[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 45 (Thursday, March 31, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S2041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO DANIEL P. MULHOLLAN
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Today I wish to note the retirement of Daniel P.
Mulhollan as Director of the Congressional Research Service and to
thank him for his service to Congress over the past 42 years. CRS, an
institution with roots going back to 1914, provides essential support
for Congress. Dan Mulhollan has been a part of CRS since September
1969; and he has led CRS since January 24, 1994, when Librarian of
Congress James Billington named him CRS Director.
As Director, Mulhollan's accomplishments have been impressive. He
worked to ensure that the analytical services of CRS are explicitly and
clearly pertinent to the legislative, oversight, and representational
responsibilities of Congress and to the current congressional agenda.
He expanded the ability of CRS to bring interdisciplinary scholarship
to bear on matters important to Congress. His efforts to develop and
implement a personnel succession plan ensure that professional talent
will continue to be available to Congress in the years to come.
Following graduate work in political science at Georgetown
University, Mulhollan came to what was then known as the Legislative
Reference Service. His first division chief recognized the restless
energy of this new analyst in American national government and put him
to work on inquiries about the institutional dimensions of Congress. In
1973 Mulhollan was named section head and subsequently served as head
of three sections in the CRS Government Division. He and the teams he
led worked with committees and Members of Congress on such matters as
lobbying disclosure, the Watergate investigation, and subsequent
impeachment investigation, congressional reorganization, and
congressional ethics. In 1981 Mulhollan became assistant chief of the
CRS Government Division, and in that position he managed research for
Congress on a wide range of issues, among which were the organization
and administration of the executive and legislative branches,
legislative process, voting and elections, lobbying, and political
parties and processes.
In 1991 Mulhollan received the Library's Distinguished Service Award
for his career achievements, and in 1992 James Billington, the
Librarian of Congress, appointed Mulhollan as Acting Deputy Librarian
of Congress for a period of 2 years and commissioned him to head the
Library's effort to enhance its service to Congress. Subsequently,
Mulhollan was named chief of the CRS Government Division; and then in
1994, Dr. Billington named Mulhollan to be Director of the
Congressional Research Service. In making the appointment, Dr.
Billington said, ``Daniel Mulhollan brings to this position
comprehensive knowledge of Congress, an understanding of its research
needs, a strong commitment to diversity, and a record of effective and
energetic administration.'' The Librarian chose well: under Mulhollan's
energetic leadership over the past 17 years, CRS has consolidated its
analytic abilities and has continually demonstrated its worth to the
United States Congress.
I am confident that my Senate colleagues join me in wishing Daniel
Mulhollan well in his retirement, commending his leadership of CRS, and
thanking him for a job well done.
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