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“IN TRIBUTE TO MR. THOMAS P. HOLIAN” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1619-E1620 on Nov. 16, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN TRIBUTE TO MR. THOMAS P. HOLIAN
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HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Monday, November 16, 2015
Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to an outstanding civil servant and constituent of mine, Thomas P. Holian, Deputy Chief Counsel of the Federal Highway Administration, FHWA, who is retiring after 37 years of Federal service.
Tom is a graduate of Fordham University and received his juris doctor from New York Law School. Tom joined the FHWA as an Attorney Advisor in the Office of the Chief Counsel in 1978. From 1978 to 1982, he worked in the Chief Counsel's Office of Legislation and Regulations on such matters as the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1978, the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, and the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982. Tom also served as a Trial Attorney in the Chief Counsel's Motor Carrier and Highway Safety Law Division where he handled motor carrier safety enforcement cases and regulatory and litigation work associated with driver qualification requirements, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and controlled substance and alcohol testing of commercial motor vehicle drivers. Tom also served as the first Executive Director of the FHWA's National Motor Carrier Advisory Committee.
Tom joined the Senior Executive Service in December 1999 when he was selected to serve as the Deputy Chief Counsel for Legislation and Regulations in the Office of the Chief Counsel. In this position through February 2008, Tom was responsible for directing a staff in providing legal advice and services on all aspects of the FHWA's legislative and regulatory programs. In this role, he greatly contributed to the implementation of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Tom also led the team responsible for drafting much of the TEA-21 reauthorization bill that became SAFETEA-LU. Prior to this appointment, Tom was an Associate Chief Counsel and served as the FHWA's Regulations Officer responsible for leading the comprehensive review of FHWA's regulations in response to Presidential directives in 1992 and 1995, as well as FHWA's ISTEA and TEA-21 regulatory implementation.
Tom became the Deputy Chief Counsel, the senior career attorney in the FHWA, in March 2008. As Deputy Chief Counsel, Tom supervises and coordinates the activities of a staff comprised of 60 employees, of whom 50 are attorneys responsible for providing legal services regarding all aspects of the FHWA's programs. The Office of Chief Counsel consists of three headquarters divisions and five field divisions, four of which provide services to Federal-aid Division Offices and the Resource Center, and one that provides services to the Federal Lands Highway. Tom directly advises the most senior officials in the FHWA and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Tom and his staff work with State and local government transportation attorneys and other customers to enhance their understanding of Federal laws and procedures relating to transportation.
Tom will be retiring this month after 39 years of Federal service. After his long career and especially his seven and a half years as Deputy Chief Counsel, Tom leaves FHWA a well-respected, dedicated public servant, who has used his knowledge and skills throughout his 37-year FHWA career to make significant contributions to the advancement of transportation law.
I am proud to represent Tom and so many other Federal workers. We are fortunate to have dedicated, talented, creative, hard-working, and patriotic public servants like Tom. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Tom for serving the American public with such distinction and devotion and wishing him much success as he leaves Federal service. We also need to thank his wife Ginny and their three children for supporting him in his public career.
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