[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 111 (Thursday, August 2, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8844-S8845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR THE ELECTION OF ALFONSO E. LENHARDT AS SERGEANT AT ARMS
Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I send a resolution to the desk and ask
for its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 149) providing for the election of
Alfonso E. Lenhardt as Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the
Senate, effective September 4, 2001.
Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, it is my honor to welcome Alfonso E.
Lenhardt as Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate.
In 1789, when the office was first established, the challenges of the
job
[[Page S8845]]
were quite different than they are today. The Sergeant at Arms was
given the responsibility for keeping a majority of members together
long enough to organize and begin the business of government.
Today, the job has grown, and so has the office. The Sergeant at Arms
is now the chief protocol and law enforcement officer of the Senate, as
well as the administrative manager for many Senate support services.
The Sergeant at Arms oversees the largest staff and budget in the U.S.
Senate.
That expanded role demands expanded skills--in both law-enforcement
and management.
In every position he has held, Al Lenhardt has demonstrated those
skills as well as a solemn commitment to public service.
Al retired from the United States Army in 1997 as a Major General
after over 31 years of domestic and international experience in
national security and law enforcement programs. As Commanding General
at the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Ft. Knox, KY, he managed and
directed over 13,000 people in over 1,800 separate locations.
Before the recruiting command, Al served as the senior military
police officer in the Army, overseeing all Army police operations and
security matters worldwide and managing a budget of over $300 million.
For the past four years, he has served as Executive Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer of the Council on Foundations, a non-profit
membership association of foundations and corporate philanthropic
organizations.
Al Lenhardt is a versatile senior executive with the stature, the
management experience and the law enforcement portfolio to make an
outstanding Senate Sergeant at Arms. While Al Lenhardt may not be
readily known to you because he has no prior connection to me or to the
Senate, I think my colleagues will be impressed with the experience,
the ability and the character of the man.
In the 212 year history of the Senate, Al Lenhardt will become the
35th person to serve as Sergeant at Arms, and the first African
American to hold this position.
But more importantly, Al is clearly of the highest caliber and
qualifications. The Senate will benefit greatly from his service and
leadership. We all look forward to working with him in the months and
years ahead.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be
agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, without
intervening action for debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 149) was agreed to.
(The text of S. Res. 149 is printed in today's Record under
``Statements on Submitted Resolutions.'')
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