[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 8, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S2712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BILL KAMELA

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor this morning to talk 
about a very special person on my staff. Bill Kamela came on to head my 
HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workforce Safety about 5 years ago. 
Ever since then, he has been a critical part of my staff.
  Bill is a trusted adviser, and I think what impresses all of us the 
most is he truly is a visionary when it comes to making the Federal 
Government a strong partner in worker training and safety.
  Thanks to the work of Bill Kamela, across the country today, fewer 
employees have to worry about the danger of hazards or unsafe working 
conditions that they go to work every day and see. Because of his good 
work and insistence, more workers today get access to good-paying jobs, 
training, and advancement.
  I come to the floor today because Bill is now preparing to move on to 
the next phase of his career. While we are all in my office very happy 
for him, we are all extremely sad to see him go. I wanted to come to 
the floor today to take just a couple minutes to recognize Bill's 
tremendous contribution on behalf of working families throughout the 
entire country.
  Bill grew up in Buffalo, NY, where he learned the value of hard work 
and public service. Although he left Buffalo for Washington, DC, many 
years ago, anyone who has spent time with him knows that his passions 
are all things Buffalo, especially his beloved Buffalo Bills. We know 
when it comes to them, they take precedence over anything else that is 
going on.
  Anyone who has worked with Bill also knows that he took to heart 
those lessons he learned growing up there about the importance of 
public service. Bill has dedicated his life and his career to helping 
kids and young people and families everywhere find success. He has 
worked with the National Urban Coalition, in the office of Congressman 
Gus Hawkins, at the National Safe Kids Campaign, and with a number of 
nonprofits. In every one of those positions, he has worked behind the 
scenes for policies that keep our working families strong.
  Before he came to my staff, Bill spent 6 years at the Department of 
Labor under President Clinton where he served as chief of staff for the 
Employment and Training Administration. When he worked at the Labor 
Department, one of his responsibilities was to implement the Workforce 
Investment Act, which is, as we all know, the cornerstone of our 
national job training system.
  Since coming to my staff, he has worked diligently on WIA, and thanks 
to him workers today have access to the training they need so they can 
still be successful in life no matter what happens to them.
  Bill has been the staff director for my Employment and Workforce 
Safety Subcommittee. His dedication to those working families, as well 
as his passion for public service, has made it possible for us to make 
progress on the key piece of legislation to which he has devoted so 
many years, the Workforce Investment Act.
  What impresses many of us in the Senate is that he works across the 
aisle, and he brings people of all kinds to the table to get things 
done. He has worked tirelessly, as I said, to fund and strengthen WIA 
and other job training programs to help workers find and keep good-
paying jobs.
  He also worked extremely hard and impressively on the Miner Act, 
which improved safety and ensured coal miners have better access to 
lifesaving equipment, air, and water in case of an accident.
  But I think one of the things I will remember Bill the most for is 
his work on helping us to pass in the Senate the Ban Asbestos in 
America Act. He sat with me in countless meetings. He talked to so many 
families. He held the hands of widows whose spouses had died as a 
result of their exposure to asbestos. And he brought so many people to 
the table and diligently worked detail after detail after detail until 
we could bring up this bill in the Senate and, after many years, 
finally pass it. I owe him a debt of gratitude for that, and I want him 
to know as he leaves my office we are going to keep working under his 
name to get that bill done and to the President so those people he has 
worked with can finally see this bill become law.
  I have to say again he has been instrumental in our efforts to make 
the Federal Government a strong partner. He brings together educators, 
workforce folks, labor, and employers because he knows everyone needs a 
seat at the table so our workforce can compete in this global economy.
  But his contributions go far beyond legislation. Outside of my 
office, his attention to building personal relationships has earned him 
tremendous respect and admiration of workforce leaders across my State. 
Inside my office, he has earned all of our respect. He is a mentor to 
all of his coworkers. He has never been one to close the door behind 
him. He is always generous with his time, and he has helped bring up 
the next generation of staffers who rely on him so much for his sound 
advice or a good pep talk, whichever they need.
  Bill has an uncanny knack for keeping everything balanced on staff. 
He sets realistic expectations, but he does not ever let anyone get 
discouraged. I know that will carry him far in this world.
  So I come to the floor today to thank Bill for his work and for his 
dedication to our country, and I thank him for his personal advice so 
many times, his enthusiasm, and his passion for working families in my 
State and across the country. I wish him the best as he moves on. He 
will be dearly missed.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Ohio.

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