[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 49 (Friday, April 26, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3459-S3460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THANKS TO ALL WHO MAKE THE SENATE WORK

  Mr. REID. Madam President, yesterday we finished a very long and 
arduous task in working our way through the energy bill. There were 
almost 500 amendments offered on that bill. The 2 managers worked 
through 150 or 200 amendments. It was a very difficult, contentious 
debate that led to passage of that bill.
  There was a lot said yesterday evening about how hard people worked. 
There was a lot of work done, but I think it is good once in a while to 
pause and talk about the people who make this body function and about 
whom we hear relatively nothing. For example, I have been truly amazed, 
since being a Member of this body, that when matters come up that deal 
with parliamentary procedures, we have a group of parliamentarians, 
Alan

[[Page S3460]]

Frumin, Elizabeth MacDonough, and Peter Robinson who work for the 
Senate. I do not know their political registration--I do not know if 
anyone does--they really do a good job. They advise the Chair to make 
appropriate rulings, and we have a lot of extremely complicated rules 
in this body. You think you have them figured out one day, and the next 
day you are told there is some nuance that you did not know or did not 
understand.
  I go to the parliamentarians on a frequent basis and always am 
convinced I get the best information they can give me. I know everyone 
who sits in the chair where the Senator from Michigan now sits feels 
the same way. They are to be complimented. The many people who watch C-
SPAN should know one reason this body functions so well is the advice 
we get to keep this unruly body as ruly as possible.
  In addition to the parliamentarians, we have the Legislative Clerks, 
Dave Tinsley, Kathleen Alverez, and Donnee Gray. When the roll is 
called, they make sure the Senators are counted when they say ``yes'' 
or ``no'' on the votes, and then there are people running in and out of 
this body, and sometimes it is hard to keep track of them, and they do 
a perfect job. Additionally, they keep track of all the amendments that 
are sent to the desk, and that is not an easy task.
  Then there are the Journal Clerks, Scott Sanborn and Myra Baran, who 
keep the Senate Journal, and they do a wonderful job.
  We have a Congressional Record that is the envy of the world. If 
somebody gets recognized in the Congressional Record, that is really an 
important day in the life of people. That is all done by these 
wonderful people who make sure we have a good record.
  Behind me is the Democratic cloakroom where Trisha Engle, Paul Ordal, 
Joe Lapia, and Erik Pederson work. To my right is the Republican 
cloakroom. In there are people we never see. They take hundreds of 
phone calls every day from Senators and staff: When is there going to 
be a vote? Are we going to have to vote today? Is Senator such-and-such 
there? Would you get this message to them? If there is something that 
does not go right, they are the ones who get the brunt of the phone 
calls complaining about things. But they do a great job, again, 
allowing this body to run as well as it does.
  In addition to the people I have mentioned, there are a very few 
select people who are the people who give the floor leaders the 
information we need to make sure we do the right thing, so when we go 
to the Parliamentarian, we have done what we are supposed to do.
  On my side of the aisle, I have people on whom I depend every day for 
information, Marty Paone, Lula Davis, Gary Myrick, and Tim Mitchell 
these people we depend on so much for important information. They are 
really good at what they do.
  On the Republican side, it is the same thing. We have Dave Schiappa, 
Denise Ramonas, and Malloy McDaniel, on whom the Republican floor 
leaders depend. I have to be frank that sometimes, when one of my 
people is off the floor, I have no problem going to one of the 
Republicans and saying: David, here is a question. Will you answer it 
for me?
  So we are very fortunate to have these dedicated public servants who 
really make this great Capitol of ours operate as well as it does as 
far as the Senate is concerned.
  I have left out so many important people. There are the people who 
are the security officials. They are here, and if one looks around, 
they can see them, but they do not notice them because they do their 
job so well. We have people who, of course, are armed; others are not. 
If something did go wrong, these people are some of the best trained in 
the world to take care of whatever contingency might arise.

  That is why, when I speak to an elementary school, secondary school, 
or college, I tell the young people they should consider public service 
as a vocation, whether it is running for elective office, seeking a 
point of office, or going to work in another capacity for the 
Government, as the people I have mentioned today--people who devote 
their lives to seeing that our system of government works.
  There was a period of time not long ago when people in high public 
office said the Government was the enemy. I have never believed that. I 
still don't believe that. I believe that government is our friend and 
that we look to government to help in situations when we cannot help 
ourselves. An example is the September 11 disaster that took place in 
New York City and behind us at the Pentagon. To whom did we look? We 
looked to the Government to help.
  If I had been doing my work, I would have had all the names, but I 
thought it was totally appropriate--in light of all the good things 
said about a few select people yesterday--that we mention the scores of 
people who each day make this Senate a pleasant place to work and make 
it the best job in the world. The Presiding Officer, and this Senator 
from Nevada, believe we have the best jobs in the world. I don't know 
how a job could bring more satisfaction than working on the problems 
that face the people of our respective States and the country. I, like 
the other 99 Members of this body, am grateful to be here, but I think 
I speak for every Senator in recognizing the many talents that make our 
job pleasant and make the body run as efficiently as it does.

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