[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 52 (Thursday, March 29, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S2235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JENNIFER L. SMITH

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise along with my colleague, the 
ranking member of the Budget Committee, Senator Sessions, to pay 
tribute to Jennifer L. Smith, who is retiring this week after more than 
32 years of distinguished service to the Congress.
  Ms. Smith began her congressional career in 1979, working in the 
Senate. While working, she attended law school at night and became one 
of the Senate's Assistant Parliamentarians. She has since served as an 
Assistant Counsel for the House Budget Committee, the General Counsel 
for the Senate Budget Committee, and the Deputy General Counsel for 
CBO. In 2006, she returned to the Senate Parliamentarian's Office as 
the Senate Precedents Editor and in 2010 returned to CBO as the 
Associate General Counsel.
  In each of her roles, Ms. Smith worked tirelessly to ensure that the 
decisions of each office were carefully researched, well reasoned, and 
fully documented.
  As an attorney for CBO, Ms. Smith ensured that CBO's estimates of 
legislation were based on a solid understanding of the law. Her skills 
as an attorney have been highlighted in the diverse issues she has 
worked on while at CBO, ranging from immigration, to Social Security to 
lease-purchase issues. Her knowledge of appropriations law, copyright 
law, and the ethics rules of the House of Representatives rivals those 
of the most acknowledged experts in those fields.
  Ms. Smith's excellent work has been recognized throughout her career. 
In 2005, for instance, as CBO's Deputy General Counsel, she received a 
CBO Director's Award for outstanding performance, one of many such 
awards.
  Ms. Smith has exemplified CBO's high standard of professionalism, 
objectivity, and nonpartisanship. As chairman, I greatly appreciate the 
sacrifices that Ms. Smith--as well as her family--has made in assisting 
the Budget Committee and Congress.
  I would like to turn to my colleague, Senator Sessions, for his 
remarks.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I thank the chairman and join him in commending Ms. 
Smith for her many years of dedicated, faithful, and outstanding 
service to CBO, to the Senate through her work in the Parliamentarian's 
Office and the Budget Committee, and to the Congress and American 
people. We wish her all the best in her well-deserved retirement.
  We hope our colleagues will join us in thanking Ms. Smith--and really 
all of the hard-working employees at the Congressional Budget Office--
for her and their service.

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