Kent Conrad: “today I wanted to honor the memory of a member of the congressional family whose life was tragically cut short last…”

“today I wanted to honor the memory of a member of the congressional family whose life was tragically cut short last month. Albert James Davis, who was the Democratic chief economist at the House Ways and Means Committee, died on May 30. Mr. Davis had served the Congress with distinction since 1984, first as a senior economist with the Democratic staff of the House Budget Committee, then as chief economist for that committee, and finally as chief economist for the Ways and Means Committee. Although Mr. Davis never worked in the U.S. Senate, his death is a profound personal and professional loss for many Members and staff of the Senate. Mr. Davis was a highly respected and much loved member of the group of policy experts who work largely behind the scenes to provide Members of Congress with information about the policies they are considering. Many Senate staff--and many members of my Budget Committee staff--had worked with Mr. Davis, either directly in the House or through bicameral staff meetings and frequent phone conversations. And although few knew it, many Senators benefitted from Mr. Davis's knowledge and wisdom because of the frequent use made by Senate staff of insightful memos and analyses of important issues that Mr. Davis graciously shared with them. He was one of the leading experts in the country on issues involving taxes and entitlement programs.”