Nick Rahall: “I rise in tribute to the Honorable Jim Howard, former Member of the House of Representatives, and Chair of the then…”

“I rise in tribute to the Honorable Jim Howard, former Member of the House of Representatives, and Chair of the then Committee on Public Works and Transportation, now the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. My tribute to Jim's memory has to do with his chairmanship of the Public Works Committee, where he served from 1975 to 1988. This tribute comes from the fact that when I first began my tenure in the House in 1976, as a twenty-seven year old freshman, I chose the Public Works Committee as the major committee I most wanted to join, and having done so I have remained on the Committee for nearly 22 years. Jim Howard's stewardship of that committee, and the strength and courage of his convictions concerning the importance of this nation's infrastructure, and of our duty to see that it was funded, will always be with me. As we are poised to vote on the reauthorization of the Federal Highway bill, known as BESTEA, in the coming days, I am reminded even more of the on-the-job training I received under Jim's leadership, which has served me so very well over the years.”