Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues a eulogy Jim Martin, a good friend and former Chief of Staff to the late Senator Edward Gurney (R-FL), wrote recallingthe great and influential life in public service of former Florida Congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr.  As all remember, our friend Clay passed away on September 10, 2013.  His legacy will transcend generations as you can see in the words shared by Jim, the founder and chairman of the 60 Plus Association.

E. Clay Shaw: A congressman who mattered

By Jim Martin

The barber nearly lopped off the congressman’s ear, but it wouldn’t have been his fault if he had. For years, the tacit agreement that exists between every barber and customer to sit still as a statue when the clippers are humming was fiercely observed. But the barber said something that startled the normally reserved lawmaker to suddenly spin his head around mid-snip.

“Congressman,” the barber offered, “I’ve been voting for you a long time, but this year I’m making a donation to your campaign.” In a world of big campaign contributions, a modest offering of a few dollars is hardly noteworthy, unless you consider the source. Rep. Eugene Clay Shaw Jr’s hometown barber in Fort Lauderdale, FL was 68 years-old and closed his shop the last few months of the year. Far from rich and not particularly political, his pronouncement all but floored his long-time customer.

But this was a special occasion. Under Shaw’s leadership, Congress had just passed historic legislation, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 2000, that removed a Depression-era law that cut Social Security benefits for seniors who earned more than $17,000 per year. Though little-regarded by some, this legislation had a huge impact on working seniors, and further struck a blow for American productivity and common-sense, bipartisan solutions to intractable government inertia.

With Shaw’s passing this month at the age of 74, the tributes honoring his 26-year career in Congress invariably focus on his welfare reform legislation, implementing a federal missing-child registry and various environmental protections, all of which were monumental in their own right. But seniors are forever grateful for the dogged determination Shaw displayed as chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee when he took on a law long past its expiration date.