Eva M. Clayton: “on the hillside over Bosnia, this Nation lost 33 dedicated and committed Americans. Among those lost was the man we pay…”

“on the hillside over Bosnia, this Nation lost 33 dedicated and committed Americans. Among those lost was the man we pay tribute to today, Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown. We pay tribute to Secretary Brown because, in the finest tradition of America, he gave his life in service to his country, while performing peace in a region torn by war. This tribute has been organized by those of us who serve on and have participated with the President's Export Council [PEC], a bipartisan effort with the private and public sector working together for export. Secretary Brown was a public sector member of PEC and the driving force behind a notable private-public partnership, whose mission is to expand the United States' exports abroad. At the very first meeting of PEC of February 13, 1995, President Clinton attended and Secretary Brown welcomed and swore in the appointees. Secretary Brown emphasized that he would regard the PEC members as the Board of Directors for America's national export strategy, first implemented then in September 1993. So, Mr. Speaker, we think it is only fitting that the PEC Board of Directors leave a tribute to the person who in our mind was the chairman and chief executive officer of America's effort to achieve free and fair trade, to give a chance to U.S. businesses of all sizes to market their goods and services abroad.”