By E. Morgan Williams, Editor, "ACTION UKRAINE REPORT"
Washington, D.C., Monday, March 15, 2004

Schaffer supported issues important to the development of democracy, civil society, rule of law and a market-driven economic system in Ukraine while serving as a Congressman.

The former Congressman made a special trip to Washington from Colorado on Tuesday, February 17 of this year to participate as a panelist in a special roundtable on the problems and critical choices facing Ukraine in 2004 and how the U.S. and the Ukrainian American diaspora should respond to them.

The recent event was co-sponsored by Archbishop Stefan Soroka, metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the U.S., and the three founding member- organizations of the Action Ukraine Coalition: the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, the Ukrainian Federation of America and the U.S.- Ukraine Foundation.

Schaffer was elected to the House of Representatives in November of 1996 and served three terms, until January of 2003, stepping down as one of the few Congressman to ever actually fulfill a self-imposed term limit pledge. Schaffer made his three term limit pledge to the voters in his congressional district in Colorado during his first campaign in 1996.

Schaffer, in the fall of 2002, published a book entitled, "U.S.-Ukraine Agenda for Freedom..Principles for Rada-Congress Cooperation." He also had indicated a willingness to serve as the United States Ambassador to Ukraine at the end of his service in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the introduction to the book Congressman Schaffer wrote: "This document is my proposal for further expansion of U.S.-Ukraine parliamentary cooperation. It is the product of my many years of involvement in U.S.-Ukraine issues. In reaching out to several leading expert on Ukraine, I hope to emphasize ways to improve the quality of life for the Ukrainian people. Some of the initiatives suggested herein are new, some are already under way, and others need additional support for greater results."

"I've filed and I have an organization that I've put together, an exploratory team and a team that is getting larger. I see nothing that discourages me," Schaffer told the Associated Press in Denver on Friday.

Schaffer was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and served three terms, stepping down to fulfill a self-imposed term limit pledge.

GOP Gov. Bill Owens, Rep. Bob Beauprez and state Treasurer Mike Coffman previously said they would not seek the Republican nomination.

Campbell's announcement and Owens' decision not to run have boosted Democrats' hopes of making up lost ground in Colorado as they try to retake control of the U.S. Senate. Republicans hold a 51-48 majority with one Democrat-leaning independent.

Other potential GOP candidates include Lt. Gov. Jane Norton and Jim Nicholson, the chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1997 to 2001.

Campbell, 70, announced abruptly last week that he would not seek re-election, citing his health. He was treated for prostate cancer last year. His Washington office also faces allegations that a longtime aide had taken kickbacks.

Bob Schaffer is serving his third term [2002] in the United States House of Representatives, Congressman Bob Schaffer was re-elected to Congress on November 7, 2000. He represents Colorado's Fourth Congressional District, succeeding Senators Wayne Allard and Hank Brown. Congressman Schaffer recently announced he will not seek re-election to the Congress this year [2002].

Working to re-establish a limited, responsible federal government and a balanced federal budget, Bob introduced the Balanced Budget Amendment Resolution, House Joint Resolution 1, to require a balanced federal budget every year. He also continues to work for such common-sense policies as broad-based tax relief, protecting Social Security and Medicare, improving education and making government smaller, more efficient and more accountable.

Congressman Schaffer is president of the 1996 Republican class, a post to which he was elected by his colleagues. Bob serves on three House Committees; Agriculture, Resources and the Education and the Workforce. In addition, Bob is an advocate for Ukraine and is a co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus. He is a member of the GOP Theme Team, the "one-minute conservative debate squad", which can be seen nearly every morning on C-Span from the House floor. In addition, Congressman Schaffer is a member of the Republican Study Committee or RSC a group of approximately 60 House Republicans organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives.

Prior to serving in Congress, Bob served nine years as a Colorado State Senator. He was 25 years old when first sworn in -- the youngest to serve in Colorado's Senate. As a Colorado Senator, he was Chairman of the Finance Committee, the State Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and the Local Government Committee. His distinguished service in the Colorado Legislature earned him the prestigious national title "National Republican Legislator of the Year for 1995" by his peers from throughout the country.

Congressman Schaffer has earned a reputation as Colorado's most aggressive tax cutter and champion of education reform. As a member of Congress, Bob has received numerous awards for his fiscally conservative voting record and his strong record of protecting farmers, taxpayers, seniors, veterans, child care providers and property owners. Some of these awards include the Champion of Free Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Guardian of Seniors' Rights from 60 Plus Association, Friend of Farm Bureau Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation, Friend of the Taxpayers from Americans for Tax Reform and the Guardian of Small Business award from the National Federation of Independent Business. Congressman Schaffer has also received the Golden Bulldog Award from the Watchdogs of the Treasury.

Congressman Schaffer has also been recognized for his fiscal prudence in operating his Congressional office. Congressman Schaffer was recognized by the National Taxpayers Union as the most frugal member of Congress after he returned more than $360,000 of his allotted office budget back to the taxpayers.

Prior to politics, Bob held a variety of jobs including carpet layer, salmon cannery worker, legislative researcher, speechwriter, and small business owner. As a businessman, he owned and operated a marketing business serving Colorado's tourism industry for six years.

Bob is the son of retired public school educators. He worked his way through college as a farm hand, receiving his B.A. from the University of Dayton and an honorary doctorate in management from Colorado Technical University. He is a second degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and lives in Fort Collins with his wife, Maureen, who has earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (Colorado State University), and their five children, Emily and Jenny (twins), Justin, Sarah, and Mary. The Schaffers are Roman Catholic and attend St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins, Colorado.