[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 152 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ROBERT F. HEIL, JR.

  Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, I salute an unsung hero in our 
government, Mr. Robert F. Heil, Jr. Bob, as he is known to his friends, 
is retiring as the budget director at the Health Resources Services 
Administration after 42 years of service to the Federal Government.
  To be honest, I don't know Bob Heil but I have heard about him and 
his work for years. Bob isn't the guy who stands up and gives speeches, 
he's the guy that quietly makes things happen. Whenever there was a 
problem with one of the community health centers in my State, my staff 
would say ``I'll call Bob'' and I knew it would get straightened out. 
Bob would always call to let us know when something good might happen, 
and if something bad was coming, he would call with a solution before 
we knew there was a problem. He's a man you can trust.
  In a town where political winds blow, Bob has won universal praise 
from both sides of the aisle for years. That's because he always 
answers the phone, if he knows the answer he gives it, and he treats 
everyone with the same respect--no matter who is in the White House or 
who is in control of Congress.
  As Bob moves into another phase of his life, I thank him for his 
years of work expanding access to health care for the least fortunate 
among us. Hubert Humphrey once said, ``the moral test of government is 
how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the 
children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who 
are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped.''
  By that measure, Bob has made our society and our government a much 
better one. Thank you Bob, on behalf of myself, my staff, and all those 
who will never know who to thank. I wish you all the best.

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