[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 9, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S90]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Becky Shipp

  Mr. President, I would like to say a few words about another former 
staffer, Becky Shipp, who also left the Finance Committee staff a few 
months ago to pursue another venture.
  While I have known Becky for more years than either she or I would 
like to count, I can tell you that she served tirelessly on the Senate 
Finance Committee for more than 10 years. She saw chairmen come and go 
and was an institution here in her own right.
  In my time on the Hill, I have come to know many different staffers, 
all of whom got involved in the government for all types of well-
meaning and patriotic reasons. They each have some expertise, some 
interest, and some motivation that helps them get through the hard 
times that staff encounter with the stressful conditions and the below-
market pay.
  I have long said that Senators and staff take on sacred obligations 
when we come to work here, and I cannot think of many who have taken 
that sacred obligation to heart more than Becky Shipp. She spent her 
time in Congress working on welfare and human resource issues. Her 
dedication and zealousness in defending the less fortunate should serve 
as an example to all of us.
  While issues surrounding child welfare, child and family services, 
and foster care programs are often overlooked, anyone in Washington who 
knows anything about these issues knows that Becky has played a 
singular role in the creation and preservation of the safety net we now 
have in place. Too often, welfare issues become bitterly partisan, but 
during Becky's time here, she always strove to find common ground no 
matter the personal sacrifice.
  Her time on the Hill was extremely productive and impacted far more 
children and families than most any of us could probably ever count. 
Still, it was not without moments that, when looking back, seemed 
pretty lighthearted. One such moment came just a few years ago after 
many in Congress had become aware of the fact that welfare funds 
distributed through electronic bank transfers had been used by some to 
purchase alcohol, food, or other illicit items from strip clubs and 
other less than savory establishments. Becky quietly began developing a 
proposal to prevent this type of abuse. Eventually, her idea gained 
more traction than she thought it would initially.
  Once members of the Finance Committee and in the House began to 
realize the nature of this problem, her proposal caught on like 
wildfire. The problem was that the Social Security Act did not have a 
definition for these establishments. After quite a bit of wrangling and 
putting herself in the shoes of some of the more seedy clientele and 
business owners, Becky developed a definition, more or less, from 
scratch. Specifically, the bill, now a Federal statute, prohibited the 
distribution of Federal welfare funds at ``any retail establishment 
which provides adult-oriented entertainment in which performers disrobe 
or perform in an unclothed state for entertainment.'' Now, many have 
chuckled at the specificity of that definition and at the fact that 
someone, somewhere had to come up with and write down that type of 
legal terminology, but Becky was not playing a joke or trying to be 
facetious; she was addressing a legitimate concern. That story, to me, 
epitomizes the type of person Becky Shipp is and the type of 
congressional staffer she was when she worked in the Senate.
  I am quite certain that, even in her new endeavors, Becky will remain 
committed to promoting the same type of no-nonsense, proper governance, 
with an equal eye toward helping those in need to find meaningful work, 
care, and assistance. While Becky's work ethic, persistence, and 
friendliness have already been missed on the Finance Committee, I am 
quite certain that she will continue to do many great things and help 
many more people.
  I personally thank Becky for her years of service and for all that 
she has done for me, for others in the Senate, and for those in our 
country who have been in need of a helping hand.