S. 3145 

One Hundred Tenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and eight 

An Act 

To designate a portion of United States Route 20A, located in Orchard Park, 

New York, as the ‘‘Timothy J. Russert Highway’’. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

Congress finds the following: 

(1) Timothy ‘‘Tim’’ John Russert was born on May 7, 1950 

in Buffalo, New York, to Elizabeth and Timothy Joseph Russert. 

(2) Tim Russert graduated from Canisius High School in 

Buffalo, New York, earned his bachelor’s degree in political 

science from John Carroll University in 1972, and his Juris 

Doctor from Cleveland State University—Marshall School of 

Law in 1976. 

(3) Tim Russert embarked on a career in public service 

with United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and the 

Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, from 1977 to 1984. 

(4) After his career in public service and New York politics, 

Tim Russert began his career in journalism when he joined 

NBC in 1984. 

(5) In 1991, Tim Russert became the host of the Sunday 

morning news program Meet the Press, the longest-running 

program in the history of television. He would go on to become 

the longest serving host of the show. 

(6) Throughout his career, Tim Russert received 48 honorary doctorates and several awards for excellence in journalism, including— 

(A) the Edward R. Murrow Award from the RadioTelevision News Directors Association; 

(B) the John Peter Zenger Freedom of the Press Award; 

(C) the American Legion Journalism Award; 

(D) the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award; 

(E) the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award; 

(F) the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in 

Journalism; 

(G) the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in 

Communication; 

(H) the Catholic Academy for Communication’s Gabriel 

Award; and 

(I) an Emmy Award from the National Academy of 

Television Arts and Sciences. 

(7) In 2004, Tim Russert authored the bestselling autobiography, Big Russ and Me, which chronicled his life growing 
S. 3145—2 

up in South Buffalo and his education at Canisius High School. 

He is also the author of Wisdom of our Fathers. 

(8) Tim Russert advocated on behalf of abused children 

and voiced the need to protect our Nation’s young people, 

serving on the board of directors of the Greater Washington 

Boys and Girls Club and America’s Promise—Alliance for 

Youth. 

(9) Tim Russert sat in the front seat of history, chronicling 

the political and societal events that have defined our time, 

and serving as a trusted source of information and analysis 

for millions of Americans. 

(10) Tim Russert was a tireless booster of Buffalo, a famous 

fan of his beloved Buffalo Bills, and was always proud of 

his South Buffalo roots, a source of civic pride in the Western 

New York community. 

(11) Tim Russert passed away on June 13, 2008. He is 

survived by his wife, Maureen Orth and their son, Luke 

Russert. 

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION. 

The portion of United States Route 20A located in Orchard 

Park, New York, between Abbot Road and California Road shall 

be known and designated as the ‘‘Timothy J. Russert Highway’’. 

SEC. 3. REFERENCES. 

Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 

or other record of the United States to the portion of United States 

Route 20A referred to in section 2 shall be deemed to be a reference 

to the Timothy J. Russert Highway. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.