[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 126 (Wednesday, September 9, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9173-S9174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Tribute To Christine Spicer

  Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, I rise once again to speak about one of 
our Nation's great Federal employees. All of us here, along with our 
colleagues in the House, have returned from a busy work period. I know 
we, like all Americans, appreciate the extra day off we had on Monday 
to rest and recharge, to spend time with family, and to enjoy a 
barbecue. It is important, though, not to lose sight of what Labor Day 
represents.
  America was founded on the belief that if you work hard, you can 
achieve your dream. When American workers set themselves to a task, no 
challenge is too great.
  Since the 19th century, Labor Day has served as an opportunity to 
appreciate those who have made our economy the strongest in the world. 
Even with the challenges we face on Wall Street and on Main Street, I 
remain confident in our economy precisely because of our great workers.
  American workers built the canals and railroads that fueled the 
westward expansion of our early years. They labored in those first 
industrial factories, weaving textiles, smelting iron, and 
manufacturing new products. Our workers electrified America's cities 
and made possible our soaring skylines.
  Whenever they were called upon to serve, they laid down their tools 
and took up arms to defend liberty at home and overseas.
  Today, our workers produce microchips, complex machine parts, and 
quality products sold in markets worldwide. I know that American 
workers will continue to excel as we transition to a green economy.
  The history of labor in our country can be told through the stories 
of Americans who have worked hard because they dream of providing a 
decent life for themselves and their families.
  The great labor leader Samuel Gompers, when asked what motivated 
American workers to organize for better pay and conditions, said:

       We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and 
     less arsenals; more learning and less vice; . . . in fact, 
     more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures.

  It took American workers many decades to win fair wages and safe 
working conditions. Today, the dedicated employees of the Department of 
Labor continue to ensure that American workers are safe, treated 
fairly, and have access to employment opportunities. This also includes 
a commitment to protecting workers' hard-won benefits.
  The men and women of the Department's Plan Benefits Security Division 
engage in legal proceedings to make certain that employees' rights 
under retirement income security legislation are upheld. It is a busy 
office, and its attorneys and staff work on behalf of our Nation's 
labor force and retirees.
  On July 4, 2006, Christine Spicer, who had worked as a secretary in 
the division for 25 years, suffered a debilitating stroke. It left her 
hearing and sight impaired and unable to walk. Unable to perform the 
office tasks she had done for a quarter of a century, Christine could 
have chosen to retire on disability.
  However, she was determined to return to work and keep serving the 
public. Christine engaged in a difficult course of physical, speech, 
and occupational therapy. She returned to work in 2007, and now serves 
as the lead secretary for the division chief--a job entailing great 
responsibility.
  Despite lingering problems with speech and difficulty walking, 
Christine oversees the division's payroll system, personnel paperwork, 
and a number of special assignments in addition to her secretarial 
role. She has been cited by her colleagues as disciplined and cheerful, 
and she is truly one of the Labor Department's unsung heroes.
  The employees of the Department of Labor continually serve American 
workers by safeguarding their right to a living wage and providing what 
our dear friend, the late Senator Ted Kennedy, called ``hope that the 
price of their employment'' is not ``an unsafe workplace and a death at 
an earlier age.''
  I call on my colleagues and on all Americans to join me in honoring 
Christine Spicer and all of the outstanding public servants at our 
Department of Labor.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask to speak as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to express my strong support 
for the nomination of Cass Sunstein from Chicago, IL, to be 
Administrator of the Office of Management and Budget, Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs. It is a long title. But this office 
is critically important. It is the gateway for all the major Federal 
regulatory proposals that protect public health and the environment.
  The Administrator needs a demonstrated record of impartiality and 
openness. President Obama has made it clear that objective science will 
guide his administration in their Federal rules and regulations.
  Cass Sunstein is one of the Nation's most respected legal scholars 
who has shown a commitment to objective, evidence-based regulation. 
Cass Sunstein is a friend, he is a well-respected legal scholar, and he 
has taken insightful approaches to analyzing public policy. He has 
often proposed insightful ways to protect the public welfare, the 
environment, and worker safety.

[[Page S9174]]

  Until he was nominated by President Obama, he served as the Felix 
Frankfurter professor of law at Harvard University, where his research 
spanned administrative and constitutional law, behavioral economics, 
environmental law, and labor law. I know him best from the 27 years he 
served as a member of the faculty of the University of Chicago Law 
School, where he taught one of my sitting colleagues, Senator Amy 
Klobuchar, the senior Senator from Minnesota, and was a teaching 
colleague of the President of the United States.
  He has also served as attorney-adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel 
to the U.S. Department of Justice, law clerked for Justice Benjamin 
Kaplan of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, and clerked for Supreme 
Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. His academic credentials are the best.
  His nomination has been endorsed by many groups and many Nobel Prize 
winners and many former OIRA Administrators. His professional record 
indicates he would use his knowledge and experience to develop and 
implement smart, objective Federal policies and regulations.
  I am going to support him enthusiastically. I believe he will be 
honest in dealing with this critical office, an office which is often 
hidden from the public sight because it deals in the world of rules and 
regulations but one which can have a great impact on the future of this 
Nation. President Obama has chosen well. I hope the Senate will endorse 
his choice.