[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 26 (Thursday, February 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO RACHEL BAILEY

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, every day in the Senate we owe an 
enormous amount of gratitude to our staff and to the staff here on the 
floor which work long hours--often behind the scenes and away from the 
headlines--to make possible the smooth functioning of this institution.
  Today I would like to offer particular gratitude for one of the 
Senate pages who was among the youngest members of that extraordinary 
and unheralded team--a page I was privileged to sponsor here, 16-year-
old Rachel Bailey from Glendale, MD.
  Rachel found herself serving as a page during last year's lameduck 
session--one of a pair of the only Senate pages, in fact, on hand 
during that historically busy period.
  As we know, typically, the Senate has 30 pages working at any given 
time. And with 100 Senators, the pace can get pretty hectic.
  So imagine how hectic it became for Rachel when the rest of her page 
class went home for the holidays, leaving her and one fellow page to 
handle all the page duties in what proved to be an extremely productive 
and busy session.
  Together they handled it all with a smile, carrying the workload of 
30 pages and never missing a beat, even though it meant no days off and 
working up to 14 hours each day. And Rachel did so in a manner that was 
calm, professional and bipartisan, working with both the Democratic and 
Republican cloakrooms.
  Pages play an important role in the daily operation of the Senate. 
They deliver correspondence and legislative material throughout the 
Capitol. They take messages for Senators or call them to the phone. 
They prepare the Chamber for Senate sessions, and they carry bills and 
amendments to the desk. All of this is in addition to their regular 
school work.
  But as demanding as it is, being a page also gives a student a rare 
opportunity to learn about--and contribute--to the legislative branch 
of our government and to witness firsthand the debates in the U.S. 
Senate, often described as the ``greatest deliberative body in the 
world.'' And in the lameduck session, Rachel had an up close look at a 
flurry of major legislation, including the Senate's bipartisan 
ratification of the New START Treaty, a long-sought arms reduction 
agreement with Russia.
  Serving as a page has inspired numerous young Americans to pursue 
careers in public service, even in politics and in the Senate. My 
friend Chris Dodd, who just retired after more than three decades in 
Congress, once served as a Senate page. So did one of my current 
colleagues, Mark Pryor of Arkansas. So perhaps someday we will see 
Rachel in the Senate again, in some role other than page.
  But in the meantime, let me thank Rachel's parents, Susan and Karl, 
for sharing her with the Senate during the Christmas holiday, and 
sustaining her in her first foray in public service--and please also 
allow me to thank Rachel for her extra special efforts and to express 
my admiration for the way she conducted herself throughout our lameduck 
session. She has set the bar high for herself--and for all the Senate 
pages who will follow.

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