WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Brian Mast (FL-21) offered a resolution to honor his colleague, friend, and long-serving Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives, the late Representative Don Young (AK-AL). His bipartisan bill would formally rename the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure’s main hearing room the “Chairman Don Young Hearing Room.”
“I sat next to Don Young almost every day for nearly six years. My friend was a fearless, resilient, mountain of man, and his love for Alaska came second only to his love for his family,” said Rep. Mast. “I can think of no better example for legislators to be reminded of as they walk into the Transportation Committee than that of Don Young: a tireless advocate for his state and someone who understood that infrastructure is what keeps this country moving.”
Chairman Young was the longest-serving Republican in the history of the House; the Dean of the House passed while fulfilling his 25th term and 49th year in Congress. First elected in 1973, he served on both the Committee on Merchant Marine & Fisheries and the Committee on Post Office & Civil Service, which were later incorporated into the modern Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. As Chair of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee from 2001 to 2007, he worked tirelessly to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure with legislation like the Safe, Accountable, Flexible Efficient Transportation Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to improve and maintain everything from highways to bike paths, supported federal recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina, was a fierce advocate for our U.S. Coast Guard, and fought to ensure that our aviation system was accessible to all Americans.
Often referred to as “Alaska’s third senator,” his top priority was always his beloved home state. He secured countless investments into its infrastructure and championed its vast resources. For many Alaskans, he was the only representation they had had in the House as the Congressman for ALL Alaska.
The resolution is cosponsored by Chairman Young’s successor, Representative Mary Peltola (AK-AL). The full text of the resolution can be read here.
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