The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“IN HONOR OF MIKE HURST” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1919 on Sept. 29, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN HONOR OF MIKE HURST
______
HON. CHARLES W. ``CHIP'' PICKERING
of mississippi
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, as we near the end of this session of Congress, I see the end of the loyal service of my legislative director and counsel, Mike Hurst. He leaves my office in October to become an Assistant United States Attorney in Mississippi. Today I make these remarks to honor Mike's service and to recognize the challenges we faced together as he now embarks on this new opportunity.
It was August 2003 when Mike Hurst first joined my team. After graduating from Newton County Academy as the valedictorian in 1993, he attended East Central Community College on a basketball scholarship where he earned an Associates of Arts degree. He was the student body association president and ``Mr. ECCC.'' He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at Millsaps College in 1997 here he was recognized for his academic achievements and earned a law degree from George Washington University Law School in 2000. After working in the private sector for a few years at Troutman Sanders, Mike turned to public service as majority staff counsel for the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on the Constitution.
Mike joined my staff as legislative director and counsel and led my staff and committee work on telecommunications, transportation, and energy issues including the House-passed Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 and Mississippi specific language in the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004. He served as my representative on the conference committees for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. Following Hurricane Katrina, he assisted me in drafting and passing into law--in less than a month--the Local Community Recovery Act of 2006. He also played an integral part in drafting the Housing Opportunities and Mitigating Emergencies Act of 2005, which served as the model for Mississippi's post-Katrina housing initiative implemented through community development block grants.
Mike is a son of Newton County who grew up in what we affectionately call Hurstville, a ``suburb'' of the town of Hickory, population 512. His father Mike operates Mike Hurst Trucking and his mother Lucy is an assistant district engineer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation. I know they, along with his sister Aime'e Hurst Lang, are proud of Mike.
Now Mike, his wife Celeste and their children Anna Reagan, Amelia, Asa with another on the way, have returned home to Mississippi. Our office will miss his experience, knowledge, and skills, but Mississippi and our Nation will continue to benefit from his service as an assistant United States attorney.
Mike Hurst leaves a formative mark on the shape and operation of my office. We will miss his good nature, humor, and dedication to his work. But I thank him for his service to this office and to Mississippi.
____________________
