[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 30 (Thursday, February 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E290-E291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA NOTESTEIN--MILWAUKEE NOW WOMAN OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS M. BARRETT

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 25, 1999

  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, February 27th, 
Milwaukee National Organization for Women (NOW) will honor Wisconsin 
Representative Barbara Notestein as the Woman of the Year. I appreciate 
this opportunity to share with my colleagues my admiration for one of 
my state's most distinguished leaders.
  Barbara Notestein and I were both elected to the Wisconsin Assembly 
in 1984. We grew

[[Page E291]]

into the job together, and I learned a lot from her empathetic approach 
to public policy and political leadership. She never forgot that the 
bills we considered and the policies we crafted affected real people 
with real families. She always considered how a bill might affect our 
community's most disadvantaged families, and she often helped and 
sometimes forced the legislature to see through their eyes.
  Barbara's legislative accomplishments reflected this focus. She took 
the lead in establishing Wisconsin's Children at Risk program and the 
state's Birth to Three Program, as well as a family leave system and an 
initiative to even the playing field for under-resourced schools. She 
also led the fight to fund programs that helped women to start or 
expand their own businesses, and she established and funded programs to 
curb sexual harassment and to support the victims of sexual assault.
  Barbara Notestein's strong stands on key issues and her ability to 
forge working coalitions won her a leadership role. She was the first 
woman elected to serve as the Wisconsin Assembly's Assistant Majority 
Leader.
  As a legislator, I admire Barbara Notestein. She reminds me that, to 
be an effective public servant, you need heart as much as you need 
smarts. I admire Barbara as an advocate for the public good. She 
reminds me that the most compelling way to lead others is by example.
  Mr. Speaker, Representative Barbara Notestein has been a clear, 
strong and consistent voice for women and women's issues in the 
Wisconsin Legislature. I commend Milwaukee NOW on a perfect choice for 
Woman of the Year, and I warmly congratulate Barbara Notestein on her 
remarkable career of public service.

                          ____________________