[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 119 (Tuesday, September 28, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S9809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MS. TAMARA BRICKMAN

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a special 
individual who has been serving the great State of Oregon for years. 
Tamara Brickman, a legislative coordinator at the Oregon Employment 
Department, is devoted to improving the lives of Oregonians by 
increasing the efficiency of the State government and improving the 
quality of workforce training. Her knowledge of State and Federal labor 
laws is expansive and impressive. My staff and I rely on her expertise 
frequently when addressing workforce legislation in Congress.
  Ms. Brickman is a native Oregonian, the fourth generation of her 
family to live in a small town named La Grande, not far from my 
hometown of Pendleton in the northeast corner of the State. She is a 
graduate of Eastern Oregon University and a former intern of my 
esteemed predecessor in the Senate, Senator Mark Hatfield. According to 
Ms. Brickman, it was in Senator Hatfield's office that her true passion 
for public service blossomed.
  Ms. Brickman began her career working for Oregonians as a teacher in 
La Grande at an alternative high school and a job training facility for 
individuals receiving public assistance. In January 1993, Ms. Brickman 
took a job in the Senate Ethics, Elections, and Campaign Finance Reform 
Committee of the Oregon State Legislature. In fact, Ms. Brickman served 
as a staffer in the Oregon Capitol when I carried my first bill on the 
Senate floor as an Oregon State Senator.
  Before heading to law school at the University of Oregon, Ms. 
Brickman furthered her strong reputation in workforce training by 
running a federally-funded youth summer employment training program in 
Union County in 1994 and 1995. The training program was part of the Job 
Training Partnership Act, JTPA, now known as the Workforce Investment 
Act. Ms. Brickman taught disadvantaged youth in job skills and then 
found community job placements for those students in local businesses.
  After passing the Oregon State bar in 1998, Ms. Brickman held a range 
of legislative positions for a State senator, member of the U.S. House 
of Representatives, and the Oregon University System Chancellor's 
office. For the last 3 years, Ms. Brickman has gone above and beyond 
the call of duty at the Oregon Employment Department to help members of 
our congressional delegation pass unemployment extension benefits and 
fiscal state relief. Ms. Brickman never fails to share important 
information about the state of the workforce in ways that allow me to 
craft timely legislation that responds to our State's needs. Her 
commitment to Oregon's workers and families shines through in her 
outstanding work.
  There are thousands of dedicated State and local government employees 
across the country who serve their communities with the highest 
distinction. In my opinion, few could match the professionalism of Ms. 
Brickman. It is my honor and pleasure to take the time today to 
recognize Ms. Tamara Brickman for her dedication to Oregon.

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