1961 in Tucson, Ariz.

Education: B.S., University of Arizona, 1983. J.D., University of Arizona, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1989, staff counsel, Subc. on Energy and Environment, House Cmte. on Interior and Insular Affairs. 1989–1994, counsel, Subc. on Public Lands, National Parks and Forests, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 1995–present, Democratic senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

The legislation authorizes $40 million annually for landscape-scale forest restoration projects that cover 50,000 acres or more, according to a joint release by the senators. “This bill offers a unique approach to conducting comprehensive ecosystem restoration at a landscape scale,” Bingaman said. “We’re now spending billions of dollars a year trying to suppress wild land fires, and this bill will help us get a better handle on controlling those costs. It also will help to make the restoration economy a reality by encouraging the use of restoration byproducts. Healthier forest ecosystems and communities will result.” The bill is similar, but on a much larger scale than the Community Forest Restoration Act. Brooks also likely will be working on other wilderness designation bills in the West, legislation aimed at protecting areas from development and the oil and gas industry. The bills, as proposed, usually offset a designation of an area with allowing other areas to be sold off for development. Brooks is a veteran on the committee and has worked for 18 years handling federal land management issues.


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Michael Carr Counsel 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4103 [email protected]

Expertise: Coal use, carbon capture. Michael Carr, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee counsel, spent much of last year on issues related to the 2007 Energy Bill, which the committee says was a groundbreaking piece of legislation. The bill mandates an historic increase in fuel efficiency standards, boosts the use of home-grown biofuels, pushes economy-wide efficiency solutions and attempts to achieve greenhouse-gas emissions through innovative technologies. Carr specifically worked on provisions involving the fuel economy standards that bring passenger cars and light trucks to 35 mpg by model year 2020. He also worked on various issues related to coal and carbon capture and several technology initiatives in the legislation. Coal and carbon capturing refers to a new field of conservation technology intended to trap carbon dioxide emissions from large-scale sources, such as fossil fuel-burning power plants, and stores it safely underground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex., has said a package to further increase energy efficiency through tax incentives and conservation, which was defeated last year, will be on the agenda for 2008. “Clearly, we have a lot to get done this year on behalf of the country,” Bingaman said. “We made significant progress during the first session of the 110th Congress, and I have high hopes for this session as well.”

Personal: Born 1970 in Kettering, Ohio.

Education: B.A., political science, University of Colorado, 1993. J.D., certificate of specialization in environment and natural resources law, Lewis and Clark College, 1996.

Professional: 1996–1999, legislative assistant, Rep. David Skaggs, D-Colo. 1999–2002, attorneyadviser, Office of the Solicitor, Department of the Interior. 2002–2004, attorney, Heldman & Carr, LLP. 2004–present, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

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Carr also worked on coal-to-liquid fuel technology, the process of turning hard-rock coal into diesel fuel by heating the coal under extreme pressure to produce a gas and the removing unwanted elements like sulfur and carbon dioxide. The synthetic petroleum then needs to be refined into fuel. The Senate debated the issue last year but eventually rejected the proposal. In 2008, Carr also expects to work on some of the regulatory issues related to carbon capture technology along with finance issues regarding deploying clean energy technologies. He also said the committee will be laying the groundwork for their role in development of climate change legislation. An Ohio native, Carr has served with the committee since 2004. This is his second incarnation as a Hill staffer, having worked on the House side in the mid-1990s before leaving to work at the Department of Interior and later in private practice as an attorney.



Katherine Clay Professional Staff Member 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3357

As a Republican professional staffer on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Kathryn Clay helps develop legislation and policy positions for Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex., the committee’s ranking member on energy-related science and technology issues. Her issues range from climate change, biofuels, and advanced technology vehicles to energy research and development. In 2007, Clay handled biofuels issues during the development of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). She also helped with the America COMPETES Act of 2007, which President Bush signed into law in August. The Act supported doubling funding for basic research in the physical sciences and created new math and science education programs at the Department of Energy. This year, Clay has several topics on her agenda, including following through on the America Competes Act to ensure its implementation. She also plans to work on the Energy Workforce Bill, which deals with the concern that many Americans in the industry are growing older and fewer young people are entering the arena. “There’s a graying of the workforce and a shortage of young talent coming in,” Clay said. The Advanced Battery Initiative is also on Clay’s agenda this year. The goal of the initiative is to encourage a public/ private partnership with companies producing batteries for use in electric or hybrid vehicles to develop a manufacturing base in the United States. Much of the production now comes from China, Japan and Korea, Clay says.

Personal: Born 1969 in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Education: B.A., Kalamazoo College, 1990. M.S., electrical engineering, University of Michigan, 1995. Ph.D., applied physics, University of Michigan, 2004.

Professional: 1996, summer science fellow, Dept. of State, Office of Global Change. 1997–1998, fellow, American Assoc. for Advancement of Science, Sen. Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y. 2001, director of alternative technology policy, Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources. 2002–2003, independent energy and environmental consultant. 2003–2005, professional staff/chairman’s designee, Subc. on Energy, House Cmte. on Science. 2006–2007, adjunct professor, Center for Science and the Public Interest, Georgetown Univ. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.


In June 2007, Clay addressed the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration. Clay told the organization that science and technology sector in the United States has developed innovations that have improved our quality of life. Such improvements are critical to the nation’s strong economic growth, she said, according to a transcript by the group. Unfortunately, she added, other countries, like India and China, are now making an effort to improve their capabilities in this area. “We are concerned about this, it’s true,” she said, according to the transcript. “We want to ensure that the United States retains our competitive edge in hightechnology and innovation.” To that end, Clay said Domenici and other senators have worked for years to improve investment in scientific research and strengthen the nation’s innovation capacity.

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Michael Connor Democratic Counsel 312 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5479 [email protected]

Expertise: Water resource issues, Native American land and energy. Michael Connor’s job on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranges from water issues to Native American land and energy concerns. Connor has spent the last few years dealing with oversight of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which created the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs under the Department of Energy. The office is aimed at helping Indian tribes develop and manage their energy resources. The Energy Act also provides grants and loan guarantees to help tribes develop energy resources. Connor has also worked on passage of the Rural Water Supply Act, which approved the planning, designing and construction of rural water supply projects. On tap for Connor this year likely will be legislation being pushed by committee chairman Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex., to address the nation’s water needs by helping water managers gain access to better water-related data and to implement water conservation projects. Called the SECURE Water Act, the bill had a hearing in the committee in December and Bingaman says he hopes to schedule a vote on the legislation early this year. “Water has always been a priority in the West. But the stakes are higher now as the confluence of drought, climate change, population increases, and environmental needs are testing water managers in unprecedented ways,” Bingaman said in a news release. “Effectively addressing water issues requires a better understanding of this precious resource, and increasing the efficiency in which it’s used. This bill would provide water managers with important information, and resources to do the job,” he said.


Education:

Sen. Pete Domenici, a fellow New Mexico colleague and ranking Republican on the committee, is also a sponsor of the legislation.

B.S., chemical engineering, New Mexico State University, 1986. J.D., University of Colorado School of Law, 1993.

“The more we understand about water, the better we will be able to meet the increasingly difficult problems in ensuring its availability,” Domenici said in a statement.

Professional:

Bingaman complained this year that President Bush’s fiscal 2009 budget makes to drastic of cuts to programs for Native Americans, including slashing tribal water and waste water programs from $15 million in fiscal year 2008 to just $2 million in fiscal year 2009. The president’s budget, Bingaman said in a news release after the spending plan was released, proposes zero funding for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply project that had seen $246,000 in fiscal 2008 and none for the Jicarilla Apache Rural Water Project, which received about $1.5 million in fiscal 2008.

1986–1990, engineer, General Electric. 1990–1993, law school. 1993–1998, attorney advisor, Office of the Solicitor, Dept. of the Interior. 1998–1999, deputy director, Secretary of the Interior’s Indian Water Rights Office. 1999–2001, director, Secretary of the Interior’s Indian Water Rights Office. 2001–present, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

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Kellie A. Donnelly Republican Counsel 306 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9360 Fax: (202) 228-0541 [email protected]

Expertise: Renewable energy, electricity, hydropower, energy efficiency. Kellie A. Donnelly, Republican counsel to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is focusing on the implementation of both the 2005 and 2007 Energy Bill. Last year, Donnelly worked primarily on the legislation that lead to the enactment of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. She was responsible for several issues in that bill, notably energy efficiency, including the phase-out of incandescent lights, appliance standards, federal building standards, weather assistance, and grant programs, renewable energy sources and Smart Grid. “It is important now that Congress has taken action to step back and review what we have done and ensure the bills are being implemented properly,” Donnelly said. One issue Donnelly worked on that was not included in the final legislation was the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). Committee chair Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex., wanted a federal requirement that 15 percent of the nation’s energy come from a limited number of renewable energy sources by 2020. But Donnelly’s boss, ranking member Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex., opposed what he called a “one-size fits all mandate that is essentially an electricity tax for consumers.” Donnelly said Domenici believes such requirements are best left to the states, which “can carefully consider targets, timetables, and eligible resources based on what makes sense for that state.” Some 26 states and the District of Columbia already have similar standards.

Personal: Born 05/22/1969 in Fall River, Mass.

Education: B.A., College of the Holy Cross, 1991. J.D., Columbus School of Law, Catholic University, 1994.

Professional: 1994, legislative aide, Sen. John H. Chafee, R-R.I. 1995–1997, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 1997– 1998, legislative counsel, Fish and Wildlife Service Division, U.S. Department of the Interior. 1999–2003, attorney, Sullivan & Worcester, LLP (previously Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand). 2003– present, Republican counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

She said it was a hard-fought battle to keep the RPS out of the final bill. After the Senate received assurances that the standards would not be part of the energy package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi abruptly inserted the provision anyway. This prompted Domenici to pull his staff from negotiations. “The RPS almost took down the 2007 energy bill,” Donnelly said. “Only after the Senate removed it, and jettisoned an objectionable tax package, did the bill pass.” This year, Donnelly is focused on other issues, such as new ocean technology related to energy production. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has established a pilot program to create energy from ocean waves and is already working off the Washington coast. She further anticipates future oversight hearings to review competitive electricity markets as well as transmission issues such as the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors. She admits that being in the minority has been challenging. “We no longer control the agenda. That takes some time to get used to,” she said. Even though her boss, Domenici, is retiring at the end of the session—a retirement which she says is a “huge loss for New Mexico”—Donnelly hopes to stay on the committee. “I really enjoy energy policy and being a part of the Senate institution. There’s not another job like this.”


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Jonathan Epstein Professional Staff Member 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-3357 jonathan_epstein@energy. senate.gov

Expertise: Energy research and development, national competitiveness, nuclear energy. As the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s resident research and development expert, Jonathon Epstein works on energy and national security policy. He worked on the sweeping Energy Policy Acts of both 2005 and 2007, providing help thanks to his vast experience in the area from his past work with the Departments of Defense, Commerce and Energy. Epstein also can draw on his experiences working as a staff researcher at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory on nuclear materials and as a science adviser at the Department of Defense. He now works for committee chairman Jeff Bingaman, DN.Mex., yet also works closely with ranking member Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex. He calls himself a team player when it comes to what areas of interest he works on with the committee. “Whatever they give me, I kind of run with,” he said. In 2008, Epstein says he’ll be working on getting money for implementing parts of the America COMPETES Act, which President Bush signed into law in August.

Personal: Born 05/11/1957 in White Plains, N.Y.

Education: B.S., mechanical engineering, Colorado State University, 1980. Ph.D., engineering sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1983. J.D., University of Idaho, 2000. LL.M., securities and financial regulations, Georgetown University, 2003.

Professional: 1984–1987, engineering specialist, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. 1988–1990, assistant professor, Georgia Institute of Technology. 1990–1997, engineering specialist, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. 1994–1995, science fellow, Stanford University, Center for International Security and Arms Control. 1995–1997, science adviser, Office of the Secretary of Defense. 1999, policy analyst, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Export Administration. 2000–2007, legislative fellow, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex. 2007– present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

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Epstein was a key player in helping to develop the legislation that invests in math and science education and increases funding for scientific research and developing new technologies. But Bush’s 2009 proposed budget requests almost $1 billion less for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and the National Institute of Standards of Technology than the targets set in the legislation. A former professor, Epstein is particularly interested in developing renewable energy technology, and he is not a stranger to thinking outside the box. He said he is intrigued by battery storage technology and the potential of marine renewable energy, a technology that Europe has increasingly been exploring. Epstein’s work last year on the 2007 Energy Policy Act focused on renewable and energy storage. He has worked closely with the management of the Department of Energy, specifically with the department’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. In addition to working on funding for technology, Epstein also works on issues related to the overseas trade nuclear fuels, particularly enrichment of fuel. But with the 2008 presidential elections on the horizon, Epstein noted that the time the Senate has to work on his issues is waning. “It’s a short year so there is only so much you can do,” he said.



Deborah M. Estes Counsel 312 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4971 [email protected]

Expertise: Natural gas regulation, energy efficiency. Deborah Estes, an expert in the area of domestic natural gas for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, got a personal thanks in the Congressional Record from Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex., after the passage of the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007. Bingaman thanked Estes for her work on the energy efficiency provision of the bill. “Much has been said about the bill, and I am not going to debate the issues involved again today,” Bingaman said on the floor. “We spent 9 days debating the bill and filled many pages of the Congressional Record with that debate. But I would like to thank the many members of the Senate staff who have invested such long hours and enormous effort over the last couple of months to make this bill possible.” He called the work of Estes and others “absolutely invaluable.” The provision on energy efficiency promotes advanced lighting techniques, such as requiring all general-purpose lighting in federal buildings to be Energy Star rated or designated as efficient, while also expanding the types of incandescent reflector lamps covered by efficiency standards. It promotes high-efficiency vehicles, advanced batteries and energy storage, including through authorizing $60 million per year over the next five years for a research and development program on the use of light-weight materials in the construction of vehicles.

Personal: Born in Cleveland, Ohio.

Education:

The measure also authorizes loan guarantees for facilities to manufacture parts for fuel-efficient vehicles, including hybrids. And, of course, the cornerstone of the legislation is the new efficiency goal of reducing overall usage of gasoline 20 percent by 2017, 35 percent by 2025, and 45 percent by 2030.

B.A., English literature, Smith College. J.D., Georgetown University Law Center.

Estes is responsible for oversight and implementation of the energy bill, so the issues remain on her plate for 2008.

Professional:

Estes joined the committee in 2001 and is primarily responsible for legislation dealing with energy efficiency and natural gas, according to a biography for a conference she was part of in 2005, called the Energy 2050 Conference. Previously, Estes was the managing director of government relations for the American Gas Association and served in the Senate as a legislative assistant to Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark. She hails from Ohio.

1986–1991, legislative assistant, Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark. 1992–2001, managing director for government relations, American Gas Association. 2001–present, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.


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Sam E. Fowler Chief Counsel 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7571 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy legislation, parliamentary procedure. As chief counsel for Democrats for Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sam Fowler reviews all bills and amendments before they are considered by the committee, schedules legislation for consideration, and reviews committee reports on bills approved by the committee. He also reviews Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission nominations considered by the committee, advises the committee on parliamentary procedure, and provides legal advice on all issues within the panel’s jurisdiction. “The Energy and Natural Resources Committee is traditionally one of the most productive in the Senate,” Fowler said. The committee has jurisdiction over most public lands issues, ranging from national parks, monuments and forests to Western water issues and mining. The panel also has broad tentacles into all aspects of energy policy including electric utility regulation and energy research and development. The first session of the 110th session kept Fowler busy with six dozen bills and ten nominations reported by the committee, as well as with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The bill was enacted into law in December after months of effort. Key features of the law included an increase of fuel efficiency standards, a boost in home-grown biofuels, and economy-wide energy solutions to cut carbon emissions. Fowler admits the committee was not as successful moving its public lands bills last year as in previous years.


Education: B.S., University of New Hampshire, 1974. J.D., George Washington University, 1980.

Professional: 1974–1977, Botany Dept., Smithsonian Institution. 1978–1979, President’s Council on Environmental Quality. 1980–1985, associate, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Kampelman (Washington, D.C.). 1985–1990, counsel, Subc. on Energy and Environment, House Cmte. on Interior and Insular Affairs. 1991–1993, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 1993–1995, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 1995– present, Democratic chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

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“In the past, most land bills have been considered by unanimous consent. For the past year or so, there have been objections to passing them by unanimous consent,” he says. Without unanimous consent, consideration of the bills will require large blocks of the Senate’s busy floor schedule. Fowler says that Congress is interested in mining law reform this year. “Hard rock minerals, gold, silver, uranium, lead—are currently covered by the General Mining Law of 1872, which as the date suggests is rather antiquated,” he says. “There hasn’t been a consensus in Congress over how far to go in amending it.” Some of the controversy surrounds whether hardrock minerals should be subject to federal royalties, like oil and gas are, and whether the secretary of the interior should be able to veto mines for environmental reasons.



Frank Gladics Senior Professional Staff Member 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5861

Expertise: Forestry. As a senior Natural Resources staff member for the minority, Frank Gladics is charged with responsibility for a variety of issues related to public lands and forests. His expertise includes policies in wilderness, land exchanges, geothermal energy, and cellulosic biomass, as well as oversight of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for non-mineral issues. Over the years he has had a hand in several pieces of legislation that are now law, including the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004, the Northern Arizona Land Exchange and Verde Basin Partnership Act of 2005. Gladics also worked on both the 2005 and 2007 energy bills, focusing specifically on issues related to biomass and renewable grant programs. Also last year he worked on reauthorizing the 2000 Secure Rural Schools Self Determination Act, which was aimed at helping provide transitional assistance to rural counties that saw a declining amount of revenue from timber harvests on federal lands, according to the Forest Service. The reauthorization didn’t pass because of disagreements with the House. But, Gladics said, the bill will be back again this year. Also in 2008, Gladics said he expects to work on perennial funding issues related to land management concerns, longterm planning and forest fire programs. “They don’t get resolved. They get short-term fixes that you need to revisit,” Gladics says.

Education: B.S., forest management,, Utah State University, 1980. U.S. Forest Service Logging Engineering Program, 1983.

Professional: 1980–1987, U.S. Forest Service. 1987–1989, employee, Intermountain Forest Industries Association. 1989–1993, vice president for public timber, National Forests Products Assoc./American Forest & Paper Assoc. April 1993–Oct. 2000, President, Independent Forest Product Assoc. Oct. 2000–Jan. 2001, acting president, American Forest Resource Council. Jan. 2007–September 2007, principal employee, Gladics & Associates. 2007–present, senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.


The fire programs, for example, are consuming much of the agencies’ discretionary budgets, impacting other programs unrelated to fire. Indeed, Agriculture Department undersecretary Mark Reys testified before the committee last year that despite accomplishments in decreasing the number of dwellings and other structures destroyed by forest fires, fire expenditures topped $1.5 billion in 2006. The agency, he said in prepared testimony to the committee, has spent more than $1 billion on fire suppression in four of the last seven years. “Large fire costs are a persistent challenge for the agency and threaten to compromise the achievement levels of other critical mission areas,” Reys testified. Gladics adds that he expects to also work on concerns regarding wild horses and burrows on pubic lands, as well as the funding of other Forest Service and BLM projects. A member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee since 2001, Gladics spent seven years working for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska and Wyoming and 16 years working in the private sector for forest product associations before coming to Capitol Hill.

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Joshua Johnson Professional Staff Member Subcommittee on Water and Power 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5861

Expertise: Water recycling and desalination, CALFED BayDelta Program, insular affairs. Joshua Johnson’s job as the Republican staff expert on insular affairs is to work on water issues in the eight U.S.-affiliated island territories, specifically on developing clean water and water for energy. He joined the committee in 2005 and is charged with helping the Water and Power Subcommittee on legislation sent to that panel as well as on oversight duties of the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey. He moved chambers from his past work on the House Resources Subcommittee as staff director on the same subject. In 2008, Johnson said he plans to continue looking at research and development for desalinization in parts of the territories where freshwater is scarce. The U.S. Geological Survey says the process of desalination is being used more and more around the world to produce drinkable water where little is available. Johnson said he is looking at water recycling technologies and ways to further conserve and improve the efficient use of water. He also is focused on the protection of the nation’s water infrastructure—a pet issue of his boss, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex., whom Johnson describes as a key proponent of securing the nation’s water supply.

Personal: Born 1969 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Education: B.S., Univ. of Utah, 1993. M.S.C., London School of Economics, 1994.

Professional: 1995–1997, legislative assistant, Rep. James V. Hansen, R-Utah. 1997–2001, legislative staff assistant, Subc. on Water and Power, House Cmte. on Resources. 2001–2005, staff director, Subc. on Water and Power, House Cmte. on Resources. 2005–present, professional staff member, Subc. on Water and Power, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources/Sen. Pete Domenici, RN.Mex.

The committee has held hearings on legislation called the Science and Engineering to Comprehensively Understand and Responsibly Enhance Water Act (the SECURE Act). Domenici said at a hearing on the bill in December 2007 that understanding the difference between the water supply and energy security is “key to meeting our future energy needs.” “The Secure Water Act will give us a good start to understanding our water resources,” Domenici said. “Without significant technological advancements that allow us to better utilize, conserve, and produce additional water in a cost-effective manner, it is unclear how we will meet our important energy needs.” The SECURE Act includes provisions to gather data to analyze ways to boost efficient use of the nation’s water, which Domenici said is critical to ensuring the production of electricity, oil and gas production, as well as some renewable energy sources. Johnson said Domenici’s push for improving water infrastructure will move forward even though the senator is retiring at the end of the session. “His work will continue to influence a lot of decisions,” Johnson said.

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Matt Letourneau Communications Director 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4971 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. In the second half the 110th session, Matt Letourneau worked on issues related to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, a bill he referred to as “all consuming” last year. Key features of the law, which President Bush signed in December, included an increase of fuel efficiency standards, a boost in home-grown biofuels, and economy-wide energy solutions to cut carbon emissions. Letourneau said that many analysts expected a national Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to be included in the energy bill, but it was excluded after fierce opposition by his boss, ranking member Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex. Letourneau helped with the education of the bill and that provision. “There was a lot of work to be done from a PR standpoint to educate the public about why the RPS proposal would be bad policy,” he said. Although Letourneau said that RPS was “politically popular,” Domenici was opposed to the proposed 15 percent across-the-board standard. “It effectively would act like a tax increase, forcing consumers to pay more,” he said. Letourneau said the tax package that was added by the House of Representatives also was opposed by Domenici and became contentious, noting it was stripped out by one vote.

Personal: Born 06/1980 in Shrewsbury, Mass.

Education: B.A., Catholic University, 2002.

Professional: 2001–2002, intern, White House Senior Advisor’s Office. 2002–2003, legislative correspondent/clerk, Senate Judiciary Cmte. 2003–2007, deputy press secretary, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex. 2007–present, communications director, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Cmte.

For the most part, Letourneau’s work communicating with reporters, writing speeches and other documents, follows whatever the unpredictable itinerary of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This year, Letourneau said he expects his portfolio to include mining reform. The last time mining legislation has been renewed was 1872. Domenici supports updating the law in a balanced way that will address royalty issues while also ensuring the long survival of the mining industry. Domenici has continued to be a proponent of nuclear energy as a clean, environmentally safe form of power that does not require dependence on foreign nations. With his imminent retiring looming less than a year away, Letourneau expects to see Domenici continue to push for nuclear energy in the second session. Seven applications have been filed for new nuclear plants, the first in 29 years. “It’s a credit to Domenici’s efforts to make nuclear energy more feasible,” he said. “We call it the nuclear Renaissance,” he said. Domenici has announced he will retire at the end of 2008. He has served in the U.S. Senate for 35 years.


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Tom Lillie Professional Staff Member 317 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5161 [email protected]

Expertise: Natural resources, cultural resources, national parks. In the first session of the 110th Congress, Tom Lillie worked on a variety of National Park Service legislation including a bill to authorize the 10-year Centennial Challenge and a bill to permanently codify Preserve America and Save America’s Treasures Act. This year he continues to work on a full agenda of parks-related legislation. The Department of Interior 2009 budget request touted the proposal as one that “continues momentum” for President Bush’s “historic call last year for new public and private investment to strengthen and expand national park operations” including staffing, services and facilities as the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary approaches in 2016. Lillie said he sees troubles ahead for the budget request. “First lady Laura Bush and secretary of the interior Dirk Kempthorne have a genuine interest in preserving our nation’s National Parks,” Lillie said. “They have proposed an ambitious plan leading up the centennial of the National Park Service, but the $1 billion mandatory spending program they are asking for will be difficult for Congress to approve.” Lillie said the administration would authorize direct mandatory spending for 10 years, creating an entitlement of $1 billion dollars. “The direct mandatory spending issue is a problem,” he said.

Personal: Born in Breaux Bridge, La.

Education: B.S., wildlife management, University of Louisiana, 1976. Ph.D., medical entomology, University of Florida, 1985.

Professional: 1988–1991, chief, Environmental Planning, Space Systems Division (Los Angeles, Calif.) 1991–1995, program manager, Air Force Natural and Cultural Resources at the Pentagon. 1995–1998, chief, Combat Training Ranges Branch at the Pentagon. 1998–2003, military liaison, Dept. of the Interior. 2003–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

The sheer amount of bills that Lillie deals with is unusual for a hill staffer. Almost 300 bills are introduced each Congress dealing with national parks and related issues, and about 50 typically become law. The 110th Congress, he said, has been an exception. “We are on track as far as the number of bills is concerned, but only two have been enacted so far,” he said in March. One of those bills named a visitor center in Grand Teton National Park for the late Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., who died June 4 after a battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Until his death, Thomas was a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and was an advocate for Western values and National Parks. “He was a gentleman in every respect and working with him was an honor and a privilege,” Lillie said. Before going to the Hill, Lillie served as military liaison to the Department of the Interior, where he worked on intergovernmental coordination and negotiation between that department and the Department of Defense. Lillie enjoys hiking and camping and traveling to national parks to meet with constituents. He also enjoys home improvement projects and making furniture.

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Leon Lowery Democratic Professional Staff Member Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex. 312 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4103 [email protected]

Expertise: Electricity, renewable energy. Leon Lowery, the electricity expert for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is on the front lines in his boss committee chairman Jeff Bingaman’s quest to promote renewable energy resources. A professional staff member on the committee since 2001 who has more than 20 years energy experience under his belt both on the Hill and at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Lowery said Bingaman, D-N.Mex., is seriously committed to a portfolio standard and will pursue it until it gets done. “When you think about energy security and the dependence we have these days on foreign supplies of energy of all kinds—not just oil, natural gas increasingly, other forms of energy—maybe ethanol one day, with Brazil being a big exporter, reflect on the fact that domestic energy supplies cure that,” Lowery said at a in a panel discussion in July 2007 on renewable electricity. “And there is nothing that is more domestic than the sun that shines down on the ground that grows the crops, the wind that blows over it and the water that waters it. You can’t get more domestic than that. It represents a real step away from dependence on all kinds of foreign sources of energy and from dependence on fossil fuels to which, as the president acknowledges, we have become addicted.” “We clearly can improve energy security,” Lowery said.

Personal: Born 09/05/1946 in Arab, Ala.

Education: University of Tennessee.

Professional: 1988–1994, Environmental Action. 1994, Subc. on Energy and Power, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce. 1995–2001, senior policy analyst, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 2001–present, Democratic professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

Lowery has worked with Bingaman to advocate a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade bill, and also extensively worked on the 2005 Energy Policy Act as well as the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007. Both promoted the use of renewable energy resources and mandated improvements and increases to the nation’s consumption of domestic energy sources. Lowery said a study of a 10 percent renewable portfolio standard showed the price of natural gas would go down, a move he said during the panel discussion is a fair program and one that would work and have economic benefits. He also disputed comments last year from Southeastern utilities that their area doesn’t have sufficient renewable sources of power as called for by legislation to increase the domestic production by region. “In fact, they do,” Lowery told The Hill newspaper. Lowery has also been helping Bingaman advocate a greenhouse gases cap-and-trade bill. This bill would allow companies to buy and sell the right to produce greenhouse gases, which would encourage the companies that could cut down on greenhouse gas emissions more cheaply to do so first. “I think there is a sense of growing inevitability that there will be a cap and trade bill [passed in either this Congress or the next],” Lowery told a group of state regulatory utility commissioners in February of 2007.


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Frank Macchiarola

Expertise: Energy and public lands issues.

Phone: (202) 224-4971

As the staff director of the Republican side of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Frank Macchiarola manages a staff of about 20 people and remains the principal energy adviser for ranking member Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex.

frank_macchiarola@energy. senate.gov

In 2007, Macchiarola worked on the Energy Independence and Security Act, which President Bush signed in December and Domenici called an historic piece of legislation.

Minority Staff Director 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.

“There is no doubt that America must become less dependent on oil, particularly from foreign sources,” Domenici said in a statement in December. “By passing new, tough fuel economy standards as well as a renewable fuels standard, we will make major progress toward that goal.” This year, Macchiarola says he likely will be dealing with climate change legislation, which is expected to his the Senate floor. He also says a major item on the committee’s agenda will be working on reforming the nation’s mining laws, which haven’t been altered in 135 years. Domenici has said that issue is a complex one that will “require compromise and a great deal of hard work.” “Nevertheless, I am optimistic that we will be able to find a more balanced approach that will provide a fair return to taxpayers for the use of federal resources while ensuring that America has a robust mining industry,” Domenici said.

Education: B.A., College of the Holy Cross. J.D., New York University School of Law.

Professional: lawyer, private practice. 2004–2006, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 2006–present, Republican staff director, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

Macchiarola has three major objectives in reforming the bill, as laid out by Domenici, including: replacing the patenting system with a “more modern form of secure tenure”; imposing a prospective and profits-based royalty on mining; and establishing a reclamation fund to clean up abandoned mines that threaten the environment and public safety. Overall, Macchiarola says the transition to being in the minority has been smooth because the committee tries to work on a bipartisan basis. “Fortunately when we were in the majority we worked very closely with the minority,” Macchiarola says. “For the most part that stayed the same.” But he laments the coming retirement of Domenici, who Macchiarola says has had a long and accomplished career in the Senate. “I think my boss’ retirement will be a bog loss for the Senate and a big loss to the state of New Mexico.” Macchiarola worked in private practice as an attorney before joining the committee in 2004.

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Scott Miller Counsel 312 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4103 [email protected]

Expertise: Forest and public lands issues. Working on forest and public lands issues for the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources keeps Scott Miller engaged. “We’re always busy,” Miller, Democratic counsel for the panel, said. “There’s always more here than you can possibly do. If you’re not busy, you’re not taking advantage of the situation.” Last year Miller worked on significant wilderness and other federal land management policy. His issues range from federal land management and wildfire protection to invasive species and policies affecting off-road vehicles. In the first session, Miller worked toward reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, which was aimed at helping provide transitional assistance to rural counties that saw a declining amount of revenue from timber harvests on federal lands, according to the Forest Service. He will continue his work on this during the second session. Just as last session, Miller will continue his work on wildfire cost and policy in the second session. The fire programs are consuming a lot of the agencies’ discretionary budgets, impacting other programs unrelated to fire. According to the Department of the Interior, “an estimated 190 million acres of federal forests and rangelands in the U.S., an area twice the size of California, face high risk of catastrophic fires that could have severe impacts on people, communities, and natural resources. Years of natural fuels build-up, coupled with drought, insect and disease damage make our forests vulnerable to environmentally destructive fires.”

Personal: Born 04/13/1970 in Tarrytown, N.Y.

Education: B.S., Vanderbilt University, 1992. J.D., University of Colorado at Boulder, 1998.

Professional: 1998–2003, attorney, Office of the Solicitor, Dept. of the Interior. 2003–present, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

Miller expects hearings on wildfires and the forest service budget, as well as hearings on old-growth management, forest restoration, climate change and off road vehicles. Sens. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex., and Pete Domenici, R-N.Mex., chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Energy and Natural Resource Committee, along with a few other senators, introduced the Forest Landscape Restoration Act Feb. 5, 2008. “This bill offers a unique approach to conducting comprehensive ecosystem restoration at a landscape scale,” Bingaman said in a press release. “We’re now spending billions of dollars a year trying to suppress wildland fires, and this bill will help us get a better handle on controlling those costs.” Miller’s work affects expansive tracts of public land: 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, covering 193 million acres. The national forests welcome more than 200 million recreationists each year and provide opportunities for hunting, fishing, logging, mining, grazing, energy production, wilderness enjoyment, and other activities. Miller is no stranger to the government’s land holdings; he worked for more than four years in the Department of the Interior’s Solicitor’s Office before coming to the committee in 2003.


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Judy Pensabene Republican Chief Counsel 364 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4971 Fax: (202) 224-6163 [email protected]

Expertise: Electricity, oil and gas, nuclear energy, Senate procedure. Although Judy Pensebene admits that things were “a little bit different” with her party in the minority, the veteran Republican counsel for the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources maintained that both sides continue to work together. “The evidence of that is that we did another energy bill,” she said. During the first part of the 110th Congress, one of Pensabene’s main concerns was the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Passed in mid-December, the bill raised fuel economy standards for cars, trucks and SUVs, increases the renewable fuel standard to 22 billion gallons by 2022, and enacted efficiency standards for light bulbs. Last year Pensabene also worked on issues related to the American COMPETES Act, or the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act. The measure, Pensabene noted, enhanced math and science research within the Department of Energy as well as in other educational arenas. In 2008, Pensebene expects to see hearings on climate change, a priority issue of committee chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico. The hearings are expected to focus on different bills that a number of lawmakers, including Bingaman, have proposed. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee shares climate change jurisdiction with the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Personal: Born in Independence, Mo.

Education: B.A., political science, University of Missouri at Kansas City. J.D., University of Tulsa.

Professional: 1978–1990, lawyer, private practice (Tulsa, Okla.). 1990–1995, senior counsel, Senate Energy Cmte. 1995–2001, dir. of federal affairs, Constellation Energy Group. 2001–2002, vice president of federal affairs, Constellation Energy Group. 2003, deputy chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 2003–present, Republican chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

Pensebene said she also expects royalty management in the Interior Department to be an “ongoing issue.” The panel held a hearing in January to examine problems in the program, and Bingaman has said he expects further examinations. These issues have come up in government lease situations where private businesses have assumed responsibility for developing natural resources, such oil, gas, and coal, found on government owned land. Typically, private oil and gas corporations are often contractually obligated to pay the government a one-eighth royalty. “Most of oil and gas development is on federal lands. People don’t realize how much jurisdiction the committee has,” Pensebene said. “I don’t think we have a member of the Senate that doesn’t have a bill in here.” Pensabene rejoined the committee in 2002 after leaving the Constellation Energy Group, where she worked on federal affairs for eight years. She previously worked on the committee from 1990 to 1995 as counsel responsible for electricity, nuclear, environmental, research and development, and technology transfer issues. In addition to holding a bachelor’s degree and a law degree, she has done postgraduate work in economics and finance.

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Melissa Shute Minority Counsel 304 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Phone: (202) 224-7556 [email protected]

Melissa Shute started working for the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources toward the end of 2007 and dove into the panel’s meatiest piece of legislation: the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Key features of the law included an increase of fuel efficiency standards a boost in home-grown biofuels, and economy-wide energy solutions to cut carbon emissions. Committee leaders tout the new law, signed by President Bush in December, as making “a bold commitment to research, development and demonstration of new technologies that will cut greenhouse gas emissions.” The measure creates “green collar” jobs and, makes it “a national priority to train America’s workers for new jobs in emerging energy technology fields.” When Shute came on board, there were no oil and gas provisions in the Senate version of the bill. Shute helped negotiate these to reflect ranking Republican Sen. Pete Domenici’s, R-N.Mex., priorities. During the second half of the 110th Congress, Shute will be working a number of issues, including Strategic Petroleum Reserve and oil shale. There was a full committee oversight hearing on the petroleum reserve on February 26, and more discussion is expected on the issue this year. “We are focusing on ways to expand access to new domestic sources of production on the outer continental shelf and advance research and development of oil shale,” Shute said. The Republican staff has taken the position that as prices continue to rise and we ship nearly $400 billion annually overseas to import oil, it is essential that Congress reexamine domestic production policies.

Personal: Born 1975 in Fort Scott, Kans.

Education: B.S., kinesiology, University of Houston, 2002. J.D., University of Tulsa College of Law, 2005.

Professional: 2004, legal intern, U.S. Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2004– 2007, legislative assistant, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan. 2007–present, Republican counsel, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.


Domestic oil and natural gas production is a concern for Domenici, who has proclaimed that America’s future energy security “is tenuous because the U.S. continues to increase petroleum consumption while our domestic production is leveling off.” Before joining the energy committee, Shute was a legislative assistant to Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kans. While working for Roberts, she drafted legislation, subsequently enacted into law reauthorizing the Older Americans Act. The measure provides funding for state and community programs on aging. She also worked on a number of Superfund issues and bills. Said Shute of the ENR panel, “It was always a goal of mine to work on the committee.”

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Robert M. Simon Democratic Staff Director 360 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9201 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy policy, science, technology, economic development, federal agency management. Bob Simon, the staff director for the majority for the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the committee was “extremely busy” during the first session of the 110th Congress because of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. “We started writing the energy bill from scratch and passed it through the Senate before the July recess,” Simon says. “It took long hours to work out the changes.” The bill, which was passed mid-December 2007, raises fuel economy standards for cars, trucks and SUVs, increases the amount of renewable fuel in the U.S. gasoline supplies to 36 billion gallons in 2022, and enacted efficiency standards for light bulbs. This year, Simon wants to “make sure the bill we passed gets implemented properly.” Last year, an amendment containing a comprehensive energy tax package was voted down before the bill was passed. The tax package has been considered again this year by the Senate Finance Committee, and the House is expected to take it up in the spring. “We are working closely with them to make sure it goes with the energy policy,” Simon said. Also in 2008, Simon said he expects to work on renewable electricity legislation. The committee will continue to contribute to global warming policy, which Simon said is “virtually synonymous with energy policy.” According to official government energy statistics, about 98 percent of all domestic CO2 emissions come from energy production, distribution, or use.

Personal: Born 1956 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Education: B.S., chemistry, Ursinus College (Pa.), 1977. Ph.D., chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1982.

Professional: 1983–1985, staff officer, National Research Council, Board on Chemical Science and Technology. 1985–1987, senior staff officer and associate director, National Research Council, Board on Chemical Science and Technology. 1988–1989, staff director, National Research Council, Board on Chemical Science and Technology. 1988– 1989, expert, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. 1990–1992, executive director, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. 1991–1993, principal deputy director, U.S Dept. of Energy, Office of Energy Research. 1993–1997, science fellow, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources (on detail from Department of Energy). 1997–1998, science and technology adviser, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex. (on detail from Department of Energy). 1998–1999, policy analyst, Joint Economic Cmte. 1999–present, Democratic staff director, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

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The committee will also take a look at oil prices for consumers in the second session. Hearings are scheduled for another bill the panel is working on: the Forest Landscape Restoration Act, legislation that would restore forests and ecosystems primarily in the West. Simon anticipates that his boss, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, DN.Mex., will be active in the climate change discussion this session. After having been presented with a growing number of global warming bills in the Environment Committee that differed in many respects, Sens. Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and John Warner, R-Va., created a new bill that adopted elements from Bingaman’s original climate bill, as well as others that were referred to that committee. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee will also be looking at public lands issues in the second session. Simon hopes to make progress with forest issues. “There is a longstanding concern with the forest service not having resources to adequately put out fires,” Simon said. “[Fires] end up robbing long-term programs to meet short term problems.” Simon has undergraduate chemistry degree and a doctorate degree in chemistry. He worked at the National Research Council and at the Department of Energy before coming to the committee in 1993 as a science fellow.



Allen Stayman Democratic Professional Staff Member 212 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7865 [email protected]

Expertise: Insular affairs, energy conservation. With Democrat’s new control of the congressional agenda, Alan Stayman said he saw improved consideration for issues relating to the islands. Because the three senior territorial delegates in the House are Democrats and have ties to some Senate Democrats, Allen Stayman said the 110th Congress appeared to be more engaged on insular issues. Stayman assists committee chairman Jeff Bingaman, DN.Mex., with all matters related to eight U.S.-affiliated island areas: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. The committee monitors immigration and labor conditions in the Northern Mariana Islands, which were given temporary control of minimum wage and immigration upon becoming part of the United States in 1976. “Moving territorial legislation still requires broad consensus between the two parties, the House and Senate, and with the administration,” said Stayman. “Last year saw very good coordination and cooperation.” Last year legislation raising the national minimum wage was modified with respect to its application in the territories of American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. The U.S. minimum wage law signed by President Bush on May 25, 2007, will result in stepped increases in the Northern Marianas minimum wage to reach U.S. level by 2015. This year, the committee will be working on further legislative amendments regarding the territorial minimum wage.


Education: B.A., architecture, University of Washington, 1975. M.S., fisheries, University of Washington, 1982.

Professional: 1979–1980, intern and legislative assistant, Sen. Lowell Weicker, R-Conn. 1980–1982, master’s degree work. 1982–1984, field biologist, Washington state, Alaska. 1984– 1993, majority professional staff, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources. 1993–1999, deputy assistant secretary for territorial and international affairs, Dept. of the Interior. 1999–2001, director/special negotiator, Office of Compact Negotiations, Dept. of State. 2001–2003, senior executive for policy, Alliance to Save Energy. 2003–present, Democratic professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.


Legislation was introduced last year regarding nuclear compensation for the Marshall Islands. The bill was ready for markup until a new government was elected there. From 1946 to 1958, the United States tested 66 nuclear bombs in the Marshall Islands. During this time, the people of the islands petitioned the United Nations to force the United States to discontinue the tests or at least to protect the local populace more diligently. The resulting fallout from the bombs have caused many health problems, especially thyroid cancer, and forced the relocation of several communities native to the area. Stayman said the current compensation requests are modest in scope. In 2008, Stayman sees a possible markup of the RMI nuclear compensation bill. Also this year, Stayman will be working on the Compact of Free Association program assistance. A large garment industry there uses Asian workers, but evidence of worker abuse led the Executive Branch and Congress to urge reform several times. The Compact and CNMI bills passed the House this year and are ready for Senate floor action In 2008, Stayman will stay busy working on strategies to reduce the islands’ dependence on oil and reviewing of the Compact with the Republic of Palau. Stayman expects a hearing on Puerto Rico status if there’s House passage of a bill.

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Bill Wicker Democratic Communications Director Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.Mex. 364 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5243 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. In the first session of the 110th Congress, Bill Wicker said the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 “dominated” his year. Differences were hammered in the fall, it passed in December and President Bush signed it into law December 19, 2007. “We regard that as groundbreaking legislation that marks a seismic shift in American energy policy,” Wicker said. Key features of the law included an increase of fuel efficiency standards, a boost in home-grown biofuels, and economy-wide energy solutions to cut carbon emissions. According to the committee the law will “make a bold commitment to research, development and demonstration of new technologies that will cut greenhouse gas emissions” and create “green collar jobs,” making it “a national priority to train America’s workers for new jobs in emerging energy technology fields.” The other big bill that came out of the committee in the first half of the 110th was the America COMPETES Act, or the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act. The act supported doubling funding for basic research in physicals sciences, a move aimed at keeping the U.S. competitive in math, science and engineering. “We intend to address [in the second session] the crisis in science funding.” Wicker said. “We have an important job to do to try to fix these problems this fiscal year.”

Personal: Born 03/15/1955 in Marion, Ind.

Education: B.J., University of Texas at Austin, 1977. M.S., University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 1982.

Professional: 1977–1982, editor, Shell Oil Company. 1982–1983, ambassador of goodwill, Rotary Foundation Fellow. 1983–1984, communications consultant, Shell Oil Company. 1984–1994, Phillips Petroleum Company. 1994–2001, special assistant/ press secretary, Dept. of Energy. 2001– present, Democratic communications dir., Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources.

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has an aggressive agenda for the second session. Wicker, who serves as the panel’s communications director, is at the center of every issue. In the coming months Wicker expects the panel to play leading role in the upcoming floor debate on climate policy, noting that Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will likely bring legislation to the floor in early spring. Wicker also expects the committee to address high oil and gas prices, examine better economic incentives for energy policy, do oversight and explore emerging issues with electricity. The committee also will be paying attention to how energy issues are addressed in the Farm Bill. In addition, it is likely the committee will deal with mining law reform. Mining law has not been updated since 1872. Wicker also expects that the Forest Landscape Legislation will pass this session. There are also a several big, bipartisan packages of public lands bills, that Wicker says “deserve to be passed.” Wicker told the magazine EnergyBiz that since his party switched to the majority that what he does is still the same, “The difference now is that people actually care about what I have to say.” “I have the best job in the Senate. How many people genuinely look forward to coming in to work every day? I love the institution and am very appreciative of the opportunity to work in the public arena. It’s incredibly rewarding.”

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Committee on Environment and Public Works 410 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510-6175 Phone: (202) 224-6176 http://epw.senate.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 8/9/2 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Barbara Boxer, CA, Chairman

James M. Inhofe, OK, Ranking Member

Max Baucus, MT Thomas R. Carper, DE Hillary Rodham Clinton, NY Frank R. Lautenberg, NJ Benjamin L. Cardin, MD Amy Klobuchar, MN Sheldon Whitehouse, RI

John W. Warner, VA George V. Voinovich, OH Johnny Isakson, GA David Vitter, LA John Barrasso, WY Larry E. Craig, ID Lamar Alexander, TN Christopher S. Bond, MO

INDEPENDENT MEMBERS Joseph I. Lieberman, CT Bernie Sanders, VT


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SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Air pollution. Construction and maintenance of highways. Environmental aspects of outer continental shelf lands. Environmental effects of toxic substances, other than pesticides. Environmental policy. Environmental research and development. Fisheries and wildlife. Flood control and improvements of rivers and harbors, including environmental aspects of deepwater ports. (9) Noise pollution. (10) Nonmilitary environmental regulation and control of nuclear energy. (11) Ocean dumping. (12) Public buildings and improved grounds of the United States generally, including federal buildings in the District of Columbia. (13) Public works, bridges, and dams. (14) Regional economic development. (15) Solid waste disposal and recycling. (16) Water pollution. (17) Water resources. Such committee shall also study and review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to environmental protection and resource utilization and conservation, and report thereon from time to time.

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SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS It’s not often that the chairman of a Senate committee chokes up during the markup of a bill. But that’s exactly what happened on December 5, 2007, when the Environment and Public Works Committee voted 11 to 8 to send a global warming bill to the Senate floor. “I’ve been in elected life for 30 years and this is a moment I will never forget,” Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle applauded. “My whole political life, the environment has been my guiding star,” she said. This is something “I wanted to do for my kids and now my grandkids.” The bill, authored by Sens. Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Sen. John Warner, R-Va., would set mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions, using a cap and trade system to accomplish that. It would reduce carbon emissions to 2005 levels by 2012. And it would then cut them by 70 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. Boxer has said she hopes to bring a climate change bill to the floor this spring. She knows she needs 60 votes to overcome what is likely to be a filibuster, perhaps led by the panel’s ranking member, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., a staunch opponent of any mandatory emissions reduction legislation. “As we proceed, we must use the best science available, consider the costs associated with the policies we institute and constantly remind the bureaucracy that it is here to serve the people of this country, not rule over them,” Inhofe says on the opening message on the minority page’s Web site. Boxer has repeatedly said she will take climate change legislation as far as she can and wants a vote this year on the bill so voters going to the polls in November will know where their senators stand. While global warming has been the signature issue of the panel since Boxer took over in 2007, there were also a full slate of oversight and legislative hearings on such matters as water resources, clean air and water, infrastructure and transportation and endangered species. Boxer took on EPA administrator Stephen Johnson head on in 2007 over the issue of the agency’s failure to approve California’s emissions waiver as well as what she sees as a failure of the department to fulfill it’s mission. “Oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency is one of the committee’s most important responsibilities,” she says. “Our children and families deserve an EPA that works every day to clean up our air and water and keep us safe. I am committed to shining a spotlight on the actions of the EPA, and we will continue to press the agency to live up to its mission to protect our environment.” Despite the partisan divide over global warming, the panel came together in 2007 to pass the a major water project bill that led Congress to hand President Bush his first veto override. “The Water Resources Development Act we worked side by side to pass—over President Bush’s veto—puts the Gulf Coast on the path to recovery and is going to help ensure that America’s water infrastructure and flood control needs are met,” Boxer said. Going forward this year the committee will start laying the ground for the next major highway transportation bill, which is scheduled to be passed in 2009.


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Dan Barron Professional Staff Member 415 Senate Hart Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6176 Fax: (202) 224-2322 [email protected]

Expertise: Energy. Dan Barron transferred from the personal office of Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., to the staff of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in 2007, at the tail end of congressional consideration of the energy bill. He successfully worked to incorporate provisions the ranking Republicans wanted in the bill, including an amendment to encourage the use of geothermal heat pumps in federal buildings. Yet, in the end, Inhofe could not support a bill that contained a nearly five-fold expansion in the biofuels mandate. Despite passage of the energy bill, which President Bush signed into law in December, Barron said he believes energy issues will continue to be at the policy forefront during the second half of the 110th Congress. Looking ahead, Barron anticipates a thorough evaluation of the broader effects that a bipartisan global warming proposal by Sens. Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn., and John Warner, R-Va., would have on oil and gas exploration and production, and the petrochemical refining industries. “The Lieberman-Warner bill is not just a climate bill, it’s also an energy bill,” Barron said. “It’s much more expansive, with far greater repercussions on the energy sector, than the energy bill Congress just passed. How will this legislation affect our nation’s energy supplies and prices? Far too little attention has been given to this subject.”

Education: BBA, finance, Baylor University, 1994.

Professional: 1995–1997, legislative correspondent, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. 1997–2007, legislative assistant, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Environment and Public Works Cmte.

Barron said he will also continue to work with industry and agriculture on the measures needed to lessen what he believes are the negative ramifications of the greatly expanded Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), which sets minimum levels of renewable fuels in gasoline. “Before the president even signed the bill, I was already hearing from the bill’s proponents that the RFS provisions were just not workable or achievable,” Barron said. “My concern at this point is in what direction do fixes go and what else does it become a vehicle for? We could potentially end up with a product worse than current law.” A native Oklahoman, Dan Barron joined Senator Inhofe’s EPW Committee staff in November 2007 following 12 years of service working on energy, tax, Indian affairs, banking, and agriculture issues as both a legislative correspondent and legislative assistant in Inhofe’s personal office. While there, Barron was instrumental in the passage and enactment of the Mineral Leasing on Indian Lands in Oklahoma Act; the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Nations Claims Settlement Act; the American Indian Cultural Center Authorization Act; and Senate passage of the Code Talkers Recognition Act. Baron was also steeped in oil and gas tax matters, working to extend the temporary suspension of the net income limitation on percentage depletion allowance, to increase the price trigger limits on the marginal well tax credit, and to allow expensing of 3-D and 4-D seismic costs associated with oil and gas exploration.

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Annie Caputo Professional Staff Member 415 Senate Hart Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6176 Fax: (202) 224-5167

Expertise: Nuclear energy. Annie Caputo is the nuclear energy expert for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s Republican staff. Her portfolio ranges from issues surrounding the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal site in Nevada to oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to whether nuclear-related matters will be included in the global warming bill expected to be debated on the Senate floor this year. Caputo says that the committee’s ranking member, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., “feels very strongly about having a regulator that is tough but fair, objective but efficient.” And that’s what’s been discussed at a number of hearings the panel has had on NRC oversight. One of those was on Yucca Mountain. “Sen. Inhofe feels very strongly that we’re overdue in getting a nuclear waste repository in this country,” Caputo said. “That issue is particularly important now that the Department of Energy is finishing up work on a license application,” she added, an application that the agency may file this year. Caputo called the hearing on Yucca “a standoff. The Nevada senators testified in opposition,” while others said the project could be successful. Yucca Mountain supporters have a high hill to climb given that one of those Nevada senators is Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Education: BS, nuclear engineering, University of Wisconsin, 1996.

Professional: 1990–1991, ski instructor, Snowmass Ski Area. 1990, ski instructor, Aspen Highland Ski Area. 1991–1992, ski patroller, Buttermilk Ski Area. 1997–1998, engineer and executive assistant, Commonwealth Edison Company. 1998–2005, congressional affairs manager, Exelon Corporation. 2005–2006, Professional staff member, Subc. On Energy and Air Quality, House Energy and Commerce Cmte. 2007, principal, Nuclear Energy Strategies, LLC. 2007–present, professional staff member, Senate Environment and Public Works Cmte.

Inhofe has introduced a bill that would reconfigure the development of a nuclear waste repository so that a facility that is designed and built can take advantage of new technology and not be locked into only current standards. This staged development of repositories, Caputo said, has received much attention internationally. A hearing was also held in 2007 on the NRC’s new process for commercial power plant development. Caputo also staffed Inhofe when it came to his attempt to add nuclear energy-related amendments to the global warming bill. “Nuclear energy is the largest source of non-carbon emitting energy. And the Lieberman-Warner bill was silent on that,” she said, referring to the bipartisan climate change legislation put forward by Sens. Joseph Lieberman, IDConn., and John Warner, R-Va. At that bill’s committee markup in 2007 there was support for the increased use of nuclear power from senators on both sides of the aisle. It was evident from the markup that the issue will likely be the subject of debate and amendments if, as expected, the bill is brought to the Senate floor this year. Another priority of Inhofe’s is to ensure that if companies want to apply for a license for a new nuclear plant that the process is credible and applications can be approved in a reasonable time frame. Hearings are also expected this year on nuclear plant security both for large plants and for research reactors, smaller facilities usually located at universities.


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Alyson Cooke Majority Counsel Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 508 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8552 Fax: (202) 224-1273

Expertise: Children’s health issues, advocacy, outreach. Alyson Cooke’s job at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is to make sure that voices often not part of the debate on Capitol Hill are at the table. As majority counsel for the panel led by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Cooke answered the chairwoman’s charge that during the dozens of hearings held on global warming, there would be testimony groups like the evangelical community, which has broad interest both in the United States and overseas about what global warming means to low income people and their communities. “There’s a lot of research being done involving a lot of different groups who aren’t necessarily scientists,” said Cooke. “From the evangelical standpoint, they have a growing, a very strong interest in the issue of global warming, from an environmental standpoint and a social justice standpoint.” Such concerns also encompassed much of Cooke’s time last year when it came to the issue of environmental justice. Cooke organized a hearing that highlighted the disproportionate negative impacts of air and water pollution on low income and minority populations. The hearing led to legislation being drafted and introduced by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., early this year.


Education: B.A., political science, Washington University. J.D., University of Pennsylvania.

Professional: 1989–1991, legislative assistant, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del. 1991–1993, program officer, The Abell Foundation (Baltimore, Md.). 1993–1995, senior program officer, Chicago Community Trust. 1996–2000, vice president, James Lowry & Associates. 2001–2007, executive director, Children First Fund/Director External Resources, Chicago Public Schools. 2007–present, majority counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

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The Environmental Justice Renewal Act would, among other things, make sure that federal agencies are protecting low income and minority populations affected by such projects as Superfund clean-ups. One example of the need for such oversight, Cooke cited, was the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where children were going back to school buildings not properly cleaned of the toxics present after such a storm. The other part of Cooke’s portfolio involves the authorization of General Services Administration projects including the construction of new courthouses, the leasing of space for federal agencies and the naming of federal buildings. Cooke reviews the GSA project lists and acts as an advocate for senators in all 50 states to make sure the proposals merit funding and that all potential local issues involving such projects have been resolved. In 2007, Cooke said, there were 56 such GSA prospectuses projects reviewed by the committee—everything from the consolidation of FBI offices to work at the San Ysidro port of entry in California. Cooke worked on Capitol Hill for Sen. Joe Biden from 1989 to 1991 before moving back to her native Chicago to do outreach and grant making work for several community groups. She said she’s glad to be back in the Capitol region and when not at work she has rediscovered the East Coast, visiting as variety of historical spots, most especially the presidential homes of Monroe, Madison, and Jefferson.



Grant Cope Majority Counsel Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 456 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8832 Fax: (202) 224-1273

Expertise: Chemical regulation, toxic waste cleanup. Grant Cope has been fighting for environmental causes for a decade. But this year was the first time he was forced to pull back pieces of white adhesive tape from government documents so he could see why the Environmental Protection Agency denied a California waiver that would have allowed the Golden State and 19 others to institute stringent tailpipe emission restrictions. “It was truly a unique experience,” said Cope, a majority counsel for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said of the hours he and other committee aides spent examining redacted government documents under the watchful eye of EPA officials. Cope’s specialties on the panel are toxic waste cleanup and chemical regulation. He was also part of the team that has been providing Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., with the information she needs as committee chair to try and fight EPA’s denial of the auto emission waiver. Cope credits his bosses tenacity for a success he had last year when EPA was forced to reverse course and re-open libraries in more than 20 states that it had closed or was preparing the close. “These libraries serve the purpose of providing information to EPA staff, to local government, businesses, and local citizens involved in environmental issues,” Cope explains. “These libraries are there for everyone. They serve a vital purpose, not just a right to know aspect, but an essential part of what allows the EPA staff to protect the public health.”

Personal: Born 03/06/1970 in Indio, Calif.

Education: J.D., Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, 1998.

Professional: 1998–2002, staff attorney, U.S. Public Interest Research Group (Washington, D.C.) 2002–2004, attorney and equal justice works fellow, Earthjustice (state of Washington). 2005, toxics expert, Sierra Club. 2005–present, legislative assistant/ counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

Boxer and her colleagues wrote letter to the EPA leadership and it was discussed in budget hearings. In the end, there was language inserted in last year’s omnibus spending bill that directed the agency to reopen the closed libraries and come up with a plan for how to handle these facilities going forward. This year Cope has already gotten to work combing through the administration’s EPA budget request. “This administration has proven time and against that there’s very little that they won’t try and sneak past Congress,” Cope said. Another major area included in his mission is issues related to the cleanups of toxic waste sites. “There’s been a dramatic slowdown in the number of cleanups,” Cope said. The administration is asking for less money for cleaning up sites that have already been targeted and has also dragged its feet when it comes to listing new toxic waste sites in need of cleanup. During the Clinton administration, more than 80 cleanups were done a year. The Bush administration has averaged about half that many per year and the number continues to drop, Cope said. “That’s what we’ll highlight in the budget hearings,” Cope said. “We’ll certainly try to hold them accountable.” When Cope isn’t working on environmental issues he can be found in the shadow of the Capitol playing Ultimate Frisbee, something he learned while working for Earthjustice in the Seattle area.


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Kathy Dedrick Professional Staff Member 410 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8832 Fax: (202) 224-1273

Expertise: Transportation. For Kathy Dedrick, it’s satisfying to know that the work she does as a transportation specialist with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee translates into bridges and roads she can actually see. “I enjoy working on legislation where you can actually produce things you can look at,” said Dedrick, who joined the committee in 2007 after working on the House side for its transportation committee. Dedrick first got the politics bug in high school when she was a congressional page on Capitol Hill. She came back to Washington, D.C., after college to work for vice president Al Gore and then landed a job with her hometown congressman—Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. “That job involved transportation,” Dedrick said. “I liked it and stuck with it.” The work Dedrick does on transportation this year will be the lead up to the reauthorization of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users, which expires in 2009. Hearings have already started on that major transportation authorization measure. The committee will be reviewing and considering the recommendations of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, which has suggested that Congress should consider funding another revenue source other than gasoline taxes for the nation’s highway infrastructure.

Personal: Born 07/28/1975 in Newberg, Ore.

Education: B.A., political science, Willamette University (Oregon), 1997.

Professional: 1997–2001, legislative assistant, Vice President Al Gore. 2001–2006, legislative assistant, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. 2007– present, professional staff member, Senate Environment and Public Works Cmte.

“Right now we’re trying to figure out what kind of changes we might make,” Dedrick said. “We do know that we’re running out of funds.” In a way, the success of the other side of the EPW committee—the part that deals with the environment—has impacted the pubic works side, particularly transportation. As the American public has started conserving fuel more, buying hybrid vehicles that use less gas, the amount of money flowing into the highway trust fund has dwindled. “There’s a broad recognition that the desire to be more efficient in terms of gas is part of the equation,” Dedrick said, making it harder to use gas taxes as a long term solution. The other hat Dedrick wears is as a staff member on the nuclear issue. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission falls under EPW’s jurisdiction. Dedrick said her main focus in that arena this year will be on oversight of such issues as reactor safety and the perennial issue of the disposal of nuclear waste. And that means Yucca Mountain. The Department of Energy may submit an application this year to construct a nuclear waste disposal facility at Yucca in Nevada and the NRC is the approving agency for such an application. The committee has already held a hearing on this issue and more could be held if the application goes through.

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Matt Dempsey Republican Press Secretary 456 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6176 Fax: (202) 224-5167 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. As Republican press secretary for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Matthew Dempsey saw the potential of using the Internet for communicating his boss’s message and ran with it. Dempsey and Marc Morano, minority EPW communications director, have created an award-winning online communications office built to provide greater access to the public and the press featuring ranking member Sen. James Inhofe’s, R-Okla., work on the panel. The EPW Web site was redesigned in 2006 and features quick access to audio clips and video clips. In addition, the Inhofe portion of the new Web site has the first of its kind Senate committee blog that focuses on the hot button committee issues of the day. The impact of the Web site was felt almost immediately. In January 2007, The Wall Street Journal wrote a piece on the blog with the headline: “Senator Inhofe Joins the Pajama Pundits.” The article said: “His media team is somewhat notorious in Washington for their ‘facts of the day’ and ‘weekly closer’ e-mails that attempt to get out another side of the story. And their new blog is already making waves, not to mention causing some congressional tech malfunctioning.” That malfunction was a complete shutdown of the Senate server because of overwhelming traffic on the blog. In January, the Inhofe portion of the EPW Web site received recognition by the congressional Management Foundation for being “among the best-of-the-best on Capitol Hill.”

Personal: Born 07/27/1978 in Denver, Colo.

Education: B.A., history and political science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2001.

Professional: 2001–2002, organizational director, Wayne Allard for Senate Campaign. 2003–2004, staff assistant, Senate Environment and Public Works Cmte. 2004–2006, deputy press secretary, Senate Environment and Public Works Cmte. 2006–present, Republican press secretary, Senate Environment and Public Works Cmte.

The 2007 Gold Mouse Report and Awards are part of the “Connecting to Congress” research project, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. It became part of a multi-university study of how members of Congress can use the Internet to improve communications with their constituents and to promote greater participation in the legislative process. “Senator Inhofe’s committee Web site shows that he understands the value of creating a virtual office to reach specific audiences who have come to expect having their needs met online,” said Beverly Bell, CMF’s executive director. Looking forward, Dempsey will be providing information on the site on the planning for the highway bill reauthorization in 2009 and the possible Senate floor debate on global warming legislation. Dempsey foresees the Inhofe EPW Web site will be the go-to place for the public and the media looking to get up to the minute information on these issues. Away from his job, Dempsey enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife and baby daughter. The Dempsey family, which hails from Colorado, is anxious not only to see their 8-month-old daughter walk soon, but to see her on the ski slopes of Colorado.


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MaryAnne D. Dunlap Professional Staff Member Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. 415 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6168 Fax: (202) 224-2322 [email protected]

Expertise: Chemical regulation, Endangered Species Act, risk assessment. Most people probably think that asbestos is a dead issue. But as a Republican professional staff member on the Environment and Public Works Committee, MaryAnne Dunlap has worked on the bill that would ban the last vestiges of the dangerous substance from commerce use. “Most forms of asbestos have been effectively banned,” said Dunlap. The Senate unanimously passed a bill to close that loophole of regulation and the committee is waiting to see if the House will also pass a bill on the subject. Another substance that has gotten increased interest lately is lead, particularly since the recall of toys made in China that were found to have been made with lead-based paint. The committee held a hearing where there was some good news, Dunlap said. Lead levels in children are dramatically down. She maintained that the hearing did not reveal the need for any new legislation. The EPA this year is issuing a regulation that addresses so-called legacy paint—this is paint evident in residential renovations of building built back in the 1970s, when lead was routinely used. Another part of Dunlap’s portfolio is endangered species. This year she’ll be looking at the current listings, a kind of status review of the different species already on the list as well as reviewing any new entries that might be need. The committee has already held a hearing on the threats to the polar bear.

Personal: Born 02/27/1970 in Richmond, Va.

Education: B.A., American government, University of Virginia, 1992. M.A., public policy, Georgetown University, 1997.

Professional: 1991, intern, Rep. Tom Bliley, R-Va. 1992– 1995, congressional relations associate, Environmental Industry Associations (Washington, D.C.). 1995–2004, dir. of government and public affairs, Uniform and Textile Service Association (Arlington, Va.). 2004–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

Dunlap’s boss, ranking member Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., would like to see more time spent reviewing the Endangered Special Act. During his last year as chairman of the committee, Dunlap said, he tried to get a consensus to rewrite the Act but was unable to. “As a general matter we believe that the Endanger Species Act has a lot of perverse incentives for landowners.” Dunlap said that as a general rule landowners are “terrified” to find a rare species on their land because they are worried that will lead to them not being able to work the portion of their land where the species has been found. Dunlap expects that going forward there will be some discussion about the regulation of chemical plants and chemical security. Here, Dunlap said, it would make sense for Congress to let the chemical security regulation that was just put in place in January be in effect for a while before rushing in to consider legislation. “The senator is concerned about undercutting the current effort,” Dunlap said. Inhofe has always been concerned, she added, that under the guise of chemical security, that chemicals manufacturers will be forced to change the chemicals they use. She also expects some time to be spent on wastewater and drinking water security this year.

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Angelina Giancarlo Professional Staff Member Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. 410 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6176 Fax: (202) 224-5167 [email protected]

Expertise: Water Resources Development Act, environmental aspects of transportation legislation, Economic Development Act. As a member of the Republican staff of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Angie Giancarlo spent much for 2007 on the enactment of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Giancarlo was part of the team that helped WRDA became law in November when both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly and in a bipartisan manner to override the President Bush’s veto, the first time in his presidency that Congress insisted that a bill be made law over the president’s objection. Since graduating from George Washington University in 1999, Giancarlo has immersed herself in dealing with environmental issues. She has been with the EPW consistently, except for a brief stint as a special assistant in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation, which is considered to be the focal point for the regulatory analyses, policy development, and economic analyses necessary to support EPA’s regulatory development process. The EPW Committee has oversight over the U.S. Corps of Engineers’s Civil Works program, which is modified by Congress through WRDA. The program includes the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of water resources projects. These projects are designed to address the nation’s flood damage reduction, hurricane and storm damage reduction, navigation, ecosystem restoration, hydroelectric power, recreation, and other various water resources needs.

Education: B.A., George Washington University, 1999.

Professional: 1999, staff asst., Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 1999– 2000, legislative corresp., Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2000–2001, researcher, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2001, special asst., Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation, Environmental Protection Agency. 2001–2002, legislative asst., Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2002–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

Congress typically reauthorizes this bill, which affects projects throughout the nation, every two years. But lawmakers had not passed a WRDA bill since 2000. Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla., the ranking Republican on the committee, made enactment of WRDA a top priority in 2004 when he chaired EPW, and advanced the bill through the legislative process further each year, culminating in enactment last year. Inhofe has said he plans to work on another WRDA in 2008, in an effort to resume the traditional biennial schedule. Giancarlo anticipates working on this bill this year, as well as conducting oversight of the implementation of WRDA 2007. Giancarlo was involved in the negotiations for the planning and environment provisions of the federal transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU (the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users), which was signed into law by the president on August 10, 2005. This year Giancarlo plans to review the implementation of the changes included in that law with an eye towards any statutory changes that may be necessary in the next transportation bill, due to be completed in 2009. In 2004, she worked toward passage of a measure to reauthorize the Economic Development Administration. The bipartisan bill was signed into law in late 2004. As it was a five year reauthorization, Giancarlo anticipates working on another reauthorization bill this year.


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Kate Gilman Press Secretary 410 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8832 Fax: (202) 224-1273

Expertise: Strategic communications, message development, media relations. One week Kate Gilman is explaining the ins and outs of an historic global warming bill. The next she’s handing out information on polar bears. As press secretary for the Environment and Public Works Committee, Gilman has moved from the House Small Business Committee to a panel that’s front and center of a major issue facing the nation and the world. After five years in the House, where she had some exposure to environmental issues in Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s D-N.Y., office, Gilman saw a posting for the press secretary’s job and jumped at it. She’s also had some experience with energy security issues while working for Velasquez and that helped prepare her for her new assignment. “I’m a point person of contact for reporters,” said Gilman who turns to communications director Peter Rafle for the technical expertise that he has brought to the communications shop. Gilman also finds herself dealing with a range of reporters—from trade press seeped in the details of a water resources bill to California reporters following the leadership of chairman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., to national reporters. “The committee is so relevant right now with so much focus on the environment and global warming that it’s very exciting to be here,” she says. The wide jurisdiction of Boxer’s committee means Gilman needs to bone on up issues ranging from clean air to clean water to transportation.

Personal: Born 01/16/1979 in Canandaigua, N.Y.

Education: B.A., public relations, Pennsylvania State University, 2001.

Professional: 2000–2001, assistant to director of marketing, WPSU, WPSX-TV (public television, State College, Pa.). 2001–2003, public relations assistant, Association of Blood Banks (Bethesda, Md.). 2003–2004, deputy press secretary, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, House Small Business Cmte. 2004–2007, press secretary, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, House Small Business Cmte. 2007–present, press secretary, Senate Environment and Public Works Cmte.

Gilman got the bug to go into communications while at Penn State University. “In college I realized I really enjoyed working with people and enjoyed writing and journalism,” Gilman said. Add to that growing up in a family where her dad talked a lot about politics and going to Capitol Hill was a natural. “I’ve always admired people who work in public service. I interned at Voice of America and fell in love with Washington, D.C.,” she said. Gilman said she couldn’t predict what she’ll be asked to explain to the press next. She says she likes working in the Senate where she can concentrate on 100 members rather than the 435 in the House. She’s gone from focusing on what’s important to one district in New York to the needs of the state of California and the whole country in the case of this committee. When she’s not working, Gilman spends time exploring Washington, D.C.’s restaurants and new places to go hiking and continue her love for cross-country running. “What I love about D.C. is how much opportunity there is here, how much diversity. There’s just a great energy here from people from all over the world.”

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Kenneth J. Kopocis Deputy Staff Director for Infrastructure Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Phone: (202) 224-8832 Fax: (202) 224-5167

Expertise: Water resources, environmental issues, transportation. When Kenneth Kopocis had to lead the negotiations for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in the conference on landmark water legislation in 2007, it came in handy that he had helped to write the House version of the same bill. As one of two deputy staff directors for the committee, Kopocis not only emerged from conference will a Water Resources Development Act that the House and Senate approved but one that lawmakers supported so much they were willing to subject President Bush to his first override. Kopocis’ vast knowledge of the workings on Congress was evidenced by the fact that he knew the WRDA override was the 107th in congressional history. Kopocis served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure for more than 20 years before moving over to the other side of the Capitol. This year, Kopocis will direct the oversight of WRDA, which contained some provisions that will fundamentally change how the Army Corps of Engineers does business. “These are the most significant reforms since Congress imposed cost sharings on programs in 1986,” Kopocis said. Those changes include establishment of an independent review of large or controversial Corps projects. And the agency will be required to revise the guidelines they use to select and evaluate projects, including ensuring that greater consideration is given to the environmental impact of their undertakings.

Personal: Born 06/14/1955 in Omaha, Nebr.

Education: B.S., University of Nebraska, 1977. J.D., College of William and Mary, 1980.

Professional: 1980–1981, law clerk, 19th Circuit Court of Virginia. 1981–1983, attorney, Rees Broome and Diaz (Va.). 1983–1984, attorney, General Services Administration. 1984–1985, attorney, General Accounting Office. 1985–1994, counsel, Subc. on Water Resources and Environment, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1995–2006, Democratic staff dir. and senior counsel, Subc. on Water Resources and Environment, House Cmte. on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2006–present, deputy staff director for infrastructure, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.


“We want to make sure we value not only the economic value but environment and ecosystem impacts as well,” Kopocis said. Moving to the House has enabled Kopocis to broaden his portfolio. The next highway-transportation bill, a massive multi-year effort expires at the end of 2009 and this will be a key planning and development year for that legislation. The committee is in the process of holding hearings and doing the fact-finding necessary for that bill, legislation that will also be subjected to a rigorous look at how future highway projects should be funded. Kopocis will continue trying to move the National Invasive Species Act, which would help curb the introduction of non-native species into U.S. waters through shipping, specifically through ballast water. After a year on the other side of the Capitol, Kopocis said while the basic work is pretty much the same there is a difference in culture between the two bodies. “The House is an organization that has a lot more members and is designed much more for majority rule,” Kopocis observed. “The Senate has far fewer members and it’s based more on developing consensus. All those years I’ve watched the Senate. Now that I’m over here I have a better understanding of how it works.”

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Marc Morano Communications Director Ranking Republican James M. Inhofe, R-Okla. 410 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5762 Fax: (202) 224-5167

Expertise: Communications, media outreach. As communications director for the Republican Environment and Public Works committee staff, Marc Morano promotes ranking member James Inhofe’s, R-Okla., agenda of wanting to make environmental progress using the best science available and being vigilant of the costs associated with such policies. Morano joined the panel in 2006 after a decade and a half as a working journalist, documentary maker, radio talk show host and national television correspondent. He has spent years researching environment and climate change related issues and traveled to Greenland in 2007 and also attended past United Nation’s conferences held in South Africa, Argentina, Kenya, and Indonesia. Morano and press secretary Matthew Dempsey have used an award-winning redesigned Web site and high profile EPW Press Blog to help disseminate Inhofe’s policy messages. The impact of the blog was seen in 2007 when tens of thousands of Internet users per hour clicked on it and it led to an historic shutdown of the Senate Web server. The blog quickly developed into a watchdog on the news media, providing an ombudsman of the fourth estate on environmental reporting. The Inhofe EPW Press team also pioneered a committee online “war room” to serve as a rapid response team to counter misinformation and created the Inhofe YouTube channel as well as Inhofe podcasts. During 2007, Morano’s job was to communicate the bipartisan success of passing the Water Resources Development Act and sustaining a presidential veto.

Personal: Born 1968 in D.C.

Education: B.A., political science, George Mason University.

Professional: 1991, campaign manager, Virginia Senate candidate. 1992–1996, correspondent/ producer, Nationally syndicated program, “Rush Limbaugh, The Television Show.” 1997–2001, investigative reporter/ documentary producer, nationally syndicated. 2001–2006, investigative reporter, Cybercast News Service. 2006–present, communications director, Republican staff, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

The press team also promoted their boss’s successful inclusion in the energy bill of a provision to incorporate the use of geothermal heat pumps in federal buildings. Inhofe had hoped to also include in that measure his Gas Price Act, which, he said, would have reduced dependency on foreign oil and promoted new energy technologies. The minority staff also engaged in a vigorous battle to oppose global warming cap-and-trade climate bill that the committee voted to send to the Senate floor late last year. Inhofe believes that measure, if passed, would establish a new federal bureaucracy and raise energy prices while doing nothing to benefit the climate. The minority staff of the EPW Committee also released a December 20, 2007, report titled “Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007,” which they hoped would serve to get out their side of the climate change story. Going forward, Morano and his press team will do their part to help Inhofe defeat the global warming bill, which is expected to be debated on the Senate floor this spring. They’ll also be getting the word out on the committee’s oversight projects and on the planning stages of the highway bill reauthorization, scheduled for 2009.

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James O’Keeffe Senior Economist Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla. 415 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6176 Fax: (202) 224-2322

Expertise: Transportation, budget issues. When Republican staff members on the Senate Environment and Public Works committee has a budget question, senior economist James O’Keeffe is the guy they go to. Part of O’Keeffe’s responsibility on the panel last year was to keep an eye on the Department of Transportation to make sure the agency followed Congress’s intentions when it came to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users, also known as SAFETEA-LU. The staff tried to get a technical corrections bill through Congress to fix what O’Keeffe said were genuine mistakes that meant certain projects included in the massive highway bill would not move forward. But as negotiations moved along on that bill—usually something that’s fairly routine—several Senate holds were placed on the bill. So what that means, O’Keeffe said, is that money is sitting around that cannot be spent. Even as O’Keeffe would like to see such technical corrections made in the 2005 highway bill, he and the staff are beginning to hold hearings on the next transportation bill, due to be draftee and passed in 2009. The decisions to be made regarding that measure go beyond which projects to fund.

Personal: Born 07/17/1972 in Rye, N.Y.

Education: B.A., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1995. M.P.P., Georgetown University, 1998.

Professional: 1997–1998, project asst., The World Bank. 1998–2000, transportation budget analyst, Congressional Budget Office. 2001–2003, senior analyst for transportation, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 2003–present, senior economist, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

“The Highway Trust Fund is facing insolvency,” O’Keeffe said. “So we’re going to have to figure out what to do. We have an enormous backlog of needs and how we address those needs and how we pay for them are going to be very challenging.” O’Keeffe is also in charge of vetting executive branch nominees. Going into 2008 there were 10 nominees who had been approved by the full panel but were awaiting action by the full Senate. Those included candidates for the Tennessee Valley Authority, the EPA, the Chemical Safety board and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Last year, O’Keefe also added the General Services Administration and many of the Fish and Wildlife Services activities to his portfolio. He’ll be responsible for examining the prospectuses GSA files for leases, renovations and construction of federal facilities all across the country. O’Keefee lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Deanna and their baby daughter, Fiona.


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Erik D. Olson Deputy Staff Director and General Counsel Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 456 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8832

Expertise: Children’s health, drinking water, air and water pollution, climate change, legal and constitutional issues, toxic chemicals. Erik Olson spent decades working with environmental groups on air quality, food quality, drinking water, toxics and children’s health. Now as one of two deputy staff directors for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he’s working to help advance those causes in legislation and through oversight. “It gives you a different perspective when you’re working on the Hill for a chairman than you would trying to influence what was happening from the nonprofit sector,” Olson said. “Obviously there are a lot of players out there from the advocacy community and the corporate sector. What we have to do is talk to people from all different perspectives and try to move legislation and focus on issues that are most important.” Olson is one of a group of staffers who moved from the interest group world to Capitol Hill when Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., took over as chair of the committee in 2007. His portfolio included work as a litigator and advocate before Congress for the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council. He also knows his way around the executive branch, having started his government career as a lawyer with EPA’s Office of General Counsel. Part of Olson’s responsibility is to look at the bills that come under the panel’s jurisdiction and advise Boxer.


Education: A.B., Columbia College, Columbia University, 1981. J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 1984.

Professional: 1984–1986, attorney, Office of General Counsel, Environmental Protection Agency. 1986–1991, counsel, National Wildlife Federation. 1991–2006, senior attorney, director of Public Health Program, and director of the Advocacy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council. 2006–present, deputy staff director and general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

“All that will funnel through the chairman and she’ll make decisions on what she thinks is important in consultation with the subcommittee chairs,” he said. Olson’s interest in the environment dates back to his junior high school days. He remembers such incidents at the Lake Michigan fire in the mid-1980s when hundreds of thousands of alewives washed up on shore. He remembers the first Earth Day in 1970. In 2007, Olson was part of the staff team that worked on reporting an historic global warming bill out of committee at year’s end. “Getting the global warming bill reported out of committee was a huge step for the chairman and clearly was something that she set out as a goal to move last year,” Olson said. Going forward, there will be plenty of work on that front if, as expected, the bill is brought to the Senate floor in the spring. But Olson also pointed out that the committee was involved in a myriad of other matters last year and will be this year as well. Out of more than 50 hearings the panel held, about half were not on global warming. Another of Boxer’s goals was to bring a sense of bipartisanship to the committee and that was evidenced, Olson said, in the deal struck between Sens. John Warner, R-Va., and Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., on the climate change bill that was marked up by the panel.

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Bettina Poirier Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 456 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8832 Fax: (202) 224-5167

Expertise: Environmental law, global warming, toxics, water. Bettina Poirier made history by being named the first woman staff director of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. And her boss, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., is working to shepherd the most far-reaching climate change bill ever through the United State Senate. As staff director, Poirier is the eyes and ears of Boxer. She rides herd over a staff of environment and public works professionals and it’s her job to make sure that the chairman’s wishes are carries out. Poirier echoed the realism of Boxer when talking about the prospects for a climate change bill or other environmentally friendly measures passing this year with a slim Democratic majority in the Senate. “Even if we don’t have the working majority to get all our goals through the Congress and signed by the president, the first steps are bringing issues to light, getting information to the public and making sure things happen in the light of day, not behind the scenes,” Poirier said. This year will be the test of whether Boxer can marshal the support she needs to keep the climate change bill intact and get it voted on. Like her chairman, Poirier is taking the long view.

Education: B.A., Columbia University, 1983. J.D., New York University, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1992, environmental associate, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. 1992–2001, deputy assistant general counsel for pollution control, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2001–2002, legislative assistant for environment and agriculture, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 2003–2005, minority counsel, House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce, Ranking Member John Dingell, D-Mich. 2005–2007, senior counsel, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 2007–present, majority staff director and chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

“You can’t get everything done as you start a journey like this. We’re working on a getting things done like WRDA [the Water Resources Development Act], building environmental protections and renewable fuels issues. At the same time we’re laying the groundwork for what’s coming down the road in the future,” she said. While global warming overshadowed the committee’s work last year, it was only one of a large array of matters the panel dealt with. And that included passing WRDA and making it the first time Congress rejected a President Bush veto. Poirier will continue to work with the chairman to get California’s emissions waiver approved by the EPA. She noted that all three presidential hopefuls early in the year expressed support not only for the kind of cap and trade approach the climate change bill includes, but the waiver as well. That bodes well for their success in the long run. Boxer inherited a committee with strong partisan divisions. Poirier said one of the goals was to bring some bipartisanship to the panel and Boxer engineered that through the very organization of the panel’s subcommittees. “She set up the special subcommittee [on climate change] with Sen. [Joe] Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Sen. [John] Warner, R-Va., together. It was a circumstance where they could work in collaboration and build a foundation for making bipartisan progress on the issue,” Poirier said. What emerged was a breakthrough on the issue when the two drafted a bill together that was marked up and sent to the Senate floor at year’s end.


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Peter Rafle Communications Director Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 456 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8832 Fax: (202) 224-1273

Expertise: Strategic communications, message development, media relations. Pete Rafle never figured when he went to work on Capitol Hill that he’d end up traveling to Greenland and Bali. But the Environment and Public Works Committee communications director went to both places as part of a groundbreaking year when it came to global warming legislation. Rafle staffed EPW committee chair Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., in Greenland, bringing back breathtaking pictures he had taken as part of that climate change fact-finding trip. And he was in Bali during an historic international conference on climate change. “There’s no substitute for seeing what the melting ice cap of Greenland looks like or being in the middle of the international debate over what to do about global warming on a planetary scale,” Rafle said. Not only were those trips eye opening, Rafle said they also made it possible for him to be more effective “in helping the press and the public understand what’s at sake in the issues we’re dealing with in the committee.” Until joining the panel in early 2007, Rafle had spent most of his career in the nonprofit, public relations and advertising arenas, but always focusing on environmental issues. Beyond global warming, Rafle was on hand to manage the communication of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, the first President Bush veto that Congress has overridden.

Personal: Born 01/22/1966 in Palo Alto, Calif.

Education: B.A., English, Yale University, 1988.

Professional: 1988–1992, senior editor, WNET/Thirteen (public television, New York). 1992–1999, communications director, Trout Unlimited. 1999–2001, senior account executive, DDB Worldwide Communications, Issues & Advocacy Groups. 2001–2007, senior director, advocacy communications, The Wilderness Society. 2007–present, communications director, Environment and Public Works Cmte.

Rafle has had to deal with press all over the country and the world, including at the numerous field hearings Boxer has held, such as one in California on the matter of that state’s emissions waiver application that EPA turned down. The committee also held a hearing in New Orleans so lawmakers could see first hand what people in the Gulf were dealing with in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Going forward, Rafle expects to still be involved in communicating the details of the global warming bill if, as expected, the debate reaches the Senate floor in the spring. As the chief spokesman for the committee, Rafle is dealing with experienced and not so experienced reporters on the complex issues the committee tackles. “I always felt one of my strengths was as a translator of complex issues,” Rafle says, and he relishes the role of helping reporters and their readers understand the nuances of the committee’s work. In addition to the global warming bill, a major transportation bill that the panel will be working on this year Rafle will also continue to explain to the press the myriad of oversight matters that Boxer will bring before the committee, especially at it relates to the EPA. When Rafle is not fielding questions from the media, he hones his skills as a black belt in the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do.

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Jeffrey Rosato Senior Policy Adviser and Counsel Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 508 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8832 Fax: (202) 228-0574

Expertise: Environment, conservation policy. From wildlife to endangered species to the protection of oceans and coasts, Jeffrey Rosato advised Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Rosato moved to the committee staff in 2007. His wide portfolio as senior policy adviser and counsel for the majority staff also includes the panel’s infrastructure team, where he specializes in water resources development and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program. “I’ve been interested in environmental issues for a very long time,” said Rosato, who put that interest to work in the Peace Corps. In Armenia, Rosato was an environmental volunteer on a project to reforest a region of that country had had been deforested after Armenia separation from the then Soviet Union. “People were freezing to death and a lot of people turned to the closest energy source they could,” Rosato said, and that was the forest. As a policy adviser, Rosato said, “when bills are assigned to the committee I review them, help improve them and I fight off attempts to weaken them. I help staff and the chairman in hearings and in legislative markups and on the Senate floor in moving our bills.” Part of Rosato’s job is also to meet with constituents, and interest groups in the all-important process of making compromises in order to help move the senator’s agenda forward.

Personal: Born 08/24/1976 in Livingston, N.J.

Education: B.A., history, Wofford College, 1998. J.D., Stetson University, 2000.

Professional: 2001, intern, Senate Cmte. on Energy and Natural Resources, Democratic staff. 2001– 2003, counsel and legislative assistant, Sen. Robert G. Torricelli, D-N.J. 2003–2005, volunteer, Peace Corps (Armenia). 2005– 2006, legislative assistant, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. 2007–present, senior policy adviser and counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

In 2007, Rosato was part of the team that worked on the Water Resources Development Act, a bill that became law only after Congress override a presidential veto, the first President Bush veto to be rejected by the House and Senate. Rosato had a piece of the key global warming bill as it went through committee, specifically on the hearing on the impact of climate change on wildlife. When it came to legislation, he worked on several international conservation bills involved Asian and African elephants, rhinoceroses and tigers. Those bills matched federal funding with private support to help poor countries around the world preserve their natural heritage. This year the issue of whether the polar bear will get a place on the endangered species list is on Rosato’s plate. Here again, this issue relates back to global warming. Rosato said the U.S. Geological Service has determined that by 2050, two-thirds of the world’s polar bears could be extinct due to the effects of global warming. In the oversight area, Rosato said the committee will continue to make sure the Endangered Species Act is implemented as it should be and will also make sure that the Corps of Engineers is following the reforms of their programs ordered under the landmark WRDA bill.


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Tyler Rushforth Counsel 508 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8056 Fax: (202) 224-1273

Expertise: Water infrastructure, transportation. Tyler Rushforth’s commitment to environmental issues even extends to where he chose to go to law school. The Los Angeles native said he picked Vermont Law School because it was ranked number one in that subject. Rushforth has always combined a love of politics with his interest in the environment. Between college and law school he did a short stint with now–Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and again after law school. That cemented his interest in working on Capitol Hill. As counsel for the Environment and Public Works Committee chairman Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Rushforth’s portfolio includes in infrastructure side of the committee’s jurisdiction, specifically the water and transposition issues facing the panel. In 2007 he was a key staffer on the Water Resources Development Act, a major bill that sets the water policy for the nation and enumerates the projects the federal government wants to help pay for. “Bringing the interests from both sides of the aisle together created challenges,” Rushforth said. In the end, WRDA was a rare bipartisan piece of legislation in an otherwise divided Congress, with lawmakers serving up President Bush’s first veto override. Rushforth said because there hadn’t been a water bill since 2000. Unlike in previous Congresses where a new bill was done every two years, there was a lot of bottled up interest in getting something passed.

Personal: Born 12/01/1972 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Education: B.A., political science, Brigham Young University, 1999. J.D., Vermont Law School, 2006.

Professional: 1999, staff assistant, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2000, network equipment sales representative, Sarcom. 2001–2003, research assistant, Management Assistance Corp. (Rockville, Md.). 2006–2007, staff assistant, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. 2007– present, counsel, Senate Environment and Public Works Cmte.

“You could sense the historical nature of what was going on there,” he said. Rushforth credited his bosses “strong relationship with fellow members of the committee” as being key in the ability of an agreement to be reached on WRDA. Going forward those skills could well be called upon again as the planning and development begins this year for the next major highway bill, a six-year effort that can often tie lawmakers up in knots before agreement can be reached on a measure. “It’s a national interest bill like the water bill,” said Rushforth, who will be helping out with the research needed to prepare for the hearings, including providing the chairman with background information and key questions. The current highway bill expires in 2009. But it also won’t be long before those same staff members that worked on the landmark 2007 WRDA bill will have to be once again tackling those same issues. The bill that passed last year, Rushforth explained, was essentially written in 2006 so planning for the next one has already started. When Rushforth is not working on Boxer’s water and transportation priorities, he is spending time with his wife and children and, when he can, taking bicycle rides.

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Ruth Van Mark

Expertise: Transportation, water resources.

Deputy Staff Director for Transportation

For Ruth Van Mark, the Republican deputy staff director for Transportation for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, 2008 could be seen as the calm before the storm.

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. 415 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8204

Van Mark will be in charge of her side of the aisle’s work on the next Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users highway bill. This massive six-year piece of legislation is one of the most watched on Capitol Hill because it covers infrastructure projects coast to cost. “Obviously transportation is critical,” said Van Mark, who has been working on the issue for ranking member Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., since 1989. “It’s the foundation of economic activity.” This year, the committee is laying the groundwork for the bill, holding hearings and beginning the planning. “The earmark debate is going to be part of any bill,” said Van Mark, who adds that people usually think of the legislation in terms of the local projects it contains. But it also sets the transportation policy for the nation. “This year we’re going to encounter a problem we’ve never had,” Van Mark said. “We’re going to run out of funds in the highway trust fund. So we’ll be starting at somewhat of a disadvantage. We’re going to have to figure out the funding issues.”

Personal: Born 10/08/1959 in Torrington, Wyo.

Education: B.A., political science, Bethel College (Minn.), 1982. M.A., public administration, George Mason University, 1988.

Professional: 1982–1988, legislative staff, Rep. Daniel E. Lungren, R-Calif. 1989–1991, legislative dir., Rep. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla. 1991– 1994, professional staff member, House Cmte. on Public Works and Transportation. 1994–2000, legislative dir., Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla. 2001–2002, staff member, Subc. on Transportation and Infrastructure, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2003–present, deputy staff dir. for transportation, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

The funding is in jeopardy, Van Mark said, because the revenue estimates were wrong. “When gas reached $3 a gallon, people stopped driving as much. The more fuel you buy, the more money that goes into the trust fund.” SAFETEA-LU established a commission to look into this issue and the committee will be looking at that group’s conclusions and searching for a solution. Beyond the funding formula itself, Van Mark expects there to be some discussion about streamlining the time it takes to plan and execute a highway project. The average time for getting a road built from design to ribbon-cutting is 11 years, she said. “That’s too long. Not only does it worsen congestion, but costs continue to go up.” What’s also going to be different this year is that the individual projects will all have to be included in the bill before it goes to a conference with the House. That could make for some long and interesting sessions with panel staff. Water resources are also part of Van Mark’s jurisdiction. But she says she takes a less hands on approach to that. For instance, another committee staff member, Angelina Giancarlo, was the lead on the Water Resources Development Act. That bill became law last year after Congress handed President Bush his first veto override. “I just worked with her to make sure she got what she needed,” Van Mark said. “I was her moral support.”


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Andrew Wheeler Republican Staff Director/Chief Counsel Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. 415 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0146 [email protected]

Expertise: Clean Air Act. Andrew Wheeler believes under the stewardship of the Democratic majority, the Environment and Public Works Committee has spent too much time on climate change to the exclusion of other important matters in the panel’s jurisdiction. As Republican staff director and chief counsel, Wheeler’s job is to help ranking member Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., to work on his agenda for the committee he once led. “In the minority we react more,” Wheeler said. “We’re not setting the agenda. If we have been in the majority last year we would have had hearings on a broader array of subject matters instead of focusing almost solely on climate change.” Wheeler said if Inhofe had his way the committee would have focused more on the Endangered Species Act and how he believes the law is being misused to stop certain actions that people don’t like. “If someone doesn’t want a power plant, they try and look for species and use the Endangered Species Act,” he said. “The next generation of species protection is going to mean working voluntarily with private property owners.” The recent hearing on the polar bears is another example, Wheeler said. He said environmental groups are using an examination of the polar bear as an excuse to block any new oil and gas drilling anywhere in the continental United States.

Personal: Born in Hamilton, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Case Western Reserve University, 1987. J.D., Washington University (St. Louis), 1990. M.B.A., George Mason University, 1998.

Professional: 1991–1995, special asst. for pollution prevention and toxics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1996, general counsel, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. 1997–1999, counsel, Subc. on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property and Nuclear Safety, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 1999–2003, Republican staff dir., Subc. on Clean Air, Wetlands and Climate Change, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2003–present, Republican staff dir./chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

“If we’re really concerned about polar bears—they are still allowed to hunt them in Canada,” Wheeler said, noting that that element was ignored in the debate. In 2007, Wheeler said, the committee’s biggest accomplishment was getting the Water Resources Development Act passed, something that led to the first congressional override of a President Bush veto. The biggest challenge this year, he says, “is trying to educate the public about what the climate change bill does and doesn’t do.” The Republican view of the Warner-Lieberman legislation (named for its top sponsors John Warner, R-Va., and Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn.) is that if that measure were implemented in its entirely it would have a “negligible” impact on climate and temperature. That’s something committee chair Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., doesn’t agree with. Wheeler will also oversee the staff’s efforts to prepare for the next major highway bill. Inhofe, Wheeler said, “is very concerned about how we’re going to finance the system and where the revenues will come from. He doesn’t have a solution yet but he’s very concerned.” Wheeler describes Inhofe as a fiscal conservative but one who believes there are two things the federal government should spend money on -national defense and national infrastructure. To that end they’ll be working to see that “we have the national infrastructure in place to be able to move goods and commodities around the country in an efficient and effective manner.”

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Jim Wrathall Counsel 456 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8832 Fax: (202) 224-1273 [email protected]

Expertise: Environmental law, oversight, investigations. Jim Wrathall decided to make the move from a private law firm to Capitol Hill just as the environmental issues on which he has spent his career working began to heat up on the legislative front. As counsel for the Environment and Public Works Committee, he will this year be focusing primarily on oversight and investigations for committee chair Barbara Boxer, DCalif., who has so far shown that she’s more than willing to take on federal agencies, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency. In two decades of practicing environmental law, Wrathall has represented all the major environmental groups in cases that have gone all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. His clients included the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Wildlife Federation. “In the 1990s I worked with Environmental Defense in defining some of the first cap and trade programs for air pollutants,” Wrathall said. “That was a big deal for me.” With the Senate this spring expected to debate a global warming bill that includes a cap and trade program as the core mechanism to control greenhouse gas emissions, Wrathall will have ample opportunity to transfer that early experience. His bread and butter, however, will be focusing on EPA’s policy decisions and how they are enforcing the nation’s environmental law. One area he is particularly familiar with, the protection of the nation’s waterways and the handling of a major case Wrathall argued before the high court, will be the subject of hearings.


Education: B.S, business, Tulane University, 1984. J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1991, associate in environmental practice group, Skadden Arps Law firm. 1991–1995, associate, Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering. 1996–2007, Partner, Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering. 2007–present, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works.

The case, Rapanos v. United States, which centered on EPA regulations over wetlands, ended in a split decision among the justices. The ruling underscored the confusion over just how justices expected the EPA to proceed when it comes to putting in practice the wetlands provisions of the Clean Air Act. The committee will look closely at how EPA interprets that 2006 decision, Wrathall said. “That really has been my professional commitment throughout my career—working in the environmental area for environmental protection and for solutions to environmental problems,” said Wrathall. He decided to leave private practice so he could “focus on the much greater ability to serve the public interest. I wanted to leverage the skills have I have for the present and future generations.” The Senate, he said, is “a place where it’s much more interesting and compelling.” When Wrathall is not worrying about the environment from his office, he’s getting a different view of it—from the air. He has a pilot’s license. His 4-year-old daughter also keeps him busy on his off hours.


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Committee on Finance 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510-6200 Phone: (202) 224-4515 Fax: (202) 224-5920 http://finance.senate.gov/ Ratio: 11/10 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Max Baucus, MT, Chairman

Charles E. Grassley, IA, Ranking Member

John D. Rockefeller, WV Kent Conrad, ND Jeff Bingaman, NM John F. Kerry, MA Blanche L. Lincoln, AR Ron Wyden, OR Charles E. Schumer, NY Debbie Stabenow, MI Maria Cantwell, WA Ken Salazar, CO

Orrin G. Hatch, UT Olympia J. Snowe, ME Jon Kyl, AZ Gordon Smith, OR Jim Bunning, KY Mike Crapo, ID Pat Roberts, KS John Ensign, NV John Sununu, NH


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SENATE FINANCE JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Bonded debt of the United States, except as provided in the congressional Budget Act of 1974. Customs, collection districts, and ports of entry and delivery. Deposit of public moneys. General revenue sharing. Health programs under the Social Security Act and health programs financed by a specific tax or trust fund. (6) National social security. (7) Reciprocal trade agreements. (8) Revenue measures generally, except as provided in the congressional Budget Act of 1974. (9) Revenue measures relating to the insular possessions. (10) Tariffs and import quotas and matters related thereto. (11) Transportation of dutiable goods.

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SENATE FINANCE The need to reform the nation’s health care system has received a lot of discussion in this election year, and one starting point for developing a viable plan is the Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has scheduled a series of hearings in 2008 to begin the health reform discussion. Among the chairman’s broad objectives are addressing the uninsured, providing relief for small businesses and improving the quality and efficiency of the health care system. The effort to improve the quality of care began last year with the enactment of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (MMSEA). The law provides for the expansion and improvement of the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative to better link Medicare payments to the quality of care that is provided. Possible enhancements include the use of National Quality Forum–endorsed measures, encouraging a team approach to chronic care by permitting quality reporting by group practices, and employing clinical databases to capture more complete information about physician quality. The MMSEA also extended the deadline for a scheduled 10.1 percent cut in physician payments under Medicare to June 30, 2008. Baucus and ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, have asked their staffs to come up with a fix to the physician payment cuts prior to the June 30 deadline. Other health care legislation that the committee is trying to move this year includes the Pharmacy Access Improvement Act, which was co-introduced by Baucus and Grassley in 2007. The bill, which seeks to address problems facing pharmacies and beneficiaries under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, would require drug plans to reimburse pharmacies more quickly and would restrict the practice of co-branding, which has led some beneficiaries to believe incorrectly that they can receive their medicines only from certain pharmacies. The Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act is also on the table this year. It attempts to rectify deep cuts made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 in the way Medicaid pays pharmacists for dispensing generic drugs to beneficiaries. The committee’s top international trade priority in this session is to reauthorize and expand the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. The committee is working to expand TAA to workers in the services sector and those whose jobs are outsourced to China, India and other non-free trade agreement partner countries. The TAA expansion legislation also would increase the health care tax credit to allow more trade-displaced workers to benefit from health care coverage, and provide more funds to states for TAA training programs. The committee also is working to implement pending free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and Korea this year. Each agreement must overcome some resistance in Congress to be passed in 2008. Baucus is holding up the Korea agreement until Korea lifts its ban on U.S. beef and sets criteria to fairly assess beef imports. The committee was able to complete one new free trade agreement in 2007. The pact with Peru was the first free trade agreement to incorporate the terms of a May 2007 bipartisan trade deal that requires the parties to implement and enforce five core international labor standards and seven core environmental treaties. Tax issues also fall under the committee’s jurisdiction, and this year’s priorities include addressing the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), developing tax incentives for education and passing tax extenders legislation. The AMT has become an annual event for the committee despite the fact that both Baucus and Grassley favor elimination of it altogether. The tax was intended to close loopholes for the nation’s wealthiest taxpayers, but has extended into middle class families. The committee estimates that the 2007 AMT patch protected 19 million additional people from the tax. The education tax incentive legislation is intended to streamline and expand college tuition tax credits and provide a tax credit for college savings. The bill is likely to include proposals to increase the amounts available to students under the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits, and to make it easier to claim credit for tuition expenses. Baucus also wants to increase the availability of federal bonds for school construction and repair, particularly in lowincome and underserved communities. Two key pieces of the tax extenders bill are a college tax deduction and the state and local sales tax deduction. The legislation covers many other expiring tax provisions, including deductions for teachers that spend their own money for classroom supplies and a deduction for interest on student loans. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

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John C. Angell Senior Advisor 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 John_Angell@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Oversight coordination in the areas of tax, health, retirement programs and trade. John Angell has been a senior adviser to Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., since 2004, and this year is assisting with committee examinations of private equity ownership of nursing homes and overseas tax evasion. He also is involved with the committee’s oversight of the nonprofit tax sector. In a 2007 letter to the Treasury secretary Baucus expressed concerned that Form 990, on which tax-exempt organizations report to the IRS, has not kept up with modern practices and needs to be updated. The chairman and ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, asked the Treasury secretary to update the form to improve the transparency into the workings of tax-exempt organizations. The primary goal of improvements to Form 990 should be improving the focus of IRS enforcement, Baucus said in the letter. In particular, he wants the IRS to have adequate information to review bond transactions, unrelated business income tax and other matters that impact the tax gap, which is that share of taxes that is legally owed but not paid. He also wants Form 990 to enable the IRS and the public sector to identify easily whether a charity is providing charitable work commensurate with its resources. Another issue of concern in the nonprofit area is the adequacy of the IRS’s screening of tax-exempt charities and nonprofit organizations with possible links to terrorist activities. Baucus has asked the IRS to explain why it has been so slow to implement computerized tracking systems and why it uses only a limited terror watch list to screen taxexempt groups.

Personal: Born 05/23/1953 in Santa Monica, Calif.

Education: B.A., political science, Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.), 1975. J.D., Loyola Univ. (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1980.

Professional: 1981–1988, legislative assistant, Rep. Leon Panetta, D-Calif. 1989–1992, chief of staff, House Budget Cmte. 1993–1994, executive associate director, Office of Management and Budget. 1995–1996, senior advisor, The White House, Office of the Chief of Staff. 1997–2000, assistant secretary, Department of Energy, Office of Congressional Affairs. 2001–2002, Democratic staff director, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2004–present, senior adviser, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

The committee’s examination of overseas tax evasion stems from two Government Accountability Office reports on the transfer of U.S. funds overseas and the tax issues raised by those transfers. The GAO studied $300 billion in funds and found, among other things, that the IRS could not account for $19 billion once the funds were transferred overseas. As international trade becomes more complex, it is becoming more difficult to track transactions legally subject to taxation. Baucus is concerned that offshore tax evasion has become a large and growing element of the tax gap. He does not want honest taxpayers that do not have the ability to engage in offshore activity to be left holding the bill. Baucus began an inquiry into the private equity ownership of nursing homes in 2007 in response to a New York Times article indicating that nursing homes that have been taken over by large private investment firms have a high number of serious health and safety deficiencies. He believes the level of care at a nursing home must not be determined by the profit requirements of anonymous investors. He has asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is responsible for seeing that federal standards of care are met at nursing homes, to explain how it intends to ensure the health of patients in these facilities.

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SENATE FINANCE

Alan Cohen Senior Budget Adviser and Chief Social Security Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Fax: (202) 224-5920 Alan_Cohen@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Social Security, budget. Finance Committee veteran Alan Cohen is in his eighth year as chief Social Security counsel and senior budget adviser. He has already has a busy session, having worked on the economic stimulus package that made its way through Congress in the first quarter in an effort to help stimulate the U.S. economy. Funding for the Social Security Administration is another issue on Cohen’s agenda in 2008. The Congress achieved a critical success in fiscal 2008, he said, when it was able to secure significantly more funding than was provided in the president’s budget for social security administrative costs. The committee is trying to secure significant funding results for this year as well. Increased funding is vitally important, Cohen said, to reduce the enormous waiting times that applicants for disability benefits must endure in order to make their benefits approved. Currently, it can take as many as four years for an applicant to have his or her benefits approved. In advance of the fiscal 2009 budget’s release, Baucus joined with five other senators to request that the budget director provide at least $11 billion for administrative funds for the Social Security Administration. Baucus believes that those funds could enable the agency to hire enough staff to begin to work through the backlog of 750,000 appeals for hearings before administrative law judges.


Education: B.S., physics, Grinnell College, 1972. M.P.P., University of Michigan, 1973. Ph.D., economics, University of Wisconsin, 1979.

Professional: 1979–1983, economist, Dept. of Health and Human Services. 1983–1987, senior economist, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 1987–1992, assistant staff director for budget priorities, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 1992–1993, budget economist, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 1993–2001, senior adviser to the secretary for budget and economics, Dept. of the Treasury. 2001–present, senior budget adviser and chief Social Security counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.


This year, Cohen continues to work on trying to prevent banks from freezing deposits of social security checks. Federal law appears to prohibit any liens or garnishment of social security benefits deposited in a bank. However, many banks have been freezing funds when a state court orders the freezing of funds to allow a credit agency to recoup funds allegedly owed to the creditor. The committee held a large hearing on the topic in 2007, which raised the profile of the issue, Cohen said. In 2008, the committee is working to ensure that the practices stop by working with bank regulators and others. In the last session, Cohen contributed to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 Division A. In particular, he worked on the section for Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. Cohen spent 10 years working for the Senate Budget Committee before joining the Finance Committee. He worked as a budget economist for the Finance Committee in 1992 and 1993, and then opted to take a position as a senior adviser to the secretary for budget and economics at the Treasury Department. He rejoined the Finance Committee in his current role in 2001.

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Jo-Ellen Darcy Senior Environmental Advisor 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515

Expertise: Environment, energy, climate change, conservation. Jo-Ellen Darcy joined the committee staff in 2007 after working for 14 years on the Democratic staff of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. On the Finance Committee she rejoins committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., for whom she worked as a policy advisor on the Environment and Public Works Committee from 1993 to 2000. In the second session of the 110th Congress, Darcy is helping to develop tax incentives for conservation, endangered species and energy efficiency. She is also helping the committee to examine the impact of a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases on trade and the economy. The Finance Committee is studying the merits of the system this year. A cap-and-trade program would set a “cap” on the amount of total U.S. carbon emissions, leading to significant reductions in carbon emissions while sustaining economic growth. Industries that emit carbon would be required to purchase allowances for the carbon they emit, or could sell or trade excess allowances if they reduce their emissions. Baucus is concerned with the consequences of this system on the U.S. economy. In addition, he wants the United States to encourage developing nations like China to adopt emissions limits of their own. He believes the United States should be a leader on the issue of climate change, but must do so in a way that protects U.S. workers and encourages other nations to limit their emissions as well.

Personal: Born in Fitchburg, Mass.

Education: B.A., philosophy and sociology, cum laude, Boston College, 1973. M.S., resource development, Michigan State University, 1987.

Professional: 1983–1984, legislative adviser, Subc. on Economic Stabilization, House Banking Cmte. 1985–1987, assistant to the director of personnel, Gov. James J. Blanchard, D-Mich. 1987–1989, federal policy adviser, Gov. James J. Blanchard, D-Mich. 1989–1992, legislative affairs representative, Investment Company Institute. 1993–2000, policy advisor, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2001, deputy staff director, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2001– 2006, senior policy adviser, Senate Cmte. on Environment and Public Works. 2007– present, senior environmental adviser, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

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In 2007, Darcy helped the committee to extend a conservation easement tax deduction and to create tax credits and deductions for endangered species. The measures were included in the tax title of the Farm Bill, which passed the Senate in December. The bill extended the tax credits for landowners who voluntarily put conservation easements on their property. It also included tax incentives for farmers, ranchers and private landowners to preserve endangered species and protect their habitats. Landowners that choose to aid in the recovery of threatened or endangered species will develop a management plan with the secretary of the interior or other agencies. The management plan must outline the schedule, deadlines, monitoring and assistance for each specific recovery program. In the last session, Darcy also worked on the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, which was passed by the Congress in November over the president’s veto. The law authorizes a number of projects, including beach restoration, clean water and flood control programs.


SENATE FINANCE

Bill Dauster Deputy Democratic Staff Director and General Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-1965 Fax: (202) 228-3904 Bill_Dauster@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Senate procedures, fiscal policies. In his role as deputy Democratic staff director and general counsel, Bill Dauster assists with much of the committee’s legislation, and in 2007 he had a hand in more than a dozen bills that were signed into law. He worked on many other proposals covering taxes, health care and international trade, some of which have been carried over into this session. In the early part of 2008, he helped to write the committee’s proposed amendments to the economic stimulus package. Dauster expects to work on additional legislation related to the economic slowdown as the year progresses, as well as any possible follow-on legislation. He is also assisting with the committee’s efforts to craft Medicare legislation related to the compensation of doctors under Medicare and other program improvements. In 2007, the committee helped to put in place a temporary fix until June 30, 2008, and is trying to pass a new bill before the extension runs out. The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (MMSEA) prevented a 10.1 percent cut to the Medicare physician reimbursement rate and replaced it with a 0.5 percent increase through June 30. The law also extended a number of expiring provisions important to rural providers and renewed the Medicare physician quality reporting system.

Personal: Born 11/25/1957 in Sacramento, Calif.

Education: B.A., University of Southern California, 1978. M.A., University of Southern California, 1981. J.D., Columbia University, 1984.

Professional: 1986–1997, Democratic chief counsel and chief of staff, Senate Cmte. on the Budget. 1997–1998, Democratic chief of staff and chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Labor and Human Resources. 1999–2000, deputy asst. to the president for economic policy, The White House. 1999–2000, deputy dir., National Economic Council. 2000–2003, senior counsel and legislative dir., Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. 2003, Democratic general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2003– present, deputy Democratic staff dir. and general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.


Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., would like to continue to improve Medicare by linking physician payments to the quality of care provided. The MMSEA provided for the improvements to the physician quality reporting initiative, which could include the use of clinical databases to capture more complete information about physician quality. Baucus also wants to extend physician incentive payments for 2009 and into the future. Dauster said that he also expects to address the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and other tax extenders legislation this year. Tax extenders packages generally cover a wide range of expiring provisions, and this year’s version is likely to address the state and local sales tax deduction and the college tuition deduction. Congress also may address free trade agreements with some or all of Colombia, Korea and Panama this year, Dauster said, after a renewal and expansion of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program for America’s workers is enacted into law. Baucus is reluctant to move the U.S.-Korea agreement until Korea agrees to lift its ban on the import of U.S. beef and sets criteria to assess beef imports fairly. Some of the many laws Dauster helped to enact are the Small Business and Work Opportunity Tax Act of 2007, the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2007 and the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. He also assisted with the America COMPETES Act, which increased research investment and strengthened educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics from elementary through graduate school.

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Kolan L. Davis Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5315 Kolan_Davis@finance-rep. senate.gov

Expertise: Tax issues. The second session of the 110th Congress will look very similar to the first session for the staff of the Finance Committee, according to Republican staff director Kolan Davis. Many of last year’s issues were extended or postponed, and are on the agenda again in 2008, he said. Davis will continue to manage the minority staff’s efforts on all of those issues, which range from international trade to health care and taxes. One new item that is picking up steam is tax reform, Davis said. Any legislative proposals in this area will attempt to set the stage for the next administration. He said the committee also has begun work on addressing the fix to the Medicare’s physician reimbursement system, which last year was extended only for six months. The 2007 measure ensured that physicians did not receive a 10.1 percent cut in their Medicare reimbursement that was scheduled to take effect January 1, 2008. Ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, had pushed for a two-year update for the physician reimbursement system, but there was not enough support to pass a two-year fix. The committee has until June to try again to stave off the 10.1 percent reimbursement cut.

Personal: Born 02/17/1958 in Franklin, Ind.

Education: B.A., cum laude, University of Dallas, 1980. J.D., Indiana University School of Law, 1984.

Professional: 1985–1987, counsel, Subc. on Administrative Practice and Procedure, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1987–1995, counsel, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. 1995–2000, chief counsel, Subc. on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1998–2000, legislative dir. and tax counsel, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. 2001–present, Republican staff dir. and chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

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Grassley continues to push for the repeal of the alternative minimum tax (AMT), but in 2008 may have to settle again for a temporary patch to prevent 20 million more filers from becoming subject to the tax. The AMT was initially designed for the nation’s wealthiest taxpayers, but has gradually extended to many middle-income filers. Congress in 2007 passed a temporary patch saving a large number of middle-class families from paying the tax for one year, but did not address a long-term fix. Davis is also working toward Grassley’s goal of fixing the estate tax. As it now stands, in 2011 the tax will return to a rate of 55 percent of assets above a $1 million unified credit amount, which must be paid within nine months of the death of an individual. Like the AMT, Grassley believes the so-called death tax should be abolished. The staff is working to develop tax incentives in the areas of energy, education and health care this year, Davis said. Early in the session, Grassley raised a series of energy tax provisions that included an extension of the credit for electricity produced from certain renewable sources, and credit to holders of clean renewable energy bonds. He also proposed to extend the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings, the credit for the construction of new energy-efficient homes and the credit for residential energy efficient property.


SENATE FINANCE

Neleen Eisinger Health Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Neleen_Eisinger@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Health issues, focusing on Medicare and health insurance reform. Health counsel Neleen Eisinger returned to Capitol Hill in 2007 to join the Finance Committee’s health care team. From 1999 to 2004, she worked as a legislative assistant in the office of Senator Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., before leaving to become vice president of governmental affairs for Edwards Lifesciences. Topping her agenda in 2008 is advising committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., with respect to his efforts to reform Medicare. Eisinger said that her particular focus is on ensuring access to health services in rural areas and working to improve the quality of care in the Medicare program. Sections of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to which Eisinger contributed last year, provide for the expansion and improvement of the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). The improvements are intended to better link Medicare payments to the quality of care that is provided. Baucus has asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement those provisions quickly. The extension bill extended the 1.5 percent incentive payments for physicians who successfully report on quality measures during 2008. The legislation also removed the cap on calculation of incentive payments for reporting in 2008 and 2009. Baucus intends to move legislation that would extend the incentive payments for 2009 and future years in order to continue to align Medicare payments more closely with the quality of care provided.

Personal: Born 1972 in Syracuse, N.Y.

Education: B.A., Colgate University, 1994. Masters of Public Administration, Syracuse University, 1997.

Professional: 1997–1999, policy coordinator, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary. 1999–2004, legislative assistant, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. 2004–2007, vice president of governmental affairs, Edwards Lifesciences. 2007–present, health counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

Eisinger is also helping the committee to draft proposals to expand health insurance options for small business employees. Half of the nation’s uninsured workers either work for employers with fewer than 25 employees or are self-employed. As a result, providing affordable insurance options to small business employees will begin to address the larger problem of helping to take care of the uninsured. Addressing the small business health insurance problem is an issue that has been under consideration for many years, and there are a number of proposals on the table. The common elements of the proposals are a tax credit to help defray costs, a mechanism to provide more insurance options that are affordable and opportunities to pool risk across state lines. Baucus wants to ensure that the self-employed are considered in the discussion. He would like any legislation to provide more insurance options to the self-employed, and to ensure that the insurance provides real coverage that is worth the cost. Other items on Eisinger’s schedule this year include developing initiatives related to ensuring appropriate payment and access to hospital, home health, nursing home and other critical health care services in the Medicare program, she said.


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Carol Guthrie Majority Communications Director 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Carol_Guthrie@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Communications. Developing communications strategy and sharing information on committee chairman Max Baucus’s, D-Mont., major agenda items for the Finance Committee throughout the year are the primary duties of majority communications director Carol Guthrie. She , along with press secretary Dan Virkstis, are the staff spokespersons and handle all press requests that the committee receives. In 2008, the chairman’s priorities range from the economic stimulus package to Trade Adjustment Assistance to health reform and tax reform, Guthrie said. Baucus has announced plans for aggressive and comprehensive hearings on health reform and tax reform, with a continued focus on American competitiveness. Broad Medicare reform is also on the chairman’s agenda in this session, as are extensions of expiring tax provisions such as the college tuition deduction and the state and local sales tax deduction. The tax extenders package is also likely to include deductions for teachers that spend their own money on classroom supplies and a deduction for interest on student loans. The Medicare reform effort is multi-faceted, but will include proposals to improve access to pharmacies for Medicare beneficiaries, and to improve the quality of care delivered under the program. The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, one of the committee’s successes from the last session, provides for the expansion and improvement of the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative to better link Medicare payments to the quality of care. The committee is working to ensure that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implements those provisions quickly.

Personal: Born 1972 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Education: B.A., Samford University, 1993.

Professional: 1994–1997, producer, WVTM-TV (Birmingham, Ala.). 1997–2000, senior producer, WBAL-TV (Baltimore, Md.). 2000, political producer, WTTG-TV (Washington, D.C.). 2000, executive producer, QRS Newmedia. 2001–2003, press secretary and speechwriter, Rep. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. 2003–2005, communications director, Rep. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. 2005–2006, communications director, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2007–present, majority communications director, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

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The committee is the forum for Baucus’s efforts to renew the Trade Adjustment Assistance program with expanded coverage for workers in the services sector and workers whose jobs are outsourced to China, India and other nonFree Trade Agreement partner countries. The chairman’s 2007 TAA expansion bill also included provisions to increase the health care tax credit to allow more trade-displaced workers to benefit from health care coverage. In 2007, Baucus led the committee and the Senate in passing Alternative Minimum Tax relief, business tax relief that enabled the passage of a minimum wage increase, and a host of other new laws. He also led the creation of strong children’s health legislation, which was vetoed twice by President Bush. Baucus also led the effort to finalize the Peru Free Trade Agreement in the last session. It was the first free trade agreement to incorporate the terms of a May 2007 bipartisan trade deal which, among other things, requires the parties to implement and enforce five core international labor standards as well as seven core environmental treaties.


SENATE FINANCE

David S. Johanson International Trade Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5315 david_johanson@finance-rep. senate.gov

Expertise: International trade law, agricultural trade. Free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia, and Korea are pending in Congress, and David Johanson is working to implement them in 2008. He also is promoting legislation to renew the president’s trade promotion authority, an effort that has carried over from the first session of the 110th Congress. Trade promotion authority, which expired last July, gives the president the ability to negotiate trade deals in close consultation with Congress. Ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wants to see the authority extended because he believes increases the nation’s global competitiveness and can open new markets for American businesses. Implementing the three free trade agreements may take some time because each has to overcome different congressional hurdles. With respect to the Colombia agreement, Johanson said that there is resistance among Democrats in the House because of labor concerns in that country. Panama’s agreement is being held up because its national assembly is currently led by a man suspected of killing a U.S. serviceman. Passing the U.S.-Korea agreement will depend upon whether Korea fully reopens its market to imports of beef. Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has stated that he will not support the agreement until Korea sets criteria to fairly assess beef imports and to resolve conflicts on a case-by-case basis should they arise.

Personal: Born 02/25/1964 in Austin, Texas.

Education: B.A., history, Stanford University, 1987. M.Phil., Cambridge University, 1990. J.D., University of Texas, 1993.

Professional: 1988–1989, legislative corresp., Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas. 1993–1995, legislative asst. and press secretary, Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif. 1995–1997, legislative dir., Rep. George Radanovich, R-Calif. 1997–2003, associate attorney, Stewart and Stewart. 2003–present, trade counsel, international trade counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

Korea was the third largest importer of U.S. beef before it banned the importation of it in 2003 following reports of bovine spongiform encephalopathy from Canadian cattle. It partially opened its market in 2006, but still has rejected large shipments of U.S. beef based on technicalities not related to the safety of U.S. products. In 2008, Johanson is continuing to monitor agricultural negotiations in the Doha round of World Trade Organization discussions. Many senators have spoken out against the negotiations, which appeared ready to force deep cuts in U.S. farm programs but would not significantly open new export markets for U.S. farmers and ranchers. Last year, Johanson participated in the committee’s work that led to the passage of the law implementing the U.S.Peru free trade agreement. It was the first free trade agreement to incorporate the terms of a May 2007 bipartisan trade deal that requires the parties to implement and enforce five core international labor standards and seven core environmental treaties. Johanson, who is in his sixth session as international trade counsel, joined the committee after six years in private practice. Prior to that he worked in Capitol Hill for 11 years in various capacities for Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, Rep. George Radanovich, R-Calif., and Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif.


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Richard Litsey Counsel and Senior Adviser for Indian Affairs 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Richard_Litsey@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Social Security, Indian health care, tribal issues from Montana. Indian health care tops the agenda of counsel and senior adviser for Indian affairs Richard Litsey in 2008. Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has been fighting to improve the health system for Native Americans for many years, and introduced legislation on the issue in the 109th Congress and again in the first session of the 110th Congress. The Finance Committee marked up the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Indian Health Care Improvement Act in September. Litsey said that the committee is working to get the legislation passed this year. The committee’s efforts are focused on including Urban Indian Organizations in the third-party reimbursement pool. Under current law, only certain Indian health programs can be reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP when they provide services to covered individuals. The bill would expand reimbursement to the full range of Indian health programs. The committee also is trying to eliminate cost sharing for Native Americans. As proposed, the legislation would exempt Indians from enrollment fees, premiums, deductions, co-payments, cost sharing and other similar charges. The bill also mandates the use of tribal citizenship cards for identification purposes for Medicaid, Medicare and SCHIP programs.

Personal: Born in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Fairfield, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Oklahoma State University. J.D., Thurgood Marshall School of Law. LL.M., University of Houston.

Professional: 1989–1991, attorney/adviser, Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals. 1991–1994, attorney, Baker & Hostetler. 1994–1995, attorney/adviser, Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals. 1995–1998, senior attorney, Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals. 1998–2000, supervisory staff attorney, Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals. 2000–2004, hearing office director, Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals. 2004–2007, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2007–present, counsel and senior adviser for Indian affairs, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

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Indian taxes is another issue on which Litsey is working this year. The committee is reviewing certain taxes that affect commerce with Indian tribes. Among them are accelerated depreciation and Indian Employment Tax Credit. Litsey said the committee hopes to have a hearing on these issues and to follow up with possible legislation. The committee also is planning a hearing on tax-free municipal bonds and clean renewable energy bonds and their use or non-use in Indian Country. The basis for the hearing will be the Tribal Government Tax-Exempt Bond Parity Act, which was introduced in July 2007. The bill proposes to amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the treatment of Indian tribal governments as state governments for purposes of issuing tax-exempt governmental bonds and for other purposes. The legislation would give tribes the same authority as state and local governments to issue tax-exempt bonds to fund schools, roads and other government programs. Tribal infrastructure projects currently are funded primarily through grants from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Indian Tribal Government Tax Status Act of 1982 does not allow tribes to issue tax-exempt bonds because the “essential government functions” for which bonds must be issued are defined as projects only for state and local governments. The distinction in the 1982 law means that tribal bonds generally require a higher interest rate and a prohibitive debt service. The legislation up for consideration this year would eliminate that disparity.


SENATE FINANCE

Demetrios J. Marantis Chief International Trade Counsel/ Democratic Staff 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Demetrios_Marantis@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: International trade. In his fourth year with the committee, chief international trade counsel Demetrios Marantis is working on the reauthorization and expansion of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, which is the number one trade priority in 2008 for Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. The chairman is pushing to ensure that the current program, which has expired, is updated to reflect the realities of the 21st century economy, Marantis said. Key components of a reauthorized TAA include expanding TAA to cover workers in the services sector and workers whose jobs are outsourced to China, India, and other non– Free Trade Agreement partner countries. The chairman’s 2007 TAA expansion bill, S. 1848, also included provisions to increase the health care tax credit to allow more tradedisplaced workers to benefit from health care coverage, and to increase the amount of funds available to states for TAA training programs. Another item high of the chairman’s trade agenda in 2008, Marantis said, is to ensure that U.S. trading partners abide by the rules of the international economy, whether in the World Trade Organization or the International Monetary Fund. By a vote of 20-1, the committee reported out the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act, S. 1607, in July 2007. The bill would provide the administration with tools to take action to address countries that use policy measures to undervalue their national currencies to the detriment of the U.S. economy.

Personal: Born 05/28/1968 in Greenwich, Conn.

Education: A.B., Princeton University, 1990. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1998, associate, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. 1998–2002, associate general counsel, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 2002–2004, chief legal adviser, U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council. 2004, issues dir., Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign. 2005–present, chief international trade counsel/Democratic staff, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

Baucus also introduced legislation to buttress U.S. trade enforcement capabilities The Trade Enforcement Act proposes, among other things, to require the U.S. Trade Representative to provide an annual report to Congress identifying its trade enforcement priorities and to take action to address them. The legislation also would create a WTO dispute settlement review commission and a Senate-confirmed chief enforcement officer to investigate and prosecute trade enforcement cases. The bill includes a provision to strengthen the authority of the International Trade Commission and Commerce Department to enforce antidumping, countervailing duty and intellectual property laws. Monitoring the negotiation of trade agreements continues to be among Marantis’s duties in the second half of the 110th Congress. The committee is prepared to examine trade agreements after TAA legislation is enacted and as key problems with each agreement are addressed, he said. Free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea are currently pending before the Congress. In the last session, Marantis assisted with several bills that were signed into law, including the Peru Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, the Andean Trade Preference Act, and a joint resolution regarding the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act. The joint resolution renewed the import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.


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SENATE FINANCE

Jim Messina Chief of Staff Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. 511 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2651

Expertise: Economic competitiveness. Developing Medicare legislation to prevent cuts to physician payments is a major issue this year for committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., according to his chief of staff, Jim Messina. The committee extended Medicare payments last year through June 30, 2008, so it will have to be addressed quickly, he said. Messina will help create strategies for this effort and for the chairman’s many other initiatives. The second session of the 110th Congress is Messina’s fourth year as Baucus’s chief of staff. In 2001, he served as manager of the senator’s re-election campaign. Messina also has been chief of staff for both Sen. Byron Dorgan, DN.Dak., and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. Baucus’s health care reform effort will begin to take shape this year with a series of eight hearings on the issue. The committee is gathering information this year with the goal of developing legislation for 2009. “We see 2009 as a tax and health care reform year,” Messina said. Making progress on an education tax bill is another committee priority in 2008. The committee worked with a placeholder bill last year, Messina said, but is drafting a larger set of proposals in this session.

Personal: Born 1969 in Denver, Colo.

Education: B.A., political science, University of Montana, 1993.

Professional: 1995–1999, legislative asst., Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. 1999–2001, chief of staff, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. 2001, campaign manager, Sen. Max Baucus, DMont. 2002–2005, chief of staff, Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.Dak. 2005–present, chief of staff, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.

The legislation will include a tax credit for college savings that would encourage families to contribute to 529 college savings plans. Baucus also wants to make it easier to claim credit for tuition expenses, and increase the availability of federal bonds for school construction and repair. The bill also will streamline and expand college tuition tax credits by increasing the amount available to students through the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits. In the area of international trade, Messina is assisting the committee’s work on implementing three pending Free Trade Agreements with Panama, Colombia, and Korea. Baucus is holding up the Korea agreement because of that country’s restrictions on the import of beef. Baucus has urged the U.S. trade representative to devise an import protocol with Korea that provides full market access to all U.S. beef, regardless of the cut of beef or the age of the cattle. The other major trade issue facing the committee this year is reauthorization of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, he said. Baucus wants to extend the program to workers whose jobs are outsourced to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement. He also wants a provision to increase the health care tax credit for trade-displaced workers. As always, the committee is busy in the area of taxation in 2008. Messina said the staff is currently developing tax incentives to be included in both the Energy Bill and the Farm Bill. It also is working on tax extenders covering energy, education and a wide range of other areas.

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SENATE FINANCE

Elizabeth C. Paris Tax Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5315 elizabeth_paris@finance-rep. senate.gov

Expertise: Estate tax, agricultural tax, conservation, property easements and takings. Elizabeth Paris continues to advise her boss, ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, on tax issues in her role as tax counsel—a position she has held since 2000. For all of those eight years, she has been lead Republican counsel on energy, agriculture, estate tax, and excise tax issues. She also handles S-Corporation, partnership, and farm cooperative matters for the committee. In 2008, Paris is working on the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. She helped to craft some of the tax provisions of the 2007 Senate version of the bill, known as the American Infrastructure Investment and Improvement Act. The legislation would repeal the excise tax exemption for aircraft weighing 6,000 pounds or less operating on non-established lines, unless the flight is only for sightseeing purposes. The bill would keep most aviation taxes as they are, but would raise the tax on general aviation jet fuel to 36 cents per gallon. It also would change the taxation of fractional ownership programs so that fractional operators would have to pay the full general aviation fuel tax plus a $58 departure fee. Excise tax reform is on the committee’s agenda in this session, Paris said, as is trying to increase the funding for the Highway Trust Fund to address shortfalls for bridges and infrastructure. She also is on the team of tax advisers that is helping Grassley try to address the estate tax.


Education: B.S., University of Tulsa, 1980. J.D., University of Tulsa, 1987. LL.M., taxation, University of Denver, 1993.

Professional: 1987–1994, partner, Brumley Bishop & Paris (Tulsa, Okla.). 1994–1998, senior associate, McKenna & Cuneo (Denver, Colo.). 1998–2000, tax partner, Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren, Norris & Rieselbach (Denver, Colo.). 2000–present, tax counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

Grassley opposes the estate tax, sometimes referred to as the death tax. As long as a person has accumulated an estate in accordance with the law, the government should not be able to profit from that person’s death, he said. He also thinks the estate tax is flawed because of its nine-month post-mortem due date, which he believes forces survivors to liquidate assets in economically poor circumstances. The majority of the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 expire December 31, 2008, and Paris is helping to write energy tax extenders this year. Among them is a tax credit for small ethanol producers and an infrastructure tax credit. In the first half of the 110th Congress, Paris was tax counsel on the Energy Advancement and Investment Act, and she said that she is continuing to work on the energy bill’s tax provisions this year. As it was written last year, the energy bill provided tax incentives for alternative energy sources such as ethanol, wind and biodiesel. Among its many provisions was the authorization of $750 million of clean renewable energy bonds and a 30 percent personal tax credit for residential wind properties. The package also included a tax credit of 50 cents per gallon for up to 60 million gallons of cellulosic alcohol fuel production in a taxable year. It also proposed to extend through 2010 the biodiesel production tax credits and the alternative fuel tax credit, including liquid fuel derived from coal.


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SENATE FINANCE

Mark Alan Prater Deputy Staff Director and Chief Tax Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5493 Fax: (202) 224-5920 [email protected]

Expertise: Tax issues. As deputy staff director and chief tax counsel, Mark Prater helps to oversee and coordinate the minority staff’s work on ranking member Charles Grassley’s, R-Iowa, tax initiatives. In the second session of the 110th Congress, those include extending a number of individual and businessbased tax relief provisions that expired on December 31, 2007. The most prominent of those is the patch that limits the reach of the alternative minimum tax (AMT). According to Prater, extending the AMT patch in 2008 will involve a revenue loss of $65 billion if it is not offset. If it is not extended, 20 million more filers, most of them joint-filing families, will become subject to the tax, he said. Also on Prater’s agenda this year is a tax relief package for military personnel. In 2007, the House and Senate tax writing committees came very close to agreement on military personnel tax relief proposals, he said. This year, he expects the committees to discuss them again with a view towards reaching a final agreement. The House and Senate will conference on the Farm Bill reauthorization this year, and Prater will be involved in shaping the tax package included in the legislation. He said that he is also helping the committee examine a possible extension or reauthorization of the aviation trust fund taxes and trust fund expenditure authority, which expired early in 2008.

Personal: Born 03/03/1959 in Portland, Ore.

Education: B.S., accounting, Portland State University, 1981. J.D., Willamette University, 1984. LL.M., taxation, University of Florida, 1987.

Professional: 1984–1986, tax associate, Touche Ross. 1987–1990, attorney, Dunn, Carney et al. (Portland, Ore.) 1990–1993, tax counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 1993–1995, Republican chief tax counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 1995–2006, chief tax counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2007–present, deputy staff director and chief tax counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

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The committee might try again to develop an energy tax incentive package this year, Prater said. In 2007, the committee drafted the Energy Advancement and Investment Act, which provided tax incentives for alternative energy sources such as ethanol, wind and biodiesel. Among its many provisions was the authorization of $750 million of clean renewable energy bonds and a 30 percent personal tax credit for residential wind properties. Prater said that he also expects the committee to hold another hearing on estate tax relief and to work toward a committee product on the issue in 2008. Under current law, in 2011 the estate tax will return to a rate of 55 percent of assets above a $1 million unified credit amount. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that in 2009 the number of estates subject to the estate tax will reach 9,600 and will increase to 62,000 by 2011. In the last session, Prater worked on the tax provisions that were included in the Small Business and Work Opportunity Act of 2007, the AMT Relief Act of 2007, and the Clean Renewable Energy and Conservation Act of 2007. He also assisted with the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 and the Tax Technical Corrections Act of 2007.


SENATE FINANCE

David Schwartz Health Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 David_Schwartz@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Pharmacy benefits and pharmaceutical industry issues, Stark Law and anti-kickback statute issues, health information technology, oversight and investigations. David Schwartz is health counsel for the committee, and he has added Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to the portfolio of issues he covers. Medicaid-related issues that he is working on in 2008 include addressing pharmacy problems in the program and taking a closer look at the many recent changes that have been made to Medicaid. The committee is working to enact the Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act, S. 1951, which committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., introduced last August. The bill addresses deep cuts made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 in the way Medicaid pays pharmacists for dispensing generic drugs to beneficiaries. The legislation would avoid the most severe cuts by insuring that pharmacies receive adequate reimbursement for dispensing generic drugs. Among other things, S. 1951 would increase Medicaid payment from 250 percent of the relevant average manufacturer price to 300 percent. It also would increase the use of generic drugs in the Medicaid program by requiring prior authorization of more expensive brand name drugs that have generic alternatives. Schwartz said the committee is also continuing its work on the Pharmacy Access Improvement Act, which Baucus and ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, co-introduced last year. The bill seeks to address problems facing pharmacies and beneficiaries under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Personal: Born 1971 in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

Education: B.A., University at Albany, State University of New York, 1993. J.D., George Washington University, 1996.

Professional: 1997–1998, antitrust staff attorney, Collier, Shannon, Rill & Scott. 1999–2002, attorney adviser, Office of Hearings and Appeals, Social Security Administration. 2002–2006, attorney adviser, Office of the Commissioner, Social Security Administration. 2004, Capitol Hill fellow, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2005–2006, detailee, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2007– present, health counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.


The legislation would require drug plans to reimburse pharmacies more quickly and require the establishment of information hotlines for pharmacists and physicians. It also would restrict the practice of co-branding by prohibiting cards issued by private plans from bearing the name or logo of any pharmacy. Co-branding has led some beneficiaries to believe incorrectly that they can receive their medicines only from certain pharmacies. Strengthening the standards for beneficiary access to pharmacies is another goal of the Pharmacy Access Improvement Act. To improve access, the bill requires plans to use only pharmacies that are open to all members of the public in order to meet their coverage requirements. Schwartz said that there have been a lot of changes made to the Medicaid program recently, and concerns about the impact of the regulations on states continue to be raised. Baucus and the committee will study the effect of the Medicaid program changes in 2008. In the first half of the 110th Congress, Schwartz helped to implement an extension of SCHIP through March 31, 2009. The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act also extended the Medicare physician quality reporting system and a number of expiring provisions important to rural providers. The law also provided funding for the Transitional Medicaid Assistance and special diabetes programs.

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SENATE FINANCE

Tiffany Smith Tax Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Tiffany_Smith@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Individual tax law, education tax incentives, tax-exempt entities. The economic stimulus package, which provides a tax rebate for families and tax incentives for businesses to stimulate the slowing economy, took up much of Tiffany Smith’s time in the early part of 2008. She is also working to protect Americans from the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and on extending a number of expiring tax incentives for individuals and businesses. The stimulus package originated in the House, but the Finance Committee developed its own version that included a number of provisions left out of the House’s bill. The committee’s amendment included 20 million senior citizens among the people that would receive a rebate check, and included rebate checks for 250,000 disabled veterans who receive at least $3,000 in non-taxable disability compensation. Last year, Smith helped develop legislation that temporarily patched the AMT, and is working to keep more middle class taxpayers safe from the tax this year. Baucus’s 2007 AMT amendment, which was passed as the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2007, protected 19 million additional American taxpayers from the tax by increasing the AMT exemption to $66,250 for joint returns and $44,350 for unmarried taxpayers. It also allowed personal credits against the AMT. Baucus favors the repeal of the AMT and introduced legislation on the first day of the 110th Congress to accomplish that. The AMT was enacted in 1969 to eliminate certain deductions and loopholes for the nation’s wealthiest taxpayers. Over time, the AMT provisions have begun to apply to many middle class families.

Personal: Born 1973 in Rockford, Ill.

Education: B.A., political science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995. J.D., University of Illinois, 1998. LL.M., Georgetown University, 2006.

Professional: 1998–1999, assistant chief counsel, City of Chicago, Department of Law. 2001–2004, attorney/advisor, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel. 2004–2007, assistant to branch chief, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel. 2007– present, tax counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

Extending expiring tax incentives for individuals and businesses is another issue that Smith carried over from the first half of the 110th Congress. Baucus has championed the college tax deduction and the state and local sales tax deduction. The tax extenders package includes these and many other expiring tax provisions, including deductions for teachers that spend their own money for classroom supplies and a deduction for interest on student loans. Enacting education tax incentives is a priority for Baucus in 2008, and Smith is assisting with that effort, as she did in the last session. Baucus wants to streamline and expand college tuition tax credits and provide a tax credit for college savings. In particular, he is trying to increase the amount available to students under the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits, and make it easier to claim credit for tuition expenses. Senator Baucus also would like to increase the availability of federal bonds for school construction and repair. The availability of Qualified Zone Academy Bonds would be increased particularly in low-income and underserved communities.

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SENATE FINANCE

Russell W. Sullivan Democratic Staff Director 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Russ_Sullivan@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Tax law, budget policy. Staff director Russell Sullivan is in his fifth year overseeing the Democratic staff’s work on the many legislative priorities of committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. In the second half of the 110th Congress, those include developing a small business health insurance package and reauthorizing the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. Sullivan is also managing the staff’s efforts to craft an education tax title. The education tax bill is likely to include a tax credit for college savings whereby families would be encouraged to contribute to 529 college savings plans with certain tax incentives. Baucus also wants to streamline and expand college tuition tax credits by increasing the amount available to students through the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits. The legislation also will make it easier to claim credit for tuition expenses, and increase the availability of federal bonds for school construction and repair. Qualified Zone Academy Bonds for school repair and renovation would be easier to obtain, particularly in low-income and underserved communities. Solutions to the problems in the small business health insurance market have been considered for several years. In developing small business health insurance legislation this year, the committee is considering a number of pre-existing proposals, like a tax credit to help defray costs and opportunities to pool risk across state lines.

Personal: Born 05/02/1961 in Little Rock, Ark.

Education: B.B.A., Baylor University, 1983. J.D., University of Texas Law School, 1987.

Professional: 1983–1985, staff auditor, Peat Marwick Dallas, Texas, and Little Rock, Ark. 1988–1995, tax law specialist/federal income tax planner, Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P. (Washington, D.C.) 1995–1996, legislative asst./tax specialist, Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla. 1996–1999, legislative dir., Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla. 1999–2003, chief Democratic tax counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance. 2004–present, Democratic staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Finance.

Baucus also wants to ensure that the self-employed are considered in the health reform discussion. Many self-employed individuals have to seek insurance coverage on the individual market where protections are limited and coverage can be denied. The small business health insurance bill should provide more insurance options to the self-employed, and should ensure that the insurance is worth the price, he said. The committee’s work to reauthorize the Trade Adjustment Assistance will be aimed at ensuring that the current program is modernized to reflect the realities of today’s economy. The components of the reauthorization bill include expanding TAA to cover workers in the services sector and workers whose jobs are outsourced to non–Free Trade Agreement partner countries. Baucus introduced a TAA expansion bill in 2007 that included provisions to increase the health care tax credit to allow more trade-displaced workers to benefit from health care coverage. It also included a provision to increase the amount of funds available to states for TAA training programs. Sullivan said that the committee’s successes in 2007 included the minimum wage increase and the agriculture tax package that was included in the Farm Bill. The committee also contributed a tax title to the Energy Bill, reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program and helped to pass the Peru Free Trade Agreement.


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SENATE FINANCE

Chelsea Thomas International Trade Analyst 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Chelsea_Thomas@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: International trade. International trade analyst Chelsea Thomas is continuing to work on building broad bipartisan support for the Promoting American Agriculture and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2007 (S.1673), to open channels for trade and travel between the U.S. and Cuba. She also is helping to conduct a thorough review of U.S. trade preference programs, several of which are set to expire this year. S. 1673 was introduced by committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., in the first half of the 110th Congress and carried over into this year. The bill addresses a number of Cuba policy priorities, including lifting the travel ban and establishing direct banking for agriculture sales. The legislation also includes a provision repealing Section 211 of the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1999, which would ease medical export regulations and establish Cuba agriculture export promotion activities. Thomas said that the three U.S. trade preference programs that will expire in 2008 are the Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), and the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA). The Congress will have to determine whether to extend these benefits and for how long, she said. The ATPA contains provisions to combat drug production and trafficking in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru by offering trade benefits to help them develop and strengthen legitimate industries. The GSP provides preferential duty-free entry for more than 4,500 products from 144 designated countries and territories.

Personal: Born 1979 in Bozeman, Mont.

Education: B.A., history and political science, Calvin College, 2001.

Professional: 2002, staff assistant, Sen. Max Baucus, DMont. 2003, assistant to the chief of staff, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. 2005–present, international trade analyst, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

The CBTPA, which is scheduled to expire September 30, 2008, expanded the Caribbean Basin Initiative. The goal of the initiative and the CBTPA is to facilitate the economic development and export diversification of Caribbean Basin economies by providing them duty-free and quota-free treatment for certain exported products. Nineteen countries are currently eligible to benefit from the CBTPA. Consistent with the provisions of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, Thomas is working on the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) this year. The MTB is made up of non-controversial tariff bills introduced by various senators. Many of the bills temporarily suspend or reduce duties on inputs that are not made domestically, which reduces the costs for U.S. manufacturers and makes their products more competitive in the global market. In 2007, Thomas helped to develop the ATPA extension, which was signed into law June 30, 2007. The law extended the duty-free access to the U.S. market for certain goods from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru until February 29, 2008.

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SENATE FINANCE

Darci Vetter International Trade Advisor 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 Darci_Vetter@finance-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: International trade issues, trade in agricultural products, labor and environmental issues related to trade. International trade advisor Darci Vetter joined the committee staff in 2007 and worked on free trade agreements as well as efforts to reform the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. She is also working on climate change issues, and assisting with the committee’s examination of the international trade and finance implications of establishing a cap-and-trade program for carbon. Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has stated that reauthorizing the TAA program is his top trade priority this year. Vetter is working to improve the portion of the bill that provides benefits to farmers and fishermen. Trade Adjustment Assistance supports workers, firms and farmers if they are affected negatively by global growth of the American economy. Senator Baucus has proposed a major overhaul of TAA to cover service workers, prevent layoffs and enable more trade-displaced workers to benefit from health care coverage. The Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act, which he introduced with Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, in 2007, would extend current TAA programs for five years and redesign benefits to be more flexible and accessible. The bill creates new opportunities for workers in rural and distressed communities, and adds funds for state training programs. Baucus has said that he will not support or move through the Senate any pending free trade agreement until a new TAA law is in place. Trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and Korea are currently pending.

Personal: Born 1974 in Kettering, Ohio.

Education: B.A. in environmental studies, Drake University, 1996. Master of public affairs, Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2001, special assistant to the Undersecretary for Management, U.S. Department of State. 2001, environment, science and technology officer, U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong. 2001–2005, director for sustainable development, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 2005–2007, director for agricultural affairs, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 2007–present, international trade adviser, Senate Cmte. on Finance.


Vetter said that each of the agreements faces issues that must be resolved before the Senate can consider them. In particular, the committee will focus on resolving issues related to trade in beef with Korea, addressing labor violence in Colombia and certain political issues in Panama. With respect to Korea, Baucus wants the country to lift its unscientific ban on U.S. beef and to set criteria to fairly assess beef imports and to resolve conflicts on a case-by-case basis should they arise. Korea was the third largest importer of U.S. beef before it banned the importation of U.S. beef in 2003. In 2007, Vetter worked on the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, which was signed into law in December. It opens Peru’s markets to American exporters, including wheat and beef producers. The agreement includes provisions from a 2007 trade deal which, among other things, requires the parties to implement five core international labor standards and seven core environmental treaties. She also helped with the Farm Bill, which passed the Senate last year. The conference for the legislation was carried over into this session, and Vetter will be identifying and working to reconcile trade issues during the conference.

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SENATE FINANCE

William Wynne Health Counsel 219 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4515 William_Wynne@finace-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Health care, Medicare Parts A and B. In 2008, health counsel Billy Wynne is assisting committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., in his effort to develop Medicare legislation to block scheduled cuts to physician payments. A discussion of big picture health care reform is also on his schedule this year, Wynne said, as is overseeing the implementation of key Medicare policies at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The bill to block physician payment cuts will include provisions to expand performance measurement and quality improvement in Medicare, and to encourage care coordination for beneficiaries with chronic illness and increase access to primary care. The legislation also will provide much-needed premium and cost-sharing relief to low-income beneficiaries. Wynne is focusing on these areas of the bill, as well as other aspects dealing with Medicare Parts A and B. With regard to health care reform, the committee will conduct a series of hearings and discussions this year on a number of issues including plans to address the uninsured, relief for small businesses and improvements in quality and efficiency. The committee is working with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure proper implementation of Medicare policies at CMS. This year CMS will be taking steps forward with the physician quality reporting initiative and other programs of interest to Sen. Baucus and other members, Wynne said. Wynne’s role is to engage HHS to work with CMS as it moves forward with these programs.

Personal: Born 1977 in Norfolk, Va.

Education: A.B., Dartmouth College, 1999. J.D., University of Virginia, 2004.

Professional: 1999–2001, mission coordinator, Operation Smile, Inc. 2002, law clerk, Civil Rights Division, Dept. of Justice. 2004–2006, associate, Patton Boggs LLP. 2006–present, health counsel, Senate Cmte. on Finance.

In the last session, Wynne worked on a variety of Medicare issues relating to physician and other outpatient services, some of which were included in the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007. He was a key drafter and negotiator of that law. Among other things, the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act prevented a 10.1 percent cut to Medicare physician payments that was to take effect January 1, 2008, and instead provided a 0.5 percent increase for physicians through June 30, 2008. The physician payment changes will be offset, in part, by an adjustment to the Medicare Advantage stabilization fund. The law also extended funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program through March 31, 2009, and extended the 5 percent bonus payment for physicians practicing in physician scarcity areas through June 30, 2008. Wynne said the he assisted with a number of additional issues that were not successfully legislated last year but will be raised again by Sen. Baucus and the committee in 2008. Important work remains to shore up the Medicare benefit for low-income seniors, he said, and to improve the quality of care for which Medicare. Expanding access to preventive and primary care services is another item that he will help Baucus pursue this year.

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Committee on Foreign Relations 439 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510-6225 Phone: (202) 224-4651 Fax: (202) 224-0836 http://foreign.senate.gov/ Ratio: 11/10 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Joseph R. Biden, DE, Chairman

Richard G. Lugar, IN, Ranking Member

Christopher J. Dodd, CT John F. Kerry, MA Russell D. Feingold, WI Barbara Boxer, CA Bill Nelson, FL Barack Obama, IL Robert Menendez, NJ Benjamin L. Cardin, MD Robert P. Casey, PA Jim Webb, VA

Charles Hagel, NE Norm Coleman, MN Bob Corker, TN John E. Sununu, NH George V. Voinovich, OH Lisa Murkowski, AK Jim DeMint, SC Johnny Isakson, GA David Vitter, LA


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SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS JURISDICTION (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

Acquisition of land and buildings for embassies and legations in foreign countries. Boundaries of the United States. Diplomatic service. Foreign economic, military, technical, and humanitarian assistance. Foreign loans. International activities of the American National Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross. (7) International aspects of nuclear energy, including nuclear transfer policy. (8) International conferences and congresses. (9) International law as it relates to foreign policy. (10) International Monetary Fund and other international organizations established primarily for international monetary purposes (except that, at the request of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, any proposed legislation relating to such subjects reported by the Committee on Foreign Relations shall be referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs). (11) Intervention abroad and declarations of war. (12) Measures to foster commercial intercourse with foreign nations and to safeguard American business interests abroad. (13) National security and international aspects of trusteeships of the United States. (14) Oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs as they relate to foreign policy. (15) Protection of United States citizens abroad and expatriation. (16) Relations of the United States with foreign nations generally. (17) Treaties and executive agreements, except reciprocal trade agreements. (18) United Nations and its affiliated organizations. (19) The World Bank group, the regional development banks, and other international organizations established primarily for development assistance purposes.

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SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS Immediate challenges for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the second session of the 110th Congress include the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, relations with Pakistan, genocide in Darfur, Kosovo’s independence, the disarmament of North Korea, Iran’s nuclear agenda, and the Middle East peace process for Israelis and Palestinians. The committee also will look at reauthorizing and strengthening President Bush’s program to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria across the globe, according to the committee chairman, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. Biden said long-term challenges for the committee include non-proliferation and arms control; relations with China, India and Russia; and energy and climate change. “The next president will take office facing an almost unprecedented series of challenges, with little margin for error,” Biden said. “This committee can make a real contribution by handing off to the next president a better approach to our nation’s security, as well as very concrete ideas for dealing with the specific challenges we face.” Biden noted the committee would continue its “close oversight of the Bush administration’s policies and plans” in regard to Iraq during the year ahead. In January, Congress approved the Biden-Gelb plan for withdrawing from Iraq. Biden said he would continue to push the administration to adopt the legislation, which he said would allow the United States to “leave Iraq without trading a dictator for chaos.” In the fall, the Senate approved the Biden-Brownback amendment supporting federalism in Iraq with a bipartisan vote of 75 to 23. Also in January, both Biden and ranking committee member Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., jointly introduced a bipartisan resolution urging the United States and the international community to provide critical equipment to the African Union and the United Nations for their peacekeeping mission in war torn Darfur. The Senate passed a resolution by Biden and Lugar in August that called for the immediate deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Darfur, which said the United States must supply peacekeepers with necessary supplies and impose multilateral sanctions and a no-fly zone if Khartoum failed to cooperate with the mission. In November, Biden and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., head of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs, introduced a resolution calling for President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan to end that country’s state of emergency and reinstate its constitution, following periods of severe unrest. Biden also pushed legislation that imposed new financial sanctions and travel restrictions on the leaders of the Burmese junta and their associates. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. was a cosponsor of the bill, which tightens economic sanctions Congress imposed in 2003 by outlawing the importation of Burmese gems and timber in the United States. Biden and Lugar sent a letter to European Union officials urging them to join the United States in imposing strictures on Burma. In October, the Senate unanimously passed the Libya Reporting Bill, sponsored by Biden and Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., that requires the State Department to submit to Congress semiannual reports on the status of outstanding claims from American victims of Libyan terrorism and on the Bush administration’s efforts to aid their claims. In a June hearing on Russia-U.S. relations, Biden drew attention to what he called the “spread of rampant corruption, Kremlin efforts to muzzle dissent and bully neighbors and a fixation on acquiring pipelines that deliver hydrocarbons to our close allies.” He stated the United States and the European Union should together form a “single, cogent” policy for dealing with Russia.


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Antony J. Blinken Democratic Staff Director 439 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4651 Fax: (202) 224-3612

Expertise: National security strategy, U.S.-European relations. As the Democratic staff director, Antony Blinken stands at the helm of foreign policy decision-making on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Upcoming challenges for Blinken include the wars in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, relations with Pakistan, genocide in Darfur, Kosovo’s independence, the disarmament of North Korea, Iran’s nuclear agenda and the Middle East peace process for Israelis and Palestinians. Committee chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., said in January long-term challenges for the committee are non-proliferation and arms control; relations with China, India and Russia; and energy and climate change. Blinken helps the committee keep abreast on a multitude of issues by “finding “the smartest people I can and letting them loose on their issues,” he told the National Journal in June 2007. In recent months, Biden has pushed to bring American troops home from Iraq. “Absent an occupation we cannot sustain, or the return of a dictator we do not want, Iraq cannot be governed from the center at this point in its history,” Biden said during a September hearing on the results of the troop surge. “Without a political settlement, the surge is at best a stop gap that delays, but will not prevent, chaos. Its net effect will be to put more American lives at risk with no prospect for success.”


Education: A.B., Harvard College, 1984. J.D., Columbia Law School, 1988.

Professional: 1988, Dukakis for President Campaign. 1989–1991, associate, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison. 1991–1993, freelance writer and lawyer (Paris, France). 1993–1994, special asst. to the assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs, Bureau for European Affairs, U.S. Dept. of State. 1994–1998, special asst. to the president and senior director for strategic planning, NSC senior director for speechwriting, National Security Council staff at the White House. 1999–2001, special asst. to the president and senior director for European and Canadian affairs, National Security Council staff at the White House. 2001–2002, senior fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies. 2002–present, Democratic staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations.

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Biden advocated a “federal, central Iraq” calling it America’s “last, best hope for a stable Iraq.” In January, Congress approved a plan for withdrawing from Iraq. Biden said he would continue to push the administration to adopt the legislation. The chairman also has been active on the subject of climate change, examining U.S. efforts to secure international climate change agreements. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., has emphasized the importance of the Foreign Relations Committee in that process. “The United States Senate and this committee in particular is perhaps the most important place in the world for the post-2012 climate treaty to be negotiated,” he said while chairing a January hearing. “We cannot have another situation like the Kyoto treaty where a treaty was negotiated, but could not be ratified by our country … it is essential that we stay actively engaged with the process so that negotiators from other nations understand the kind of treaty that can receive 67 votes here in the Senate.” Blinken came to the committee with wide-ranging foreign policy experience, including stints at the State Department, the National Security Council, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The Harvard College and Columbia Law School graduate has also worked as a freelance writer and lawyer, is fluent in French, and wrote the 1987 book, Ally Versus Ally: America, Europe and the Siberian Pipeline Crisis.



Dan Diller Deputy Staff Director 450 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6797 Fax: (202) 224-3612

Expertise: Middle East, Russia, and the former Soviet Union. Republican deputy staff director Dan Diller has been with Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, since 1991. Diller is in charge of monitoring State Department funding and tracking the progress of U.S. diplomacy overseas. He is an expert in Middle Eastern and Russian affairs. As such, Diller will focus on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Israeli-Palestinian relations and U.S. relations with Russia. Lugar has pushed for the establishment of a “consistent forum related to Iraq that is open to all parties in the Middle East,” according to his statement at a July hearing. “The purpose of the forum would be to improve transparency of national interests so that neighboring states, including Syria and Iran, would avoid missteps,” Lugar said. He noted the forum would be particularly useful and salient as the Middle East “suffers from conspiracy theories, corruption, and the opaque policies of non-democratic governments.“ Lugar also has emphasized the need for a solution to the Arab-Israeli crisis in order to “increase the chances of attaining political reconciliation and stability in Lebanon, as well as the broader Middle East.” He also has urged the U.S. to closely track relations between Iran and Syria in order to identify regional diplomatic opportunities the United States might take advantage of when the interests of the two countries diverge.

Personal: Born 1959 in Princeton, Ill.

Education: B.A., English and history, Augustant College (Ill.), 1982. M.A., international relations, American University, 1986. M.A., English literature, University of Virginia, 1987.

Professional: 1985–1991, writer/editor, Congressional Quarterly. 1991–1993, legislative assistant, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. 1993–2003, legislative director, Sen. Richard Lugar, RInd. 2003–present, deputy staff director, Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations.

Committee chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., has indicated government dealings in Russia and securing nuclear materials in the country are important goals for the committee in the year ahead. Biden drew attention to what he called the “spread of rampant corruption, Kremlin efforts to muzzle dissent and bully neighbors and a fixation on acquiring pipelines that deliver hydrocarbons to our close allies” in a June hearing on Russia-U.S. relations. He stated the United States and the European Union should together form a “single, cogent” policy for dealing with Russia. Lugar noted in June that the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has resulted in the dismantling of more than 2,000 intercontinental missiles; the elimination of 1,000 missile launchers; and the deactivation of 7,000 nuclear warheads. Diller joined Lugar’s personal staff as a legislative assistant in 1991 and has also served as his legislative director; the Illinois native undertook his current position in 2003. A former writer and editor for Congressional Quarterly, Diller edited the seventh and eighth editions of The Middle East, as well as the third edition of The Soviet Union and Russia and the Independent States. Diller has a Master’s in international relations from American University and another in English literature from the University of Virginia. He attended the Augustant College in Illinois, where he majored in English and history.


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Andy Fisher Communications Director Sen. Richard G. Lugar, R-Ind. 450 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6797 Fax: (202) 228-1608 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Andy Fisher keeps busy as the Republican communications director for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and as press secretary in the office of ranking member Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. He has held both positions since 1997 and worked as Lugar’s press secretary during the 1980s. There is never a dull moment for Fisher as Lugar releases a flurry of legislation and statements on everything from Iraq to Darfur. And 2008 is expected to be a busy year on the international scene. In February Lugar and committee chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., jointly introduced a bipartisan resolution urging the United States and the international community to provide critical equipment to the African Union and the United Nations for their peacekeeping mission in war torn Darfur. The two senators enjoy a friendly working relationship despite being on opposite sides of the aisle. Last year the Senate passed a resolution by Biden and Lugar that called for the immediate deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Darfur, which said the United States must supply peacekeepers with necessary supplies and impose multilateral sanctions and a no-fly zone if Khartoum failed to cooperate with the mission. Lugar also is active in pushing to safeguard nuclear materials abroad so they do not fall into the hands of terrorists.

Personal: Born 07/20/1960 in Jamestown, N.Y.

Education: B.A., State University of New York at Fredonia, 1982.

Professional: 1983–1989, press secretary, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. 1989–1992, owner/publisher, News & Farmer. 1992–1995, various, U.S. Forest Service. 1996, press secretary, Senate Cmte. on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. 1997–present, communications dir., Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind./Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations.

He introduced S. 1138 in April 2007, which aims to discourage the development of enrichment and reprocessing capabilities in other countries. The bill also attempts ensure a steady nuclear fuel supply for other countries that are cooperating with International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. In June Lugar caused a stir among Republicans when he announced that Bush’s Iraq strategy was not working, and that the U.S. should downsize the military’s role in Iraq. Fisher went on record explaining that the senator wanted to lay out his concerns before the Bush administration’s review of its troop “surge” in September. In the year ahead, Fisher can expect more action on topics ranging from Israeli-Palestinian relations to bolstering Democratic institutions in Afghanistan. Fortunately, he has plenty of experience in the communications field. Fisher previously served as press secretary for the Senate Committee on Agriculture from 1996 to 1997. Before taking that position, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service. He was the owner and publisher of News & Farmer between 1989 and 1992. Fisher worked as Lugar’s press secretary from 1983 to 1989. He has a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia.

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Edward Levine Senior Professional Staff Member 439 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4651 Fax: (202) 224-3612 [email protected]

Expertise: U.S. arms transfers, arms control, nonproliferation policy. A decades-long veteran of Senate committees, Edward Levine is an expert in all things related to arms control and weapons proliferation. As a senior professional staff member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Democratic staff, he advises the committee on reducing the number of weapons abroad and on U.S. arms transfers. Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., has described non-proliferation and arms control as key long-term challenges for the committee. Levine will analyze Iran’s nuclear agenda and push the disarmament of North Korea. Biden said in February the committee’s goal and the objective of the Six Party Talks is to “peacefully dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for energy assistance, sanctions relief and the creation of a permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.” Levine also will monitor relations between India and Pakistan. At a February hearing, ranking member Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., described Pakistan as “one of the most strategically important nations for the United States.” Lugar highlighted Pakistan’s “stewardship of its nuclear arsenal and its relations with other nations in the region” as “critical to global security.”

Education: B.A., University of California, Berkeley. M.A., Ph.D., international relations, Yale University.

Professional: 1976–1997, professional staff member, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 1997– present, senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations.

Over the years Levine has helped staff Biden on the U.S. ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Amended Mines Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, and the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions. Levine noted he has also worked closely with Biden to expand and support U.S. non-proliferation programs in the former Soviet Union and around the world. Prior to joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Levine spent 20 years as professional staff member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. There he fulfilled a variety of intelligence oversight functions and helped author the committee’s analyses of U.S. capabilities to monitor compliance with the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks II, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, the Threshold Test Ban Treaty, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties I and II, the Open Skies Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Before joining the senate committee staffs, Levine taught political science at the University of Michigan and Rice University. He received a B.A. degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. and Ph.D. in international relations from Yale University.


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Brian P. McKeon Democratic Chief Counsel 439 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4651 Fax: (202) 224-3612 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative affairs. Brian P. McKeon serves as deputy staff director and Democratic chief counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is responsible for all legal issues, treaties and nominations and is the lead staff person on legislation regarding the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. His boss, committee chairman Joseph R. Biden, D-Del., has said much of the committee’s work this year will prepare the way for a new administration to take over the White House in January. “This committee can make a real contribution by handing off to the next president a better approach to our nation’s security, as well as very concrete ideas for dealing with the specific challenges we face,” Biden said. McKeon is spending much of his time in 2008 addressing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as U.S. relations with countries including China, India, Pakistan and Russia. The committee also expects to look at ways to combat genocide in Darfur; encourage a smooth transition to independence for Kosovo; urge the disarmament of North Korea, study Iran’s nuclear agenda; and promote peace between Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East. The committee will look at reauthorizing and strengthening President Bush’s program to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria across the globe, according to Biden. Bush has called for spending $30 billion over the next five years, while both House and Senate measures would spend $50 billion.

Personal: Born in Auburn, N.Y.

Education: B.A., University of Notre Dame. J.D., Georgetown Law Center.

At a December hearing, Lugar described the rapid reauthorization of the Leadership Act Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as essential in order to prevent the needless loss of lives. The leadership act is set to expire in September 2008.

Professional:

Biden said in January long-term challenges for the committee are non-proliferation and arms control; relations with China, India, and Russia; and energy and climate change.

1985–1995, legislative assistant, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del. 1996, volunteer, foreign policy office, Clinton-Gore campaign. 1997–present, Democratic chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations.

McKeon has served on the committee staff since January 1997. He also worked on the Clinton-Gore campaign in 1996 and served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Robert Doumar. His ties to Biden go back to his days working as a legislative aid in Biden’s office. McKeon, a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, also has been an assistant to Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire in Northern Ireland. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

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Kenneth A. Myers Jr. Minority Staff Director 450 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6797 Fax: (202) 224-3612

Expertise: Europe, Russia, arms control. For Kenneth Myers Jr., working for the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is something of a family affair. His son, Kenneth A. Myers III, also works for Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., as part of the committee staff. The elder Myers has been acting as staff director for Lugar since 2003, when the Indiana senator headed the committee. The veteran staffer has advised Lugar on foreign policy since 1983. His lengthy tenure ensures he is familiar with the senator’s key issues like the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program. Thus far, that program has resulted in the dismantling of more than 2,000 intercontinental missiles; the elimination of1,000 missile launchers; and the deactivation of 7,000 nuclear warheads, Lugar said in June. Energy issues are key for Lugar as well. The senator frequently travels to the former Soviet Union and has visited countries including Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. He strongly supports reducing the United States’s dependence on foreign oil and has expressed interest in alternative energies like ethanol. In the past year, Lugar also has been active in pushing for strictures for Burma’s military junta. Along with committee chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., he has urged European Union officials to join the United States in imposing strictures on Burma.

Personal: Born 1941 in Johnson City, N.Y.

Education: B.A., Colgate University, 1963. Ph.D., Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, 1968.

Professional: 1969–1980, analyst, Center for Strategic and International Studies. 1980–1983, analyst, Defense Department. 1983–2003, foreign policy aide, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. 2003–present, Republican staff director, Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations.

Lugar and Biden also have made the humanitarian crisis in Darfur an important issue for the committee. In January, the senators jointly introduced a bipartisan resolution urging the United States and the international community to provide critical equipment to the African Union and the United Nations for their peacekeeping mission in war torn Darfur. Lugar also will be looking at the unrest in Kenya following this winter’s troubled elections in the weeks and months ahead. Another top issue will be promoting a peaceful independence for Kosovo. Also this year Lugar is being drawn into a $12 billion dispute between Exxon Mobile Corp. and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez over nationalized oil fields. The Venezuela’s ambassador to the United States wrote to Lugar asking him to urge Exxon to drop a suit that has frozen bank accounts and property in an attempt to ensure adequate compensation its lost oil fields. A Johnson City, New York, native, Myers boasts a prestigious resume in international relations issues. He earned a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Defense Department before joining Lugar’s staff as a foreign policy aide in 1983.


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Puneet Talwar Senior Professional Staff Member 439 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4651 Fax: (202) 228-3612 [email protected]

Expertise: Middle Eastern affairs. Puneet Talwar describes his work on legislation supporting the split of Iraq into federal regions as his greatest accomplishment of 2007. The measure, known as the Biden-Brownback Iraq amendment for its sponsors Sens. Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Sam Brownback, R-Kans., passed the Senate 75–23 in December as part of the annual Defense Authorization bill. It was “the first major bipartisan vote we have had on Iraq since the war began,” Talwar, the chief advisor on the Middle East for the Democrats, said. “The majority of Republicans and nearly all—if not all—Democrats supported it.” Talwar said he expects Iraq to continue to be a major focus in 2008 and for the foreseeable future. Biden, who has chaired the panel since Democrats regained control of the Senate in 2007, has said the panel will continue its “close oversight of the administration’s policies and plans” with regard to Iraq during the year ahead. Other areas of importance, though, will include diplomacy with Iran, particularly over its nuclear program; the IsraelPalestine peace process; and relations between Lebanon and Syria. Afghanistan also is high on the agenda. There is “no shortage of crises in the Middle East,” Talwar said.

Education: B.S., engineering, Cornell University, 1987. M.A., international affairs, Columbia University, 1990.

Professional: 1987–1988, materials engineer, National Institute of Standards and Technology. 1990–1992, international official, United Nations. 1992–1995, legislative asst., Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Ohio. 1995–1997, legislative asst., Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. 1997–1999, Democratic professional staff member for Near Eastern affairs, Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations. 1999–2001, policy planning staff, U.S. Dept. of State. 2001– present, senior professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Foreign Relations.

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Ranking member Richard Lugar, R-Ind., lauded the increased access to health services and road reconstruction in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban but said the overall situation in the country remains “grave.” Areas targeted for improvement include building up the country’s democratic institutions and cracking down on the drug trade funding the Taliban, Lugar said at a January hearing. Talwar has an extensive background in international relations. He served in the Clinton administration as a member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff. He also worked as a foreign policy adviser to Congressman Thomas C. Sawyer of Ohio. In addition, he served as an official with the United Nations from 1990 to 1992. He holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Cornell University. He has published articles and reports on Iraq, Iran, the Middle East Peace Process, Pakistan, India, and Bosnia. Talwar is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.


Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 428 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-5375 Fax: (202) 224-5044 http://help.senate.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 10/10/1 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Edward M. Kennedy, MA, Chairman

Mike Enzi, WY, Ranking Member

Christopher J. Dodd, CT Tom Harkin, IA Barbara A. Mikulski, MD Jeff Bingaman, NM Patty Murray, WA Jack Reed, RI Hillary Rodham Clinton, NY Barack Obama, IL Sherrod Brown, OH

Judd Gregg, NH Lamar Alexander, TN Richard Burr, NC Johnny Isakson, GA Lisa Murkowski, AK Orrin G. Hatch, UT Pat Roberts, KS Wayne Allard, CO Tom Coburn, OK



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SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS JURISDICTION (1) Education, labor, health, and public welfare. (2) Aging. (3) Agricultural colleges. (4) Arts and humanities. (5) Biomedical research and development. (6) Child labor. (7) Convict labor and the entry of goods made by convicts into interstate commerce. (8) Domestic activities of the American National Red Cross. (9) Equal employment opportunity. (10) Gallaudet College, Howard University, and Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital. (11) Individuals with disabilities. (12) Labor standards and labor statistics. (13) Mediation and arbitration of labor disputes. (14) Occupational safety and health, including the welfare of miners. (15) Private pension plans. (16) Public health. (17) Railway labor and retirement. (18) Regulation of foreign laborers. (19) Student loans. (20) Wages and hours of labor. Comprehensive study and review of matters relating to health, education and training, and public welfare.

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SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is one of the busiest on Capitol Hill. Though it deals with a variety of often-controversial issues, chairman Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and ranking member Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo., have emphasized a cooperative working relationship resulting in numerous pieces of legislation passing out of the committee. Both Kennedy and Enzi are strong supporters of the No Child Left Behind Act, the K–12 education law that seeks to close the achievement gap between minority groups and white students as well as the gap between higher-income and disadvantaged students. Kennedy is one of the original co-authors of the law and both he and Enzi pledged to push it toward reauthorization this session. However, most observers believed that presidential politics would get in the way. With several members of the committee running for the presidential nomination early in the year—including Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill.—some political observers said it was unlikely that the controversial legislation would move forward. Following on a series of hearings during the first session of the 110th Congress, a reauthorized version of the law is likely to contain new methods for measuring student achievement and alternative consequences for schools and districts whose students don’t meet annual educational targets. On the health front, Kennedy wants to move forward with the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, which passed the Senate last year and would ensure equal treatment under health plans for mental health issues as well as physical health conditions. The legislation is now working its way through the House. “With modern medicine, mental illnesses are just as treatable as physical illnesses,” Kennedy said. “So it makes no sense for health insurance to cover one but not the other.” Enzi is focusing on comprehensive health care reform bill dubbed the “Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America.” The legislation would address the situation of the 46 million Americans who do not have health insurance. Among other proposals, the bill would increase options for working families to buy health insurance through a standard tax deduction; ensure affordable health insurance to those with low incomes through a refundable, tax-based subsidy; and provide cross-state pooling to reduce health care costs and increase accessibility. Enzi has acknowledged that its unlikely all of the measures—a collection of ideas from both Republicans and Democrats—included in the bill will gain traction but said, “Any one of those steps would improve the situation,” Enzi said. Though the Senate passed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act last session and the House passed it February 7, staff will continue to support work on the legislation, which aims to keep the cost of college from skyrocketing. Members from both the Senate and the House must now hash out the differences between the two versions of the bill. Last year, Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill that contained $20 billion in new money for student aid for college, a plan touted as the biggest federal investment in higher education since the GI bill. With an economic downturn looming the committee was working on the Unemployment Modernization Act, related to both unemployment insurance extensions and modernization of the program. Worker safety continues to be an issue, with an emphasis on mine safety following a series of mine accidents, along with safety for workers in sugar refineries and poultry plants.


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Sharon Block Labor and Employment Counsel 632 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5441 Fax: (202) 224-2311

Expertise: Labor and employment, occupational safety and health. In 2007, Sharon Block brought her expertise and long history working on labor and employment issues to the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. With a background that includes stints at the National Labor Relations Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Block has keen insight into the labor issues that come before the committee. As labor and employment counsel, Block provides advice to the committee’s chairman, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, DMass., on labor-related matters. In the second session of the 110th Congress, Block was working on mine safety issues, something that continues to be a concern for Kennedy, especially following a fatal mine collapse in Utah in 2007. The Crandall Canyon mine collapse killed six miners and three volunteers working to rescue them. It prompted hearings and legislation to help ensure the safety of miners and impose new regulations on mining companies. Block continues to examine this issue and make sure regulations are being followed. A senate proposal, the Miner Health and Safety Enhancement Act, would amend existing mining laws and put new safety measures in place in terms of emergency response, mining accident investigation reform, and electronic communication, Block said.

Education: B.A., history, Columbia University, 1987. J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1991.

Professional: 1994–1996, general counsel, National Endowment for the Humanities. 1996– 2000, attorney, Appellate Court Branch, National Labor Relations Board. 2003– 2006, senior attorney, Office of Chairman Robert Battista, National Labor Relations Board. 2006–2007, special assistant, Office of the General Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 2007–present, labor and employment counsel, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Employment discrimination is also high on Block’s agenda this session. Block is working on legislation, the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, that would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. It protects workers from being fired, denied a job or promotion, or otherwise intentionally discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. The House passed the measure in 2007 and at the time Kennedy said he planned to move the bill forward in the Senate as quickly as possible; however, no bill had been introduced by February. Block is also working on occupational safety and health issues and collective bargaining rights. The Fair Pay Restoration Act is high on Block’s priority list, as is the Civil Rights Act of 2008. Kennedy continues to show concern about the nation’s unemployment rate, which showed a jump toward the end of 2007 from 4.7 percent in November to 5 percent in December. The committee had a March hearing on unemployment issues planned. “More and more Americans are losing their jobs and, at the same time, the nation’s safety net is eroding,” Kennedy said in January, encouraging Congress to “take swift and fair action to stimulate the economy and improve our unemployment system, so that the millions of hardworking people who have lost their jobs can support their families and find new opportunities to get back on their feet.”

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Beth Buehlmann Republican Education Policy Director 835 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6770 Fax: (202) 224-2311 [email protected]

Expertise: Education policy. As education policy director, Beth Buehlmann “connects the dots” among the education programs and workforce issues before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. When working on K–12 issues related to teachers, for example, Buehlmann makes sure there’s a direct connection between what is needed in the classroom and the training prospective teachers receive from institutions of higher education, she said. Buehlmann returned to Capitol Hill in 2005 after a lengthy career on the House side and a stint working for organizations outside the federal government. Buehlmann said she came back to use the expertise she’s gained to aid ranking member Sen. Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo., on education issues. “The experiences I had since leaving the Hill created a good foundation for me to come back,” she said. “It felt like coming home in some respects. I tell everybody it’s the best job I ever had.” This session Buehlmann is working on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The bill passed both the House and the Senate, but work hammering out the differences between the two versions remains. Though the bills are “structurally similar,” Buehlmann said, “the devil’s always in the details.”


Education: B.S., math education, 1966. M.A., curriculum development, 1971. Ph.D., higher education administration, 1974.

Professional: 1979–1991, various positions ending with education policy director, House Cmte. on Education and Labor. 1991–1998, executive director, Washington office, California State University System. 1998–2005, executive director, Center for Workforce Preparation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 2005–present, education policy director, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

The goal for Enzi is to make sure that students and their families have the information they need when it comes to the true costs of a college education. The Senate version of the bill would expand grant assistance opportunities; establish protocol to provide consumer friendly information about college tuition; and simplify the application process for federal student aid, among other proposals. Enzi has also maintained his commitment to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, the K–12 law that calls for annual testing of students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once during high school. The law requires schools and districts to meet annual educational goals or face escalating consequences. Though observers say the law is unlikely to be reauthorized during this election year, Buehlmann said, “My boss is an optimist.” There are no plans for hearings this session, however last year the committee held several hearings and roundtables on the law, particularly regarding alternative ways to measure student achievement and differentiated consequences for schools and districts not meeting yearly educational goals. Buehlmann said the positive working relationship between Enzi and committee chairman Edward M. Kennedy, DMass., means the committee can make headway on issues despite philosophical differences. “As Senator Enzi will say, this used to be one of the more contentious committees in the Senate,” she said. “Now it’s one of the few committees getting things done. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?”


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Shana M. Christrup Health Policy Director 727 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6770 Fax: (202) 224-6510 [email protected]

Expertise: Health. When it comes to health care, much of Shana Christrup’s attention this session is on the “10 steps” bill that Sen. Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo., the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s ranking Republican, introduced last year. The comprehensive health care reform bill dubbed the “Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America” legislation would address the lack of health care in the country. About 46 million Americans do not have health insurance and the bill attempts to build on market-based solutions to strengthen current insurance programs. Among other proposals, the bill would increase options for working families to buy health insurance through a standard tax deduction; ensure affordable health insurance to those with low incomes through a refundable, tax-based subsidy; provide cross-state pooling to reduce health care costs and increase accessibility; emphasize preventative health care measures; increase access to health care in rural areas; and tamp down health care costs by revamping the medical justice system. “He’s realistic,” Christrup said of her boss, Enzi. “He wants to get something done on health care this year, but he doesn’t think he’s going to get the full 10 steps proposal done. He recognizes that some of those things can get done.”

Personal: Born 04/13/1975 in Yuma, Colo.

Education: B.S., chemistry, University of Arkansas, 1997. Post-Baccalaureate Diploma, human biology, Oxford University/Magdalen College, 1998. M.A., public health, Yale University, 2000.

Professional: 1997, Truman summer intern, Office of Aids Research, National Institutes of Health. 2000–2001, presidential management intern, Agency for Health care Research and Quality. 2001–2003, health policy analyst, Subc. on Public Health, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Cmte. 2003–2005, deputy director of legislation, Centers for Disease Control. 2005–present, professional staff member, health policy director, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Cmte.

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In a speech on the Senate floor on February 1, Enzi said he’s been collecting ideas from Republicans and Democrats on how to reform health care. Many of those proposals have been included in the bill. “Any one of those steps would improve the situation,” Enzi said. Enzi also expressed frustration that health care has not been improved during his time on the committee. “It is shameful that we haven’t been able to make sure that all Americans have access to affordable health insurance,” he said in a Senate floor speech. “I’m saying do something.” Christrup is also working on reauthorization of the Animal Drug User Fee Act, which is similar to the Prescription Drug User Fee Act reauthorized last year. The technical bill addresses user fees that companies pay to the Food and Drug Administration to review drugs used on animals. There are a variety of public health bills on Christrup’s to-do list as well including legislation that deals with post partum depression, the Healthy Start program (aimed at reducing infant mortality), and new legislation that addresses pre-and post-natal screening. Enzi continues to work on the issue of antibiotic resistance, an ongoing concern for the Wyoming senator, Christrup said. Enzi is focused on getting new antibiotics to the market.



Greg Dean Republican General Counsel/ Pension Policy Director 835 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6770 Fax: (202) 224-6510 [email protected]

Expertise: Health, education, labor, pensions, financial matters. Republican general counsel Greg Dean has added a new title to his nameplate: pension policy director. In the past Dean oversaw the team that implemented the Pension Protection Act and he’s added new duties by managing the entire pension portfolio. Though Dean said it’s hard work balancing the two jobs, since the passage of the Pension Protection Act in August of 2006, there has not been much new legislation to manage in that area. Dean continues with his general counsel duties, working with each of the policy shops on legal issues that arise, as well as handling the nomination process and pension retirement savings issues. Though the Senate passed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act last session and the House passed it February 7, Dean will continue to support work on the legislation, which contains proposals to reform and simplify federal student loan financing, to strengthen teacher training programs and to hold colleges accountable for tuition increases. Members from both the Senate and the House must now hash out the differences between the two versions of the bill The legislation builds on the college aid bill passed by Congress last year which provided more than $20 billion in new college aid to students.

Personal: Born 1963 in Montgomery County, Pa.

Education: B.A., Villanova University, 1985. J.D., Widener School of Law.

Professional: 1990–1999, assistant chief counsel for banking and finance, Office of Advocacy, Small Business Administration. 2000–2001, assistant general counsel, NASD Regulation. 2001–2002, banking counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 2003, finance counsel, House Cmte. on Small Business. 2003–2004, staff director, Subc. on Securities and Investment, Senate Cmte. on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. 2005–present, Republican general counsel, pension policy director, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Dean also has his eye on health care legislation introduced by his boss and ranking committee Republican Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming. Last year Enzi introduced his “Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America” legislation to aid the 46 million Americans who do not have health insurance. Dean is particularly looking at small business health plans. Enzi “recognizes that small business have difficulty getting health insurance for their employees,” Dean said. The legislation would allow small businesses to pool their efforts to buy that employee health insurance. “Like any health care issue, this one has its share of stakeholders on both sides, but this aspect is gaining momentum as the health care affordability crisis continues,” Dean said. Other issues Dean is working on include Food and Drug Administration food safety concerns, and reauthorization of the K–12 education bill, the No Child Left Behind Act. Dean acknowledged that the presidential election year has made it tough to move forward with legislation in the committee. At one point in the year, three of the committee’s members—Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn.— were all seeking the Democratic nomination for president. “It means bills have to move in a consensus manner, plus there are a lot of election-year issues coming to the forefront,” Dean said. “It does slow down the process.”


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Caya Lewis Deputy Staff Director for Health 527 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7675 Fax: (202) 224-3533

Expertise: Public health, women’s and reproductive health, health disparities. Caya Lewis is working on a number of health-related issues this session. Topping her list is the reauthorization the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or of PEPFAR. The initiative has provided $18.8 billion to prevent HIV and treat AIDS overseas since it was originally passed five years ago, while also disbursing funds to fight the spread of malaria and tuberculosis. The initiative has helped to put 1.4 million AIDS sufferers on anti-retroviral drugs, distribute more than a billion condoms worldwide, and push other developed countries to boost their spending on AIDS relief. Early in the session, the House passed the PEPFAR bill authorizing $50 billion over five years. In a press conference President Bush praised the vote and urged the Senate to pass it as well so that he could sign it. By March, however, the Senate had not yet taken it up. Lewis is also working on another reauthorization this session of health professions training programs. However, Bush’s proposed 2009 budget, released in February, cuts funding to train nurses and eliminates health professions training for primary care and geriatric providers programs aimed at diversifying the workforce.

Personal: Born 08/19/1972 in Bethesda, Md.

Education: B.A., Spelman College. MPH, health behavior and health education, University of Michigan.

Professional: 1997–2001, national health director, NAACP. 2001–2003, policy analyst, National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. 2003–2005, senior policy analyst, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2005–present, deputy staff director for health, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Minority health and health disparities also remains a critical issue on Lewis’s agenda. As diversity continues to grow in the United States, existing health disparities are also increasing. Racial and ethnic minorities face disparities in access to health information, care and treatment, especially when it comes to high-risk conditions like obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Compared with non-Hispanic whites, diabetes is nearly three times more common among Hispanics, Native Americans, native Alaskans and African Americans. Black women are more than twice as likely to die of cervical cancer than white women and of breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group. Lewis continues to work to make sure minorities also receive health care and treatment. During the last session, Lewis was a part of efforts to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and expand it to cover thousands more children in the government-subsidized health coverage program for families that can’t afford private coverage. Last year, lawmakers failed to override two vetoes from Bush that would have increased federal spending on the program by $35 billion over five years bringing total spending to $60 billion. The president said the expansion would have encouraged too many families to drop their private coverage so they could get coverage through the government.

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Carmel Martin General Counsel/Chief Education Adviser 644 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0767 [email protected]

Expertise: Education policy. Much of Carmel Martin’s focus for the last several years has been on the No Child Left Behind Act. The federal K–12 legislation is aimed at closing the achievement gap between white and minority students, as well as the gap between higher-income and disadvantaged students. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions chairman Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., is one of the original co-authors of the law. The No Child Left Behind Act is scheduled to be reauthorized this year and early in the session Kennedy pledged to push the matter forward. However, political observers opined that the controversial legislation was unlikely to progress during a presidential election year, despite Kennedy’s commitment. Education Week newspaper reported that the Senate would mark up the bill in March. In January on the sixth anniversary of the signing of the law, Kennedy expressed a wish to revamp the problems the law has. “We’ve learned a lot over the past six years about what works and what doesn’t work with No Child Left Behind,” he said. “We’ve seen many students and schools make great progress, but we’ve also seen that some reforms don’t work. We owe it to children, parents, and schools to get it right.” During the last session, the committee held numerous hearings on various aspects of the law which requires annual testing of students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once again in high school. Students must make annual educational goals, otherwise known as Adequate Yearly Progress, or schools and districts face escalating consequences.

Personal: Born in New York, N.Y.

Education: B.A., economics, Manhattan College, 1989. M.A., public administration, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, 1994. J.D., University of Texas Law School, 1994.

Professional: 1994–1995, clerk, Judge Thomas Reavley, U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit. 1995–1998, associate, Hogan & Hartson, Education Practice. 1999–2004, chief counsel, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, DN.Mex. 2004, associate dir. for domestic policy, Center for American Progress. 2005–present, general counsel/chief education adviser, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

But critics have called into question the laws methods for measuring student achievement and questioned the penalties the law metes out for schools and districts whose students don’t meet annual goals. Some hearings have focused on alternative means of assessment and alternative consequences. At a panel discussion sponsored by the Aspen Institute’s Commission on No Child Left Behind early in the year, Martin said though there is disagreement on policy issues, those on both sides of the aisle believe Congress needs to fix the law’s programs, according to Education Week. The divisions may “make it complicated,” she said, but it also may stop it from becoming a partisan fight. Kennedy is also focused on higher education. Last year Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill that contained $20 billion in new money for student aid for college, a plan touted as the biggest federal investment in higher education since the GI bill. The legislation included a boost to Pell Grants, new borrower repayment options and new loan forgiveness for those working in non profit or public service jobs. This year the House and the Senate are working to reconcile two versions of legislation that reauthorizes the Higher Education Act. That legislation proposes to limit increases to college tuition.


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Lauren McGarity McFerran Labor and Employment Counsel 644 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5441 Fax: (202) 228-2311

Expertise: Labor policy, employment policy. Labor and employment counsel Lauren McFerran has worked on some of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s most longstanding issues. Kennedy, D-Mass., the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has repeatedly introduced legislation to protect the right to organize over the years. This session, McFerran finds herself again working on that issues. Kennedy’s legislation would protect the right of workers to associate freely and join a union. Though Kennedy said the ability of workers to join a union has often resulted in higher wages, improved health coverage and a retirement system for workers, often employers discourage the practice. Kennedy has proposed that workers not be penalized by employers for taking part in free association. In addition, Kennedy’s proposal would require employers to participate in mediation and arbitration to negotiate a first contract with employees, and would strengthen protections for employees who are penalized by their employer for organizing. McFerran is also tackling the issue work and family policy for Kennedy. In February, Kennedy called the 15-year-old Family and Medical Leave Act which allows workers to take time off to care for a sick or disabled relative without losing their jobs, “a huge success.” But Kennedy said it should be expanded, and balked at new regulations imposed by the Bush administration that would limit when workers may use their leave time.

Education: B.A., Rice University, 1998. J.D., Yale Law School, 2001.

Professional: Associate, Bredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C. Law clerk, Judge Carolyn King, United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit. Labor and employment counsel, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

“The regulations place stricter requirements on when employees can request leave in advance, and shorten the window in which they can claim their rights after an emergency,” Kennedy said. “As a result, many workers entitled to this leave are likely to have their requests unfairly denied.” McFerran also said she’ll be working on immigration labor policy and poverty issues this session. Last session, McFerran was involved in another long-term issue for Kennedy: increasing the minimum wage. With this legislation Kennedy had success as a minimum wage increase bill was signed into law. The minimum increased to $5.85 July 24, 2007, then was slated to go up to $6.55 one year later, and reach $7.25 in July 2009. Workers are expected earn an extra $4,400 per year when the full increase takes effect in 2009, and 13 million people will benefit from the increase.

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J. Michael Myers Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel 644 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0767 Fax: (202) 224-5128 [email protected]

Expertise: Legislative negotiations, political strategy. In his dual role as staff director and chief counsel J. Michael Myers has an impact on nearly all of the issues that come before the committee. This year, one of the big priorities for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chairman Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., is reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Though some provisions related to higher education were included in a reconciliation bill passed last session, the reauthorization includes new ethics rules for the relationship between lenders and universities and important provisions to deal with rising college costs, Myers said. “This earlier bill gave more money to students,” he said. “This bill is going to try to keep the price tag down.” Also on the education front, Kennedy is pushing for reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act this session. But early in the session it was clear that the K–12 education law, which calls for regular testing of students in reading and math and metes out penalties for schools and districts whose students don’t meet annual achievement goals, was unlikely to see a floor vote with the 2008 presidential elections looming. The committee held hearings on the law last session, taking a close look at alternative provisions and formulas for measuring accountability as well as alternative consequences for schools and districts whose students don’t meet achievement goals, also known as adequate yearly progress.


Education: B.A., political science, Columbia University, 1979. M.A., political science, Columbia University, 1981.

Professional: 1979–1980, staff member, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. 1980–1986, Washington rep., Church World Service. 1987–1993, counsel, foreign policy adviser to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., Subc. on Immigration and Refugee Affairs, Senate Judiciary Cmte. 1993–1995, dir. of policy, Office of Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs, Dept. of Defense. 1995–1996, special counsel on immigration, Subc. on Immigration, Senate Judiciary Cmte. 1997–1998, Democratic staff dir., Subc. on Immigration, Senate Judiciary Cmte. 1998–present, Democratic staff dir. and chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.


Myers said presidential politics has played a role in slowing much of the legislation coming through the committee—particularly when several of the committee’s members were running for president early in the year. “It’s just the expectation generally around here that most of the legislating is going to be in the first half of the year because campaign politics takes over in the second half,” Myers said. “There’s a short window to get anything done.” On the health side, Myers said staff will continue to work on the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, which passed the Senate last year and would ensure equal treatment under health plans for mental health issues as well as physical health conditions. The legislation is now working its way through the House. After the passage of the legislation in the Senate in September, Kennedy praised the intent of the bill. “With modern medicine, mental illnesses are just as treatable as physical illnesses,” he said. “So it makes no sense for health insurance to cover one but not the other. When you’re battling depression and other mental illnesses, the last thing you should have to worry about is whether your insurance will cover your treatment and care.”

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Craig Orfield Communications Director 835 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6770 [email protected]

Expertise: Media, message development, management. As the communications director for the ranking Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Craig Orfield has learned to hone the message that his boss, Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., wants to send. This session, that message is heavy on health care reform. Enzi introduced his “10 steps” legislation last year in an effort to pool ideas to improve the nation’s health care system and address the situation of 46 million Americans who lack health care. The bill, officially named the “Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America,” would increase options for working families to buy health insurance through a standard tax deduction; ensure affordable health insurance to those with low incomes through a refundable, tax-based subsidy; provide cross-state pooling to reduce health care costs and increase accessibility; emphasize preventative health care measures; increase access to health care in rural areas; and tamp down health care costs by revamping the medical justice system. Though Enzi introduced the bill, “it’s not a bill that is simply Senator Enzi’s product,” Orfield said. “He directed the staff to sit down and examine every major health care reform initiative that has been introduced in this Congress and to try and hit the high points and put them all in one bill.”

Personal: Born in Bristol, Va.

Education: B.A., University of Virginia, 1985.

Professional: 1993–1994, dir. of government relations, Household Goods Forwarders Association. 1994–1997, press secretary, House Cmte. on Small Business. 1997–1999, press secretary, Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. 1999–2005, communications dir., Senate Cmte. on Small Business. 2005–present, communications dir., Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Enzi doesn’t expect the bill to be adopted as is, Orfield said. “He’s offering this as a blueprint, not that he’s committed to the bill in its current form,” he said. “He wants to work with all members to try and come up with a perfect version of the bill.” Though most political observers believe that reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, the K–12 education legislation which calls for students to make annual progress in reading or math or schools and district face consequences, is unlikely to make it to the floor this session, Orfield said Enzi remains committed to the success of the law. “This is still a major priority,” he said. “I don’t think there’s been a change in the understanding that was reached between Senators Enzi and [committee chairman Edward M.] Kennedy.” The two senators both believe a reauthorization can be agreed upon, Orfield said, with changes likely in the areas of alternative assessments for students and alternative consequences for schools and districts. Also on the committee’s agenda are issues ranging from workplace safety, implementing mine safety legislation and higher education legislation. Orfield said this year’s presidential election takes a clear toll on the priorities of the committee. “An election tends to bring certain issues to the fore, perhaps putting them on the docket for a hearing at an accelerated pace,” he said. “It has a sort of a catalyst effect, putting some hot button issues before the committee.”

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Roberto J. Rodriguez Senior Education Adviser 622B Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5501 Fax: (202) 228-0924 Roberto_Rodriguez@labor. senate.gov

Expertise: Elementary and secondary education policy, early childhood education. Despite the politics of a presidential election swirling on Capitol Hill, Roberto Rodriguez continues to work toward reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. The six-year-old K–12 education law aims to close the achievement gap between minority and white students and well as the gap between higher-income and disadvantaged students. It requires testing of students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once again in high school and requires students to make annual educational achievement goals or schools and districts face escalating consequences. Despite doubts from many quarters that the law could be reauthorized in an election year, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions chairman Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., has pledged to move the renewal of the law forward. In 2007, at the Education Industry Association’s Education Industry Days conference Rodriguez told the audience that he was confident Congress could complete reauthorization quickly, according to The Special Educator. “It’s an ambitious timeline,” Rodriguez said then, but “I’m going to put odds in favor of getting [it] done.” Rodriguez also told the Christian Science Monitor last year that Kennedy wants to focus on strategies for turning around low-performing schools. Of about 90,000 public schools 9,000 or so have been targeted by the No Child Left Act as needing improvement.

Personal: Born 01/20/1976 in Detroit, Mich.

Education: B.A., University of Michigan, 1997. M.A., education, Harvard University, 1998.

Professional: 1998–2001, senior education specialist, National Council of La Raza. 2001–present, senior education adviser, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

“We want to make turning around our most struggling schools a priority in this reauthorization,” Rodriguez said. Last year a series of hearings on the law looked at alternative methods of measuring student achievement—some of which have already been incorporated into a pilot program through the U.S. Department of Education—as well as alternative consequences for schools that don’t make the grade. In addition, the committee has examined at how to make sure the best teachers reach the students who struggle the most. Last year, Rodriguez had a large success with the reauthorization of the Head Start program signed into law in 2007. The law, which governs the $7.3 billion program that helps prepare nearly a million disadvantaged preschoolers for kindergarten each year was several years overdue for reauthorization. The reauthorization scrapped the controversial National Reporting System, provides more training for Head Start teachers, and expands the Early Head Start program.


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Missy Rohrbach Senior Education Adviser 615 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5501 [email protected]

Expertise: Budget and appropriations, high school reform, student loans, teachers, math and science. Senior education adviser Missy Rohrbach watches the education budget closely, so when President Bush came out with his recommendations early in the year, she knew her boss and committee Chairman Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., would fire back. Kennedy called the budget “misguided” and blasted the document for recommending no new money for K–12 schools, despite the pressure placed on them by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. “As we work to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act this year, I am particularly concerned that the president has once again proposed inadequate funding for the law’s important reforms,” Kennedy said. “He has used the same old tactics of robbing other education priorities to pay for his modest increases for school reform.” Like other education staffers on the committee, Rohrbach is working on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, thought of as one of Bush’s biggest domestic achievements. Kennedy is one of the original co-authors of the law and the committee held numerous hearings on aspects of the law last year. Though observers were doubtful early in the session that the law would be reauthorized this year as the presidential elections get underway, Rohrbach said “We’re chugging along with that.”

Personal: Born 12/21/1972 in Tunkhannock, Pa.

Education: B.A., Harvard University, 1995. M.A., developmental psychology, Teachers College, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2005, deputy policy director, press office, and senior legislative assistant for education, health care, and welfare, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. 2005–present, senior education adviser, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

In particular, she’s working a new high school initiative to address the dropout crisis in schools which would provide new funding for high schools with the highest dropout rates and new resources for them to help get their students to graduation. Rohrbach has also looked closely at teacher policies in the law. “We’re trying to do a better job of targeting to make sure that high-quality teachers are teaching in high needs schools and getting the resources to those high needs schools,” she said. That means an emphasis on teacher mentoring programs and incentivizing career advancements that would allow teachers to stay connected to the classroom while taking on new roles and responsibilities. Other pieces of education legislation still on the table this session include reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Both the House and Senate have passed reauthorization legislation and the conference committees were working to hash out the differences between the two bills. But Rohrbach has other things in her life besides her interest in education. She is an avid baker who uses her creativity to create cakes in odd shapes. She once whipped up a three-dimensional cake version of the U.S. Capitol and has re-created the Cincinnati skyline in icing and batter. During her time working for Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., she once baked him a landslide cake to celebrate his overwhelming re-election. The tall square cake came complete with green grass and a rockslide.

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Ilyse Schuman Republican Chief Counsel and Staff Director 835 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6770

Expertise: Education policy, workplace safety. As staff director and chief counsel for Republicans on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Ilyse Schuman makes the trains run on time and ensures that staff members are working toward the committee’s GOP agenda. Schuman told Politico this year that despite having worked in the private sector for a time, it was important for her to return to public service and influence real issues that impact people. “These are the issues that are most personal to everyone’s lives,” Schuman said. “There’s an opportunity to have a huge impact on the quality of life across the country.” Schuman oversees the day-to-day workings on the committee for Sen. Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo., the committee’s ranking Republican. Enzi and committee chairman Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., have one of the most successful partnerships among committee leaders in the Senate and have figured out a way to move forward on the issues where they find consensus while still being able to disagree in some areas. Schuman told Politico that while she may not always agree with her Democratic counterparts on the committee, “we [always] respect each other” at the end of the day. This year, among her many priorities, Schuman is working on the Workforce Investment Act reauthorization, which is overdue. The legislation contains federal employment, training, adult education, and vocational rehabilitation programs and creates a streamlined job training and employment system for employers and workers.

Education: J.D., Georgetown University.

Professional: counsel, International Truck and Engine Corp. associate, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. 2005–present, chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Schuman remains involved in higher education programs. Last year Congress passed legislation that contained $20 billion in new money for federal student aid programs as part of the budget reconciliation act This session House and Senate staff are in conference working to iron out differences in two versions of bills that reauthorize the Higher Education Act. This piece of legislation proposes measures to keep the costs of college tuition from rising and to make costs more transparent to students and their families. During the 109th Congress, Schuman was a Stennis Fellow, through the Stennis Center for Public Service. Through that year-long program Schuman and other senior level staff from both parties and both chambers sought to build relationships and study issues. Schuman’s class studied partisan polarization in Congress.


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Melissa Wagoner Press Secretary Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. 317 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2633 Fax: (202) 228-3433 Melissa_Wagoner@kennedy. senate.gov

Expertise: Public health, women’s and reproductive health, health disparities. As the spokesperson for the leader of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Melissa Wagoner has to make sure she chooses her words carefully. When speaking on behalf of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, DMass., Wagoner must not only keep the Democratic agenda in mind, she also has to know the facts of nearly every issue that comes before the committee. She may discuss the finer points of school programs for disadvantaged students before lunch, then pick apart health insurance programs by afternoon. This session, Wagoner is talking a lot about the No Child Left Behind Act, the K–12 education law that aims to close the achievement gap between minority groups and white students as well as the gap between higher-income and disadvantaged students. Kennedy is one of the original co-authors of the law and has pledged to reauthorization it this year. Most political observers, however, believe presidential politics may get in the way. In February, Wagoner told Education Week newspaper that the committee was planning to vote on a bill in March.

Personal: Born 04/08/1980 in Royal Oak, Mich.

Education: B.A., Boston University, College of Communication, 2002. M.A., American University, College of Communication, 2007.

Professional: 2002–2003, caseworker, Boston district, Office of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. 2003– 2004, deputy press secretary, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. 2004–present, press secretary, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

The law, which requires students be tested annually in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once again in high school, is controversial. Schools and districts face escalating consequences when students don’t reach annual educational goals, and the committee held numerous hearing during the first session of the 110th Congress to discuss areas of the law where critics say improvements are needed. A reauthorized version of the law is likely to include new methods of assessing academic achievement and alternative consequences for schools and districts whose students don’t meet targets. On the health front, Wagoner is also talking about the Mental Health Parity bill, which passed the Senate during the first session. The House was expected to vote on the bill, which would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses, in March and then a conference committee would be required to hash out the differences between the two versions. Higher education is also on her radar. By early in the session, both the House and Senate had passed higher education legislation that aimed to keep college costs from spiking and to help inform students about parents about the real costs of higher education. The bills were in conference and staff members were ironing out the differences between them. In addition, paid sick leave is another issue for Wagoner. Kennedy is pushing the Healthy Families Act, which would require employers with more than 15 employees to provide seven days of paid sick leave a year to allow workers to care for their own and their families’ medical needs. At a committee hearing in early February, witnesses said that almost half of private-sector workers are denied paid sick days and those who earn the least often have no paid sick days at all.

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Portia Wu Chief Labor and Pensions Counsel 428 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5441 Fax: (202) 224-5375 [email protected]

Expertise: Labor, pensions. With an economic downturn looming, Portia Wu is looking closely at what is happening to Americans who are hit hard by unemployment, rising prices and a number of other negative economic factors. “Work-family issues related to economic issues are a huge priority this year,” she said. “More and more people are being squeezed.” To that end, Wu’s boss, committee chairman Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., is pushing legislation related to both unemployment insurance extensions and modernization of the program. The Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act, introduced last year, updates the system to better help the more mobile workforce of today as well as long-term unemployed workers. The act uses $7 billion in incentive payments to encourage states to update their unemployment insurance systems and would provide states with resources and flexibility to pass reforms. The act also encourages states to provide unemployment compensation to workers who have voluntarily left jobs to care for an immediate family member who is ill or disabled, or to relocate due to a new job for their spouse; to provide training benefits to unemployed workers laid off from “declining” occupations; and provide unemployment compensation benefits those seeking part-time work.

Personal: Born 07/23/1970 in New Haven, Conn.

Education: B.A., Yale University, 1991. M.A., comparative literature, Cornell University, 1993. J.D., Yale University, 1998.

Professional: 1998–1999, clerk, Judge Richard A. Paez, U.S. District Court, Central District of California. 1999–2003, associate, Bredhoff and Kaiser, P.L.L.C. 2003–2006, labor counsel, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 2007– present, chief labor and pensions counsel, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

When it comes to job flexibility, Kennedy has also introduced a bill that would allow employees to request a flexible work arrangement from their employer, a provision that other countries have had success with, Wu said. The legislation would not guarantee workers a flexible arrangement but would protect those who want to discuss such an arrangement from being fired. Health and safety continues to play a major role in Wu’s time this session. Updates and reports on mine safety, in the wake of a deadly mine collapse at a Crandall Canyon, Utah mine last year, are also expected. But other industries are getting Wu’s attention too, including refineries, after four people were killed in a Georgia sugar refinery blast in February, as well as the poultry industry. “It’s clear we need to do a lot more to protect workers on the job,” Wu said. “People should be able to go to work without dying. We’ve really fallen behind on safety standards.” In addition, Wu continues to work on equal pay for women in the workplace and collective bargaining issues.


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Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2627 Fax: (202) 224-4469 http://hsgac.senate.gov/ Ratio: 8/8/1 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Carl Levin, MI

Susan M. Collins, ME, Ranking Member

Daniel K. Akaka, HI Thomas R. Carper, DE Mark Pryor, AR Mary L. Landrieu, LA Barack Obama, IL Claire McCaskill, MO Jon Tester, MT

Ted Stevens, AK George V. Voinovich, OH Norm Coleman, MN Tom Coburn, OK Pete V. Domenici, NM John W. Warner, VA John E. Sununu, NH

INDEPENDENT MEMBERS Joseph I. Lieberman, CT, Chairman


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SENATE HOMELAND SECURITY JURISDICTION (1) Archives of the United States. (2) Budget and accounting measures, other than appropriations, except as provided in the congressional Budget Act of 1974. (3) Census and collection of statistics, including economic and social statistics. (4) congressional organization, except for any part of the matter that amends the rules or orders of the Senate. (5) Federal Civil Service. (6) Government information. (7) Intergovernmental relations. (8) Municipal affairs of the District of Columbia, except appropriations therefor. (9) Organization and management of United States nuclear export policy. (10) Organization and reorganization of the executive branch of the government. (11) Postal Service. (12) Status of officers and employees of the United States, including their classification, compensation, and benefits. Such committee shall have the duty of (a) receiving and examining reports of the Comptroller General of the United States and submitting such recommendations to the Senate as it deems necessary or desirable in connection with the subject matter of such reports; (b) studying the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of all agencies and departments of the government; (c) evaluating the effects of laws enacted to reorganize the legislative and executive branches of the government; and (d) studying the intergovernmental relationships between the United States and the states and municipalities, and between the United States and international organizations of which the United States is a member.

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SENATE HOMELAND SECURITY The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs often gets attention for handling hot-button national defense issues such as border security and the threat of terrorist attacks, but chairman Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn., and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, take just as seriously their responsibility to monitor the smooth operation of government programs. The governmental affairs side of the committee was instrumental in crafting one of the marquis pieces of legislation of the first half of the 110th Congress, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. That law dismantled a government lobbying system long considered corrupt by watchdog groups, and set in place much-needed ethics and lobbyist disclosure reforms. The committee wrote the lobbying reform provisions of that law. In 2008, the committee is trying to move another important set of government reforms in the Accountability in Government Contracting Act. The bill is co-sponsored by Lieberman and Collins and seeks to curb fraud, waste and abuse the government contracting process. The legislation would increase competition for federal contracts by mandating competition for all government task or delivery orders over $100,000. In order to increase the quality of competitive bids and to improve the transparency of the entire procurement process, the bill would require post-award debriefings for task or delivery orders valued at over $5 million. Enactment of the bipartisan Inspector General Reform Act, which received unanimous committee approval in November, is another key committee objective this year. The bill seeks to guarantee that qualified individuals are appointed as inspectors general (IGs) and that IGs remain independent of inappropriate pressure or influence. The bill also would require all IG reports and audits to be easily accessible to the public. The major homeland security tasks facing the committee this year fall under its general oversight responsibility for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). They include working to ensure that the agency implements the provisions of the SAFE Port Act, the FEMA Reform Act and the newly-passed Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act. The 9/11 Commission law was one of the committee’s major achievements in 2007. Sens. Lieberman and Collins set its enactment as an objective at the beginning of the 110th Congress and it was done by August. Among its many provisions is the authorization of a new interoperability grant program to help state, local and tribal governments build communications systems for first responders. The law strengthened the visa waiver program by improving the reporting of lost or stolen passports, and by requiring countries to share information about prospective visitors who may pose a threat to the United States. It also provided for an electronic travel authorization system through which travelers would apply in advance for authorization to enter the U.S. The committee is monitoring implementation of interoperability grant and visa waiver programs this year. More generally, the committee is monitoring DHS’s progress on preparing to transition to a new Administration, the first such transition for the five year-old agency. Among the committee’s concerns is the recent occurrence in other countries of significant terrorist attacks around periods of important transition. The committee has a busy slate of hearings this year, including continuing its examination of the threat of homegrown terrorism, and a separate series of hearings on the potential for a nuclear terrorist attack. The hearings build on the committee’s past oversight of DHS’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to promote the development of next generation portal monitors to detect radioactive material at the nation’s ports of entry. The committee is trying to determine what efforts are currently in place and to define the responsibilities of different government agencies. One piece of homeland security legislation for which the committee is trying to build support is the National Bombing Prevention Act. The bill would increase the nation’s capacity to protect and defend against improvised explosive devices. The legislation would increase the ability of DHS to share real-time information on threats with state and local partners, and would ensure that federal investment in research and development provides dividends for first responders.


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Michael Alexander Majority Staff Director 340 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2627 Fax: (202) 228-4469 Michael_Alexander@hsgac. senate.gov

Expertise: Homeland security, governmental affairs, government information technology management, emergency preparedness and response. As majority staff director, Michael Alexander remains the top adviser to chairman Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn., and manages the committee staff’s efforts to write and promote legislation on the chairman’s issues. Alexander said among the issues being worked on in 2008 are an investigation into the threat of nuclear terrorism and several bills designed to promote a more efficient and effective government. The committee also has launched a series of hearings and is investigating the problem of home-grown terrorism. Alexander said that the committee is likely to issue at least two reports on the topic this year, the first of which will discuss how Islamic radicals are using the Internet. Another series of hearings underway this year covers the threat of nuclear terrorism. The committee is looking at the threat itself, as well as the status of government efforts to prevent or, if necessary, respond to a nuclear attack by terrorists. The investigation builds on the committee’s past oversight of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office program to promote sound development of next generation portal monitors to detect radioactive material at the nation’s ports of entry. The investigation will try to determine what efforts are currently in place and to define what responsibilities the different government agencies have.

Personal: Born 1956 in Griffin, Ga.

Education: B.S., political science, University of Maryland University College, 1996. Master’s degree, government, Johns Hopkins University, 2000.

Professional: 1987–1993, legislative director and legislative assistant, Rep. Michael Espy, DMiss. 1993–1994, executive assistant to the secretary, Dept. of Agriculture. 1994–1997, special assistant to the Director of Civil Rights, Dept. of Agriculture. 1997–1998, acting deputy director, Office of Civil Rights, Dept. of Agriculture. 1998–2001, confidential assistant to the chief information officer, Dept. of Agriculture. 2001–2006, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 2006–2007, minority staff director, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 2007–present, majority staff director, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

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Alexander said that the pending bills that promote a more efficient government include procurement reform and the Inspector General Act. Other legislation the committee is trying to move forward would provide more transparency in government. Those bills include the E-Government Reauthorization Act, the Presidential Records Act, and the Presidential Library Donations Act. All of these bills were reported out of committee last year. The major task in 2008 is to get them approved by the Senate, work out any differences with the House, and get them signed into law, he said. The committee’s accomplishments from the first session of the 110th Congress included passage of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act, which became law on August 3, 2007. The committee also contributed the lobbying reform provisions of the ethics reform bill, which became the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. The committee’s major oversight effort last year was on the DHS’s implementation of post-Katrina reforms. The committee also provided detailed comments on the revised National Response Framework to make sure it is consistent with the Post Katrina Act and properly elevates the role of FEMA within DHS as the Act requires, Alexander said. DHS’s final framework made important changes to reflect the committee’s views and was generally praised by the nation’s emergency management community, he noted.



Richard A. Beutel Senior Counsel 442 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8068 [email protected]

Expertise: Procurement issues, U.S.-China relations, information technology, telecommunications. Senior counsel Richard Beutel comes to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs after more than two years running the China program for the House of Representatives and serving as special policy counsel for the House Small Business Committee. In his new role, he is a senior adviser to ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine. Beutel’s duties include conducting oversight and leading investigations into allegations of waste, fraud and abuse in government contracts. Committee oversight is on a government-wide basis, and the committee also is legislatively responsible for the authorization and oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, he works to support small businesses seeking to do business with the government. This year he also is helping with the congressional investigation into the proper role of private security contractors. Among his other goals for 2008, Beutel is working to address comprehensive acquisition reform. He is charged with completion of S.680, which contains sweeping changes to the federal procurement program. The bill is designed to enhance transparency and competition, especially with respect to service contracting. Beutel said that S.680 is Collins’ top legislative priority for the 110th Congress.

Personal: Born 01/06/1954 in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Education: B.A., Pomona College. J.D., Georgetown University.

Professional: 1994–2002, attorney, Dell, Inc. 2002–2004, dir. of public policy, Dell, Inc. 2004–2007, special counsel, House Cmte. on Small Business. 2007–present, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Also on his agenda is S.2324, which strengthens and reforms the inspector general (IG) community. Among other things, the bill would require agencies to notify Congress upon the removal of an IG; expands the reporting requirements for IG budget requests; and requires IGs to have their own legal counsel. The bill also would provide IGs with additional investigative, law enforcement and personnel authority. While serving in the House, Beutel organized 12 delegations of senior policymakers to meet with the Chinese National Peoples Congress. He was the policy lead on issues such as U.S.-China intellectual property disputes, trade disputes, World Trade Organization compliance and currency manipulation. He also staffed numerous hearings addressing the decline in the U.S. industrial base and the impact if globalization on innovation and job creation. Prior to coming to Washington, Beutel spent nearly ten years as a senior legal director at Dell. He opened the Dell government relations office in 2001. He was the West Coast general counsel for Raytheon E-Systems prior to joining Dell, and before that served as associate general counsel for Martin Marietta. Beutel is a published author and speaker. He has been practicing in the area of government contracting, international trade and intellectual property law for more than 25 years.


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Troy Cribb Counsel 340 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2627 Fax: (202) 228-4469 [email protected]

Expertise: Government contracting and procurement, international trade, financial management, emergency communications, Lobbying Disclosure Act. In the second session of the 110th Congress, Troy Cribb is focused on securing final passage of the major procurement reform legislation that was marked up by the committee last year. Oversight of government contracting, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, is also on her agenda this year, as is overseeing the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications. The Accountability in Government Contracting Act of 2007 was co-sponsored by chairman Joseph Lieberman, IDConn., and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine. Some of its provisions were included in last year’s defense authorization bill, but the committee is continuing the press for approval of the Collins-Lieberman bill in the House. The legislation would increase competition for federal contracts by mandating competition for all government task or delivery order over $100,000. It also promotes more informed competition for orders over $5 million by requiring more information in a contract’s statement of work. In order to increase the quality of competitive bids and to improve the transparency of the entire procurement process, the bill requires post-award debriefings for task or delivery orders valued at over $5 million. Cribb is monitoring DHS contracting and contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the use of private security contractors. The committee also is considering how to address the problems outlined in a 2007 report issued by the special inspector general for Iraq Reconstruction.

Personal: Born 1965 in Spartanburg, S.C.

Education: B.S., Northwestern University, 1988. J.D., Georgetown University, 1995.

Professional: 1989–1993, legislative assistant, Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C. 1993–1995, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Commerce. 1995–2000, first deputy assistant secretary, Dept. of Commerce, International Trade Administration. 2000–2001, second secretary for import administration, Dept. of Commerce, International Trade Administration. 2001–2005, trade counsel, Steptoe & Johnson. 2005–present, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

The report describes how disjointed leadership, lack of pre-planning and unanticipated security concerns plagued reconstruction efforts. The report recommended that Congress reassess the roles and responsibilities of the rebuilding effort to promote better coordination among the Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State. Helping to secure funding for the new interoperability grant program is also on Cribb’s agenda this year. The program was authorized in the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act, and is designed to help state, local and tribal governments build communications systems for first responders. Assisting with establishing the grant program and enactment of the final 9/11 Commission law are among Cribb’s accomplishments from the first half of the 110th Congress. She also contributed to the committee’s piece of the lobbying reform law, known as the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. The law amends the Lobbyist Disclosure Act to require lobbyists to file semiannual reports detailing campaign contributions, payments for events to honor members of Congress or to entities controlled by members, and donations to presidential libraries or inaugural committees. It also requires electronic filings and quarterly reports on lobbying activities for specific clients.

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Kevin Landy Chief Counsel 340 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2627 Fax: (202) 228-3792 [email protected]

Expertise: Homeland security, intelligence reform, procurement, bankruptcy law, immigration, government IT and e-government issues. Kevin Landy, who has worked for the committee since 1999, was promoted to the position of majority chief counsel in March 2007. As counsel, and then senior counsel, he served as the lead staffer for chairman Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn., on a number of major issues, including border security, immigration, procurement—as well as all three pieces of legislation generated from the findings of the 9/11 Commission. As chief counsel, Landy said he spends less time as primary staffer on oversight and legislative issues. Instead, his main responsibilities include advising Lieberman and the staff on legal matters affecting the committee. He negotiates with administration officials on disputes regarding nominations, requests for information and other issues. Landy also works to ensure the staff’s compliance with Senate and committee rules and processes, and communicates with other Senate staff on these matters. In addition to these duties, Landy said that he will be staffing several key legislative and oversight issues. The first is a series of hearings on the threat of nuclear terrorism, and the government’s preparedness to prevent or respond to a nuclear attack by terrorists.

Personal: Born 1966 in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Education: B.A., Amherst College, 1988. J.D., Yale Law School, 1993.

Professional: 1988–1990, administrative assistant, Office of the Special Master, Ruiz v. Lynaugh, Houston, Texas. 1990, investigator, Office of the Special Master, Alberti v. Klevenhagen, Houston, Texas. 1993–1995, litigation associate, Jenner & Block, Washington, DC. 1995–1996, legal adviser, International Human Rights Law Group, Cambodian Court Training Project. 1996– 1997, litigation associate, Jenner & Block, Washington, DC. 1997–1999, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Subc. on Oversight of Government Management, Restructuring and the District of Columbia. 1999–2005, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 2005–2007, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 2007–present, chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.


The committee is trying to ascertain what efforts are currently in place to promote development of new monitors to detect radioactive material at ports of entry, and to define what responsibilities the different government agencies have. To begin the investigation, Lieberman and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, sent a letter to 15 agencies with responsibilities under the National Response Framework to respond in the event of a nuclear or radiological incident. The letter asked for information on many issues, including evacuation, medical care, intelligence, forensics and tracking fallout. A second issue this session is border security and immigration, including oversight of large border security programs. Landy also is advising Lieberman on immigration reform legislation, and is the lead staff member on Liebermansponsored legislation to improve the treatment of asylum seekers. In the last session, Landy was the lead Lieberman staffer on the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act, on which the chairman was the lead Senator and lead Senate conferee. Landy also served as lead staffer on the Secure and Safe Detention and Asylum Act, which was adopted by the Senate in 2007 as an amendment to immigration reform legislation. Landy was involved in the 9/11 legislation from the beginning, helping to draft the bill that created the 9/11 Commission and then negotiating for the bill’s inclusion in the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2002. In 2004, he led 15 Lieberman staff members in writing comprehensive legislation that eventually became the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

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Brandon Milhorn Republican Staff Director and Chief Counsel 344 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4751 Fax: (202) 224-9603 [email protected]

Expertise: National security, homeland security, intelligence, governmental affairs. In 2008, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, continues to examine the ability of the United States to respond effectively to the threat of homegrown terrorism. Republican staff director and chief counsel Brandon Milhorn is leading the staff’s work on this and other Collins priorities, including building defenses against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as continuing to expose and help eliminate government waste, fraud and abuse. Following an investigation initiated by Collins in the 109th Congress, the committee last year continued to examine the government’s ability to respond to the threats posed by what it calls “homegrown terrorists.” The committee reviewed extremists’ use of the Internet to spread violent messages; the response of state and local communities; and steps taken by European nations to respond to increased radicalization. Collins wants to ensure that all government programs are working effectively to help prevent the type of violent radicalization seen elsewhere from taking hold in the United States, Milhorn said. Collins has also introduced legislation to enhance Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to prepare state and local governments, emergency response providers, and the private sector to protect against and respond to terrorist explosive attacks. Even though the Intelligence Community has identified IEDs as one the most likely terrorist threats, Collins believes the nation has not devoted sufficient resources or attention to this potentially grave threat.

Personal: Born 1972 in Johnson City, Tenn.

Education: B.S., economics, East Tennessee State University, 1994. J.D., Cornell Law School, 1997.

Professional: 1997–1998, clerk, Office of Hon. Kenneth Hoyt, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. 1998–1999, clerk, Office of Hon. Edith Jones, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 1999–2003, attorney, Central Intelligence Agency, Office of General Counsel. 2003–2005, counsel, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2005–2006, general counsel, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2006–present, Republican staff director and chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

The National Bombing Prevention Act of 2007 (S. 2292), which Collins introduced last fall, will increase the ability of DHS to measure and improve state and local capabilities, share real-time information on threats and prevention with state, local, and private sector partners, and ensure that the federal investment in research and development provides dividends for state and local first responders. During 2007, Collins’ efforts also led to the passage of many important government contracting and oversight reforms. Her government contracting legislation, the Accountability in Government Contracting Act (S. 680), passed the Senate in November, and many provisions from the legislation were enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal Year 2008. Collins has also worked closely with Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. and committee chairman Joseph Lieberman, IDConn., to increase the authorities of inspectors general to detect and prevent waste, fraud and abuse. In 2008, Collins will work to ensure enactment of the remaining provisions of S. 680 and the reforms contained in the Inspector General Reform Act of 2007. The committee is continuing its oversight of DHS, including oversight of the department’s preparations to transition to a new administration in January 2009.

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Todd Stein Counsel 340 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2627 Fax: (202) 228-3792 [email protected]

Expertise: Interoperability, homegrown terrorism, judicial issues related to homeland security. Examining the potential for homegrown terrorism was a major focus of the committee in 2007, and the work on that issue continues this session. Counsel Todd Stein assisted with the five hearings that were held on the topic last year, and expects to be involved in a few more this year. Stein is helping to write reports on the committee’s findings, beginning with one on how radical Islamists use the Internet. The report will cover how the terrorist groups use it for recruiting an enlistment, he said. It also will discuss how radical Islamists spread the ideology and the extent to which it could inspire someone to commit a violent act. The committee is trying to understand the nature of the threat to the United States from within after witnessing international incidents such as the London transit bombings in 2005 and the Madrid train bombings in 2004. Those attacks were carried out by citizens or long-time residents of the U.K. and Spain respectively. The hearings also followed a report from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland Security Advisory Council on the future of terrorism, which called radical Islam the most significant terror threat to the nation today. The hearings have looked at the DHS’s work in assessing the threat and in developing ways to prevent radical beliefs from becoming violent acts of terrorism. Among other things, the committee has considered DHS’s efforts to promote civic participation among American Muslim communities to prevent feelings of isolation and alienation.

Personal: Born 1974 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Education: B.A., English and political science, Emory University, 1996. M.A., British literature, Kings College, University of London, 1997. J.D., Vanderbilt University, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2004, associate, Trautman Sanders LLP. 2004, policy director, Campaign of Inez Tenenbaum. 2005–2006, legislative assistant, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn. 2006, policy director, Campaign of Sen. Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn. 2007–present, counsel, Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.


Stein is also responsible for issues concerning interoperability, which is the ability of the nation’s first responders to be able to communicate quickly and effectively with each other and government officials. In 2008, his main goal in this area is to ensure that the DHS gets its Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) up and running. The OEC was authorized in 2006 as part of the FEMA Reform Act, and is dedicated to helping ensure the effective communications of first responders and government officials in a disaster. The provision establishing the OEC was effective immediately upon enactment, and the committee is following up to ensure that it has been established and is operating as intended by the act. Stein is also helping with the committee’s efforts to secure funding for the interoperability grant program that was created last year. The program was authorized in the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act, legislation to which Stein contributed in the last session. The grant program is intended to help state, local and tribal governments build communications systems for first responders.

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Rob Strayer Republican Director of Homeland Security Policy 340 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4751 Fax: (202) 224-9603 [email protected]

Expertise: Homeland security, terrorist travel, port security, border security. Since November 2006, Rob Strayer has served as the panel’s Republican director of homeland security policy, coordinating a staff as well as overseeing the development of Sen. Susan Collins’s, R-Maine, homeland security policy agenda. In the second session of the 110th Congress, Strayer is focusing on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversight. That includes implementation of the SAFE Port Act, which was co-authored by Collins and signed into law in October 2006. Strayer was the lead staffer for Collins when the legislation was on the Senate floor and in negotiations with other members’ staff over the bill’s language. The committee is looking particularly at DHS maritime security programs, such as the secure freight initiative and container security initiative at foreign ports, as well as the collection and screening of data to target high-risk cargo for scrutiny at the ports. This year, the committee is reviewing semi-annual reports on the secure freight initiative. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was signed into law in 2004 and will require all individuals crossing the borders from Canada and Mexico to carry passports or other documents to denote identity and citizenship. Collins has delayed full implementation of the measure while DHS works to identify alternatives that accommodate the needs of frequent travelers residing in border communities. Strayer has worked on these legislative provisions and on proposals to ensure that DHS deploys upgraded technology and additional personnel to the land ports of entry to handle the additional document production requirements.

Personal: Born 1975 in Troy, Ohio.

Education: B.A., Denison University, 1997. J.D., Vanderbilt University, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2001, judicial clerkship, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Chief Judge Lanier Anderson. 2001–2002, fellowship, State Solicitor’s Office, Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery. 2002– 2005, associate, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. 2005–2006, counsel, Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 2006–present, Republican director of homeland security policy, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

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Late last year the committee began investigating the case of a Mexican citizen with a highly contagious, multi-drug resistant form of tuberculosis who repeatedly crossed the southern border into the United States after border security officers had been notified to deny his entry. Collins commented at a hearing that the incident highlights the vulnerabilities that still exist within the nation’s border screening systems. Strayer is leading the investigation of this matter, which will continue to examine the capabilities of DHS’s computer screening tools. In 2008, Strayer is also assisting with oversight of emergency communications interoperability planning by DHS, and the guidance that DHS provides to state and local public safety agencies through its grant programs. The agency is responsible for reviewing and improving statewide interoperability plans, and it is required to deliver a national strategy on interoperability this year. In the last session, Strayer helped to develop provisions of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act. In particular, he worked on the terrorist travel provisions, including security enhancements to the visa waiver program. This year, Strayer is monitoring implementation of those provisions.



Andrew E. Weis Republican General Counsel Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism 344 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4751 Fax: (202) 224-9603 [email protected]

Expertise: Homeland security, emergency response. Developing a homeland security authorization bill is a priority for the Senate in 2008, and Republican general counsel Andrew Weis is assisting with the committee’s part of that effort. He is also helping to move several existing pieces of legislation supported by ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, including the Accountability in Government Contracting Act, the Inspector General Reform Act and the Supporting America’s Protective Security Advisor Act. Weis said that although there have been many bills concerning the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since its inception, there has never been an official DHS authorization bill. The House passed one in the last session, and the Senate will attempt one this year, he said The Supporting America’s Protective Security Advisor Act of 2007 is a measure that would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the Protective Security Advisor Program Office at DHS. The new office would be responsible for encouraging state, local and tribal governments and private sector owners and operators of critical infrastructure and key resources to collaborate within the risk management framework of the national infrastructure protection plan.


Education: A.B., Stanford University, 1990. J.D., Stanford Law School, 1996.

Professional: 1990–1991, legislative assistant, Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kans. 1991–1993, legislative assistant and staff director of the congressional Fire Services Caucus, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa. 1996–1997, law clerk, Federal Judge of the Eastern District of Virginia, T.S. Ellis III. 1997–2000, attorney, Sidley Austin LLP. 2000–2003, attorney, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. 2004–2006, staff director, Subc. on Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology, House Cmte. on Homeland Security. 2007–present, Republican general counsel, Subc. on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism, Senate Cmte. on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.


The committee continues to work toward enactment of the bipartisan Inspector General Reform Act this year. The bill, which received unanimous committee approval in November, seeks to guarantee that qualified individuals are appointed as inspectors general (IGs) and that IGs remain independent of inappropriate pressure or influence. The bill would require all IG reports and audits to be easily accessible to the public. Collins co-sponsored the Accountability in Government Contracting Act with chairman Joseph Lieberman, IDConn., last year. Many of its provisions were included in the defense authorization bill, but the committee is still working to pass the remainder of the proposals. The Senate and House each passed its own version, Weis said, and the staffs are now trying to find common ground for finalizing the legislation. Among other things, the bill would increase competition for federal contracts by mandating competition for all government task or delivery orders over $100,000. Another major task for the committee this year is to oversee DHS’s implementation of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act. The staff is trying to help ensure the smooth transition of DHS to a new administration. This will be the first such transition ever for the five year-old agency, Weis said, and in other countries there have been significant terrorist attacks around periods of important transition. In addition to the 9/11 bill, last year the committee was instrumental in shaping the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which is the lobbying and ethics reform law. The committee contributed the lobbying reform provisions of the legislation.

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Committee on the Judiciary 224 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-7703 Fax: (202) 224-9516 http://judiciary.senate.gov/ Ratio: 10/9 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Patrick J. Leahy, VT, Chairman

Arlen Specter, PA, Ranking Member

Edward M. Kennedy, MA Joseph R. Biden Jr., DE Herbert Kohl, WI Dianne Feinstein, CA Russell D. Feingold, WI Charles E. Schumer, NY Richard J. Durbin, IL Benjamin L Cardin, MD Sheldon Whitehouse, RI

Orrin G. Hatch, UT Charles E. Grassley, IA Jon Kyl, AZ Jeff Sessions, AL Lindsey Graham, SC John Cornyn, TX Sam Brownback, KS Tom Coburn, OK


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SENATE JUDICIARY JURISDICTION (1) Apportionment of representatives. (2) Bankruptcy, mutiny, espionage, and counterfeiting. (3) Civil liberties. (4) Constitutional amendments. (5) Federal courts and judges. (6) Government information. (7) Holidays and celebrations. (8) Immigration and naturalization. (9) Interstate compacts generally. (10) Judicial proceedings, civil and criminal, generally. (11) Local courts in the territories and possessions. (12) Claims against the United States. (13) National penitentiaries (14) Patent Office. (15) Patents, copyrights, and trademarks. (16) Protection of trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies. (17) Revision and codification of the statutes of the United States. (18) State and territorial boundary lines.

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SENATE JUDICIARY The Senate Judiciary Committee is a microscope under Democratic leadership, fulfilling Sen. Patrick Leahy’s, D-Vt., pledge last year to closely probe the Bush administration at a sprinting tempo after years of Republican rule. The change brought a series of high-profile oversight investigations, resulting in a shakeup at the Justice Department that forced attorney general Alberto Gonzales and most of his top staff to resign. The panel is also pressing claims of executive privilege to the brink, finding that top White House aides are in contempt of Congress for refusing to abide by committee subpoenas. The Senate could kick that issue off a legal cliff this year if it follows the House’s historic vote and approves the contempt charges in the full body. Yet for all the oversight success of committee Democrats, the panel has struggled with top legislative priorities favored by Leahy and his liberal colleagues. The committee approved a bill limiting the administration’s ability to listen in on Americans through its warrantless wiretapping program. The measure also rejected retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies being sued for supplying consumer information to the government in lieu of court orders. But the Senate rebuffed those efforts, passing administration-friendly legislation instead. The committee also failed to see comprehensive immigration, another top priority, finalized in the Senate. And patent reform, the first major effort to overhaul the nation’s invention laws since 1952, is straining under divergent ideas about the apportionment of settlements. Still, the committee is seeing progress in its second year under new leadership in a narrowly divided Senate. It overcame the impasses of the 109th Congress regarding judicial nominations, confirming them at a hastened pace. In December, President Bush signed into law a bill offered by Leahy and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, that strengthens the Freedom of Information Act. The committee approved a series of court reform bills that give significant pay raises to federal judges and seek to put television cameras in the Supreme Court and district courts. More oversight is on the way. The committee expects to explore the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, which requires Senate confirmation of a new administrator. Democrats are vigorously questioning the division’s enforcement policies regarding minority voters. Leahy also set up a new subcommittee dealing with human rights and the law. It resulted in a new law being enacted that for the first time allows the United Sates to prosecute foreign perpetrators of genocide. “Over the years we have enacted laws against torture, human trafficking, and war crimes,” Leahy said. “This Human Rights Subcommittee would provide a focal point for our activity.”


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SENATE JUDICIARY

Preet Bharara Staff Director Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6974 Fax: (202) 224-9516 Preet_Bharara@judiciary-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Identity theft. Preet Bharara had a memorable year in 2007, handling a high profile investigation that reshuffled the Justice Department and contributed to the resignation of attorney general Alberto Gonzales. This year, Bharara will use his position as staff director of the Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts to cleanup some “unresolved matters” remaining from that probe into the department’s firing of U.S. attorneys. But the panel’s focus under Sen. Charles Schumer, DN.Y., might better be defined by its pursuit of legislation aimed at protecting children and voters. With the Democratic majority now in its second year, Bharara hopes to push several bills over the finish line before presidential campaigning disrupts the legislative calendar. Topping the agenda is legislation passed by the Judiciary Committee last year, including measures that would guard children from Internet sex predators and reduce child pornography. Also in that group is a bill to protect reporters and their sources from prosecution, and a measure targeting deceptive claims by political candidates and other practices that could skew election results. The media shield law, as the first bill is known, would make it more difficult for federal prosecutors to subpoena journalists, thereby identifying confidential sources. “This bill will put the bark back in America’s watchdog,” Schumer said in October 2007 after the Judiciary Committee approved the measure 15 to 2.

Personal: Born 10/13/1968 in India.

Education: A.B., Harvard College, 1990. J.D., Columbia Law School, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1996, associate, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP. 1996–2000, associate, Swidler Berlin Shereff Friedman. 2000–2005, assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York. 2005–2006, Democratic counsel, Subc. on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2007–present, staff director, Subc. on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

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In a similar area, Bharara says the final year of President Bush’s second term provides opportunities for “vigorous oversight of government agencies.” Spurred by the massacre at Virginia Tech, the subcommittee oversaw enactment of a law last year that encourages states to contribute to a national database of mentally ill people, meant to prevent them from buying a gun. But Bharara’s signature achievement last year was his handling of the U.S. attorneys investigation, which consumed eight months of the subcommittee’s agenda, and at times required “24-hour-a-day” attention. The subcommittee continues to work on unanswered subpoenas and contempt of Congress citations passed by the full committee. Bharara credits a “terrific staff,” comprised of three counsels and a legislative correspondent, for the panel’s success. This is Bharara’s second year in a leadership position on the subcommittee. He was elevated to chief counsel this year after serving as staff director in 2007. He came to the Hill in 2005 after a career of prosecuting mobsters and terrorists as an assistant U.S. attorney in New York.


SENATE JUDICIARY

William Castle Republican Counsel Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights 104 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5251 Fax: (202) 224-6331 [email protected]

Expertise: Antitrust, consumer rights, military. Bill Castle is the counsel to Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights. He also serves as Hatch’s military adviser. Castle is a trusted aide to Hatch, and first started working for the senator in 2002 and later moved to the senator’s personal staff as counsel and military legislative aide. Hatch has long argued that strong antitrust laws are necessary to protect American businesses and consumers, and the he described Castle as having the breadth of experience as a lawyer and public servant to work on those issues. “Bill is my trusted lieutenant in safeguarding these laws,” Hatch said in a statement. The subcommittee has broad jurisdiction over antitrust issues, trade competition policy, and consumer rights. Specifically, the panel has oversight of antitrust laws and competition policies, including the Sherman, Clayton, and Federal Trade Commission Acts, as well as oversight of antitrust enforcement and competition policy at the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies. The subcommittee held hearings in 2007 on whether court secrecy undermined public health and safety; on proposed railroad antitrust legislation; and also on the merger of Google and Double-Click.


Education: B.A., Brown University, 1993. J.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1999.

Professional: 1998, summer associate, Schulte, Roth, & Zabel, LLP. 1999–2001, litigation associate, Schulte, Roth, & Zabel, LLP. 2002–present, various positions, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

Hatch, joined with Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., after the latter hearing to urge the Federal Trade Commission to rigorously review the competition issues of that merger, now in process. “While we have not reached any definitive conclusion regarding this issue, we urge that you only approve the merger if you determine that it will not cause any substantial lessening of competition with respect to Internet advertising,” the senators wrote in a letter to the FTC. Hatch has also made it a priority to look into competition in the pharmaceutical industry, specifically eliminating barriers to generic drugs, as well as airline competition and telecom consolidation. Castle is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia and New Jersey. He holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a bachelor’s in political science from Brown University. Before joining Hatch’s office, Castle was a litigation associate at the New York firm of Schulte, Roth & Zabel and a senior investigator on the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the Whitewater Development Corporation during the Clinton administration.


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SENATE JUDICIARY

Bruce A. Cohen Staff Director/Chief Counsel 242 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7703 Fax: (202) 224-9516

Expertise: Civil litigation. The man in gray next to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is Bruce Cohen. Whether he’s whispering in the chairman’s ear during a Judiciary Committee hearing or counseling him as they pass through an unmarked Senate door, the proximity of Cohen— in his perennial gray, double-breasted suits—to Leahy underlines his overriding role on the panel: He ensures that the chairman’s priorities remain on top of the committee’s agenda. Cohen did that with pointed effectiveness last year, overseeing a series of investigative hearings into the Justice Department’s firing of eight U.S. attorneys. The shakeup that ensued caused the departure of attorney general Alberto Gonzales and much of his top staff from the department’s highest ranks. Similar oversight rides high on Leahy’s agenda this year. The committee already raked the current attorney general, Michael Mukasey, with questions related to the nation’s interrogation techniques, and will continue to press the department on detainee torture, the right of habeas corpus and limiting domestic surveillance. Cohen will also push forward on legislation that Leahy believes is critical to updating the federal court system, including providing significant pay raises to district judges, and placing television cameras in the Supreme Court and district courts.

Personal: Born 1950 in St. Louis, Mo.

Education: B.A., Stanford University, 1972. J.D. (Order of the Coif, editor-in-chief, California Law Review), University of Calif. at Berkeley, 1975.

Professional: 1975–1976, law clerk, U.S. District Court Judge Jon O. Newman. 1976–1977, general attorney, Civil Rights Div., Dept. of Justice. 1981–1983, chief counsel, Subc. on Juvenile Justice, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1983–1988, attorney, Dechert Price & Rhoads. 1988–1994, attorney, Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro. 1994, chief counsel, Subc. on Technology and the Law, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1995–1996, Democratic chief counsel, Subc. on Antitrust, Business Rights and Competition, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1997–2001, Democratic staff director/chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2001– present, Democratic staff director/chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

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The panel’s staff, meanwhile, has vigorously sifted through the backgrounds of dozens of presidential nominees. It is busy investigating potential appointees for a primary post in the Justice Department this election year: the head of the civil rights division, which Democrats contend has failed to protect minority voters under the Bush administration. Cohen was a lawyer in the civil rights division early in his career. A major victory came early this year when Congress passed a bill introduced by Leahy and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, strengthening the Freedom of Information Act, hastening and streamlining the government’s responsiveness to public requests for documents. President Bush enacted the measure into law, but then attached a controversial signing statement that housed the ombudsman office in the Justice Department rather than the National Archives, which lawmakers say is the more objective arbiter of public complaints. Cohen has been Leahy’s chief counsel for eight years. He began his long career in public service in the early 1980s, including a stint on the Senate Judiciary Committee under Sen. Arlen Specter R-Pa.


SENATE JUDICIARY

Jennifer Duck Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security 224 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-4933 Fax: (202) 224-9516

Jennifer Duck is the instrument with which Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will try to hammer through her longsought initiative on gang violence. Duck, the chief counsel of Feinstein’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, finds that task on top of her agenda during the Democrats’ second session in majority rule. It’s been Feinstein’s signature priority for a decade, and it could be under Duck’s leadership that the initiative makes it across the final lines. Marking a victory last September, the Senate passed Feinstein’s gang bill after years of failed attempts. It would provide more than $1 billion over five years for buttressed prosecutions of gang members, and bolstered witness protection and intervention programs. Now Duck will work with House staff to push the bill through that chamber and onto the president’s desk. “Jennifer helps Senator Feinstein move her agenda, and she’s very good at that,” said Scott Gerber, Feinstein’s communication director. Also topping the panel’s agenda are two pieces of legislation that aim to protect Americans from identity theft. The first requires public or private entities who have suffered security breaches to notify consumers that their personal information has been stolen. The Judiciary Committee approved the bill in 2007 and Duck is tasked with pushing it through the full Senate this year.


Education: B.A., St. Olaf College, 1992. J.D., Emory University, 1998.

Professional: 1998–2000, intergovernmental assistant, Department of Labor. 1999, counsel on detail from the Labor Department, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 2000–2005, counsel, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak. 2005–2007, counsel, Senate Judiciary Cmte. 2007–present, chief counsel, Subc. on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, Senate Judiciary Cmte.


“Victims of a security breach often don’t even know that their personal or financial information has been compromised,” Feinstein said after her committee victory. “Without that knowledge, individuals are left defenseless to identity thieves.” The other measure would place restrictions on government agencies and private businesses on when and how they can collect and display social security numbers. One element of the bill would prohibit prison inmates from holding jobs that could put them in contact with those confidential numbers. The measure, which is waiting for committee action, would provide criminal and civil penalties. Feinstein is also participating in the Senate’s first attempt to overhaul the nation’s patent laws since 1952. The measure, introduced by Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, looms large for the California Democrat, whose state is home to various technology giants, which are generally eager to see the overhaul enacted. This is Duck’s second year as chief counsel. She joined Feinstein’s staff in 2005, following her role as counsel to former Senate minority leader Tom Daschle, D-S.Dak.

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SENATE JUDICIARY

Cynthia L. Hayden Republican Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts 224 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7572 Fax: (202) 224-9102 cynthia_hayden@judiciary-rep. senate.gov

Expertise: Judiciary, immigration. As the chief Republican counsel on the Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, Cynthia L. Hayden spent a good portion of last year on two issues: the controversy over the firing of several U.S. attorneys; and trying to stop the comprehensive immigration reform bill. Hayden, who works for Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., aided her boss in defending the firing of the attorneys. Sessions, a former U.S. attorney himself, often noted that they serve on an at-will basis and can be terminated without cause. She also worked on the Hurricane Katrina fraud bill, formally known as the Emergency and Disaster Assistance Fraud Penalty Enhancement Act of 2007, which President Bush signed into law in January. The legislation imposes a fine and up to 30 imprisonment years for fraud related to receiving any benefits from a major natural disaster. Sessions sponsored the measure after a government investigation that showed some $1 billion of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita disaster relief payments were obtained fraudulently. This Congress, Hayden said she will be focusing more on immigration. Sessions wants an enforcement-first bill to get through the Senate. He led the fight last year, Hayden noted, to defeat the comprehensive immigration reform bill, which took some four weeks of floor time. The issue, though, is not dead and likely to be a topic in the Senate again this year as various groups across the country are still calling for Congress to act on the influx of illegal immigrants and the problems caused by the estimated 11 million undocumented workers here.

Personal: Born 02/22/1977 in Huntsville, Ala.

Education: B.A., Huntingdon College, 1999. J.D., University of Alabama School of Law, 2002.

Professional: 2002–2004, counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2004–2005, deputy chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2006– present, Republican chief counsel, Subc. on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

Hayden also says she will be working on two other pieces of legislation that Sessions has introduced. The first is the Drug Sentencing Reform Act of 2007, aimed at balancing the sentencing for those charged with crimes related to crack cocaine and powder cocaine. The bill directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend sentencing guidelines. Sessions says the bill will bring a balance to the current sentencing system to “ensure a more just outcome.” “The 100-to-1 disparity in sentencing between crack cocaine and powder cocaine is not justifiable,” Sessions says in a statement. “My experience with the guidelines as U.S. attorney has convinced me that these changes will make the criminal justice system more effective and fair.” The other bill on Hayden’s agenda is the Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2007, introduced by her boss in concert with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. This legislation would limit the ability of a consumer to purchase overthe-counter drugs online without a valid prescription. Hayden said she expects both bills to pass this year.

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SENATE JUDICIARY

Stephen Higgins Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security 325 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6791 Fax: (202) 228-0542 stephen_higgins@judiciary-rep. senate.gov

Expertise: Technology and information issues. Homeland security and giving America the tools to thwart terrorists and terrorism are on the docket for Stephen Higgins as chief counsel to the Judiciary Committee’s panel on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security. The subcommittee also will be looking at issues regarding Guantanamo Bay in the second session of the 110th Congress. Higgins’ boss, Sen. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican and ranking member on the subcommittee, addressed Guantanamo during a committee hearing in December 2007, saying the debate over the holding facility poses many difficult questions. But at the very least, Kyl argued, Americans should agree that the nation shouldn’t extend greater rights to combatants who violate the laws of war. “The reality is that this nation needs to be able to detain those active members of Al Quaeda and related groups whom it captures,” Kyl said. “Releasing committed terrorists has already resulted in the deaths of allied soldiers and innocent civilians, and one day may very well result in the deaths of U.S. servicemen.” Kyl has criticized fellow senators who support rolling back some provisions in the Military Commissions Act, in particular the section that prevents detainees from filing habeas corpus petitions in federal court. The former chairman of the subcommittee when Republicans controlled the Senate, Kyl said he has long fought for and will continue to fight to improve the federal government’s ability to prevent, defend against and respond to terrorist threats to the nation, according to his Web site.

Professional: 1999–2001, staff dir. and chief counsel, Subc. on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2001–2003, Republican staff dir. and chief counsel, Subc. on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2004–present, chief counsel, Subc. on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

He has noted that the subcommittee on which Higgins serves is the most active of the Judiciary Committee panels, and has held hearings in the past to investigate the roots of terrorist ideology, terrorist networks, and state sponsorship of terrorism. The 2008 agenda for the subcommittee also likely will touch on issues related to border security and immigration, identity theft, and the detention of combatants in the war on terror. Higgins has worked for the subcommittee as chief counsel since 1999 and assists Kyl in developing and prompting the senator’s legislative initiatives. In the two years before the September 11, 2001, attacks, Higgins worked on identity theft legislation and a crime victims’ constitutional amendment. The latter would have given crime victims more power through notification about their perpetrator and access to court proceedings.


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SENATE JUDICIARY

Todd Hinnen Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs 224 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0558 Fax: (202) 224-9516

If Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., is the sheriff guarding local law enforcement funding, then Todd Hinnen is his quickdrawing deputy. This is Hinnen’s second year as chief counsel of Biden’s Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs and he’s putting a bead on President Bush’s radical reduction of federal assistance for two programs relished by state and local police departments. Community Oriented Policing Services, better known as COPS, and the Byrne grant program are slated for large cuts under the president’s 2009 budget. Altogether, they would see an 81 percent reduction since 2000, with funding dropping from $2.1 billion when Bush entered office to $400 million at the time he departs, Hinnen says. It’s no surprise, then, that Hinnen’s top job this year will be focused on pushing Biden’s legislation aimed at restoring that funding. He says it takes on greater importance as the economy slips, an event that usually results in higher crime rates. “There’s this unhealthy synergy between decreased funding for law enforcement and a declining economy,” he said. Also topping the panel’s agenda is a bill that would reduce the disparity between federal prison sentences for people convicted of using and selling crack and powder cocaine. Currently, people caught with 1 gram of crack face the same sentence as someone caught with 100 grams of powder, a discrepancy that overwhelming effects black Americans.

Personal: Born 05/18/1971 in Portland, Ore.

Education: B.A., Amherst College, 1993. J.D., Harvard Law School, 1997.

Professional: 1997–2000, associate, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. 2000–2002, clerk, Hon. Richard Paulman, 9th Circuit Court. 2002– 2005, counsel, Dept. of Justice, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Division. 2005–2007, director for combating terrorism, National Security Council. 2007, chief counsel, Subc. on Crime and Drugs, Senate Judiciary Cmte.

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Oversight will also be a priority in the final year of Bush’s second term. Hinnen will push forward a measure introduced by Biden aimed at closing secret CIA prisons abroad, also known as black sites, requiring FISA court approval for renditions and restoring habeas corpus to detainees. Moreover, Biden is particularly interested in empowering an independent counsel to investigate the CIA’s destruction of videotapes depicting a suspected al Qaida operative being subjected to waterboarding. A victory for the panel came last year when Bush signed a Biden bill into law that allows lawyers for 9/11 families involved in suits against the aviation industry to issue nationwide subpoenas. Previous rules limited the reach of subpoenas to 100 miles around the court in which the suits are being tried, in this case New York City. Biden also saw the Senate pass his measure criminalizing cyberspace crimes, such as hacking into networks to obtain personal information, using “net-bots” to attack business sites, and damaging large numbers of computers through viruses.


SENATE JUDICIARY

Matthew L. Johnson Chief Republican Counsel Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship 517 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7840 Fax: (202) 228-2281 matthew_johnson@judiciary-rep. senate.gov

Expertise: Freedom of information laws, Intellectual property, immigration. Matthew L. Johnson took over as chief Republican counsel to the Senate Judiciary’s subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship in 2007 after the former chief GOP counsel, Reed O’Connor, was appointed as a federal judge in Texas. Johnson previously worked as judicial nominations counsel and counsel to Sen. John Cornyn, RTexas, the panel’s ranking Republican. During the first half of the 110th Congress, Johnson, a Texas native, worked on the OPEN Government Act of 2007, the most substantial reform of the Freedom of Information Act in more than a decade. The legislation, signed by President Bush on December 31, 2007, defines a journalist not solely as someone working for an affiliated news organization, allows a person who successfully prevailed in a FOIA lawsuit to recover attorney fees, and ensures that the 20-day response to FOIA requests commence on the date the request is first received by the agency, among other changes to the law. Cornyn says the act reinforces the view that FOIA establishes a presumption of openness and that the government is based not “on the need to know but upon the fundamental right to know.” “Accountability is only an empty promise without transparency,” Cornyn said in a statement. “I believe our legislation will provide citizens and journalists with more information and make our great American democracy even stronger.”

Personal: Born 09/11/1977 in Houston, Texas.

Education: B.S., Journalism, Northwestern University. J.D., Notre Dame.

Professional: 2005–2006, Judicial nominations counsel, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. 2006–2007, counsel, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. 2007–present, chief counsel, Subc. on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

Johnson also worked on judicial nominations and on the comprehensive immigration reform legislation that stalled in the Senate last year. This session, Johnson says he plans to work on oversight of the implementation of the OPEN Government Act, reforming the patent system and amendments to the federal public corruption statutes. Cornyn is a co-sponsor of the Patent Reform Act of 2007, which a congressional Research Summary says would modify the conditions under which a patent may be obtained for an invention or discovery by defining an “inventor” to include a “joint inventor” and “coinventor,” changing the effective date of a claimed invention and revisiting procedures for patent interference disputes. “The federal government has traditionally provided strong protection of inventors and their intellectual property,” Cornyn said in a statement posted on his Web site. “America’s patent system has been one of the pillars of our economic success. But our nation’s future prosperity is threatened by an increasingly outdated patent system that is spawning frivolous litigation and not keeping up with the pace of 21st century innovation.”


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SENATE JUDICIARY

Kristine Lucius Chief Counsel and Deputy Staff Director 224 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7703 Fax: (202) 224-9516

Kristine Lucius is the Senate Judiciary Committee’s point person on issues related to the federal court system. As the committee’s deputy staff director and chief counsel for civil justice, she’s helping guide Sen. Patrick Leahy’s, DVt., courtroom initiatives through a sometimes sticky legislative process that promises to spur both disagreement and appreciation from federal judges. Topping the agenda in 2008 is a measure raising the annual salaries of district judges by 29 percent, to $218,000. It also limits a longtime perk that could raise questions about judicial independence: justices would be barred from receiving memberships at country clubs and other facilities valued above $50. Other measures touch on the longtime debate over placing cameras in the Supreme Court and other federal courtrooms. Transparency advocates overcame concerns that publicizing courtroom proceedings could endanger witnesses or alter the legal outcome when the committee approved two measures allowing cameras last year. In addition to those measures, Lucius intends to move forward with Leahy’s continuing oversight of the Justice Department, focusing on a particular element that is sure to receive attention in a presidential election year: overseeing the department’s protection of minority voters, which critics say is lax. “There really needs to be a rebuilding and a depoliticization in the Civil Rights Division,” Lucius said, charging that political appointees in that office have sought to effect the outcome of elections in ways that are “completely inappropriate.”

Personal: Born 03/04/1972 in Robinsdale, Minn.

Education: B.A., University of Minnesota, 1994. J.D., Georgetown Law School, 1999.

Professional: 1999, clerked for Judge Emily Hewitt, Court of Federal Claims. 1999, clerked for Judge Richard Tallman, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. 2001–2002, attorney, Jenner & Block LLP. 2002–2006, counsel, Senate Judiciary Cmte. 2006, deputy staff director and chief counsel for civil justice, Senate Judiciary Cmte.

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Committee staff are investigating nominees in preparation for confirmation hearings of a new Civil Rights Division head and assistant attorney general of civil rights. Those hearings are expected to focus in part on the politicization of the division’s hiring processes and if the choice to pursue prosecutions, or not, was dictated by the desired outcome of an election. Leahy and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., are also pressing for Senate passage of a bill that would make the Justice Department more responsive to deceptive election practices, like misleading voters through false fliers. The bill, already passed by the committee and the House, requires Justice to respond with factual information to buttress voter turnout. Civil rights related voting issues is a “fascinating” topic for Lucius. Much of her time in the 109th Congress was devoted to the reauthorization of the Voters Rights Act, a massive effort on a historic piece of legislation that she described as “a staffer’s dream.”


SENATE JUDICIARY

Jeff Miller Chief Counsel and Staff Director Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights 308 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9494 Fax: (202) 228-2294 [email protected]

Expertise: Antitrust issues. For Jeffrey Miller and his boss, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights is designed to do one thing above all others: save the average person money. “That’s our job,” says Miller, chief counsel and staff director of the panel since 2004. To that point, Miller will guide the subcommittee into familiar territory during the second session of the 110th Congress, safeguarding the interests of consumers in the realms of the Internet, prescription drugs, transportation and energy. Topping the agenda are efforts to enhance railroad antitrust laws, opening OPEC nations to lawsuits that could reduce gas prices, and working to place generic prescription drugs on the market faster. The subcommittee will also perform oversight of key federal agencies tasked with enforcing antitrust law, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, a priority for the panel since Kohl became its chairman in 2007. Miller also said the subcommittee, which routinely inserts itself into the dealings of the high-tech industry, could explore the proposed consolidation of Microsoft and Yahoo. The merger could affect millions of Americans and raises questions related to the potential reduction of consumer choices and increased advertising prices, Miller said.


Education: B.A., University of Pennsylvania, 1992. J.D., University of Chicago, 1995.

Professional: 1995–1998, associate, McKenna & Cuneo LLP, Washington, D.C. 1998–1999, counsel, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1999–2000, counsel, Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass. 2000–2002, general counsel, Subc. on Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2003–2004, chief counsel and staff director, Subc. on Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2004–present, chief counsel and staff director, Subc. on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.


Kohl, a successful businessman and owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, has made merger enforcement a priority for his panel. He also positioned the subcommittee to look at the government’s pursuit of civil non-merger cases, such as monopolization and anticompetitive practices. Another focus is criminal antitrust enforcement. This year, Miller will continue to pursue two key efforts from 2007: advancing Kohl’s legislation to make railroads more competitive, a move that aims to prevent freight lines from unfairly raising their prices on the cross-country transportation of coal and other products. The panel will also push forward on a measure that would address what Kohl calls the “silent tax,” or the rising cost of gasoline and home heating fuel. Kohl’s legislation would permit the federal government to sue nations who raise the price of oil based on their membership in the international oil cartel OPEC. Both measures were passed by the Judiciary Committee last year. “We have a few bills teed up and waiting for movement,” Miller said, adding that his emphasis now is “pushing them over the finish line.” Last year, Kohl successfully showcased his commitment to consumers—and his home state constituents—by asking the Justice Department to conduct a second review of AirTran’s hostile takeover attempt of Wisconsin-based Midwest Airlines. Midwest ultimately accepted an offer from the private equity firm TPG Capital, allowing the airline to retain its name and favored consumer perks like leather seats and chocolate cookies.

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SENATE JUDICIARY

Michael O’Neill Minority Chief Counsel 224 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5225 Fax: (202) 224-9102

Expertise: Criminal law, criminal procedure, constitutional law. Mike O’Neill, the minority staff director of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spent a good portion of last year working on immigration overhaul legislation that ultimately failed to get a full Senate vote. Ranking member Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., O’Neill’s boss on the committee, sponsored the comprehensive immigration reform bill, which failed to get cloture, and he specifically called out O’Neill to thank him for his work. “It is hard to calculate how many hours were put in by senators, but I think it goes into the thousands,” Specter said, according to the congressional record. “It is hard to calculate how much time was put in by the two secretaries, but I think that goes into the hundreds. If you talk about staff time, it is incalculable. The staff director, Mike O’Neill, worked for about 20 days solid, including weekends, and that was sort of par for the course.” O’Neill’s name also popped up during the controversy over the firing of several U.S. attorneys by President Bush. Specter said he was unaware of a provision inserted into the USA PATRIOT Act that got rid of a time limit for vacancies of U.S. attorneys filled by the attorney general. Specter said at a hearing last year he tasked O’Neill to find out how the provision made it into the law. After researching it, O’Neill “advised that Brett Tolman, a senior staff member had gotten the request from the Department of Justice because of a situation in South Dakota where a judge made an appointment which was not in accordance with the statute.”

Education: B.A., Brigham Young University, 1987. J.D., Yale Law School, 1990.

Professional: clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judge David B. Sentelle. special assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. appellate litigator, Criminal Division Appellate Section, Dept. of Justice. general counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 1996–1997, clerk, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. 1998–present, associate professor, George Mason University School of Law. 1999–2005, commissioner, United States Sentencing Commission. 2005–2006, chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2007–present, minority chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

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Specter has already named a raft of priorities for the committee this year that will no doubt keep O’Neill just as busy. In a newsletter to constituents, Specter said one of the priorities for the year was legislation to change procedures to enable the United States to deport illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes. The committee is also working on legislation related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the so-called terrorist surveillance program. Specter introduced a bill that he says would both provide for national security to have wiretapping ability available and at the same time leave the courts open to protect civil liberties. He suggests that the U.S. government sit in place for telephone companies now being sued for cooperating with a federal request for private consumer records. O’Neill took a leave of absence in January 2005 from George Mason University’s law school to become the Judiciary Committee’s chief counsel. He previously said he expected to return to teaching law at some point, but he might stick around long enough to address another priority. He served for five and a half years as a commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission, and may end up overseeing a reexamination of the federal sentencing guidelines.


SENATE JUDICIARY

Lauren B. Petron Chief Republican Counsel

Expertise: Judicial nominations, litigation reforms, immigration, refugees, and border security, human trafficking.

Fax: (202) 228-5797

Lauren Petron became the chief Republican counsel of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution last year after spending 18 months working for Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican and the ranking member on the full committee. Petron, who grew up in Georgia, is now working for Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kans., on various issues related to the subcommittee’s jurisdiction and also issues that Brownback is focused on in the full committee.

lauren_petron@judiciary-rep. senate.gov

Her topics of expertise include judicial nominations, immigration, border security, terrorism, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and tort reform.

Subcommittee on the Constitution 224 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6521

Petron became the chief counsel in August and jumped right into her job with the confirmation of attorney general Michael Mukasey. Some Democrats balked at Mukasey’s nomination over questions about waterboarding, but Brownback stood firm in his defense of the now-attorney general. “The assault on Mukasey’s nomination is unfounded,” Brownback said at the time. “Mukasey has called waterboarding ‘repugnant’ and has said that the United States must stand for ‘what is right.’ He is committed to upholding the law of the land.” Petron worked for Specter as a counsel for more than half of last year and had a specific role in pushing the senator’s comprehensive immigration reform bill, which ultimately did not pass both houses. Sen. minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., thanked Petron by name in the congressional Record for her help on the bill.


Education: J.D., University of Georgia School of Law, 2002.

Professional: 2001, summer associate, Vinson & Elkins LLP, King & Spalding LLP. Aug. 2002–Aug. 2003, law clerk, The Hon. Susan Black, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (Jacksonville, Ga.). September 2003–Dec. 2004, associate, King & Spalding LLP (Atlanta, Ga., and Washington, D.C.). Jan. 2005–Jan. 2006, associate, Sonneschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. Jan. 2006–Aug. 2007, counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. Aug. 2007–present, chief Republican counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

“Behind all these senators are a lot of terrific staff members who have worked incredibly hard on this bill,” he said. Last year, Petron also worked on Constitutional law issues; the reporter shield legislation; the federal marriage amendment, the DC Voting Rights bill, a flag burning amendment; and on the NSA wiretapping legislation sponsored by Specter. In the second session of the 110th Congress, Petron will be working on a big issue for her boss: reauthorizing Brownback’s 2000 Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. “It is intolerable that 200 years after Britain banned its slave trade, there are still hundreds of thousands of victims of human trafficking who are used as bonded labors, sex slaves, and in other horrifying capacities,” Brownback said last year in honoring a humanitarian that helped end the British slave trade. Also on Petron’s agenda is a bill sponsored by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak., and supported by Brownback, that waives the “return home mandate” in the H-1B visitor visa program for non-citizen doctors who practice in underserved areas. “We face a critical shortage of doctors in rural America and millions of people can’t get the health care they need,” Conrad said in introducing the bill. “The Conrad State 30 program is working to turn the tide and allow people who live in rural areas in North Dakota—and across the nation—to have better access to quality care.”


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SENATE JUDICIARY

Robert F. Schiff Democratic Chief Counsel Subcommittee on the Constitution 807 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5573 Fax: (202) 224-9516 Bob_Schiff@Judiciary-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Campaign finance, reform, ethics, judiciary issues. Bob Schiff is a crisis-tested adviser in the campaign of Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., to protect the Constitution. Now, after 11 years with the progressive Democrat lawmaker, Schiff has weathered battles like the one in 2001 that marked his boss as the chamber’s only opponent of the Patriot Act. So it’s not surprising that Schiff, chief counsel of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, is handling Feingold’s continuing effort to stanch what he calls “executive overreach” during President Bush’s final year in office. The senator plunged into 2008, trying to strip retroactive telecom immunity from legislation expanding the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. He failed, but could have other opportunities this year to address what he calls “dangerous” provisions in the White House–friendly bill. The telecom industry faces an avalanche of lawsuits for providing personal information to U.S. intelligence agencies without warrants after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Feingold sees lawsuit immunity as more than a free ride for the industry. In his eyes it absolves the administration of “illegal” surveillance on Americans, and removes the only judicial challenge the White House would likely face, Schiff said. The subcommittee could also hold oversight hearings on the issue.


Education: A.B., Brown University, 1979. J.D., University of Michigan Law School, 1985.

Professional: 1998, counsel, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. 1999–2001, Democratic chief counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, Federalism, and Property Rights, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2001–2003, Democratic chief counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, Federalism, and Property Rights, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2004–present, Democratic chief counsel, Subc. on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

In another priority, confronting giants like the telecom and insurance industries, Schiff will continue moving forward on legislation introduced by his boss addressing mandatory arbitration provisions—small print in contracts that preemptively strip consumers, like cell phone users, of their right to contest disputes in court. “Feingold thinks that arbitration is great—if both parties agree to it after the dispute arises,” says Schiff, who argues that such clauses have created “a parallel legal system.” Also topping his duties this year are longtime efforts by the senator to repeal the federal death penalty and confront racial profiling in law enforcement. Feingold realized a major victory last year with the enactment of the lobbying and ethics law, containing various reform provisions promoted by the senator for years. He also had success in amending the Farm Bill to include provisions protecting farmers from mandatory arbitration clauses in contracts with agribusiness. He pressed for an investigation into former attorney general Alberto Gonzales, whom he believes lied to Congress under oath about the administration’s use of data mining and its domestic surveillance program. Schiff came to Feingold’s staff from Public Citizen’s Congress Watch, where he served as an attorney and lobbyist. At Congress Watch, Schiff focused on campaign finance reform, lobbying and gift reform, and congressional ethics. He testified before Congress and represented Public Citizen on national and local television and radio programs.

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SENATE JUDICIARY

Bill Yeomans Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law 224 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7703 Fax: (202) 224-9516 Bill_Yeomans@Judiciary-dem. senate.gov

Bill Yeomans is the man on the inside for Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., having assumed the post of chief counsel of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security in 2006 after spending almost three decades in the Justice Department. So Yeomans knows when something is amiss in an agency he knows intimately, and in which he has lasting contacts. Only a few on the panel have more experience in the subcommittee’s jurisdiction than Yeoman—and one of them is Kennedy himself, who has held a seat on it since the 1960s and used it to launch himself into the debate over the Vietnam War by highlighting the plight of refugees. Together the duo will focus on the Justice Department’s role in establishing interrogation protocols for detainees. That emphasis was highlighted by the senator’s precise questioning in early 2008 that led attorney general Michael Mukasey to acknowledge that waterboarding is an interrogation practice deemed legal by the United States. Another emphasis sure to gain attention in an election year: voting rights. Yeomans will help Kennedy scrutinize the department’s civil rights division and what critics say is its failure to attack racial discrimination that excludes minorities from voting. Similarly, the senator is tasking his panel to closely investigate political appointees to the civil rights division, where Yeomans spent the bulk of his career in Justice. Judicial nominees will also be evaluated aggressively in the final year of the Bush administration.


Education: B.A., Trinity College, 1972. J.D., Boston University Law School, 1976. LL.M, Harvard Law School, 1978.

Professional: 1978–2005, counsel to the assistant attorney general, chief of staff, acting assistant attorney general, Dept. of Justice, Civil Rights Division. 2005– 2006, director of programs, American Constitution Society. 2006–present, chief counsel, Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, Senate Judiciary Cmte.


Yeomans joined the panel weeks after the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill in spring 2006, a measure developed in large part by Kennedy. It failed in the House over opposition to its key provision allowing millions of illegal immigrants to pursue citizenship. That represents a puzzle Yeomans is trying to decipher: finding a route to permanent legal residency for the estimated 12 million people living in the United States without visas. The focus now is to illustrate the harmful effects of the current system, such as delays in the naturalization process and the negative impact on families created by enforcement measures. Yeomans, of Arlington, Virginia, joined the Justice Department in 1978. Three years later, he moved into the civil rights division, where he ultimately attained the position of chief of staff.

695

SENATE JUDICIARY

Joseph Zogby Majority Chief Counsel Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law Hart 309 Phone: (202) 224-2152 Fax: (202) 224-9516 joseph_zogby@judiciary-dem. senate.gov

Expertise: Human rights, immigration. Joseph Zogby arranged Congress’s first hearings on genocide law and child soldiers last year, immediately displaying the purpose behind Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy’s, D-Vt., conception of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law: protecting people. “We had a big year,” allowed Zogby, chief counsel of the panel, which is the first of its kind. The subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Richard Durbin, DIll., will follow its success of enacting an international law against genocide last year by focusing on a handful of key human rights bills in 2008, including a measure to prevent human trafficking and another to address the use of childsoldiers in military conflicts. The panel will also hold hearings on crimes against humanity—the runner up to its brutal big brother genocide and defined as the systematic rape, torture and murder of a people. It could serve as the basis for a law aimed at crimes that fail to meet the legal criteria of genocide, the wholesale annihilation of a race or ethnicity. “It’s a very underdeveloped area of the law,” Zogby said of human rights violations. “We’ve been mining this vein in trying to create these human rights laws.” It’s not just foreign governments the panel has its eye on. The subcommittee plans to aggressively question the outgoing Bush administration, largely through oversight hearings of the Justice Department, about the use of waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques used on detainees, Zogby said.


Education: B.A., University of Virginia, 1991. J.D., University of Virginia, 1996.

Professional: 1996–1998, public service fellow, Echoing Green. 1998–1999, attorney, U.S. Dept. of State. 1999–2003, attorney, U.S. Dept. of Justice. 2003–2006, counsel, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary. 2007–present, majority chief counsel, Subc. on Human rights and the Law, Senate Cmte. on the Judiciary.

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That would make sense, given that it was Durbin who initially questioned attorney general Michael Mukasey about the use of simulated drowning, a technique Mukasey refused to label as illegal. The panel reached a high watermark last year when it pushed the international ban on genocide into law, allowing United States prosecutors for the first time to pursue foreign war crimes offenders—either through extradition or by targeting criminals who settle in the United States. Zogby said last year’s hearings revealed that more than 1,000 war crimes offenders have sought refuge in the United States. Zogby has also worked on key issues like the Patriot Act reauthorization and the Military Commissions Act, which passed after Democrats failed to insert measures to protect civil liberties and human rights. He was also active in the Senate’s scrutiny of the administration’s wiretapping program, and the failed attempt to pass comprehensive immigration reform.


Committee on Rules and Administration 305 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6352 Fax: (202) 228-2401 http://rules.senate.gov/ Ratio: 10/9 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Dianne Feinstein, CA, Chairman

Robert Bennett, UT, Ranking Member

Robert C. Byrd, WV Daniel K. Inouye, HI Christopher Dodd, CT Charles E. Schumer, NY Richard J. Durbin, IL E. Benjamin Nelson, NE Harry Reid, NV Patty Murray, WA Mark Pryor, AR

Ted Stevens, AK Mitch McConnell, KY Thad Cochran, MS Kay Bailey Hutchison, TX C. Saxby Chambliss, GA Chuck Hagel, NE Lamar Alexander, TN John Ensign, NV


697

SENATE RULES AND ADMINISTRATION JURISDICTION (1) Administration of the Senate Office Buildings and the Senate wing of the Capitol, including the assignment of office space. (2) congressional organization relative to rules and procedures and Senate rules and regulations including floor and gallery rules. (3) Corrupt practices. (4) Credentials and qualifications of members of the Senate, contested elections, and acceptance of incompatible offices. (5) Federal elections generally, including the election of the president, vice president, and members of the Congress. (6) Government Printing Office, and the printing and correction of the congressional Record, as well as matters under Senate Rule XI. (7) Meetings of the Congress and attendance of members. (8) Payment of money out of the contingent fund of the Senate or creating a charge upon the same (except that any resolution relating to substantive matter within the jurisdiction of any other Senate standing committee is to be first referred to such committee). (9) Presidential succession. (10) Purchase of books and manuscripts and erection of monuments to the memory of individuals. (11) Senate Library and statuary, art, and pictures in the Capitol and Senate Office Buildings. (12) Services to the Senate, including the Senate restaurant. (13) United States Capitol and congressional office buildings, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution (and the incorporation of similar institutions), and the Botanic Gardens. Such committee shall also (a) make a continuing study of, and recommend improvements regarding, the organization and operation of the Congress, with a view towards strengthening it, simplifying its operations, improving its relationships with other branches of government, and enabling it to better meet its responsibilities under the Constitution of the United States; (b) identify any court proceeding or action which, in the opinion of the committee, is of vital interest to the Congress as a constitutionally established institution of the federal government and call such proceeding or action to the attention of the Senate; and (c) develop, implement, and update as necessary a strategic planning process and a strategic plan for the functional and technical infrastructure support of the Senate and provide oversight over plans developed by Senate officers and others in accordance with the strategic planning process.

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SENATE RULES AND ADMINISTRATION Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., oversees the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, one of only three headed by a female senator. Now well into her fourth term, Feinstein’s Senate experience will come in handy as she continues her work on the panel, which is in charge of enacting meaningful reform of the electoral system and also overseeing the groups that run the congressional campus. Feinstein and her colleagues on the committee are busy in 2008, as several major events already are scheduled to take place on the Capitol grounds. The upcoming opening of the $621 million Capitol Visitor Center should be among those celebrations. Officials expect the CVC to open in November, more than three years after its original opening date and double its original cost. Although managerial issues have long plagued the CVC, officials believe the project got back on track in 2007, and making sure it stays on track will be a 2008 goal. Feinstein and ranking member Bob Bennett, R-Utah, also are expected to play a big role in planning for the 2009 presidential inauguration, as that chairman and ranking member of the Rules Committee typically head the joint committee in charge of the inauguration. Campus issues aren’t the only thing the panel will oversee. Enacting election reform also will be a priority, with the committee looking at ways to make sure all votes are counted during the 2008 elections. The committee’s first hearing of 2008 focused on how robotic telephone calls could be limited. Feinstein has called the automated calls that go out to likely voters during election season “abusive” and is pushing legislation that would restrict, among other things, the hours which those calls can be made. The panel is also expected to study ways military and oversees voters can ensure their votes will be counted. The Rules and Administration Committee, created in 1789, was among the first founded by the Senate, according to the panel’s Web site. Its first action was to develop a set of rules for the Senate to follow. Up until 1867, several special committees were created from time to time to revise the rules of the Senate. In 1867, a “Select Committee to Revise the Rules of the Senate” was created, and in 1874, the standing Senate Committee on Rules was established. It wasn’t until 1947 that the committee in its current form was created.


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SENATE RULES AND ADMINISTRATION

Howard Gantman Staff Director 305 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6352 [email protected]

Expertise: Administration, communication. The Senate Rules and Administration committee is one of the Senate’s most unique panels, as it oversees the both nation’s electoral system and the organizations that run the congressional campus. But for staff director Howard Gantman, the best part of the job is “actively trying to solve issues of great concern to people throughout the nation.” The accuracy and reliability of votes certainly is one of those issues, Gantman said. In 2007, Gantman worked on the Ballot Integrity Act, which would institute reforms in the administration of elections. And election reform is one of the top priorities in 2008” for chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., he said. Members will work to ensure the accuracy of the vote count, help military and overseas voters participate in the election and provide increased regulation of “robo calls.” The panel also will move to require Senate campaigns to file finance reports electronically. Gantman said one of the panel’s top achievements in 2007 was helping to pass the Honest Government and Open Leadership Act, which strengthened public disclosure requirements surrounding lobbying activities, put gift restrictions on Members and their staffs and required mandatory disclosure for earmarks included in expenditure bills.

Education: B.A., Kenyon College, Ohio. M.F.A., University of Southern California.

Professional: 1984–1986, reporter/editor, City News Service (Los Angeles, Calif.) 1986–1990, reporter/editor, United Press International. 1990–1992, reporter, Copley News Service/ San Diego Union-Tribune. 1992–1995, chief legislative deputy and director of media affairs, Los Angeles City Councilmember Rita Walters (D). 1995–1997, assistant chief deputy, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Feuer (D). 1997–1998, director of government affairs, The Kamber Group. 1998–2007, director of communications, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. 2007– present, staff director, Senate Cmte. on Rules and Administration.

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Another 2007 achievement concerned the Smithsonian Institution. Internal management problems at the Institution made headlines in early 2007, especially after secretary Lawrence Small resigning after questions over his housing allowance and office and travel expenditures emerged. But by the end of the year, the committee reinstituted significant oversight and advocated for meaningful reform of its governance structure, which helped put the Institution on the correct path, Gantman said. In 2008, Gantman expects the panel will split its time between election reform efforts and congressional campus issues, such as the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center, which is scheduled in November. Early in the year Feinstein held a hearing on political “robo calls”—the computer-generated, automated calls that go out to thousands of potential voters (often during dinner time) in the months leading up to an election. Feinstein has proposed legislation that would severely limit when and how those calls could be placed. Oversight of the Library of Congress, helping the Architect of the Capitol develop a master plan and addressing ongoing deficits and food quality issues in the Senate restaurants also will be a priority, Gantman said. Gantman also plans to help oversee the plans for the 2009 presidential inauguration, as Feinstein is expected to chair the joint committee in charge of the event.


Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-5175 Fax: (202) 224-5619 http://sbc.senate.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 9/9/1 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

John F. Kerry, MA, Chairman

Olympia J. Snowe, ME, Ranking Member

Carl Levin, MI Tom Harkin, IA Mary Landrieu, LA Evan Bayh, IN Maria Cantwell, WA Mark Pryor, AR Benjamin L. Cardin, MD Jon Tester, MT

Christopher S. Bond, MO Norm Coleman, MN David Vitter, LA Elizabeth Dole, NC John Thune, SD Bob Corker, TN Michael B. Enzi, WY Johnny Isakson, GA

INDEPENDENT MEMBERS Joseph I. Lieberman, CT


701

SENATE SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP JURISDICTION (1) All proposed legislation, messages, petition, memorials, and other matters relating to the Small Business Administration. (2) Any proposed legislation reported by such committee, which relates to matters other than the functions of the Small Business Administration shall, at the request of the chairman of any standing committee having jurisdiction over the subject matter extraneous to the functions of the Small Business Administration, be considered and reported by such standing committee prior to its consideration by the Senate; and likewise, measures reported by other committees directly relating to the Small Business Administration shall, at the request of the chairman of the Committee on Small Business, be referred to the Committee on Small Business for its consideration of any portions of the measure dealing with the Small Business Administration and be reported by this committee prior to its consideration by the Senate. (3) Such committee shall also study and survey by means of research and investigation all problems of American small business enterprises and report thereon from time to time.

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SENATE SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., and ranking member Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, have led the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship for many years and share a similar vision for helping the nation’s small business owners. Both senators want to end the small business health insurance crisis, improve the primary lending programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and establish an effective disaster relief loan program. The committee operates in the spirit of bipartisanship and in 2007 reported out unanimously many key pieces of legislation. One such bill was the Small Business Lending Reauthorization and Improvements Act, which would upgrade the SBA’s 7(a), 504, and microloan programs. Kerry introduced the legislation in 2007 and the committee is trying to move it this year. The bill would benefit small businesses hurt by tighter credit markets by giving the SBA the authority to reduce fees charged in the 7(a) loan program when there are excess funds available. It also would increase the maximum size of a 7(a) loan from $2 million to $3 million, and would allow the SBA to apply an interest rate lower than the federal prime rate. Kerry and Snowe both are making reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program a priority in 2008. The program, which is set to expire in September, helps to fund the research and development of cutting-edge high technology products, and provides needed assistance to small businesses looking to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the marketplace. The committee is working to renew it to avoid funding delays or shutdowns of the program come October. At the outset of this session, the committee was close to accomplishing its goal of enacting disaster reform legislation based on the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act that was co-sponsored by Kerry and Snowe. The House and Senate had passed the legislation late last year, but appointment of conferees was delayed in the Senate. The bill would establish a private disaster loan program to be used in the aftermath of catastrophic disasters, allowing banks to make loans directly to victims with an 85 percent government guarantee. It also would create a short-term loan program to provide relief to businesses damaged or destroyed in catastrophic disasters while they await other federal assistance or insurance payments. Finding a solution to the small business health insurance crisis has been a committee priority for many years and Kerry and Snowe hope to make some progress on the issue this year. Congress is considering bipartisan solutions to reform the health care system, and the committee is working to ensure that any proposals take into consideration the need to provide affordable health care insurance options for small businesses. Among the proposals that Kerry supports are targeted employer-based tax credits that would improve coverage for small companies that currently cannot afford to offer health insurance. He also wants the legislation to encourage fair pooling mechanisms that empower small employers to provide health insurance to their employees while protecting vulnerable firms from being priced out of the market. The committee enjoyed one early success in 2008 with the enactment of the Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act. The law improves veterans’ access to capital, creates an interagency task force on veteran entrepreneurship and increases the authorization of funding for various veteran entrepreneurship programs and initiatives. It also contains provisions to help reservists keep their businesses afloat during and after deployment. In the first half of the 110th Congress, the committee contributed several provisions to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which helps small businesses increase their energy efficiency and reduce their dependency on foreign oil. It also wrote the pieces of the America COMPETES Act that address small business concerns, including adding an SBA administrator to the President’s Council on Innovation and Competitiveness to ensure that small businesses are represented on the panel. Pieces of last year’s U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act was written by the committee staff. One such provision requires federal agencies to publish on the Internet small business compliance guides that explain clearly the regulatory requirements of complex federal rules. Another section of the law renews and makes permanent the women’s business centers grant program. The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

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SENATE SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Naomi Baum Democratic Staff Director 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8496 Fax: (202) 224-5619 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business issues. Staff director Naomi Baum oversees the majority staff’s work on the small business issues championed by committee chairman John Kerry, D-Mass. In 2008, his initiatives include increasing the accountability of the Small Business Administration (SBA), trying to lower health care costs for small businesses and improving entrepreneurial development. This year marks Kerry’s 23rd year on the committee and his overarching goals remain the same. He wants to help small business owners gain greater access to capital and to federal contracting opportunities, and he wants to develop tax proposals and other regulations that will help small businesses thrive. Increasing the accountability and oversight of the SBA is a key part of Kerry strategy this year. The committee is working to level the playing field for small firms in the federal contracting arena. A recent loan fraud scheme has also bumped SBA lender oversight up on the committee’s agenda. Kerry has been working to fix the small business health insurance crisis for many years. Congress is considering bipartisan solutions to reform the health care system, and the committee is working to ensure that any proposals take into consideration the need to provide affordable health care insurance options for small businesses.

Personal: Born in San Francisco, Calif.

Education: B.A., Wellesley College, 1984. M.P.A., Harvard University, 1987.

Professional: 1987–1989, legislative correspondent, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. 1989–1992, legislative aide, Sen. Alan Cranston, D-Calif. 1992, professional staff member, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 1993–2005, legislative assistant and appropriations coordinator, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis. 2005–present, Democratic staff director, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Among the proposals that Kerry supports are targeted employer-based tax credits that would improve coverage for small companies that currently cannot afford to offer health insurance. He also wants the legislation to encourage fair pooling mechanisms that empower small employers to provide health insurance to their employees while protecting vulnerable firms from being priced out of the market. Baum is also overseeing the staff’s efforts to further Kerry’s goal of giving aspiring entrepreneurs access to the tools and resources they need to grow their businesses. In particular, the committee is trying to strengthen small business development centers and women’s business centers, among other programs. In the last session, Kerry helped to enact a renewal grant program for established, successful women’s business centers around the country. This year, Kerry would like to see legislation to create a minority entrepreneurship program to target minority students in highly skilled fields such as engineering, manufacturing, science and technology. The program would help guide the students towards entrepreneurship as a career option. Small business legislation promoted by Kerry that was passed into law in 2007 included the bipartisan CLEAN Energy Act, which helps small businesses increase their energy efficiency and ensures that the administration implements provisions that help small businesses reduce their dependency on foreign oil. The law establishes loans for small companies to invest in use of renewable sources of energy in their businesses.

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Nick Coutsos Counsel 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5175 Fax: (202) 224-5619 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business issues. Reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and securing the enactment of disaster loan reform legislation are among the many priorities of committee chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., in 2008. The committee staff, including counsel Nick Coutsos, is working to accomplish these and several other Kerry initiatives this year. Providing aid to veterans and reservists is also important to Kerry. On that issue, the committee already enjoyed one success early in the session with the enactment of a law to aid veterans and reservist entrepreneurs. The law was based on a 2007 bill that was co-sponsored by Kerry and ranking member Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. The law expands assistance to veterans and reservists who want to start a small business or keep it afloat during deployments. Specifically, it will increase the authorization of appropriations for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Veteran Business Development, and create a task force on veteran small business to focus on increasing veterans’ small business procurement and franchising opportunities and access to capital. In addition, the SBA will now be authorized to offer loans of up to $50,000 without requiring collateral from a loan applicant. The law also creates a new loan participation program in which veterans can receive a 7(a) loan and pay only half the fees.

Personal: Born 1973 in Detroit, Mich.

Education: B.A., political science, Kalamazoo College, 1996. J.D., University of Notre Dame, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2007, attorney, Miller Johnson. 2007– present, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Even with the enactment of those provisions, the committee continues to press the issue this year. Specifically, Kerry wants to push for better coordination of services at federal agencies on behalf of veterans and reservists. The SBIR program expires in September, and Kerry is working to renew it to avoid any funding delays of program shutdowns. The reauthorization effort includes trying to strengthen the program to keep the United States on the leading edge of innovation. In addition, Kerry is considering ways to help small businesses bridge the considerable gap between the laboratory and the marketplace. Legislation to assist businesses and homeowners following a disaster passed both the House and the Senate in 2007 after being negotiated for more than two years. Next up is the House-Senate conference, but the Senate has yet to name its conferees. Kerry is working on getting the law enacted by the end of this session. Among other things, the bill creates a new presidential “catastrophic national disaster” designation that will enable the SBA to issue nationwide economic injury disaster loans to small business affected by a large-scale disaster. It also increases the maximum size of a disaster loan from $1.5 million to $2 million and allows nonprofit groups to be eligible for disaster loans. A new private disaster loan program would be created to enable banks to make loans directly to victims of catastrophic disasters with an 85 percent government guarantee.


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Alex Hecht Chief Counsel 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5175 Fax: (202) 224-4885 [email protected]

Expertise: Health care, regulatory reform, administrative law, environmental law. Republican chief counsel Alex Hecht helps to manage the legislative priorities for ranking member Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who considers the Small Business Committee a “beacon of bipartisanship.” Hecht said that Snowe takes pride in the fact that measures on the reauthorization of the Small Business Administration’s lending, contracting, as well as entrepreneurial development programs and on modernizing the SBA’s disaster response and lending capabilities were reported out unanimously from the committee last year. In the second session of the 110th Congress, a primary objective for Snowe will be the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is set to expire at the end of September. Hecht also will continue to work to fashion bipartisan legislation to address the small business health insurance crisis, which remains the number one issue facing small businesses today. Small businesses have experienced an 87 percent increase in health insurance premiums since 2000, which has led to fewer and fewer small businesses being able to offer health insurance to their employees as a workplace benefit. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 45 percent of businesses with fewer than 10 employees are now able to offer health insurance to their employees.

Personal: Born 1970 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Education: B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1992. J.D., University of Houston Law Center, 2001. L.L.M., George Washington University, 2004.

Professional: 2002–2004, legislative analyst, National Multi Housing Council. 2004–present, adjunct professor, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. 2005–2006, regulatory counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 2007–present, chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Snowe continues to advocate for legislation that would allow small businesses to pool together, across state lines, to receive quality, affordable health insurance options. She wants to provide more choices and inject more competition into dysfunctional state health insurance markets, Hecht said. Despite the difficulties inherent in an election year, there is considerable bipartisan interest in the Senate for getting something done on the issue, he added. In 2008, Snowe will work closely with chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., to mark up targeted small business regulatory reform legislation. According to the SBA Office of Advocacy, small businesses that employ fewer than 20 people spend $7,647 per employee in regulatory compliance costs. That’s close to 45 percent more than the $5,282 spent per employee for businesses that employ more than 500 people. Hecht said that Snowe will be introducing legislation this year to rectify the discrepancy. In 2007, the committee’s successes included having the Small Business Compliance Assistance Enhancement Act enacted into law as part of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007. Hecht noted that the committee also was able to have the Small Business Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 signed into law as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The measures help small businesses combat climate change by enabling SBA loans to be used for energy efficiency projects and creating a priority under the SBIR program for those projects.

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Wallace Hsueh Republican Staff Director 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5175 Fax: (202) 224-4885 [email protected]

Expertise: Commerce, small business issues, intellectual property, economic development. Wally Hsueh continues to lead the Republican staff in its efforts to further the goal of ranking member Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, to pass meaningful legislation that will benefit America’s small businesses. Hsueh said the he leads the committee in the same bipartisan manner that Snowe exemplifies in her work on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. Early in the session, the committee contributed to the development of the economic stimulus bill. The bill included a provision championed by Snowe that would allow small businesses to write off permanently up to $250,000 in annual investment instead of waiting to recover the costs through depreciation. Snowe also offered a provision that would lengthen the carryback period for net operating losses from two years to five years. Hsueh is also overseeing the staff’s work on reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research program, which is scheduled to expire in September 2008. The program is critical to the production of new, cutting-edge high technology products and services from federal research and development, he said. Reauthorizing and enhancing the Small Business Administration’s primary lending programs is another issue Snowe would like to advance in 2008. The committee is working with the Small Business Lending Reauthorization and Improvements Act, which would upgrade the SBA’s section 7(a), 504 and microloan programs.

Personal: Born 1971 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Education: B.A., California State University, Long Beach, 1993.

Professional: 1995–1996, professional staff member, House Government Reform Oversight Cmte. 1997–2004, legislative assistant and senior policy adviser, Office of Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. 2005–2006, staff director, Senate Cmte. on Commerce, Subc. on Trade, Tourism and Economic Development. 2007–present, Republican staff director, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The committee is trying to further disaster relief legislation that Snowe included in the Senate Farm Bill in 2007. Her bill would, among other things, establish a private disaster loan program to be used in the aftermath of catastrophic disasters allowing banks to make loans directly to victims with an 85 percent government guarantee. It also would create a loan program to provide short-term relief to businesses damaged or destroyed in a disaster while they await other federal assistance or insurance payments. Addressing the small business health insurance crisis remains on the committee’s schedule, Hsueh said. Snowe is working with a number of senators to develop a solution that will enable employers to join together when purchasing plans. In 2007, Snowe contributed a number of provisions to larger bills that eventually were signed into law. They included the small business regulatory compliance assistance section of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act. That law also includes an amendment making permanent the women’s business center grant program that was based on Snowe’s legislation in the 108th and 109th Congress. Hsueh said the Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act mirrors legislation Snowe championed as far back as 2005, he said. The law expands business opportunities for veterans and help reservists keep their businesses afloat during and after deployment.


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Angela June Ohm General Counsel 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5175 Fax: (202) 224-5619 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business issues. Angela June Ohm moved from the Treasury Department to take the position of general counsel of the Small Business Committee in 2007. In that role, she advises chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., on small business issues, and shares the responsibility with the rest of the staff for promoting Kerry’s legislative agenda. Items near the top of that list this year include fostering green entrepreneurship and energy efficiency, and improving small business loan programs. In February, Kerry asked the administration to outline the steps it will take to help small businesses facing a contracting credit market. He expressed disappointment with the fiscal 2009 budget request, which proposed implementing higher fees on lenders and provided no resources to expand loans to small businesses. Last year, Kerry introduced the Small Business Lending Reauthorization and Improvements Act, which would make changes to the 7(a) loan program to benefit small businesses impacted by tighter credit markets. The bill sought to give the Small Business Administration (SBA) the authority to reduce fees charged in the 7(a) loan program when there are excess funds to cover the cost of the program. It also would increase the maximum size of a 7(a) loan from $2 million to $3 million, and allow the SBA to apply an interest rate lower than the federal prime rate. In this session, Kerry is working to help small businesses develop and implement solutions to address climate change. Small businesses generate half of the nation’s economy and consume half of its energy, he said. Accordingly, he believes the government should do more to educate small firms about energy efficiency.

Personal: Born 1969 in Fort Smith, Ark.

Education: B.A., University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 1991. J.D., New York University, 1994.

Professional: 1995–1996, news assistant, CBS affiliate KFSM. 1996–1997, staff attorney, Western Arkansas Legal Services. 1997–2000, contract administrator/corporate attorney, ABF Freight System, Inc. 2000, legislative assistant, Office of Rep. Vic Snyder, DArk. 2001–2004, legislative assistant for appropriations, Office of Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va. 2004–2006, legislative director, Office of Rep. Alan Mollohan, DW.Va. 2006–2007, senior legislative adviser/ attorney, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service. 2007– present, general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

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Congress began to push the government in that direction last year with the passage of the CLEAN Energy Act, which included provisions written by Kerry. Among other things, the law requires the SBA to implement within 90 days an energy efficiency program that was mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. It also establishes an audit program to increase energy efficiency at small business development centers. The act promotes the use of financing agreements between small businesses and utility companies to increase energy efficiency. It also creates a telecommuting pilot program at the SBA through which the agency will conduct outreach to small businesses on the benefits of telecommuting. The CLEAN Energy Act was one of several legislative accomplishments for Kerry in the first half of the 110th Congress. He also worked to secure more than $40 million in additional funding for certain SBA programs over previous funding levels, and to provide $25 million in additional recovery assistance for small businesses and homeowners affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.



Tucker Shumack Tax and Finance Counsel 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7884 Fax: (202) 224-9746 Tucker_Shumack@small-bus. senate.gov

Expertise: Taxation issues. Tax and finance counsel Tucker Shumack picked up in 2008 where he left off in the last session by working to reauthorize the new markets tax credit and to extend the availability of the refundable child tax credit. He said that he is also helping ranking member Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, develop legislation to reduce the tax compliance burden on small businesses. The new markets tax credit is offered to community development enterprises seeking new investors as a way to bring more investment into low-income communities. The credit was temporarily extended as part of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, but Snowe would like to implement a five-year reauthorization of the program. The child tax credit was enacted in 1997 to address concerns that the income tax structure did not recognize that families become increasingly unable to pay taxes as the size of the family increased. Recent changes to the law increased the amount of the credit and made it refundable for most families. The child tax credit is scheduled to decline from $1,000 per child to $500 per child in 2011. Last year, Snowe pushed for passage of the Working Family Child Assistance Act, which would have increased the number of low-income families eligible for the refundable child tax credit. The legislation provided for a lowering of the qualifying annual income threshold from $11,500 to $10,000. It also sought to de-index the threshold for inflation so that families that did not get a raise each year would not lose benefits.

Personal: Born 11/23/1972 in Albany, Ga.

Education: B.A., Hampden-Sydney College, 1995. J.D., University of Richmond, 2002. LL.M., Southern Methodist University, 2003.

Professional: 1995–1999, legislative assistant, Sen. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga. 1998, middle Georgia regional representative, Sen. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga. 2003–2005, senior legislative assistant, Rep. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. 2005, legislative assistant, Sen. Johnny Isakson, RGa. 2005–present, tax and finance counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.


Reducing the tax compliance burden on small businesses has been a priority of Snowe’s for many years. Shumack said that the committee made some progress in this area in the first session of the 110th Congress in the form of two provisions enacted as part of the Small Business and Work Opportunity Act of 2007. Both provisions were based on legislation backed by Snowe. The first was a one-year extension of small business expensing and an increase of the expensing limit to $125,000. Snowe is the sponsor of S.269, which would make small business expensing permanent and increase the limit to $200,000. The expensing provision saves small businesses both money and time they otherwise would have to spend complying with complex depreciation rules. The second provision was an expansion of the work opportunity tax credit and extension of the tax credit for three and a half years. Snowe is the lead co-sponsor of S.246, which would expand and make permanent the tax credit. The bill also would make individuals age 18 through 39 residing in an empowerment zone, enterprise community, or renewal community eligible for the credit. It also proposes to allow an increased credit for the hiring of certain veterans with service-connected disabilities incurred after September 10, 2001.

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Matthew Walker Deputy Republican Staff Director and Counsel 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7884 Fax: (202) 224-9746 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business issues, manufacturing and trade, veteran entrepreneurship, economic development. Having worked for ranking member Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, for nearly 10 years, Matt Walker has obtained a breadth of experience in diverse issue areas and constituent services. As deputy Republican staff director of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, he plays a key role in developing and implementing the committee’s agenda and overseeing the work of its minority staff. Walker, a reservist since 1990, recently returned to the committee after serving for 15 months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. While deployed, he was the U.S. liaison officer to the South Korean and Polish contingents and the project manager of those countries’ construction operations. Snowe, a long-time champion of veterans’ issues, has used Walker’s insight and experience, gained over a 17-year military career, in developing legislation and proposals to assist the nation’s veterans and the small businesses that employ reservists. Walker was instrumental in drafting and moving the Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act of 2007 (S. 1784). The legislation passed in the Senate in December 2007 and is expected to pass the House this year.

Personal: Born 05/04/1972 in Bangor, Maine.

Education: B.A., University of Maine. J.D., Maine School of Law.

Professional: 1990–present, reservist, Army National Guard. 1995, Washington representative, Coalition for Fair Atlantic Salmon Trade. 1995–2000, staff member, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine. 1999, legal intern, Bath, Maine, District Attorney’s Office. 2000, consultant, Government Affairs. 2000, associate, Pierce Atwood. 2001–2003, attorney, Pierce Atwood. 2003–2006, oversight counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 2006–2007, liaison officer, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). 2007–present, deputy Republican staff director and counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

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Among other things, S. 1784 will improve veterans’ access to capital, create an interagency task force on veteran entrepreneurship, and increase the authorization of funding for various veteran entrepreneurship entities, programs and initiatives. In 2008, Walker will further advocate on behalf of veterans and will work with the committee staff to try to increase the federal government’s achievement of statutorily established service-disabled veterans contracting goals. With the continuing decline in manufacturing jobs and increased international competition, Snowe has made revitalizing the manufacturing sector one of her top priorities. Snowe tapped Walker to advise both the committee and the bipartisan Senate Task Force on Manufacturing, co-chaired by Snowe, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn., concerning the broad array of issues affecting the industry. One of Snowe’s goals in 2008 will be to restore adequate funding for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, which had its budget significantly cut in 2007. The MEP is a national network of centers that assist small manufacturers in becoming increasingly productive and competitive businesses. Walker also advises the committee on various economic development issues in an effort to help small businesses commence and expand their operations. He will continue to work toward these goals in 2008 and will focus particular attention on assisting business development in communities affected by military base closures.



Kevin Wheeler Democratic Deputy Staff Director 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-8496 Fax: (202) 224-5619 Kevin_Wheeler@small-bus. senate.gov

Expertise: Small business issues. Committee chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., has set an aggressive agenda for the second session of the 110th Congress that includes passing disaster loan legislation to help rebuild the Gulf Coast, expanding small businesses’ access to capital and reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR). His deputy staff director, Kevin Wheeler, is helping to manage the committee’s work on these issues and on the chairman’s other legislative priorities. Congress is close to accomplishing the goal of enacting disaster loan reform legislation. The House and Senate have passed a bipartisan bill to get aid to homeowners and business owners more quickly. However, the Republican leadership in the Senate has not appointed conferees to help hammer out the legislation. Kerry is working to get the bill passed into law. In its current form, the bill is nearly identical to the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act of 2007, which was co-sponsored by Kerry and ranking member Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. The bill establishes a private disaster loan program to be used in the aftermath of catastrophic disasters, allowing banks to make loans directly to victims with an 85 percent government guarantee. It also creates a short-term loan program to more quickly provide relief to businesses damaged or destroyed in catastrophic disasters while they await other federal assistance or insurance payments.

Personal: Born in Houston, Texas.

Education: B.A., University of Houston, 1989.

Professional: 1990–1993, research assistant and legislative correspondent, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas). 1993, junior legislative assistant, Sen. Bob Krueger, D-Texas. 1994, policy adviser and research staff, gubernatorial campaign of Bill Curry, DTexas. 1995–1998, reporter and assistant editor, Business New Haven. 1998–2005, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 2005–present, Democratic deputy staff director, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.


Expanding access to capital for small businesses is on Kerry’s agenda in 2008. The committee is seeking ways to expand and improve small business loan programs, particularly those for underserved communities. Early in the second session of the 110th Congress, Kerry introduced a bill to stimulate small business lending by temporarily reducing the fees collected by the Small Business Administration (SBA). He believes that the fee reduction for lenders will give them an incentive to make 7(a) loans. In addition, lower monthly payments and smaller closing costs will put more money in the hands of small business owners to be injected into the economy through purchases of inventory, real estate and equipment. Wheeler is also assisting this year with Kerry’s efforts to reauthorize the SBIR program, and keep the nation on the leading edge of innovation. The chairman wants to help small businesses bridge the gap between the laboratory and the marketplace, and to renew the program before it expires in September so that there are no funding delays or shutdowns of the program this year. The SBIR program figured in one of Kerry’s legislative victories in 2007. He helped to arrange for $85 million in additional funding for increasing the use of small, high-tech businesses to help the military develop the best technologies through the SBIR program.

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Greg Willis Counsel 428-A Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5175 Fax: (202) 224-5619 [email protected]

Expertise: Small business issues. Counsel Greg Willis is in his third year with the committee and his sixth year on Capitol Hill. Prior to joining the staff of chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., he served as counsel and chief speech writer for Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. In the this session, Willis is helping to build support for Kerry’s legislative priorities, which include improving entrepreneurial development and reducing health care costs for small businesses. The committee is trying to help Kerry add to his accomplishments in the 110th Congress. He already has helped secure additional funding for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and for the increased use of small high-tech businesses to help develop new technologies for the military. Kerry also worked to secure $25 million more in federal assistance for small businesses and homeowners hurt by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He also wrote pieces of the CLEAN Energy Act, which will help small businesses increase their energy efficiency and reduce their dependence on foreign oil. This year Kerry is continue to work toward strengthening women’s business centers, small business development centers and other programs to help aspiring entrepreneurs. The committee also is trying to advance Kerry’s bill to create an entrepreneurship program for minority students in engineering, technology and other highly skilled areas. One goal of the legislation is to steer the students toward entrepreneurship as a possible career.

Personal: Born 1972 in Osceola, Ark.

Education: B.A., Morehouse College, 1995. J.D., Georgia State University College of Law, 1998.

Professional: 2000–2002, counsel, Mattox Woolfolk. 2003–2006, counsel and chief speech writer, Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. 2006– present, counsel, Senate Cmte. on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Willis is assisting this year with Kerry’s ongoing efforts to enact a workable solution to the small business health insurance crisis. Premiums have risen dramatically in recent years for small businesses, and now less than half of businesses with fewer than 10 employees can afford to offer health benefits to employees. Kerry favors targeted employer-based tax credits that would improve coverage for small companies. He also wants any legislation in this area to encourage fair pooling mechanisms that empower small employers to provide health insurance to their employees while protecting firms from being priced out of the market. In 2008, the committee also is trying to address climate change issues from a small business vantage point. Kerry is trying to enlist the assistance of small businesses in finding solutions for the problems resulting from global climate change. In addition, the committee is working to foster green entrepreneurship and energy efficiency among small businesses. Smaller firms consume much of the nation’s energy, and Kerry believes that the government should do more to educate small companies about energy efficiency and to encourage the development of new green technologies using the small business innovation research program.

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Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 412 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-9126 Fax: (202) 224-8908 http://veterans.senate.gov/ Ratio: 7/7/1 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Daniel K. Akaka, HI, Chairman

Richard Burr, NC, Ranking Member

John D. Rockefeller IV, WV Patty Murray, WA Barack Obama, IL Sherrod Brown, OH Jon Tester, MT Jim Webb, VA

Arlen Specter, PA Larry E. Craig, ID Johnny Isakson, GA Lindsey Graham, SC Kay Bailey Hutchison, TX Roger Wicker, MS

INDEPENDENT MEMBERS Bernie Sanders, VT


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SENATE VETERANS’ AFFAIRS JURISDICTION (1) Compensation of veterans; life insurance issued by the government on account of service in the Armed Forces. (2) National cemeteries. (3) Pensions of all wars of the United States, general and special. (4) Readjustment of servicemen to civil life. (5) Soldiers’ and sailors’ civil relief. (6) Veterans’ hospitals, medical care, and treatment of veterans. (7) Veterans’ measures generally. (8) Vocational rehabilitation and education of veterans.

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SENATE VETERANS’ AFFAIRS In 2007, the Veterans Affairs Committee was as busy outside of the committee room as it was inside. In September, after an arrest in Minneapolis, then-ranking member Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was forced to step aside and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., became the ranking Republican. Staff members on both sides of the aisle were divided on how much of affect this shake-up had on the committee’s work. Some said that it was distracting and limited the amount of work the committee could do for the remainder of the year, especially in light of the staff turnover. While others called the change a seamless transition. Things have settled down in 2008, and chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and Burr have set out ambitious agendas. The year began with President Bush signing the omnibus bill, which amounted to the largest boost in VA in funding in the department’s history. Akaka lauded the move in a January statement. “This is very good news for VA and for the veterans it serves,” Akaka said of the $3.7 billion in funding. Since January, the committee has been heavily involved in a variety of issues that will likely dominate the rest of the year. Again the committee will be focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health improvements, claims and expedited benefits. One bill that Akaka supports is a measure by Sen. James Webb, D-Va., a Vietnam War Veteran, that would establish a modern-day G.I. Bill of rights. The legislation has the support of veterans groups, but the Pentagon and White House have voiced concern over the cost. Burr has made revamping the way the VA handles cases a top priority. “There is an urgent need to update and modernize the veterans’ disability system…We have young men and women returning home from war with devastating injuries and they need to come back to a system that cuts out red tape and quickly provides them the benefits and services they need to return to full and productive lives,” he said during a February hearing. Burr has proposed several pieces of legislation that would reevaluate how veterans are given care with regards to mental illness, among other issues. One such bill, the America’s Wounded Warrior Act, would establish a new disability retirement system for service members deemed unfit for service. It would pay a lifetime annuity based on rank and years of service, regardless of the level of severity of the service member’s disabilities. While the committee likes to pride itself on working in a bipartisan way, Akaka has been very critical of the Bush administration’s budget request. In a letter to the chairmen and ranking member of the Senate Budget committee, he called the request unacceptable and asked for more funding.


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Bill Brew Staff Director 412 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9126 Fax: (202) 224-9575 [email protected]

Expertise: Veterans’ issues. Bill Brew is doing his third tour of duty on the Veterans Affairs Committee, and he said the work this time around is “very interesting.” When Brew first joined the committee in 1978, he was working on the issues and concerns affecting Vietnam veterans. Now 30 years later, he is charged with helping servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan navigate their way through the VA medical and disability system. Brew said the committee will be busy tackling a wide host of issues in 2008, first and foremost making sure that the Veterans Administration has an adequate budget. The majority wants to see more funding allocated than was requested in the administration’s budget. Specifically Democrats want to see a more than $6 billion increase in funding over the current levels—including a $4.6 billion increase for medical care. Overall what they want is $2.6 billion more than what President Bush requested. “Taking care of veterans is a cost of war and our recommendation would fill significant gaps in the president’s request. I will work with my colleagues to see that veterans’ programs get the financial support they need,” chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and the other majority members, wrote the Budget Committee leadership shortly after the Budget unveiled.


Education: B.B.A., Notre Dame, 1967.

Professional: 1978–1997, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2001–2002, staff director, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2002–2003, counselor, President’s Task Force to Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation’s Veterans. 2003–2004, staff, CARES Commission. 2004–2006, consultant, various clients (principal focus on VA issues). 2006–present, staff director, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

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Brew said he also expects the committee to focus on the veteran’s disability compensation system, as well working on the issues specifically related to the veterans returning from both Iraq and Afghanistan. Akaka held three hearings in between January and March alone on disability compensation issues, one examining compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); another focused on issues surrounding rehabilitating veterans; and one looking into the recommendations of the Disability Benefits Commission. And while Republicans on the committee say that there were not any problems as a result of the shake-up last year in their leadership—when Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was forced aside amid a well publicized scandal, and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., taking over—Brew said the change was “very disruptive.” “Instead of proceeding with the committee’s legislative agenda as planned for September, the committee’s legislative activity essentially ceased for the balance of the year,” Brew said. “Even now, there remains some residue of uncertainty which results from the presence of both the former ranking member and the current ranking member,” he added.



Jeffrey Gall Staff Counsel/Professional Staff Member 825-A Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2074 [email protected]

Expertise: Benefits, Cemetery administration for VA, veterans’ small business issues, Department of Labor. Republican leadership of the committee changed last year, and that in part meant new members of the committee staff, including Jeff Gall. Before joining the committee, Gall spent four years in the Army as a Judge Advocate General Corps. officer. After leaving active duty in 2006, he wanted to know more about how Congress worked. “I’ve always been curious and in how things are done,” he said. Gall is an Air Force reservist now, and says his work on the committee will focus on many of the top priorities of Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the panel’s ranking member. “I want to get the word out on the Wounded Warrior Act,” Gall said, referring to S.2674, which Burr introduced in late February. The bill has two parts. First, it would mandate that the VA replace the current rating schedule with a new schedule that takes into account both average loss of earning capacity and loss of quality of life. It would also create “transition” payments to help medically discharged veterans, so they can focus on treatment, rehabilitation, and getting back into the workforce. Burr also hopes the bill would simplify the claims process by ending the redundant system that requires all injured veterans to get rated by both VA and the Department of Defense.


Education: B.A., government, University of Texas, Austin, 1997. J.D., South Texas College of Law, 2001.

Professional: 2002–2006, JAG, U.S. Army Active Duty. 2007–present, staff counsel/professional staff member, Senate Veterans Affairs Cmte.

“Right now, veterans have a confusing, outdated process to get their disability benefits,” Burr said in a press release announcing the legislation. “We cannot put this off for another 50 years. Our veterans deserve a system that is simple, up-to-date, and open to all.” The second aspect of the bill is what Burr considers a modernization of the VA disability system. The legislation requires the VA to conduct studies about the modernization process, and then report the findings to Congress. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, veteran service organizations have withheld endorsing the bill, as have committee Democrats, who want to find out more of what is actually needed before any changes are made. But Burr told the Air Force Times, that waiting is a bad idea. “This town has a rich history of eating good initiatives,” he said. “Now is the time to tackle this.” Another issue that Gall plans to work on is helping veterans receive better vocational training when they return from service, so that they can have an easier time transitioning back to the private sector.


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Kim Lipsky Deputy Staff Director 143 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9126 Fax: (202) 224-9575 [email protected]

Expertise: Health. Like many staff members on the committee, this is not Lipsky’s first go round as a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee. She is now entering her 12th year a member of the staff, and serves as deputy staff director. Lipsky will again this year be focusing most of her energy on health care improvements for veterans, particularly increasing funding for those suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among other things. Both of these are top priorities of the chairman, Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. Akaka, along with other majority members of the committee, responded to President Bush’s budget request, by pushing for more than $4.6 billion in additional funding for medical operations over the president’s recommendations. He called Bush’s proposals “unacceptable.” “Congress has an obligation to our troops returning from combat now, as well as a long-standing obligation to the veterans of previous wars,” Akaka said. “VA cannot fulfill that obligation without the necessary funding.” Majority members were also upset with Bush’s request to increase medical co-payments for veterans from $8 to $15 for veterans earning less than $29,000 a year. Robert T. Reynolds, national commander of Disabled American Veterans, told a joint panel of House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committee members in early March that he too was concerned about veterans health care funding.

Personal: Born 07/13/1969 in Miami Beach, Fla.

Education: B.S., public relations, University of Florida, 1991. M.A., public administration, George Washington University, 1993.

Professional: 1993–1994, legislative aide, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 1994–1995, staff asst., Alliance for Health Reform. 1995– 1997, consultant, Birch & Davis Health Management Corporation. 1997–2003, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Veterans Affairs. 2003–present, deputy staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Veterans Affairs.

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“[The] DAV is concerned about their ability to receive quality health care in a timely manner from the VA in the future, if our government cannot find a solution to the current budget funding nightmare,” Reynolds said, noting that in 17 of the last 19 years VA appropriations funding has been delayed by an average of more than three months, which only hinders the VA’s efforts to aid sick veterans. Lipsky first began on the committee in 1993. A year later she went to go work in the private sector for the Alliance for Health Care Reform, and was later a consultant for the Birch & Davis Health Management Corporation. She returned to the committee as a professional staff member in 1997, and was promoted to deputy staff director in 2003. “The great thing about working in VA is, we can make incredible changes,” Lipsky has said. “It’s a good place to do what we’d like to see in the general health care world.” Lipsky lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband and daughters.



Dahlia Melendrez Counsel 412 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9126 Fax: (202) 224-9575 [email protected]

Expertise: Benefits, PTSD, mental health issues. For Democratic counsel Dahlia Melendrez, working on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee is not just a job, it’s personal. She has had two members of her family serve in Iraq, and she has said in the past that they complained to her about the lack of supplies they received, most notably food. This is Melendrez’s second tour of duty with the committee. She first came to staff in 2002, but left a year later to go work for Rep. Connie Brown, D-Fla. She returned to the committee in 2005. Like many staffers, her key area of focus this year will be benefits because it is one of the top priorities of the chairman, Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. In February, Akaka was pleased that the newly approved secretary of veterans affairs, James Peake announced that veterans who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder while on active duty will not have to reapply for the status once they are discharged and a part of the VA system. This will help expedite their claims process, and access to medical help. “This change provides a fairer process for veterans with service-connected PTSD, and leaves claims adjudicators more time to devote to reducing the staggering backlog of veterans’ claims.” Akaka said. He also praised the VA for dropping a policy that required veterans already diagnosed by the military with PTSD to verify in writing—often with a doctor or co-worker testimony—that they have experienced a traumatic event before they can claim for the disorder.

Personal: Born 09/13/1974 in San Leandro, Calif.

Education: B.A., University of San Francisco, 1996. J.D., Catholic University of America, 2002.

Professional: 1997–1998, staff asst., National Hispanic Scholarship Fund. 2002–2003, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2003–2004, senior legislative asst., Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla. 2005–present, Democratic counsel, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

“This change provides a fairer process for veterans with service-connected PTSD,” Akaka said “[It] leaves claim adjudicators more time to devote to reducing the staggering backlog of veterans’ claims.” When Melendrez worked on the House side, she also concentrated on military issues, and served as a senior legislative assistant. Melendrez worked behind the scenes, and late in 2003 Brown spearheaded a group of 33 House members in sending a letter to House appropriators complaining that troops in Iraq were not receiving Interceptor flak vests (instead receiving Vietnam-era flak vests), nor drinking water or hygiene products. At the time, Melendrez said in an interview with Stars and Stripes, a newspaper about the military, that “whatever it takes to get the vests there should be done, now.” Besides her work on Capitol Hill, Melendrez has also worked for a women’s shelter in Alaska and the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Melendrez received her law degree in 2002 from Catholic University, where she was managing editor of CommLaw Conspectus, a journal about communications law and policy.


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Amanda Meredith General Counsel 825A Hart Senate Bldg Phone: (202) 224-2074

Expertise: Claims process, vocational rehabilitation, education. Amanda Meredith has made a career out of working on veterans’ issues. Now the general counsel for the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Meredith came to Capitol Hill in 2005 after working eight years in various capacities for the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Her initial responsibility on the committee was as benefits counsel, but was promoted to general counsel after Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., became the ranking member in the fall of 2007. Now, she works on a variety of issues, including educational, vocational and benefits claims. “We have a lot of good services available, it’s important that we get the word out,” she said. Increased veteran benefits is likely to a key issue for the committee this year, especially as greater attention is given to servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. One benefits-related bill that will likely consume some time of the committee’s agenda this year is S. 22, the Post-9/11 Veterans’ Educational Assistance Act. It has been dubbed by some as the “G.I. Bill for the 21st century.”

Personal: Born 1972 in Binghamton, N.Y.

Education: B.S., accounting, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1994. J.D., State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, 1997.

Professional: 1997–2000, judicial law clerk, Judge Kenneth Kramer, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 2000–2004, executive attorney, Chief Judge Kenneth Kramer, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 2004–2005, director, Task Force for Backlog Reduction, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 2005–2007, benefits counsel, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2007–present, general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

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The bipartisan bill would give qualifying veterans money to go toward four years of college education, as well as a $1,000 monthly stipend. It would give veterans up to 15 years after leaving active duty service to take advantage of the benefits. The bill has 44 co-sponsors, but by mid-2008, neither Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii nor ranking member Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., had signed on. Sen. James Webb, D-Va., a Vietnam veteran and sponsor of the bill, said the bill was simply a way of rewarding service and that it should be a “no-brainer” for the U.S. government to fund and support. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebr., who like Webb is a Vietnam veteran and also a co-sponsor of the bill, said during the same press conference that passing such legislation would help attract the best quality of recruits to the Armed Forces, which would help the United States in the long run. The current Montgomery G.I. bill pays for only a fraction of veterans’ college education costs. “If we’re going to stay competitive in this competitive world, we are going to need the best people to compete,” Hagel said. But the Bush administration, as well as the Pentagon, has expressed concern that the bill would be too costly, and might encourage troops to leave the military for college. The administration estimates implementation of the bill could as much as $7.5 billion.



Ted Pusey Professional Staff Member 412 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9126 Fax: (202) 224-9575 [email protected]

Expertise: Benefits. Ted Pusey wants the process for returning servicemembers transferring from the military’s health care system to the Veteran Administration’s system to be as seamless as possible. The five-year veteran of the committee expects to spend much of his time in 2008 working on ways to improve the disability system. We need to “create a modern disability system that is fair, equitable, and efficient,” he said. Pusey said the biggest issues facing the committee this year will be following up on, and offering continued oversight of the Veterans Disability Commission, as well as the President’s Commission on Care for Americas Returning Wounded Warriors. The president’s commission, headed by former Senate majority leader and World War II veteran Bob Dole, R-Kansas, as well as and former secretary of health and human services Donna Shalala, recommended improvements to the care veterans received when they return home. “Seriously injured servicemembers—approximately 3,100 in the current conflicts— require assistance in navigating complex medical systems in general. The commission’s research, including site visits and the work of previous studies, indicate that individuals both need and benefit from this support, and that too often, it is not available,” the commission concluded in a July 2007 report.


Education: B.A., Wofford College, 1975. M.M.A.S., U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 1988.

Professional: 1975–2003, U.S. Army. 2003–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

The Dole/Shalala Commission was chartered in March 2007 in response to the outpatient housing debacle at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Meanwhile, the disability commission was chartered in 2004 by Congress to study veterans’ benefits and ultimately produced 113 recommendations. Meanwhile, the annual VA budget is also a top item in 2008, and like other members of the majority staff, Pusey said the president’s proposal for veterans’ issues was not enough. Democrat lawmakers on the committee have recommended more than $130 million in additional funding for services geared toward rural veterans, as well as $10 million more for services aimed at a growing number of female veterans. Looking back on 2007, Pusey said he was pleased with the committee’s accomplishments. “The Veterans’ Affairs Committee worked closely with the Armed Services Committee in an unprecedented manner on issues stemming from the problems identified at Walter Reed Army Medical,” he said. Pusey has spent his entire adult life involved in military matters. After serving 28 years in the Army, he retired in 2003, and came to work for the committee. He was assisted in the transition, having served as a legislative liaison for eight years while still in the Army.


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Alexandra Sardegna Professional Staff Member 412 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-9126 Fax: (202) 224-9575 [email protected]

Expertise: Health care. After eight years on the hill, Alex Sardegna still enjoys her work on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Her primary area of interest is health care, and she said that the budget is “always the first thing and most important thing we deal with.” This year chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and the other majority members, sent a letter in February to Budget Committee leaders detailing their requests, including a nearly $2.6 billion increase in funding over the Bush administration’s proposal for medical services. Sardegna said one of the main reasons more money is needed is because veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have needs that are unlike those of previous generations of veterans. As a result, the Veterans Administration is going through its own sort of “culture shock.” “What [veterans] need when they come back is very different,” she said. “The VA is used to dealing with older vets who have completely different issues.” Notably, many veterans are returning from the on-going wars with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and spinal cord injuries. One of the many pieces of legislation Sardegna expects to spend time on this year is S. 2162, the Mental Health Improvements Act of 2007. Chairman Akaka introduced the bill in late 2007 as the result of a wide-ranging hearing earlier that year on veterans’ mental health issues. With bipartisan support, including that of ranking member Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the measure passed committee last year and this session awaits floor consideration.


Education: B.A., political science, University of Maryland, College Park, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2003, staff asst./legislative aide, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2002– 2003, legislative asst., Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 2003–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

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And while PTSD is a big part of the mental health issues facing returning veterans, Akaka said in his floor statement about the bill, that this legislation goes beyond just this one illness. “One in five Iraq War veterans are likely to develop PTSD, as studies have estimated, and this is but one aspect of the mental health challenges faced by veterans. We also know that veterans suffering from physical and mental wounds use drugs and alcohol to assuage their pain. Experts believe that stress is the number one cause of drug abuse, and of relapse to drug abuse,” he said. Sardegna first came to the Hill in 1999 as an intern for Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. She joined her current committee shortly after graduating from the University of Maryland and rose to her current position of professional staff member in 2003.



Kevin Tewes

Expertise: Benefits.

Legislative Assistant

Kevin Tewes wasted no time getting to work on veterans issues when he returned from serving in Iraq, as part of the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.

825A Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2074 [email protected]

And the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, native is excited to working on the staff of his hometown senator, the new ranking Republican on the committee, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. Tewes joined the committee staff in early 2008 and is serving as a legislative assistant. After being sent to Iraq in Oct. 2006, Tewes was originally stationed in Eastern Baghdad, but was eventually moved to the legal staff of U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus’s and worked out of the embassy as a rule of law advisor. Now that he is back, he said it is interesting to work on issues from the opposite perspective. Tewes noted he appreciates having been in Iraq and said he feels he can be a voice for the men and women still serving. “I have always been on the DoD side,” said Tewes, referring to the Department of Defense. “Now I am transitioning to the VA side … and my experience gives me a unique perspective, and hopefully that will have a practical effect.” Tewes expects to spend most of his time working on benefits questions. As someone who has claims related to his service in the Veterans Administration system pipeline himself, Tewes has a personal stake in helping to improve the process and said is eager to see progress made.

Personal: Born 1978 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Education: B.A., political science, North Carolina State University, 2000. J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2003.

Professional: 2004–2007, 1st Lt. JAG Corps, Ft. Bliss, TX. 2008–present, legislative assistant, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

He also plans to spend time on one of Burr’s top legislative priorities for the year, S. 2674, the America’s Wounded Warrior Act. The bill has several components that Burr sees as crucial to improving the quality of life for returning service personnel. For example, the legislation requires the VA replace the current rating schedule with a new schedule that takes into account both average loss of earning capacity and loss of quality of life. It would also create “transition” payments to help medically discharged veterans, so they can focus on treatment, rehabilitation, and getting back into the workforce. “Right now, veterans have a confusing, outdated process to get their disability benefits,” Burr said in a press release announcing the legislation. “We cannot put this off for another 50 years. Our veterans deserve a system that is simple, up-to-date, and open to all.” Tewes spent most of his life in Texas, but was sent to Ft. Carson in Colorado when he joined the JAG. He says that he brings an interesting perspective to the committee because he understands what the Iraq veterans are going through, “and what they continue to go through.”


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Jonathan A. Towers Professional Staff Member 825 A Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2074 [email protected]

Expertise: Health care, VA appropriations, budget. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., took over as ranking member of the committee from Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, in the fall of 2007, and has kept 11-year-committee veteran Jon Towers busy with many issues. “There has been a seamless transition,” said Towers, who first joined the committee in 1997. Towers said Burr has made key pieces of legislation his priorities during the coming year, notably the Veterans Mental Health Treatment First Act. At the same time he also is focused on enacting the president’s budget. Under the Veterans Mental Health Treatment First Act (S.2573), the Veterans Administration would be responsible for putting a greater emphasis on treating veterans with mental illness, as well as providing prevention and wellness incentives for veterans who seek treatment. Specifically, veterans who enter a prescribed voluntary program seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorder or depression, could receive up to $11,000 in tax-free money, Towers said. “Our current VA system does not effectively get veterans into treatment for mental health disorders,” Burr said when he introduced the legislation in January. “Thousands of our veterans suffer from PTSD and they need treatment. This legislation will give veterans an incentive to get treatment for PTSD and other mental health disorders.”


Education: B.A., government, College of William and Mary, 1996.

Professional: 1997, director, Washington International Studies Council. 1997–1998, legislative corresp., Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 1998–1999, legislative asst., Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs. 1999–present, professional staff member, Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.

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Veterans who enroll in the voluntary program would work with a VA clinician to develop a mental health treatment plan that meets their need. Any veteran who is diagnosed with PTSD, depression, or anxiety disorder related to their military service would be eligible, regardless of their disability claims status. Those who enroll in the program would receive financial incentives, known as wellness stipends, for adhering to the prescribed treatment program. Towers said Burr like the plan because of the structure because it provides a veteran with incentives to continue seeking treatment. A veteran would be eligible for $2,000 up front, another $1,500 for every 90 days in the program, and $3,000 at the conclusion. “This is something he passionately believes,” said Towers. A D.C. native, Towers has served on the committee in different capacities since 1997. Before that he served as the director of the overseas study program, Washington International Studies Council.



Marie Guadalupe (Lupe) Wissel Staff Director 825A Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2074 [email protected]

Expertise: Aging issues. Lupe Wissel said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the new ranking member of the committee, has a “very aggressive minority agenda,” and his top priorities are health care and wellness. “He really wants to make sure that for the men and women who are returning from war, that we are prepared to meet their needs,” Wissel said. “He likes to think of ideas that are ‘out of the box’ to help treat the veterans,” she added. Wissel pointed to Burr’s Veterans Mental Health Treatment First Act, S. 2573, as a prime example. Burr introduced the bill in January, and hopes to revolutionize the way the Veterans Administration treats mental health issues. Under Burr’s proposal, veterans could receive up to $11,000 if they seek voluntary treatment through the VA. “We owe it to our veterans to first help them recover and lead healthier lives. I firmly believe we can help veterans recover from mental health disorders and return to a normal life by passing this legislation,” Burr said in a press release when he introduced the bill. The release added that both the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission and the Dole-Shalala Commission recommended the VA take a more aggressive approach to treating mental health disorders, especially PTSD, and Burr believes his bill is such an approach. Wissel said that by “providing the mental health services up front, (veterans) can get better sooner.”

Personal: Born 01/30/1956 in Piedras Negras, Mexico.

Education: Boise State University.

Professional: 1978–1982, rehabilitation counselor, Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. 1978–1995, talk show host, KJCY Radio (Mountain Home, Idaho). 1982–1985, Spanish teacher, Children’s House of Montessori. 1985–1999, assistant rehabilitation manager, Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. 1999–2001, state dir., Idaho Commission on Aging. 2001–2005, staff dir., Senate Special Cmte. on Aging. 2005–present, staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Veterans’ Affairs.


Burr also hopes to deal with disability compensation issues this year, Wissel said. “He wants to cut down on the bureaucracy, so that veterans can navigate the system,” she said. Wissel had previously worked for the former ranking minority member, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. When Craig was forced to step down in the fall of 2007, Wissel said it was a “smooth transition” from Craig to Burr in large part because of the lawmakers’ similarities in style. “Both members have been very engaged. And Senator Burr has always been very involved, always coming to hearing, so he was already engaged and it was very easy for him to get things going.” Before coming to Capitol Hill, Wissel worked as a rehabilitation counselor in Idaho for nearly 20 years. She also served as the state director of the Idaho Commission on Aging, where she often worked closely with servicemen and women at Mountain Home Air Force Base, as well as veterans.

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SELECT AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Committee on Indian Affairs 838 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2251 Fax: (202) 224-5429 http://indian.senate.gov/ Ratio: 8/7 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Byron L. Dorgan, ND, Chairman

Lisa Murkowski, AK, Vice Chairman

Daniel K. Inouye, HI Kent Conrad, ND Daniel K. Akaka, HI Tim Johnson, SD Maria Cantwell, WA Claire McCaskill, MO Jon Tester, MT

John McCain, AZ Tom Coburn, OK John Barrasso, WY Pete V. Domenici, NM Gordon Smith, OR Richard Burr, NC


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SENATE INDIAN AFFAIRS JURISDICTION (1) To conduct a study of any and all matters pertaining to problems and opportunities of Indians including, but not limited to, Indian land management and trust responsibilities; Indian education, health, special services, and loan programs; and Indian claims against the United States. (2) To report to the Senate, by bill or otherwise, its recommendations with respect to matters referred to it or otherwise its jurisdiction.

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SENATE INDIAN AFFAIRS A major coup for Senate Indian Affairs Committee chairman Byron Dorgan, D-N.Dak., this year occurred when the Senate passed the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act in February. Dorgan has made improving health care for Native American’s a focus of his tenure. Along with a bipartisan coalition of senators, Dorgan introduced the legislation in May 2007. Co-authored by the late Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., who served as the panel’s vice chair and died in June 2007, the measure is now under consideration in the House. This “marks a major step in health care for Native Americans,” Dorgan said after Senate passage. “The bill includes several programs that will help combat the most serious health issues facing American Indians and it contains programs to promote Native Americans entering the health care field.” The legislation authorizes additional tools for tribal communities to address suicide among Indian youth; establishes grants for demonstration health care projects like a convenient care services program; addresses the backlog in needed health care and sanitation facilities; makes permanent long-term health care and diabetes prevention programs; and expands scholarship and loan programs encouraging American Indians to enter health care professions. Dorgan has described current state of Indian health cares as a “crisis” and says on many reservations health care is at “third world levels.” “This legislation is very important to the health and well being of Native Americans,” he said. “I look forward to getting it to the President’s desk where I hope he will sign it so we can begin making urgently needed improvements.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, became the first woman to serve as the committee’s vice chair in July 2007 following Thomas’s death. Murkowski and Dorgan have pledged to work together in a bipartisan manner ensure the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. In February 2008, senators debated whether to confirm President Bush’s nominee Robert McSwain as Indian Health Service director. McSwain is currently serving as acting director while he awaits a decision. Dorgan has described the director post as “vital ... given the enormous health challenges that face the service and the native people it serves. Ensuring that the Indian Health Service’s top leadership post is filled by someone with solid credentials is an important priority.” The committee also is looking at law enforcement and violent crime against women. “Violence against Indian women is a problem that is both serious and urgent,” Dorgan said in September. “We intend to understand why these crimes occur, what factors contribute to them, and what steps we need to take to stop them.” Additionally, the committee is studying ways to reduce the lengthy delays tribes must endure when requesting approval of land-into-trust-applications, environmental impact statements, probate, appraisals, and lease approvals from the Interior Department.


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SENATE INDIAN AFFAIRS

Allison Binney Staff Director 836 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2251 Fax: (202) 224-5429 [email protected]

Expertise: Indian law. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.Dak., appointed Allison Binney as staff director and chief counsel of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in January 2008, praising her expertise in Native American legal matters. “I’ve worked with Allison for a number of years, and she’s distinguished herself as an expert in American Indian issues and law,” Dorgan said. “I’m pleased to see Allison step into this leadership role. She is a steady hand and capable leader who will help navigate our effort to address the chronic shortages of health care, housing, law enforcement and education that we face in Indian Country.” Binney replaced Sara Garland, who left the committee staff director position to become chief of staff to Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.Dak. Previously, Binney served as general counsel for the committee. Binney’s major achievement of the year thus far occurred when the Senate passed the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act in February and referred it to the House. Dorgan had described that reauthorization as a top priority, and secured agreements from Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., to make sure it was considered at the beginning of this year. However, he indicated there would be more work for Binney ahead. “We have to remember that this is just a start to the work that needs to be done to meet and pay for the health care obligations that we have to American Indians and Alaska Natives,” Dorgan said after the Senate passed the bill.

Personal: Born in Willits, Calif.

Education: B.A., California State University, Chico, 1997. J.D., Arizona State University, 2000.

Professional: 2000–2002, associate, Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker. 2002–2005, associate, Akin Gump Straus Hauer & Feld. 2005–2006, Democratic general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Indian Affairs. 2007–2008, general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Indian Affairs. Jan. 2008–present, staff director, Senate Cmte. on Indian Affairs.

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The committee also will look at ways to reduce the lengthy delays tribes must endure when requesting approval of land-into-trust-applications, environmental impact statements, probate, appraisals, and lease approvals from the Interior Department. A hearing on the subject was held in October 2007. Binney served as the Indian Affairs Committee’s general counsel for two and a half years. Prior to her appointment, she specialized in American Indian law as an associate at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Washington, D.C. Binney, a member of the Sherwood Valley band of the Pomo tribe, studied in the Indian Legal Program at Arizona State University. She received her bachelor’s degree from California’s Chico State University. Growing up, she always lived “on or near a reservation,” she said, and got a taste of Indian politics through her mother’s service on the tribal council.



Heidi Frechette Senior Counsel 836 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2251 Fax: (202) 224-5429 [email protected]

Expertise: Indian law. Heidi Frechette replaced Allison Binney as senior counsel for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs this year. Committee chair Byron Dorgan, D-N.Dak., appointed Binney staff director of the committee. Topping Frechette’s priority list in 2008 are a range of law enforcement issues, particularly the prevention of violent crime against women. “Violence against Indian women is a problem that is both serious and urgent,” Dorgan said in September. “We intend to understand why these crimes occur, what factors contribute to them, and what steps we need to take to stop them.” Frechette will continue Binney’s work in trying to stem rising crime rates and increasing drug use on Indian reservations. Together with Republican staff director David Mullon, Frechette will look at implementing policing improvements. An underlying theme of many social problems on Indian reservations is lack of economic opportunities. This session the committee is considering S. 2232, a bill that aims to reinvigorate tribal communities’ economies by providing development funds for locally designed economic development strategies. The legislation authorizes $100 million over five years for five pilot projects. Other upcoming issues include improving the conditions of jails, schools, and health facilities on Indian reservations.

Personal: Born in Wis.

Education: B.A., women’s studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1995. J.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2003. M.A., public affairs, La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2003.

Professional: Commercial Contracts and Property Division, Wisconsin Department of Justice. Associate, Monteau & Peebles. Law clerk, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin. Special Committee on StateTribal Relations, Wisconsin State Assembly. Legislative fellow, Indian affairs, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. Associate, Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP. 2008–present, senior counsel, Senate Cmte. on Indian Affairs.


A Wisconsin native, Frechette is of the Menominee, Brothertown, and Stockbridge-Munsee Native American tribes. She received a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies with an emphasis in Native American women’s studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995. While an undergraduate, she worked at the Wisconsin State Assembly’s Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations. She received dual degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and the University of WisconsinMadison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs in 2003. She spent summers working as a legal clerk at the Commercial Contracts and Property Division at the Wisconsin Department of Justice and as a legislative fellow on Indian affairs for Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. Prior to entering graduate school, Frechette worked for the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, helping develop the tribal code. Before coming to Capitol Hill, Frechette worked as an associate at Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLP, and Monteau & Peebles.

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David A. Mullon Jr. Republican Staff Director 838 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2251 Fax: (202) 224-5429 [email protected]

Expertise: Indian legal issues, trust reform. David Mullon is working with a new boss this year, following the death of Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., the former Indian Affairs Committee vice chair, in June 2007. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, replaced Thomas, becoming the first woman fill the position. Mullon has worked for the committee for six years, following a decade in private law practice and several years as a tribal lawyer. He oversees a small group of aides and focuses on health care and economic development issues. On the collegial Indian Affairs Committee, partisan lines are often blurred and Mullon works closely with the majority staff. His priorities include the reauthorization of the Indian Health Improvement Act, which was passed by the Senate and has been referred to the House. The legislation authorizes additional tools for tribal communities to address suicide among Indian youth; establishes grants for demonstration health care projects like a convenient care services program; addresses the backlog in needed health care and sanitation facilities; makes permanent long-term health care and diabetes prevention programs; and expands scholarship and loan programs encouraging American Indians to enter health care professions. Senate Indian Affairs Committee chairman Byron Dorgan, D-N.Dak., authored the bill with Thomas. Dorgan has described current state of Indian health cares as a “crisis” and says on many reservations health care is at “third world levels.”

Personal: Born 12/27/1951 in Minneola, N.Y.

Education: B.A., University of Arizona, 1975. M.A., Thunderbird School of Global Management, 1977. J.D., University of Tulsa, 1980.

Professional: 1993–1995, dir. of legal division, Cherokee Nation. 1996–1999, attorney general, Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma. 1999–2003, associate general counsel, Cherokee Nation. 2003–2004, deputy chief counsel, Senate Cmte. on Indian Affairs. 2005–2006, general counsel, Senate Cmte. on Indian Affairs. 2007–present, Republican staff dir., Senate Cmte. on Indian Affairs.

Mullon is also looking at expanding economic opportunities for Indian communities and planned a summit addressing economic opportunities for Native Americans last summer. Other high priorities include bettering law enforcement on Indian reservations and improving law enforcement agencies’ access to financial resources. Mullon became Republican staff director for the committee in 2007, after serving as general counsel from 2005 to 2006. He also has worked as deputy chief counsel for the committee. He acted as associate general counsel for the Cherokee Nation, of which he is a member, from 1999 to 2003. His mother was a Cherokee from northeastern Oklahoma. He also was the attorney general for the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma and head of the Cherokee Nation’s legal division during the 1990s. In his spare time, Mullon enjoys trail running and mountain biking.

732


Special Committee on Aging G31 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-5364 Fax: (202) 224-8660 http://aging.senate.gov/ [email protected] Ratio: 11/10 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Herbert Kohl, WI, Chairman

Gordon Smith, OR, Ranking Member

Ron Wyden, OR Blanche Lincoln, AR Evan Bayh, IN Thomas Carper, DE Bill Nelson, FL Hillary Rodham Clinton, NY Ken Salazar, CO Bob Casey, PA Claire McCaskill, MO Sheldon Whitehouse, RI

Richard Shelby, AL Susan Collins, ME Mel Martinez, FL Larry E. Craig, ID Elizabeth Dole, NC Norm Coleman, MN David Vitter, LA Bob Corker, TN Arlen Specter, PA


733

SENATE SPECIAL ON AGING JURLSDICTION (1) It shall be the duty of the special Committee on Aging to conduct a continuing study of any and all matters pertaining to problems and opportunities of older people, including, but not limited to, problems and opportunities of maintaining health, of assuring adequate income, of finding employment, of engaging in productive and rewarding activity, of securing proper housing, and, when necessary, of obtaining care or assistance.

734


SENATE SPECIAL ON AGING With the baby boomer generation preparing to retire in big numbers, the Senate Special Committee on Aging has a growing number issues to tackle, from providing health care to older Americans to ensuring that seniors have access to the voting booth. In fact, the panel’s first hearing of the year looked at the opportunities and challenges facing older Americans in the 2008 elections. In his opening statement, chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., noted that many states do not provide special access for citizens who live in long-term care facilities or require help in their daily lives. Most states do offer help for the disabled, but studies show that polling places often are out of compliance, Kohl noted, adding that ensuring all Americans can vote will a priority of the committee. “Things like lower drug prices and consumer protection are things we would like to afford older Americans, and that we certainly think they deserve,” Kohl said. “But the right to vote is fundamental and undeniable, and it does not expire with age.” Another timely topic tackled by the panel early in 2008 was the effect of the foreclosure crisis on older Americans. Although foreclosures were not limited to seniors, they were disadvantaged by the actions of dishonest lenders, members noted. “Older Americans are often prime targets because they typically have significant equity built up in their homes and are often on fixed incomes,” said ranking member Gordon Smith, R-Ore. “These scams cannot be tolerated. Our consumer protection laws must be enforced and those perpetrating the crimes must be prosecuted.” The panel typically studies Medicare each year, and committee officials said the program is likely to be analyzed in 2008. Members also delve into pension coverage and employment opportunities for older Americans, conduct oversight hearings on Social Security and rally against frauds targeting the elderly, according to the committee’s Web site. As a special committee, the panel does not have any legislative authority. Members tend to hold informational and oversight hearings and then introduce legislation through their other committees, according to officials. But an upside of the panel’s unique position is that committee Members can hold hearings on a variety of topics, especially since everything that happens in the United States effects the lives of older Americans.


735

SENATE SPECIAL ON AGING

Kimberly Collins Communications Director 628 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5364 Fax: (202) 224-8660 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Typically, communications directors are tasked with learning about the specific issues covered by their committees— the ins and outs of No Child Left Behind, for example. But in Kimberly Collins’ work on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, she has to tackle anything her boss, Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., wants to bring up. “The committee can examine any issue that impacts our current or future senior population,” Collins said. “With this broad jurisdiction, Senator Smith has held hearings on a number of important issues across the board, with a specific focus on seniors.” For example, she said, Smith held hearings last year on issues ranging from the changing demographics of American farmers to the challenges older refugees face when coming to the United States. Under a unique committee agreement on the aging panel, the ranking member can hold a certain number of hearings each year. Collins also assisted Smith in raising awareness of other issues impacting America’s seniors, including what she called the “aggressive marketing” of the Medicare Advantage plans, the state of mental health care for veterans and possible ways to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.

Personal: Born 09/19/1980 in Orange County, Calif.

Education: B.A., international relations, College of William and Mary, 2001.

Professional: 2003–2004, press secretary, Rep. Richard Burr, R-N.C. 2004–2006, communications director, Rep. Mary Bono, R-Calif. 2006– present, communications director, Senate Special Cmte. on Aging.

Smith in 2007 was successful in efforts to obtain $40 million in the 2007 omnibus bill for the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, which will go to provide funding for mental health care and awareness. The act, which became law in 2004, is named after Smith’s son, who committed suicide in 2003. The omnibus measure also included funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which works to bring self-sufficiency for older Americans. This year, Collins said, health care continues to be the committee’s main focus. Senators are tackling the need to bring affordable health care coverage to the uninsured, Collins said. Strengthening the quality of Medicare and helping seniors save money while using Medicare’s prescription drug program also likely will be addressed, she said. The panel also is focused on protecting seniors from fraud and abuse. That involves increased oversight of federal programs that impact seniors, and investigating companies who “prey on seniors with fraud and abuse scams,” Collins said. “Senator Smith truly enjoys the diversity of topics the committee affords, and looks forward to another year of placing the needs of America’s seniors on the forefront of the national agenda,” Collins said. So does that mean the committee could impact the 2008 presidential election? “I hope that the issues we cover in the committee will influence what the presidential candidates are talking about,” Collins said.

736



Catherine Finley Staff Director 628 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5364 Fax: (202) 224-8660

Expertise: Senior health policy. Catherine Finley, now in her fourth year as Republican staff director for the Special Committee on Aging, expects to once again tackle issues related to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. After all, these programs absorb a significant portion of the federal budget. As the baby boomer generation enters retirement, that number will only continue to grow. New, different services will need to be created, Finley noted—and that is something that will reach far beyond the committee. “I believe the new president, regardless of the candidate or party affiliation, will focus their agenda on these programs, which will provide the committee with an opportunity to work in a bipartisan manner to debate and discuss important policies,” she said. Finley will assist her boss, Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., in improving the long-term sustainability of Medicare and Medicaid in 2008. Smith plans to develop legislation to protect physicians from reductions in their Medicare payments and push to make Medicare prescription drugs more affordable for low-income seniors. He also is seeking to block Medicaid regulations that could jeopardize access to health care for low-income Americans, Finley added. Finley puts Smith’s 2007 efforts in helping to develop the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act among the senator’s top accomplishments last year. That measure became law in December 2007. Smith also focused on the treatment of older veterans, and will likely introduce legislation this year to ensure there is increased funding to care for aging vets.

Personal: Born 09/28/1972 in South Bend, Ind.

Education: B.A., Miami University (Ohio), 1995.

Professional: 1995–1997, legislative corresp., Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio. 1997, policy analyst on health and human services issues, policy office of Gov. George W. Bush, R-Texas. 1997–1998, legislative asst., Texas State Senate Cmte. on Health and Human Services,. 1998–2002, dir. for health and human services, Southern Governors’ Association. 2002–2004, senior health policy adviser, Sen. Olympia Snowe, RMaine. 2004–2005, senior health policy adviser, Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. 2005– present, staff dir., Senate Special Cmte. on Aging.


Smith’s staff spent much of 2007 researching inadequacies in adult guardianship, studying programs across the country and seeking recommendations, Finley noted. “We released a report highlighting these issues and the recommended changes to federal law, which will be develop[ed] into legislation,” Finley said. One unique thing about the aging committee is that it does not have legislative authority, which can sometimes hinder the panel’s efforts, Finley said. But because Smith also sits on the Senate Committee on Finance and several other panels, legislation generated in the Aging Committee can become law through other means, Finley said. Not being tied to the legislative calendar also is sometimes helpful, Finley said, because the aging panel has time to delve into a variety of new issues. A graduate of Miami University in Ohio, Finley began working on Capitol Hill in 1995. She left in 1997 to work as a health policy analyst for then-Gov. George W. Bush in Texas and later served as a legislative assistant in the Texas State Senate and as the health policy director for the Southern Governor’s Association before returning to the Hill in 2002.

737


Ashley Glacel Press Secretary G37 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-7752 Fax: (202) 224-8660 [email protected]

Expertise: Communications. Ashley Glacel now is in her second year as press secretary for the Senate Special Committee on Aging, working to bring attention to issues that effect the nation’s senior citizens, from the rising costs of health care to the need to improve how America cares for the elderly. The aging committee might be considered small compared to other Senate panels, but it has “a wealth of opportunities” in terms of the issues that can be tackled, Glacel said. The panel’s tendency to address health care and retirement issues naturally brings interest from the media, Glacel noted. Plus, any member of Congress can get involved in the committee’s efforts. “The committee loves to share the spotlight and offer members the chance to chair hearings on their pet issues,” Glacel said. “This allows me to work with other offices and meet new Senate colleagues.” Members themselves tend to pay attention to what the panel does, and in 2007, that included some prominent presidential candidates, Glacel said. When chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., requested that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publicly release its list of the worst-performing nursing homes, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., was among those who requested more information on the study.

Personal: Born 12/29/1980 in West Point, N.Y.

Education: B.A., public policy, College of William and Mary, 2002. M.A., liberal studies, The New School for Social Research, 2004.

Professional: 2005–2007, communications director, Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis. 2007–present, press secretary, Senate Special Cmte. on Aging.

This year the panel has focused on continuing work that began in 2007 to examine the impact of the mortgage crisis on senior citizens. In particular, Kohl is searching for ways to help older homeowners avoid foreclosure scams, and in February 2008 held a hearing on the vulnerability of seniors to fraud. Kohl has vowed to introduce legislation this year addressing the problem. The aging committee does face unique challenges, Glacel said. Senators tend to serve on three or four committees, and fulfilling one’s role on the aging panel isn’t always a top priority for some of them. But there is a bright side for those who do get involved, Glacel said. “The more active committee members [receive] increased attention from the press and personalized assistance from committee staffers,” she said. One of Kohl’s proudest accomplishments in 2007 was saving Wisconsin’s SeniorCare, a unique program in the Badger State that provides prescription drugs for low-income seniors, Glacel noted. Senior Care is considered cheaper, more comprehensive and easier to navigate than Medicare Part D, and Wisconsin was the only state in which seniors were not required to switch to the Medicare program.

738



Debra Whitman Staff Director G31 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5364 [email protected]

Expertise: Senior issues. Debra Whitman came to the Senate Special Committee on Aging in May 2007 from the Congressional Research Service, where she advised members of Congress on the economic issues created by an aging society. Reigning in the costs of health care, increasing consumer protection for seniors and improving long-term care in the United States is the focus of the special committee’s work in 2008, Whitman said. One of the panel’s goals is to pass legislation requiring full disclosure of pharmaceutical, medical device and other medicinal product manufacturers who give money or other gifts to doctors. Drug companies spend up to $19 million each year to lobby physicians, Whitman noted. “Recent studies show that the more doctors interact with drug marketers, even through receiving small gifts and modest meals, the more likely doctors are to prescribe the expensive new drug being marketed to them, when a more affordable generic would do” Whitman said. “Consumers lose out with unnecessarily high drug costs.” Consumer protection efforts also will focus on retirement funds for seniors, as the panel works to crack down on corrupt financial advisers who prey on older Americans. The panel also is intent on pushing legislation requiring 401(k) providers to disclose how much employers and participants pay in fees on the plans.


Education: B.A., economics, Gonzaga University, 1992. M.A., economics, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, 1996. Ph.D., economics, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, 1997.

Professional: 1997–2001, economic analyst and project director for the Retirement Research Consortium, Social Security Administration. 2001–2003, Brookings Institution LEGIS Fellow, Senate Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. 2003–2007, researcher and aging initiative leader, Domestic Social Policy Division, congressional Research Service. 2007– present, staff director, Senate Special Cmte. on Aging.


Protecting seniors who rely on others for help also is a priority, Whitman said. Chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., has worked for over a decade to create a nationwide system of comprehensive background checks for long-term care workers, she noted. In 2007, Whitman helped draft legislation to do just that. The panel also will work this year to allow consumers timely access to information about nursing homes and strengthen the government’s system of enforcing nursing home quality standards, Whitman said. Because the Special Committee on Aging is a non-legislative panel, it is essential that the committee form close relationships with legislative partners and make sure aging bills get attention, Whitman said. She added that while the committee focuses on seniors, its work is vast, from issues like the upcoming digital television transition to making sure seniors are able to vote. “I care deeply about the issues facing seniors and all Americans as our population ages, and have worked on issues of retirement and health care throughout my entire career,” she said. “Since we are able to touch on such a broad array of topics…. I am constantly learning new things.” A graduate of Gozanga University, Whitman received both her master’s degree and a Ph.D. in economics from Syracuse University.

739

Select Committee on Ethics 220 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2981 Fax: (202) 224-7416 http://ethics.senate.gov/ Ratio: 3/3 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Barbara Boxer, CA, Chairman

John Cornyn, TX, Vice Chairman

Mark Pryor, AK Ken Salazar, CO

Pat Roberts, KS Johnny Isakson, GA


741

SENATE SELECT ON ETHICS The Senate Select Committee on Ethics usually handles issues such as rules on what types of trips members can take and what gifts they may receive from lobbyists. But in late 2007, the committee found itself having to investigate a sex scandal after Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was arrested –and pled guilty—to lewd conduct in an airport bathroom. The bipartisan panel of three Republicans and three Democrats, now led by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., issued a letter of admonition to Craig in February. This year lawmakers intend to get back to enforcing code-of-conduct rules that can regulate gifts, trips, and work outside their senate responsibilities. The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, signed into law by President Bush last year creates new ethics rules. This means that members and their staffs are learning about the new restrictions on paying for sport or entertainment ticket, lobbying by spouses or immediate family members, taking privately-sponsored travel or private plane rides and gifts from lobbyists and other changes. The new law includes rules on job negotiations in lobbying firms by Senate staff or senators themselves. Senior staff must now file a statement if they begin negotiations for private employment within three days of beginning the negotiations, and can not work on any legislation of interest to the prospective employer. Senators must wait until after a successor has been elected to begin negotiations for a new job. The law also requires the committee to report on its activities from the previous year for the first time. The committee received 95 alleged violation of Senate ethics rules in 2007, and carried over 16 violations from the previous years. The committee dismissed 86 of these because there was no violation or not enough facts to support the allegation. The committee issues no letters of admonition or disciplinary sanctions in 2007. According to the report issued January 31, 2008, the committee conducted 121 ethics educational briefings, included 72 sessions for an individual member or committee office and 37 general sessions. The committee handled 16,000 phone calls asking for ethics advice and wrote more than 1,000 advisory letters on ethics issues—700 of which concerned gifts or travel issues. Boxer became chairwoman after Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.Dak., suffered a stroke in 2006 and Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked her to be acting chair of the panel. Though Article I, Sec. 5 of the Constitution gives both the House and Senate the power to discipline its members, it wasn’t until the 1960s that the Senate had a standing committee to deal with ethics violations of its members. Prior to that, ad hoc committees were appointed to handle alleged transgressions. Congress established its permanent ethics committee on July 24, 1964. It was first called the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct. In 1977, its name was changed to the Select Committee on Ethics.

742


SENATE SELECT ON ETHICS

Robert Walker Staff Director and Chief Counsel 220 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-2981 Fax: (202) 224-7416

Expertise: Ethics investigations. A senator scandal and new ethics rules have kept the Senate Select Committee on Ethics in the spotlight, giving staff director and chief counsel Robert Walker plenty to handle. The committee enforces the Senate ethics code of conduct, probing alleged violations, and disciplining lawmakers. The committee made headlines in February 2008 after issuing an official public letter of admonition to Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, for the scandal made public in 2007. Craig was arrested in June at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on charges of disorderly conduct after a police officer in a bathroom stall accused Craig of using signals often associated with men soliciting for sex. Craig later said that he was pressured into pleading guilty, and tried to change his plea to not guilty. The committee described that as an attempt “to evade the legal consequences of an action freely undertaken by you.” “Even if an attempt to withdraw a guilty please under the circumstances present in this case is a court that a defendant in the State of Minnesota may take, by that standards within this committee’s jurisdiction it is a course that a United States senator, should not take,” according to the committee’s letter. “Your claims to the court, through counsel to the effect that your guilty plea resulted from improper pressure or coercion or that you did not, as a legal matter, know what you were doing when you pled guilty, do not appear credible.”

Personal: Born 1954 in N.J.

Education: B.A., University of Pennsylvania. J.D., University of Pennsylvania. M.A., Stanford University.

Professional: 1987–1989, staff attorney, Enforcement Division of Security and Exchange Commission. 1989–1995, assistant U.S. attorney, Dept. of Justice. 1995–1997, trial attorney, Public Integrity Section of Dept. of Justice. 1997–1999, counsel, Senate Select Cmte. on Ethics. 1999–2003, staff dir., chief counsel, and nonpartisan professional employee, House Cmte. on Standards of Official Conduct. 2003– present, staff dir. and chief counsel, Senate Select Cmte. on Ethics.


The three Democrats and three Republicans making up the committee, under Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., concluded that the committee issued the letter to “make known clearly that the conduct to which you pled guilty, together with the related and subsequent conduct discussed in this letter, it improper conduct which has reflected discreditably on the Senate,” according to the letter. Meanwhile, President Bush signed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 into law in 2007, creating new ethics rules for members that prohibit receiving gifts from lobbyists, paying for sport or entertainment ticket, lobbying by spouses or immediate family members, taking privately-sponsored travel or private plane rides and a host of other changes. Walker, a New Jersey native, has worked on the House and Senate ethics investigations. He served as staff director and chief counsel of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct at that time of the 2003 expulsion of Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio.

743

Select Committee on Intelligence 211 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-1700 Fax: (202) 224-1774 http://intelligence.senate.gov/ Ratio: 10/9 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

John D. Rockefeller IV, WV, Chairman

Christopher S. Bond, MO, Vice Chairman

Dianne Feinstein, CA Ron Wyden, OR Evan Bayh, IN Barbara A. Mikulski, MD Russell D. Feingold, WI Bill Nelson, FL Sheldon Whitehouse, RI Harry Reid, NV, Ex Officio Carl Levin, MI, Ex Officio

John W. Warner, VA Chuck Hagel, NE Saxby Chambliss, GA Orrin Hatch, UT Olympia J. Snowe, ME Richard Burr, NC Mitch McConnell, KY, Ex Officio John McCain, AZ, Ex Officio


745

SENATE SELECT ON INTELLIGENCE JURISDICTION (1) Created pursuant to S.Res. 400, 94th Congress: to oversee and make continuing studies of the intelligence activities and programs of the United States Government, and to submit to the Senate appropriate proposals for legislation and report to the Senate concerning such intelligence activities and programs. In carrying out this purpose, the Select Committee on Intelligence shall make every effort to assure that the appropriate departments and agencies of the United States provide informed and timely intelligence necessary for the executive and legislative branches to make sound decisions affecting the security and vital interests of the Nation. It is further the purpose of this resolution to provide vigilant legislative oversight over the intelligence activities of the United States to assure that such activities are in conformity with the Constitution and laws of the United States.

746


SENATE SELECT ON INTELLIGENCE The Wall Street Journal described chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., as “easy going” and the only person “allied with Democrats, Republicans and the White House.” This link is going to be crucial this year, as Congress debates renewing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The committee, which usually works in secret, is in a highly publicized fight with both the White House and the House of Representatives over how to reauthorize the law. The Senate passed its version of the bill earlier in the term, but House leaders object to some of the language that provides telephone companies immunity from lawsuits. Rockefeller supported the Senate version, which passed with bipartisan support, but still wants to continue dialogue with House Democrats. Ranking member Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., as well as other Republicans, believes the Democrats are stalling and putting American safety against terrorist attacks in danger. The White House has repeatedly said it will veto any bill that does not include the immunity clause One area where Rockefeller and Bond might agree is whether or not the Intelligence files should be open to federal audits. Shortly before he retired in March, comptroller general of the GAO David Walker testified before Congress asking various intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA, to open their books to outside scrutiny. “Everybody’s for accountability in Washington until they’re the ones subjected to it,” Walker told The Washington Post. “There are a lot of forces that are vested in the status quo.” The 9/11 Commission recommended that Congress re-evaluate how it monitors security concerns. Congress did this in 2004. But Congress did not go so far as to allow the GAO to monitor CIA spending. At issue is whether or not the GAO is working independently from the congressional majority. “The GAO does precisely what the majority [in Congress] asks them to do. It follows what the majority asks,” the Post quoted previous committee chairman Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kans. as saying. “I don’t want any further politicization of intelligence,” he said. Another concern is whether GAO investigators have obtained the proper clearance to view sensitive security information. “You can’t just sort of wander in and do this stuff like you’re investigating FAA weather stations,” The Washington Post quoted Rockefeller as saying. He later added that the GAO the authority to monitor intelligence funds, a “rather bad idea.” Later this year, the committee is also expected to weigh in on how the administration went about building a case for the war in Iraq. The report, four years in the making, is expected to be highly critical of the intelligence used, but according to The Los Angeles Times reaches “a mixed verdict on the key question of whether the White House misused intelligence to make the case for war.” The committee was created in 1975 under Senate Resolution 400 during the 94th Congress to monitor and oversee the intelligence activities and programs of the federal government and to ensure that those activities are within the bounds of the Constitution.


747

SENATE SELECT ON INTELLIGENCE

Andrew W. Johnson Staff Director 211 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-1700 Fax: (202) 224-1772

Expertise: Intelligence, defense issues, foreign affairs. Despite the secretive nature of their work, the leaders of Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have spent much of the early part of 2008 in a very public fight over legislation extending the federal terrorist surveillance program. This is a switch from previous years, although in 2007 staff director Andrew Johnson lamented to The Washington Post, that the committee had not done due diligence looking into the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance program and the CIA’s system for detention. “The committee has not done its necessary work in understanding and evaluation of national intelligence,” Johnson said. The big issue this year is the extension of the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act (FISA) and whether Congress should grant retroactive immunity to telecom companies that provided information to the federal government under warrantless wiretaps. Having reached their own compromise to get the bill through the Senate, the committee now finds itself in the middle of a battle between their version, which is favored by Republicans and the Bush administration, and the House version favored by Democrats. The conflict reached the point where Republicans refused to participate in meetings, leading Committee chairman John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., to lament the impasse to the Politico. “It is very sad, because the Republicans and the White House are refusing to participate,” he said in early March. “We need to know what they think.”


Education: B.A., urban studies, University of Maryland, 1981. M.A., urban studies, University of Maryland, 1982.

Professional: 1983–1985, presidential management intern. 1983–1988, contracting specialist, U.S. Navy. 1988, congressional fellow, Sen. James Exon, D-Nebr. 1988–1989, contracting officer, U.S. Navy. 1990–1996, legislative asst., Sen. James Exon, D-Neb. 1997–2005, professional staff member, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2005– present, chief of staff, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence.

Republicans and Democrats had met with senior intelligence officials a week earlier at the end of February, but the ranking minority member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. felt the need to clarify that the meeting was not to negotiate. “This meeting was not a negotiation, but a briefing that made clear the impact of failing to pass the bipartisan terrorist surveillance bill on our ability to detect and disrupt attacks,” said Bond. “We negotiated for more than six months and the Senate passed the only compromise that protects civil liberties and provides the tools our terrorfighters need to keep America safe.” Rockefeller and Bond had differences of their own regarding a provision attached to the Intelligence authorization bill that would impose guidelines on interrogations by Central Intelligence Agency personnel. Bond, meanwhile, criticized the provision as being “dropped in” the bill during conference committee, and said it would effectively kill the bill’s chances for passage. Johnson is a native Washingtonian, and has spent the last 11 years working for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

748


SENATE SELECT ON INTELLIGENCE

Louis Tucker Minority Staff Director 211 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224 1700 Fax: (202) 224-1772

Expertise: Iraq War. As a former intelligence officer with the CIA, as well as a former Navy SEAL, Louis Tucker is very familiar with intelligence issues. And since he originally joined the committee as a professional staff member, he doesn’t view his job as overly political. “By structure we are arguably the most nonpartisan [committee],” he said in 2007, “Last year I was a professional staff member here, not a designated Republican or Democrat, which is unusual.” But over the last year, relations on the committee have become more contentious as a result of the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Bush administration’s antiterrorism policies. Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, along with other Republican leaders, boycotted discussions with Democrats to iron out differences between a bipartisan-backed Senate Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) bill and one House Democrat leaders support. “The time for excuses and more meetings is over… If [House Democrats] want to work in good faith they should give their members the opportunity to pass the bipartisan compromise [passed by the Senate] that protects civil liberties and gives our terror fighters the tools they need to keep American families safe,” Bond said in a statement. But Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and other Democratic leaders countered in a Washington Post op-ed, that it’s Republicans who are stalling.


Education: B.A., history, Dartmouth College, 1995. M.A., National Defense Intelligence College, 2006.

Professional: 1995–1996, start-up Internet sales company. 1996–2003, officer, Navy SEALs. 2003–2004, intelligence officer, CIA. 2005, chief of staff, Office of Senator Richard Shelby, R-Ala. 2005–2006, designee assistant to Kit Bond, R-Mo., Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence. 2007–present, minority staff director, Senate Select Cmte. on Intelligence.


“It is clear that [President Bush] and his Republican allies, desperate to distract attention from the economy and other policy failures, are trying to use this issue to scare the American people into believing that congressional Democrats have left America vulnerable to terrorist attack,” Democrats wrote. Passage of the FISA bill is a key priority for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, but some observers have predicted it might not happen this year. Republicans have warned that the longer the country goes without the bill, the more at risk it is for a terrorist attack. Another issue likely to resurface this year is that of the torture procedure known as water boarding. The Senate passed the bill along party lines outlawing the procedure in February, but Bush vetoed it in March. Tucker came to Capitol Hill in 2003 to work for Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., before joining the committee two years later.

749

Joint Committees

Joint Committee on the Library 305 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6352 http://rules.senate.gov/


MINORITY MEMBERS

Dianne Feinstein, CA, Chairman

Bob Bennett, UT

Christopher Dodd, CT Charles Schumer, NY Robert Brady, PA-1st, Vice Chairman Zoe Lofgren, CA-16th Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL-20th

Ted Stevens, AK Vernon Ehlers, MI-3rd Dan Lungren, CA-3rd


753

JOINT LIBRARY JURISDICTION (1) The Library of Congress, management of the congressional art collection and the U.S. Botanic Garden. Established in 1802 as Congress’s first joint committee, the Joint Library panel is responsible for the management of the Library of Congress, which in addition to being the national’s oldest federal cultural institution is also the research arm of both the House and Senate. It has been described by some lawmakers as a “board of trustees” that oversees the Library and it’s collection of more than 134 million items, including about 32 million books.

754


JOINT LIBRARY Control of the Joint Committee on the Library rotates between the House and Senate every two years and returned to the Senate at the beginning of the 110th Congress. Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., now chairs the 10-member panel, which is mainly composed of members of the House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, which Feinstein also chairs. Not long after the panel formed under the Democratic Congress in 2007, a vacancy occurred in the committee’s vice chair post when House Administration chair Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., died after a long and private battle with cancer. In July, the newly appointed House Administration chairman Robert Brady, D-Pa., was elected as the committee’s new vice chair. Upon assuming the leadership post, Brady said in a statement that “the Library of Congress is one of our nation’s most precious resources, holding in trust the extraordinary and rare documents upon which our democracy was built. It is our responsibility to take the stewardship of this institution very seriously, and to preserve its integrity for future generations.” The joint committee’s jurisdiction includes the management of the congressional art collection— including the National Statuary Hall Collection—and the development and maintenance of the U.S. Botanic Garden, located on the Capitol’s West Front. With the opening of the new Capitol Visitor Center scheduled for November of this year, the Library of Congress will soon be physically connected to the Capitol building for the first time via a new underground tunnel between the CVC and the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. The visitor center will feature a large new underground museum that will serve as an exhibition space for many of the Library’s historic documents and art pieces. Meanwhile the Library is in the process of creating a “new visitors experience” to complement the CVC project. That effort is being overseen by the Joint Library panel.


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JOINT LIBRARY

Matthew McGowan Senior Staff Member 305 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-6352 Fax: (202) 224-3036 Matthew_McGowan@rules. senate.gov

Expertise: Legislative Branch administration. Matthew McGowan, a veteran of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, was selected to head up the staff of the Joint Committee on the Library by Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., after she was named chair of the panel at the beginning of the 110th Congress. McGowan is coming off a stint as senior staffer for the Joint Committee on Printing during the 109th Congress. The Joint Library panel has oversight responsibility for the Library of Congress and it’s massive multi-media archives. This year, McGowan will be heading up the Joint Library Committee’s efforts to support the opening of the new Capitol Visitor Center. The center, which is the largest addition in the history of the Capitol, will include, among other amenities, a new museum that will feature many important and historic documents from the library’s collections. In conjunction with the visitor center project, the library will also be opening it’s “New Visitor Experience” in 2008. That effort will take advantage of the expected influx of visitors to Capitol Hill with new multimedia exhibits and interactive tours at the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. Another duty that falls to the Joint Library Committee is the management of the U.S. Botanic Garden and the congressional art collection. The statues that make up the National Statuary Hall Collection are prominent part of Congress’s art collection and anytime a state wants to replace one of the two statues it is allotted that state must seek the approval of the joint committee.


Education: B.A., finance and investments, Catholic University of America, 1982. M.B.A., George Washington University, 1987.

Professional: 1982–1988, office manager, Sen. Lawton Chiles, D-Fla. 1989–2000, administrative dir., Sen. Chuck Robb, D-Va. 2001–2003, administrative dir., Sen. Mark Dayton, DMinn. 2001–2003, staff dir., Joint Cmte. on Printing. 2003–2004, professional staff, Senate Cmte. on Rules and Administration. 2004, dir. of ticketing and platform seating, Joint Congressional Cmte. on Inaugural Ceremonies. 2005–2006, senior staff, Joint Cmte. on Printing. 2007–present, senior staff member, Joint Cmte. on the Library.

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In 2007 Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., lead the effort to replace the statue of former Michigan Senator Zachariah Chandler with a statue of former President Gerald Ford, who died in late 2006. That effort was approved by the joint panel in February 2008, and once the statue is finished it will be placed in the Capitol Rotunda. Also in 2007, the Joint Library panel cleared the way for a statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks to be completed and for it to be placed in Statuary Hall. Another recently completed project that fell under the jurisdiction of several committees—including the Joint Library panel—was the merger between the Library of Congress Police Department and the Capitol Police Department. A complete merger of the two law enforcement agencies on Capitol Hill was first mandated n the fiscal 2003 omnibus appropriations bill but effort was never fully instituted. New legislation to complete the process was begun in late 2007 and signed by President Bush in January 2008.


Joint Committee on Printing 1309 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2061 Fax: (202) 225-7664 http://jcp.senate.gov/ Ratio: 6/4 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Millender McDonald, CA-37th

Vernon Ehlers, MI-3rd

Dianne Feinstein, CA Daniel Inouye, HI Patty Murray, WA Mike Capuano, MA-8th Robert Brady, PA-1st

Bob Bennett, UT Saxby Chambliss, GA Kevin McCarthy, CA-22nd


757

JOINT PRINTING JURISDICTION (1) The principal purpose of the Joint Committee on Printing is to oversee the functions of the Government Printing Office and general printing procedures of the federal government. The authority vested in the Joint Committee on Printing is derived from Title 44 of the U.S. Code, and the committee is thereby responsible for ensuring compliance by federal entities to these laws and the Government Printing and Binding Regulations.

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JOINT PRINTING The Joint Committee on Printing acts as Congress’s oversight body for the Government Printing Office (GPO). The GPO is one of the largest legislative branch agencies, with about 2000 employees in 2007, and its mission is to serve as the main clearinghouse for government information. Under Title 44 of the U.S. Code, the GPO is responsible for the printing and information dissemination needs of Congress, as well as those of executive branch departments and agencies and the judicial branch. Control of the Joint Committee on Printing rotates between the House and Senate every two years and returned to the House at the beginning of the 110th Congress. In 2007, the Joint Committee will continue to oversee the GPO’s ongoing effort to transform the agency into a 21st century “digital information factory.” Following the release of the GPO’s “Strategic Vision for the 21st century” in 2004, the agency has been working to overhaul its business management procedures to restructure its business to take advantage of new digital technology in the printing and information storage fields. Since 2002, the man that oversaw the transition of the GPO was public printer Bruce James, but since James’s retirement in January 2007, the GPO has been headed up by acting public printer William Turri. Although the president is tasked with nominating a new public printer and that nomination must then be approved by the Senate, the Joint Committee on Printing is usually involved in the effort of finding a new public printer. This year, the Joint Committee on Printing will continue to work with GPO officials on the agency’s effort to build a new headquarters building. Since James took over the agency, he stressed that the GPO’s longtime home on North Capitol Street had become inefficient and out of date as printing has progressed into the digital age. A site for the new GPO headquarters has yet to be selected, but the GPO has said it would like to remain in Washington, D.C. The GPO is responsible for the publication of the Congressional Record, the Federal Register and other government documents, such as government’s annual budget and the public papers of the late President Gerald Ford. The agency is also responsible for distributing copies of official documents from all three branches of the government to the more than 1,250 libraries across the country that participate in the Federal Depository Library Program. As the GPO’s Web site explains, the GPO, unlike most federal agencies, operates much like a business. The agency “is reimbursed by its customers for the cost of work performed. GPO also receives two appropriations each year. One pays for the cost of congressional printing, and the other to fund the cataloging, indexing, distribution and online access to Government documents, through the FDLP.”


759

Joint Committee on Taxation 1015 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3621 Fax: (202) 225-0832 http://www.house.gov/jct/ Ratio: 6/4 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Max Baucus, MT, Chairman

Charles E. Grassley, IA

John D. Rockefeller IV, WV Kent Conrad, ND Charles B. Rangel, NY-15th, Vice Chairman Fortney Pete Stark, CA-13th Sander M. Levin, MI-12th

Orrin Hatch, UT Jim McCrery, LA-4th Wally Herger, CA-2nd


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JOINT TAXATION JURISDICTION (1) Investigate the operation and effects of internal revenue taxes and the administration of such taxes. (2) Investigate measures and methods for the simplification of internal revenue taxes. (3) Make reports to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance on the results of investigations and studies. (4) Review any proposed refund or credit of income or estate and gift taxes or certain other taxes set forth in Internal Revenue Code section 6405 in excess of $2,000,000

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JOINT TAXATION Composed of five members from the Senate Finance Committee and five Members from the House Ways and Means Committee, the Joint Committee on Taxation is one of four joint committees on Capitol Hill. The panel’s 68-member nonpartisan staff is charged with providing independent tax analysis and advice as part of the legislative process and examining all tax proposals on Capitol Hill The committee’s statutory role is to investigate the operation and effects of internal revenue taxes, examine measures and methods for tax simplification, and make reports to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance (or to the House and the Senate) on the results of such investigations. The panel also helps inquiring lawmakers from both parties with their tax ideas. It assists the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in its consideration of tax treaties and reviews all proposed tax refunds that exceed $2 million. This year’s agenda includes assisting Congress in a major effort to address recent economic and financial downturns through a bipartisan stimulus package that includes a major tax rebate plan. In early 2008 the staff researched the operational capabilities and systems of the Internal Revenue Service and Financial Management Service that would need to be drawn upon to deliver the proposed rebate checks. The staff also has spent considerable time modeling the revenue and distributional effects of proposed rebate plans. In the coming months committee is expected to study new tax proposals laid out in the president’s fiscal 2009 budget plan as well as study ongoing tax reform issues. The Joint Tax staff does not operate as a majority or minority staff. Its independence and neutrality are designed to facilitate exchanges of information between Congress and the Internal Revenue Service, Treasury, other government agencies, interest groups and their representatives, and taxpayers. Any member of Congress may request a revenue estimate for a tax proposal. Generally, a response to a request is released only to the member making the request and the response remains confidential unless the member decides to publicly release the information.


763

JOINT TAXATION

Thomas A. Barthold Deputy Chief of Staff 1015 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3621 Fax: (202) 225-0832 [email protected]

Expertise: Tax law and economics of public finance. Thomas Barthold is back to his role as deputy chief of staff on the Joint Committee on Taxation after serving as acting chief of staff for the panel since 2005. The tax law specialist who has been with the committee for more than two decades will continue to help oversee the attorneys, economists and accountants who, behind the scenes, are helping to shape tax policy at the request of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees. The Joint Tax Committee’s nonpartisan staff assists lawmakers with developing process tax proposals, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and refining legislative language. While the committee primarily works with the tax-writing committees, it also works with other members of Congress who seek its expertise. Barthold’s issue areas during his time with the committee include capital gains taxation, savings incentives, environmental and energy taxes, estate and gift taxation, the taxation of multinational enterprises, the low-income housing tax credit, and tax-exempt bonds. He also studied pension issues and charitable organizations Barthold said this year he and the joint panel staff are deeply engaged in helping Members analyze various aspects of the economic stimulus plan that was championed by the Bush administration and quickly working its way through Congress in January and February of 2008 with bipartisan support. In particular, Barthold said he and his staff are working with Members and congressional staffers to analyze possible options to provide tax rebate checks as part of that fiscal stimulus package.


Education: B.A., mathematics and economics, Northwestern University, 1975. M.S., mathematics, Northwestern University, 1975. M.A., economics, Harvard University, 1978. Ph.D., economics, Harvard University, 1980.

Professional: 1977–1980, teaching fellow, Dept. of Economics, Harvard University. 1980–1987, assistant professor, Dept. of Economics, Dartmouth College. 1987–1996, economist, Joint Cmte. on Taxation. 1996–2004, senior economist, Joint Cmte. on Taxation. 2004– 2005, deputy chief of staff, Joint Cmte. on Taxation. 2005–2007, acting chief of staff, Joint Cmte. on Taxation. 2007–present, deputy chief of staff, Joint Cmte. on Taxation.

764

“The staff has researched the operational capabilities and systems of the Internal Revenue Service and Financial Management Service that must be drawn upon to deliver the proposed rebate checks,” Barthold said. “The staff also has spent considerable time modeling the revenue and distributional effects of proposed rebate plans.” Each year, Joint Tax helps Congress analyze issues related to the president’s tax proposals of the administration’s budget submission. Barthold said that unfinished legislation from the first session probably will be at the forefront of those efforts including the tax provisions of the competing agriculture bills, consideration of the expiring tax provisions, and addressing temporary or permanent reform of the individual alternative minimum tax. In 2007, Congress was engaged in several tax bills and Barthold said he spent the most amount of time working on then-chairman Charlie Rangel’s, D-N.Y., tax reform proposal, the tax title of the energy bill, and proposals to redesign the Airport and Airways Trust Fund taxes. Prior to his arrival in Washington, he was a member of the economics faculty of Dartmouth College. His publications include studies of capital gain realizations, charitable bequests, and measuring the distribution of the tax burden.


JOINT TAXATION

Edward D. Kleinbard Chief of Staff 1015 Longworth House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 225-3621 Fax: (202) 225-0832 [email protected]

Expertise: Federal income tax matters. Widely recognized as one of the elite tax lawyers in the United States, Edward Kleinbard was recruited last year to serve as chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the current chairman of the panel. Before joining the committee in September 2007, Kleinbard was a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton, LLP, where he had worked for more than 30 years. He also published often on tax policy issues and taught at Yale Law School. “I believe that [Baucus] and his staff were attracted to the idea of an outsider with broad practical experience in the application of the tax laws to the business community,” Kleinbard said of his recruitment to Capitol Hill. “At the same time, I had demonstrated a consistent interest in tax policy matters, through my teaching and academic publications,” he said. As the head of the 68 staffers who make up the bicameral and nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, Kleinbard’s new job is to assist members of Congress in every aspect of the tax legislative process. That includes everything from the development and analysis of tax proposals to the drafting of tax bills, estimations of all revenue legislation, and investigations of various aspects of the Federal tax system.


Education: B.A., Medieval and Renaissance studies, Brown University, 1973. M.A., history, Brown University, 1973. J.D., Yale Law School, 1976.

Professional: 1977–2007, various law positions, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, LLP. 2007– present, chief of staff, Joint Cmte. on Taxation.


In 2008, Kleinbard said his committee will be deeply involved in Congress’s continuing efforts to address the current economic and financial conditions in the housing sector and other markets. In the early months of the year, the panel had already released several studies and budget estimates pertaining to Congress’s Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. Those included overviews of past tax legislation that provided fiscal stimulus and studies on issues relating to delivering cash rebates to individuals. Kleinbard said that in 2008 the panel will also be heavily focused on health care reform and tax reform, particularly of business income. Kleinbard is well known for his publish works on tax matters and policy. He put out a major paper on business tax reform entitled “Rehabilitating the Business Income Tax,” for The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. He has also been a recurring contributor to Tax Notes and received a 2006 Burton Award for Legal Writing for his article on the business enterprise income tax.

765

Joint Economic Committee 1015 Longworth House Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3621 Fax: (202) 225-0832 http://www.house.gov/jct/ Ratio: 12/8 MAJORITY MEMBERS

MINORITY MEMBERS

Charles E. Schumer, NY, Chairman

Robert Bennett, UT, Ranking Member

Edward M. Kennedy, MA Jeff Bingaman, NM Amy Klobuchar, MN Robert P. Casey, PA Jim Webb, VA Carolyn Maloney, NY-2nd, Vice Chairman Maurice Hinchey, NY-22nd Baron Hill, IN-9th Loretta Sanchez, CA-47th Lloyd Doggett, TX-25th Elijah Cummings, MD-7th

Sam Brownback, KS Jim DeMint, SC John Sununu, NH Jim Saxton, NJ-3rd, Ranking Member Kevin Brady, TX-8th Phil English, PA-3rd Ron Paul, TX-14th


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JOINT ECONOMIC JURISDICTION (1) Review the condition of the national economy. (2) Recommend improvements to the national economy.

768


JOINT ECONOMIC The Joint Economic Committee’s official charge is to examine the state of the national economy and to figure out ways of strengthening it. It is above all a stage for lawmakers and influential economists to promote their take on what is powering or dragging the nation’s economic engines. The chairman of the Federal Reserve frequently makes news while testifying at JEC hearings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics often releases its monthly job figures before the committee. In 2008, presidential politics and sagging economic indicators will make the Joint Economic Committee a particularly lively forum. The committee’s chairman is Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee since 2005. Schumer in 2008 will use the committee to draw attention to the weakness of the American economy under President Bush. Early topics of hearings in 2008 included rising unemployment figures and the spiraling costs of the war in Iraq. The ranking Republican on the committee, Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., will offer a contrasting interpretation of the nation’s economic picture. A February press release, for example, announced that Congressional Budget Office figures show that the middle income tax burden is “at its lowest level in decades.” Saxton, who has served as the committee chairman three times, most recently from 2005 to 2006, takes a particular interest in monetary policy, the International Monetary Fund [IMF], and the World Bank. The committee is only one of four in Congress drawing members from both the House and the Senate. Its chairmanship switches between the House and the Senate every two years. Founded by passage of the Employment Act of 1946, which also founded the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, the Joint Economic Committee is made up of 10 members of the Senate and 10 of the House. In 2008, with the Democrats in the majority, it has 12 Democrats and 8 Republicans.


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JOINT ECONOMIC

Christopher Frenze Republican Staff Director 433 Cannon House Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 226-3234

Expertise: Taxes, monetary policy, international finances, fiscal policy. Christopher Frenze, Republican staff director of the Joint Economic Committee, oversees seven staffers who keep a watchful eye on the national economy to advise lawmakers on monetary and fiscal policy. “We’re closely monitoring the new economic data,” said Frenze. “The majority of economists still do not forecast a recession for this year though there will be a period of slow economic growth likely in the first half of 2008.” The aim of Frenze’s work remains essentially the same as the economy strengthens or weakens. In many Republican eyes, easing the impact of the current slowdown does not call for significant congressional intervention. “We think that’s best done through the actions of the Federal Reserve,” said Frenze. “And Mr. Saxton has been supportive of easing of monetary policy through the Federal Reserve.” Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., to whom Frenze reports, is the ranking House member on the committee and has served as its chairman three times, most recently from 2005 to 2006. The veteran representative takes a particular interest in monetary policy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank.

Personal: Born 10/19/1954 in Bridgeport, Conn.

Education: B.A., American University, 1977.

Professional: 1978–1981, dir. of research, National Tax Equity Association. 1981–1991, economist, Joint Economic Cmte. 1991–1995, senior economist, Joint Economic Cmte. 1995– 1997, chief economist to vice chair, Joint Economic Cmte. 1997–1999, executive dir., Joint Economic Cmte. 1999–2000, chief economist to vice chair, Joint Economic Cmte. 2001–2007, executive director, Joint Economic Cmte. 2007–present, Republican staff director, Joint Economic Cmte.

770

Staff overseen by Frenze also track macroeconomic conditions and tax policy. Other avenues of research include telecommunications and energy pricing. Republican staff of the committee in February released a report titled “Expect No Relief From OPEC,” which warned that the cartel would refrain from lowering sky-high oil prices, and would act to increase revenue with little regard for their nations’ economic stability. Frenze’s title on the Joint Economic Committee, on which he has served since 1981, had switched back and forth between “chief economist to the vice chairman” and “executive director.” That is because the committee’s chairmanship rotates every two years between a Senate and a House member. When the Democrats took control of the House and Senate in the 2006 midterm election, Frenze became the Republican staff director. The committee is only one of four in Congress that includes members from both the House and Senate. Frenze is married to an art historian, and he spends weekends visiting art museums and historical sites. He also likes to bicycle, swim, and play squash. He did graduate work at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1979 to 1981.


JOINT ECONOMIC

Israel Klein Deputy Staff/Communications Director G-01 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-0368 [email protected]

Expertise: communications. Israel Klein joined the Democratic staff of the Joint Economic Committee in 2007, a few months after the party gained the majority. As deputy staff director, he helps develop communications and policy strategy for the panel, one of four in Congress that includes members of both the House and Senate. The committee’s chairman is Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who counted Klein as a member of his Senate staff from 2005 to 2006. Klein headed the senator’s communications office, and then moved with him to the JEC after Schumer assumed its helm. Klein likens the JEC to “Congress’s economic think tank.” The committee is charged with reviewing data and analysis, and advises Congress on strengthening the American economy. “My role within the that think tank is to make sure the reports, hearings—everything we produce—can be understood by everyone, members and the general public alike,” said Klein. In that capacity, Klein helps decide which issues the committee staff will study, and the topics of the committee’s hearings. The JEC held 13 hearings in 2007. The committee will tackle a wide variety of subjects in 2008. Early in the year, in advance of the five year anniversary of the war in Iraq, it held a hearing “to examine the true cost of the war,” with testimony from Nobel Prize winner and former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz. Stiglitz testified that the overall costs of the war could reach $3 trillion.

Personal:

Professional:

Another hearing in February highlighted increased investment by foreign-government controlled funds, known as sovereign wealth funds. Schumer asked whether the funds make the economy stronger or pose national security risks. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was expected to testify before the committee in April.

1999–2004, professional staff member, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. 2005–2006, communications director, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. 2007–present, deputy staff director/communications director, Joint Economic Committee.

Klein said the committee will also continue to focus on the weakened economy. In 2007 the JEC studied the sub-prime mortgage crisis in depth. This year it will investigate other economic soft spots, including the credit crunch and bond insurance.

Born 02/10/1977 in Livingston, N.J.


Klein, who majored in government and theology at Georgetown University, began working in politics before he graduated in 1999, on the presidential campaign of former Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo. “There’s so much good you can do,” he said of working in the governmental arena. And now, with Democrats in the majority, “there’s so much more we can get done.” Klein is married to Sarah Klein, an attorney for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They have a 100-pound dog named Barry.


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JOINT ECONOMIC

Michael Steven Laskowy Democratic Staff Director Phone: (202) 224-0372 [email protected]

Expertise: economic analysis. Michael Laskowy last year was appointed majority staff director of the Joint Economic Committee, a position in which he works closely with chairman Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and the committee’s analysts to examine the American economy and suggest ways of improving it. This year Laskowy and his staff will focus, as they did in 2007, on the weakening of the American economy—its causes, implications, and ways of reversing it. Laskowy plays a key role in setting the committee’s agenda. His duties include everything from selecting topics for its reports to selecting witnesses for its hearings, which are often carefully watched by economists around the world. The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernake—who is expected to testify before the panel in April—is a visitor. Early in 2008, Schumer presided over hearings on the spiraling costs of the war in Iraq, falling employment figures, paid parental leave for federal workers, and the potential economic benefits and security risks of sovereign wealth funds—funds controlled by foreign governments. Laskowy comes to Congress from academia. A graduate of Harvard College, he holds a Ph.D. from New York University in American studies, and has taught at the university’s Gallatin School School of Individualized Study. In his dissertation, Uncommitted, which probed the changing role of work in American society, Laskowy argues that the idea of work as a form of self-expression and fulfillment is important to many young professionals.


Education: B.A., Harvard College. Ph.D., New York University.

Professional: 2007–present, Democratic staff director, Joint Economic Cmte.

He expounded on related themes in a paper he delivered to the American Sociological Association in 2003: “Growing Up At All? Problems of Narrative in the New Economy Among College Educated Americans.” The JEC is one of four panels in Congress that includes members of the House and Senate, ten of which belong to the majority party and eight to the minority. Its chairmanship rotates between the ranking senator from the majority party, and the ranking House member. This year the committee’s vice chairman is Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. Its ranking Republican senator is Sam Brownback of Kansas. The ranking House member is Jim Saxton of New Jersey. Laskowy in June 2007 married New York editor Abigail Walch. He commutes between their New York home and Washington, D.C.

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JOINT ECONOMIC

Jeff Schlagenhauf Republican Staff Director G-01 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. Phone: (202) 224-5171 [email protected]

Expertise: Economic research. Jeff Schlagenhauf’s portfolio is broad. As head of the Republican senate staff on the Joint Economic Committee, he oversees the work of seven people tracking the nation’s economic health. They do this under the direction of the committee’s ranking Senate Republican, Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kans., who came to the position last year. Brownback, a social conservative and, briefly, a 2008 presidential contender, places particular emphasis on how the economy affects families. Brownback, he said, is particularly concerned about “the economics of whether federal policies and regulations encourage and promote family formation—which he likes—or serve as a barrier.” That focus on the family adds another dimension to the research Schlagenhauf and his staff do on a subject, he said. For example, Brownback wants to give individuals the right to file their taxes under a flat tax. “In developing that proposal, we looked carefully at how the present code adversely impacts individuals looking to form families,” Schlagenhauf said. Legislation to effect such a change was introduced by Brownback in 2007 and was the centerpiece of his presidential campaign.

Personal: Born 02/12/1958 in Batavia, N.Y.

Education: B.A., history, The College of William and Mary, 1980.

Professional: 1985–1992, legislative dir./chief of staff, Rep. Tom Bliley, R-Va. 1992–1998, president, The Smokeless Tobacco Council. 1998–2001, senior vice president, Maguire Woods Consulting. 2001–2004, government relations consultant, selfowned business. 2004–2006, dir. of the vice chairman’s staff/Senate Republican staff director, Joint Economic Cmte. 2007– present, Senate Republican staff director, Joint Economic Cmte.


Schlagenhauf said fears over the economy in 2008 will not change the focus of his staff, but may draw more attention to their work. “There’s a much more heightened and broader interest in the various analyses and reviews that we may do,” he said. Together his team monitors growth, unemployment, productivity and other key measures of the economy. He and his staffers are charged to provide economic analyses to members of their own party, but also to respond to Democratic proposals. This is Schlagenhauf’s fifth year as a JEC staffer, and his second working for the minority party. “Being in the minority puts a premium on being able to leverage our resources,” he said. Schlagenhauf had considerable previous experience on the Hill, as chief of staff to former Rep. Tom Bliley, R-Va., from 1985 to 1992. The Joint Economic Committee is one of only four in Congress that includes both senators and representatives. It was created by the Employment Act of 1946, which established two advisory panels: the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) and the Joint Economic Committee. The former studies the economy and makes recommendations to the president, the latter to Congress.

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Name Index

NAME INDEX

A Abramowitz, David, 184 Alexander, Michael, 670 Amerling, Kristin, 262 Anderson, Allyson, 568 Anderson, Doug, 185 Anderson, John, 328 Anderson, Kyle, 220 Angell, John, 620 Apelbaum, Perry, 228 Arcangeli, Paul, 102 Ash, Michelle, 263 Ashworth, Sid, 466 Atkins, Charles (Chuck), 292 Ausbrook, J. Keith, 264 Avant, Lanier, 204

B Babauta, Tony, 242 Bailey, Steve, 524 Baker, Andrew, 60 Baker, Richard, 399 Balkham, Dennis, 467 Barab, Jordan, 134 Barkeloo, Sharon, 329 Barnett, Phil, 265 Barron, Dan, 596 Barthold, Thomas, 764 Batkin, Gabrielle, 468 Batta, Todd, 444 Baum, Naomi, 704 Beard, Daniel, 5 Beck, Matthew, 368 Becker, Dippman, Angela, 569 Bensing, Scott, 400 Berard, Jim, 330 Bernards, Stacey, 6 Bertoson, Todd, 544 Bertram, Chris, 545 Bestor, Geoffrey, 354 Beutel, Richard, 671 Bharara, Preet, 682 Billingley, Tara, 570 Billups, Karen, 571 Bingham, Jeff, 546 Binney, Allison, 730 Birnbaum, Liz, 221 The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

Bjorklund, Cybele, 369 Black, Barry, 401 Black, Jonathan, 572 Blinken, Antony, 642 Block, Sharon, 652 Blumenthal, Rob, 547 Borden, Michael, 172 Borden, Rob, 135 Botts, Aleta, 61 Bowers, Mandy, 205 Boyce, Ryan, 331 Bradley, Neil, 7 Brady, Lawrence, 266 Braniff, Mimi, 548 Branson, Cherri, 206 Brenckle, Joe, 549 Brew, Bill, 716 Brinck, Mike, 355 Brita, Susan, 332 Brooks, David, 573 Brost, Kirstin, 82 Brown, Ellen, 267 Brown, Trinita, 333 Bruett, Cameron, 445 Buchan, Philip, 446 Buckley, John, 370 Buehlmann, Beth, 653 Burris, Arthur, 120 Burroughs, Harry, 243

C Cain, Alice, 136 Cameron, Art, 469 Canty, George, 8 Caputo, Annie, 597 Carr, Michael, 574 Castle, William, 683 Cavicke, David, 154 Ceja, Alejandra, 137 Chambers, Shane, 278 Chan, Arthur, 334 Chapla, John, 103 Chetti, Cindy Vosper, 173 Chow, Barbara, 121 Christian, Lisa, 308 Christrup, Shana, 654 Clapp, Doug, 470

Clapton, Charles, 371 Clay, Kathryn, 575 Clinger, Jim, 174 Cohen, Alan, 621 Cohen, Bruce, 684 Cohen, Rosaline, 207 Coleman, Jack, 244 Coler, Kate, 447 Coley, Matt, 448 Collins, Kimberly, 736 Collins, Sally, 222 Conaton, Erin, 104 Condon, Joan, 186 Conklin, Meghan, 245 Connor, Michael, 576 Cooke, Alyson, 598 Coon, James, 335 Cooper, Chuck, 402 Cope, Grant, 599 Cordone, Jonathan, 155 Coughlin, Daniel, 9 Coughlin, Kevin, 105 Coutsos, Nick, 705 Cox, Daniel, 494 Crain, Claiborn, 62 Creedon, Madelyn, 495 Cribb, Troy, 672 Croker, Elizabeth, 449 Cullather, John, 336 Cummisky, Margaret, 550 Cyrul, Kate, 450

D Daly, Brendan, 10 Darcy, Jo-Ellen, 622 Dauster, Bill, 623 David, Marta, 26 Davies, Rebecca, 471 Davis, Kolan, 624 Davis, Lusa, 403 Dawson, Liz, 83 Day, Michael, 309 Dayspring, Brad, 11 Dean, Greg, 655 DeBobes, Richard, 496 Dedrick, Kathy, 600 DeGrasse, Robert, 106

777

NAME INDEX DeKleer, Kristal, 356 Delaney, Lee Ann, 310 Delaney, Mike, 390 Delgado, Martin, 84 Dempsey, Matt, 601 Desai, Nisha, 85 DesChamps, Floyd, 551 Dierlam, Bryan, 63 Dietrich, Mary, 472 Diller, Dan, 643 Donnelly, Kellie, 577 Duck, Jennifer, 685 Duhnke, Wiliam D. III, 508 Dunlap, MaryAnne, 602 Dunn, Delores, 357

E Eisinger, Neleen, 625 Elder, Fitz, 473 Ellard, Angela, 372 Elshami, Nadeam, 12 Epstein, Jonathan, 578 Erickson, Nancy, 404 Esposito, Jennifer, 337 Esquea, Jim, 525 Estes, Deborah, 579 Evans, Bruce, 474 Evans, Christina, 475

F Farkas, Evelyn, 497 Feddeman, Ed, 293 Feinberg, Sarah, 13 Fenner, Lorry, 107 Ferguson, Alissa, 294 Ferrell, John, 451 Ferrier, Antonia, 14 Fieldhouse, Richard, 498 Finkel, Louis, 295 Finley, Catherine, 737 Fisher, Andy, 645 Fisher, David, 526 Fishman, George, 229 Fite, David, 187 Fitzpatrick, Kevin, 311 Fluhr, Christopher, 246 Foley, Martha, 86 Fonnesbeck, Leif, 476 Forhan, Tom, 87 Forte, Denise, 138 Fountain, Galen, 477 Foushee, Clayton, 338 Fowler, Sam, 580

778

Fox, Katie, 312 Frandsen, Richard, 156 Frechette, Heide, 731 Frenze, Christopher, 770 Fried, Neil, 157 Friedman, Joel, 527 Friedman, Ruth, 139 Friend, Amy, 509 Frumin, Alan, 405

G Gage, Mark, 188 Gainer, Terrance, 406 Gall, Jeff, 717 Gantman, Howard, 700 Gardner, Stephen, 552 Garg, Sampak, 279 Gaston, Brian, 15 Giancarlo, Angelina, 603 Gibbons, David, 88 Gilbert, Leslee, 296 Gilman, Kate, 604 Gilroy, Edwin, 140 Ginigliano, John, 373 Glacel, Ashley, 738 Gladics, Frank, 581 Gluck, Carolyn, 407 Goldberg, John, 64 Gordon, Robert, 175 Goss, Chauncey, 122 Goule, Chandler, 65 Graziano, Dena, 208 Greco, Kristie, 16 Greenawalt, Bob, 408 Greene, Creighton, 499 Griffith, Jennifer, 280 Grove, Paul, 478 Gutherie, Carol, 626 Gwyn, Nicholas, 374

H Haas, Karen, 17 Hallahan, Kate, 89 Hallberg, Amanda, 553 Halloran, Lawrence, 268 Halpern, Hugh, 281 Halverson, Mark, 452 Hamm, Erin, 453 Hammond, Tom, 297 Hansen, Steve, 247 Harper, Todd, 176 Harris, Bruce, 158 Harrison, Jaime, 18

Hartz, Jerry, 19 Hartz, Joe, 313 Hassenboehler, Tom, 159 Hathaway, Julia, 248 Haydin, Cynthia, 686 Hayford, Katharine, 282 Hazlett, Ann, 454 Healy, Richard, 249 Hearn, Jim, 528 Hecht, Alex, 706 Hegg, Dabney, 554 Helms, Lila, 555 Hepp, Joseph, 510 Herrera, Jessica, 209 Heymsfeld, David, 339 Higgins, Michael, 108 Higgins, Stephen, 687 Hildred, Kim, 375 Hinnen, Todd, 688 Hiscock, Richard, 340 Holahan, Betsy, 529 Hollingsworth, Roger, 511 Holmes, Josh, 409 Houy, Charles, 479 Howard, Marie, 250 Hsueh, Wallace, 707 Hubert, Laverne, 455 Hughes, William, 410 Hunter, Andrew, 109

I Ingram, Tom, 411

J Jagger, Craig, 66 Jansen, David., 251 Jarvis, Adam, 283 Jenkins, Amelia, 252 Jezierski, Crystal, 230 Johanson, David, 627 Johnson, Andrew, 748 Johnson, Joshua, 582 Johnson, Matthew, 689 Jones, Aranthan, 20 Joseph, Margaret, 284

K Kahn, Leila, 341 Kahn, Thomas, 123 Kalo, Ted, 231 Kamarck, Jonathan, 480 Kang, Chris, 412 Keefe, Jenilee, 556 Keith, Susan, 456 The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

NAME INDEX Kellner, Ken, 320 Kenkeremath, Nandan, 160 Kennedy, Brian, 141 Kieffer, Charles, 481 Kiefhaber, Peter, 482 Kiley, Tom, 142 Killion, David, 189 Kim, Morgan, 321 King, Bruce, 413 King, Robert, 190 Kirkham, Pete, 21 Klein, Aaron, 512 Klein, Israel, 773 Kleinbard, Edward, 765 Kline, Sarah, 513 Knudsen, Patrick, 124 Konwinski, Lisa, 530 Kopocis, Kenneth, 605 Kowalski, Alise, 67 Kramp, Kevin, 68 Kuehl, Sarah, 531 Kumar, Rohit, 414 Kundanis, George, 22 Kurth, Christine, 557

L LaChapelle, Regan, 415 Lachmann, David, 232 Landy, Kevin, 673 Lanzone, Deborah, 253 Lara, Juan, 358 Larew, Rob, 69 Lariviere, Jim, 359 Laskowy, Michael, 772 Lawrence, John, 23 Lee, Penny, 416 Leeling, Gary, 500 Leone, Kate, 417 LesStrang, David, 90 Letourneau, Matt, 583 Lettre, Marcel, 418 Levine, Edward, 645 Levine, Peter, 501 Lewis, Caya, 656 Lewis, James, 391 Lewis, Mark, 110 Lierman, Terry, 24 Lieu, Chan, 558 Lightfoot, Karen, 269 Lillie, Tom, 584 Lipsky, Kim, 718 Litsy, Richard, 628 Livingood, Wilson, 25 Lofgren, Mike, 532 The Almanac of the Unelected, 2008

Loper, Brett, 376 Loskarn, Ryan, 419 Lowery, Leon, 585 Lucius, Kristine, 690 Lynch, Caroline, 233

M Macchiaraola, Frank, 586 MacDonald, Don, 191 Maher, Shawn, 514 Manley, James, 420 Manley, Josh, 483 Marantis, Demetrios, 629 Marsh, Pearl-Alice, 192 Martin, Carmel, 657 Mathews, Daniel, 342 Mays, Janice, 377 McAfee, Karen, 378 McCarragher, Ward, 343 McCarthy, David, 161 McCormick, James, 193 McFerrin, Lauren, 658 McGinnis, Colin, 515 McGowan, Matthew, 756 McGuire, Denzel, 533 McKenna, Martha, 421 McKeon, Brian, 646 McNicoll, Brian, 270 McPhillips, Margaret, 484 Melendrez, Dahlia, 719 Mercier, Stephanie, 457 Meredith, Amanda, 720 Merritt, Blaine, 234 Messina, Jim, 630 Milberg, Hayden, 458 Milhorn, Brandon, 674 Millar, Gail, 125 Miller, Jeff, 691 Miller, Jonathan, 516 Miller, Lorraine, 27 Miller, Matthew, 422 Miller, Pam, 70 Miller, Scott, 587 Minceberg, Elliot, 235 Mollineau, Rodell, 423 Monahan, Bill, 502 Moore, Lisa, 424 Morano, Marc, 606 Morin, Jamie, 534 Morris, Jennifer, 425 Mueller, Melissa, 379 Mullon, David, 732 Murphy, Carol, 91 Murray, Ellen, 485

Myers, J. Michael, 659 Myers, Kenneth, 647 Myrick, Gary, 426

N Nabors, Rob, 92 Nagle, Paul, 559 Naylor, Mary, 535 Nowakowski, Paula, 28

O O’Keeffe, James, 607 O’Malia, Scott, 486 Obermann, Richard, 298 O’Brien, Coley, 210 O’Conner, William, 71 O’Connor, Robert, 211 Oesterle, Mark, 517 Ogilve, Clark, 72 Ohm, Angela, 708 Oliver, Jan, 314 Olkewicz, Nancy, 487 Olson, Erik, 608 Olson, Kathryn, 380 Olson, Scott, 177 Olson, Susan, 322 O’Neill, Michael, 692 Onek, Joseph, 29 Oostburg-Sanz, Paul, 111 Orban, Russ, 315 O’Reilly, William, 323 Orfield, Craig, 660 Orringer, Neal, 518 Overbeek, Kimberly, 126

P Papa, Jim, 30 Pappone, David, 536 Parent, Alison, 537 Paretti, James, 143 Paris, Elizabeth, 631 Paul, Christopher, 503 Paul, James, 299 Pearson, Dan, 300 Pensabene, Judy, 588 Perez, Alejandro, 31 Perkins, Nancy, 538 Petron, Lauren, 693 Pheto, Beverly, 93 Pierson, Jay, 32 Pinder, Joe, 178 Pineles, Barry, 316 Pittman, Lisa, 254

779

NAME INDEX Plaster, William, 223 Pluviose-Fenton, Veronique, 212 Poersch, J.B., 427 Poindexter, Martha Scott, 459 Poirer, Bettina, 609 Poppleton, Janet, 301 Prater, Mark, 632 Price, Reva, 34 Primus, Wendell, 33 Pusey, Ted, 721

Q Qualls, Ellen, 35 Quear, Mike, 302

R Rafle, Peter, 610 Ramos, Adela, 460 Rangaswami, Viji, 381 Ransom, David, 36 Rapallo, David, 271 Rayfield, John, 344 Reich, David, 94 Reidy, Cheri, 539 Reif, Timothy, 382 Remini, Robert, 37 Restuccia, Paul, 127 Rieser, Timothy, 488 Riley, John, 73 Ringler, Michael, 95 Rodriguez, Roberto, 661 Rogers, Diane, 128 Rogoff, Peter, 489 Rohrbach, Missy, 662 Roisman, Robin, 194 Romnick, Brian, 38 Rosato, Jeffery, 611 Rosenbaum, Amy, 39 Rosenworcel, Jessica, 560 Roslanowick, Jeanne, 179 Ross, Susan, 144 Rossman, Manuel, 428 Rothwell, Patrick, 40 Rushforth, Tyler, 612 Russel, Mike, 213

S Sanok, Stephanie, 112 Sardegna, Alexandra, 722 Sarmiento de Poblete, Yleem, 195 Scarborough, Chad, 214 Schiappa, David, 429 Schiff, Robert, 694 Schiliaro, Phil, 272

780

Schlagenhauf, Jeff, 771 Schmidt, Lorie, 162 Schneider, Andy, 273 Schnittger, David, 41 Schubert, Brian, 42 Schuman, Ilyse, 663 Schwartz, David, 633 Seiger, Ryan, 345 Seth, Jodi, 163 Seyfert, Christy, 461 Shahinian, Dean, 519 Shand, Tania, 274 Shank, John, 96 Sheehy, Thomas, 196 Sheiner, Jonathan, 383 Sheridan, Sue, 164 Shockey, Jeff, 97 Shoemaker, Joe, 430 Shorter, Malcom, 360 Shumack, Tucker, 709 Shute, Melissa, 589 Simmons, Anne, 74 Simmons, Bob, 113 Simmons, Kyle, 431 Simon, Robert, 590 Sinha, Sonny, 285 Sisson, Don, 286 Slayton, April, 75 Slododin, Alan, 165 Smith, Kevin, 43 Smith, Kingston, 361 Smith, Tiffany, 634 Smythe, Austin, 129 Soderstrom, Sharon, 432 Sommers, Mike, 44 Sopko, John, 166 Souders, Patrick, 433 Soumbeniotis, Stacie, 346 Sprinzen, Justin, 347 St. Martin, Jo-Marie, 45 Stanton, Rich, 255 Stayman, Allen, 591 Steel, Michael, 46 Steiger, Douglas, 434 Stein, Todd, 675 Stephens, Michael, 98 Stewart, Don, 435 Stivers, Jonathan, 47 Stockwell, Michelle, 48 Stombres, Steven, 49 Stratman, Sam, 197 Straughn, Pelham, 76 Strayer, Rob, 676 Strickland, David, 561

Stroud, D. Michael, 215 Stroup, Sally, 145 Stump, Dawn, 462 Sullivan, Gael, 562 Sullivan, John, 50 Sullivan, Russell, 635 Suruma, Askia, 384 Sweeney, Sean, 51

T Talwar, Puneet, 648 Taylor, Bettilou, 490 Taylor, Bridgett, 167 Taylor, Paul, 236 Tewes, Kevin, 723 Thomas, Chelsea, 636 Thompson, Darrel, 436 Thomson, Pete, 77 Thorsen, Anne, 52 Toal Eisen, Jean, 563 Towers, Jonathan, 724 Traub, Jon, 385 Tucker, David, 362 Tucker, Louis, 749 Turner, James, 303 Turton, Daniel, 287 Tymon, Jim, 348

U Ungerecht, Todd, 324

V Van Mark, Ruth, 613 Varnhagen, Michele, 146 Vassar, Bobby, 237 Vetter, Darci, 637 Vought, Russell, 53

W Wada, Debra, 114 Wagoner, Melissa, 664 Walker, Matt, 710 Walker, Robert, 743 Walsh, Dick, 504 Washington, Consuela, 168 Watkins, Yelberton, 54 Weaver, Kiel, 256 Webb, Seth, 55 Weich, Ronald, 437 Weidinger, Matt, 386 Weil, Lynne, 198 Weis, Andrew, 677


NAME INDEX Weiss, Daniel, 147 Wheeler, Andrew, 614 Wheeler, Kevin, 711 Whitman, Debra, 739 Wicker, Bill, 592 Wiggins, Mason, 438 Willis, Gregory, 712 Willison, Drew, 439 Wilson, James, 304 Winters, Shanna, 238 Wissel, Marie Guadalupe, 725 Wolff, Brian, 56 Worrell, Mildeen, 387 Wrathall, Jim, 615 Wu, Arthur, 363 Wu, Portia, 665 Wynne, William, 638

Y Yeo, Peter, 199 Yeomans, Bill, 695

Z Zakheim, Roger, 115 Zogby, Joseph, 696 Zoia, James, 257 Zola, Michael, 148 Zuckerman, Mark, 149 Zybikewycz, Helena, 349


781

The Almanac of the Unelected 2008: Staff of the U.S. Congress

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The Almanac of the Unelected 2008: Staff of the U.S. Congress

The Almanac of American Education 2008

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The Staff of Naught

The Roads to Congress 2008

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Bearers of the Black Staff

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