[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 169 (Friday, December 30, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO RETIRING CLERK OF THE HOUSE JEFF TRANDAHL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ROBERT W. NEY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 29, 2005

  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, before we conclude this first session of the 
109th Congress, we need to acknowledge the exemplary service of our 
retiring Clerk of the House, Jeff Trandahl. Before retiring last month, 
Jeff diligently served this Congress for over 20 years. He began his 
career in the other body working for Senator James Abdnor from South 
Dakota, Jeff's home state. Thankfully for those of us who serve in the 
House, he soon chose to join us on this side of the Capitol, taking a 
job with Congresswoman Virginia Smith from Nebraska and working on 
Appropriations Committee matters.
  Jeff got his first real experience with House operations working for 
Congressman Pat Roberts from Kansas who served on the Committee on 
House Administration.
  When the Republicans won the House in 1994, Jeff was promoted to 
Assistant to the Clerk, and in that capacity was responsible for 
legislative operations, personnel, and budget. In November 1996, he was 
appointed Acting Chief Administrative Officer of the House and led a 
drastic reorganization of that office.
  In December 1998 he was made the 32nd Clerk of the House and was 
elected to four consecutive 2-year terms by the House membership.
  For the past 8 years his responsibilities as Clerk have included 
management of the House Floor operations, legal support for the 
institution, management of public information and required legal 
filings, and numerous other duties. Simply put, Jeff was responsible 
for seeing that the essential tasks that allow this House to operate 
get carried out.
  In addition to his regular duties, he played a pivotal role in 
numerous historic events including the annual State of the Union 
address, presidential inaugurations, the response to September 11th, 
the anthrax attacks, and the national funeral for President Reagan.
  Members will always be grateful to him for his extensive efforts to 
use technology to improve the efficiency of House operations. It truly 
has made our jobs easier and made the business of the House more 
accessible and open to the public.
  One of the accomplishments of which he is the most proud was the 
establishment of an office to handle the House's historical, 
curatorial, and archival needs. Jeff has always had an immense amount 
of respect for the Institution and he will be remembered for his 
outstanding service.
  While this is a loss to the United States Congress, it is certainly a 
gain for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation where Jeff will be 
Executive Director. I am sure he will approach that job with the same 
determination and perseverance he has shown in his service here. Jeff 
has always been the consummate professional, and the House is a better 
place because of his great record of service here.
  We thank him and we will miss him, but we wish him the best of luck 
in his new endeavors.

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