[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 56 (Wednesday, April 13, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E440]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JANET AIRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 13, 2016

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I, along with Representative 
Lowey, rise today to recognize and pay tribute to Janet Airis on her 
retirement after 32 years of distinguished service to the Congress with 
the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
  Janet started in the Scorekeeping Unit at CBO in the waning days of 
1983, soon after graduating from Wellesley College. She was first hired 
to maintain the unit's database for tracking the status of enacted 
legislation and over the next 16 years worked as the lead analyst 
responsible for scoring appropriations legislation for five of the 
thirteen Appropriations Committee subcommittees.
  In 2000, after demonstrating her acumen as a proficient analyst, 
Janet made the smooth transition to Unit Chief and took on the 
responsibility of overseeing all of the work of CBO's Scorekeeping 
Unit. Janet has served the Congress diligently by overseeing the unit's 
analyses of the President's budget requests; the estimates of every 
appropriation bill taken through each chamber; the publication of the 
annual Unauthorized Appropriations and Expiring Authorizations report; 
and countless other informal requests for information on budgetary 
matters related to matters under Congressional consideration.
  In addition to her management responsibilities, Janet has directly 
supported the Congress's fiscal bookkeeping by serving as the lead 
analyst for the Legislative Branch appropriations bill.
  Congressional staff and CBO colleagues have come to depend on Janet 
for her ready expertise, her diligence, and her attention to detail. 
She has provided this institution with insightful guidance and analysis 
through several major reforms to budgetary processes, dozens of budget 
resolutions, creation of new government agencies and departments, and 
the reorganization of our committee structures.
  Constant through all that change has been Janet Airis' dedication to 
her work at the Congressional Budget Office. She has been the steady 
hand of the Scorekeeping Unit, generous with her time and knowledge, 
and vital to the smooth functioning of CBO's Budget Analysis Division.
  Janet's retirement constitutes a profound loss of institutional 
memory to both CBO and the Congress--nobody has ever worked in the 
Scorekeeping Unit as long as she has. Her presence won't easily be 
replaced and will be sorely missed.

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