[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 16, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E29]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          A FAREWELL TO HOUSE GENERAL COUNSEL GERALDINE GENNET

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 16, 2008

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to say a few words on the 
recent retirement of Geraldine Gennet, the outgoing General Counsel of 
the House of Representatives.
  Because of the sensitive areas that it works on, the Office of the 
General Counsel is not well known to many people outside of Congress. 
Nevertheless, the office provides invaluable legal advice and 
representation to Members, committees, employees, and officers of 
Congress, regardless of their political party or affiliation. Geraldine 
joined the Office of the General Counsel in 1995, and became General 
Counsel in 1997. Prior to her service in the House of Representatives, 
she worked as a sole practitioner in the District of Columbia, and then 
served as General Counsel for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department 
and as Litigation Counsel for the Office of Thrift Supervision.
  During her time at the helm of the Office of the General Counsel, 
Congress was involved in a host of public and private battles and 
constitutional issues with wide-ranging implications, and through each 
one, Geraldine provided tremendous leadership to Congress and its 
Members. Indeed, even as Congress became a more partisan place over the 
last decade, Geraldine was ceaselessly nonpartisan in her work. During 
my time on the House Ethics and Judiciary Committees, I was fortunate 
to work with her on several occasions, and I was always impressed with 
Geraldine's strong focus on ensuring that congressional prerogatives 
and Congress as an institution were tenaciously protected from 
political considerations and other negative influences.
  It is an honor to commend Geraldine for her leadership and hard work, 
and to wish her the very best in all of her future endeavors.

                          ____________________