About the Commission : Meet the Commissioners

Jack L. Schenendorf joined Covington & Burling in March 2001, as Of Counsel. His practice concentrates on transportation and legislation, with a particular focus on legislative strategy, legislative procedure, and the federal budget process.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Schenendorf served on the Bush/Cheney Transition where he was Chief of the Transition Policy Team for the U.S. Department of Transportation and other transportation-related agencies. He was responsible for reviewing all transportation policies and issues for the incoming Administration.

For nearly 25 years, Mr. Schenendorf served on the staff of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives under 7 different Republican Committee leaders. He was Chief of Staff from 1995 to 2001 when the 75-member committee — the largest in the history of the Congress — held 314 hearings and passed 265 bills through the House, of which 115 were enacted into law. Mr. Schenendorf advised the committee on all legislative matters, including the major efforts to change the budgetary treatment of the transportation trust funds. These efforts led to enactment of the landmark Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21) in 1998 and the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21) in 2000, as well as House passage of the Truth in Budgeting Act in 1996. Mr. Schenendorf also served as Minority Chief Counsel and Staff Director, Minority Counsel, Associate Minority Counsel, and Minority Counsel for the Surface Transportation Subcommittee and the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee. Before joining the Transportation Committee in 1976, he was a staff attorney on the National Commission on Water Quality in Washington, D.C.

In addition, Mr. Schenendorf specialized in legislative and parliamentary procedures and the federal budget process. For a number of years he taught the legislative procedures course offered to Republican staff on behalf of the Republican Leadership of the House of Representatives. He also taught the course "Congress and the Federal Budget" for the professional development program at George Washington University. A native of Pleasantville, New York, Mr. Schenendorf received a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law School in 1975, and a B.S. degree in Biology from Union College, N.Y. in 1966. From 1967 to 1972, Mr. Schenendorf served in the U.S. Navy in Admiral Rickover's nuclear submarine program. After completing nuclear power and submarine training, he served on the U.S.S. James K. Polk (SSBN 645) as Reactor Control Officer and the U.S.S. Tullibee (SSN 597) as Communications Officer. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant.

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