[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 21, 1994]



                             NINA SHEPHERD

  Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, one of the pleasures of serving in the 
U.S. Congress comes in working with talented and dedicated staff. These 
staff people contribute so much to the effective functioning of our 
Government. These men and women are on the job night and day to ensure 
that the people's business gets done--but they receive little public 
recognition.
  One such person, Mr. President, is CBO's analyst for veterans 
affairs, Nina Shepherd. Ms. Shepherd will be retiring on September 30, 
of this year. She will be sorely missed. Nina began working for CBO on 
November 21, 1976. At the time, CBO was housed in the mouse infested 
FBI warehouse. Rather than finding this particularly distressing, Nina 
chose to befriend the mice and would leave a trash can of lettuce and 
other goodies for them on a nightly basis. Her pets eventually yielded 
to the current quarters in which CBO finds itself. While Nina still 
lacks a window, she does have a lovely pea green carpet and some of the 
finest Government-issued antiques that the taxpayers dollars can buy. 
All of this is simply to say that Nina has always shown a talent for 
making the best of things. She saw CBO through its infancy and thanks 
to her patience and competence, has helped give that institution the 
wonderful reputation it enjoys today.
  The focus of Nina's hard work has been for the House and Senate 
Committees on Veterans' Affairs. She knows and understands the issues 
that face those committees. But she has also been of great assistance 
to the Budget Committee. The road between compassion for our veterans 
and Federal budgetary restraint is often a bumpy one. Nina has managed 
to follow that road with a level of honesty and integrity that has 
earned her the respect of the Congress and the Veterans Administration. 
Recently, for example, Nina did a major study to suggest alternatives 
for veterans housing programs. Some of her ideas were put to good use 
to save taxpayers dollars, but more importantly, her ideas are cited by 
Veterans Committee staff as the basis for the continued viability of 
these housing programs.
  In addition to the high quality of her work, Ms. Shepherd brings much 
joy to her work. She has always been there for her colleagues, whether 
as a teacher or as a friend. It is true that we will miss her for her 
skills, her competence, and her efficiency. But just as much, we will 
miss those outrageous stories, that wonderful laugh and that extra bit 
of strength on a hard day. Nina, we wish you the best of luck. We will 
miss you.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I want to join the chairman of the 
Budget Committee in wishing Ms. Shepherd well. She has always provided 
expert assistance to us on veterans issues and I know we speak for all 
our Budget Committee staff as well when we thank her for a job well 
done.

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