[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 129 (Tuesday, July 31, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5513-S5514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING LAURA EFURD

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise to commemorate the life and public 
service of Laura Efurd who passed away on July 2, 2018.
  Losing someone as hard-working, level-headed, and good humored as 
Laura is not easy. I was proud that Laura was willing to return to 
public service as my State administrative manager. She provided a 
steady, experienced hand, and balanced it with her kindness and genial 
nature. Her regular, day-to-day presence helped me and my staff a great 
deal. We miss her.
  Laura had a life well-lived. She was born in Kona, HI and raised in 
Mililani.
  Laura left Hawaii for college at Ouachita Baptist University in 
Arkadelphia, and earned a master's degree from American University in 
Washington, DC. She established herself professionally on Capitol Hill 
working first for Congressman Robinson from Arkansas, then as 
legislative director for almost 9 years to my friend, Congresswoman 
Patsy T. Mink of Hawaii.
  Patsy was well known for standing up for underserved communities, 
including women and minorities, and a tireless fighter for social 
justice and expanding access to quality health care and education. 
While Patsy was a force of nature, we all know what an important role 
that staff plays in a congressional office to support and execute the 
work of their Members. As legislative director, Laura was instrumental 
in working with Patsy. She helped spearhead the establishment of the 
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, CAPAC, founded by 
Representative Mink and Norm Mineta, D-CA, in 1994. Laura served as the 
caucus's primary staffer during Representative Mink's term as chair. 
CAPAC's creation helped to initiate and provide a much needed voice for 
the AAPI community in Congress. At its start, CAPAC was made up of two 
Senators and five AAPI House Members representing Hawaii, California, 
American Samoa, and Guam. Since then, the caucus has grown to 22 
members, with 3 Senators and 19 House Members representing 10 States 
and territories.
  Laura was also a founding member of the Congressional Asian Pacific 
American Staff Association, CAPASA, and helped to support the 
internships that CAPASA sponsors through the Asian Pacific American 
Institute for Congressional Studies.
  Through her commitment to public service--particularly in the Asian 
American and Pacific Islanders, AAPI, community--a greater number of 
individuals have had the opportunity to realize their dream of service 
to our Nation.
  After nearly a decade serving on the Hill, Laura moved to the 
executive branch, where she served in the U.S. Department of Labor 
before working in the Clinton White House. There, as Deputy Director of 
the Office of Public Liaison, she worked to build bridges for the AAPI 
community across the country into the highest levels of our Nation's 
government. She helped to identify and confirm key AAPI appointments 
and was instrumental in the creation of the White House Initiative on 
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, another institution to expand 
opportunity to the AAPI community that is still in existence today.
  After her service in the White House, Laura headed to San Francisco 
and worked for ZeroDivide, a nonprofit focused on helping underserved 
communities understand and unlock technology as a means of expanding 
economic opportunity, civic engagement, and healthy outcomes.
  In recognition of her work building enduring institutions that expand 
opportunity within the AAPI community, Laura was awarded this year's 
Jose M. Montano, Jr. Award from the Congressional Asian Pacific 
American Staff Association. This award recognizes a Capitol Hill alum 
who has gone above and beyond to sustain a pipeline of AAPI staffers 
and leaders on the Hill.
  Over the years, she has found other ways to serve and promote 
opportunity. She served as a member of the Federal Communications 
Commission Consumer Advisory Committee, with the Center for Women's 
Policy Studies, and as, chair of the Governor of California's Task 
Force on Broadband, Community Development, and Public/Private 
Partnerships. In these roles, Laura's work was always about giving a 
voice to people who had all too often been overlooked or forgotten.
  All along, Laura touched many people with her care and compassion, 
generosity of spirit, and gracious tenacity. She poured all of her 
energy into whatever she was working on. In one instance, I recall that 
for our staff retreat, she worked at great length to create games that 
brought staff with diverse backgrounds together for a common purpose, 
to share the uniqueness of Hawaii, and to reinforce the reason why 
those of us in public service do what we do.
  It is difficult when we lose someone who was so full of life and 
still had much potential. We remember Laura as a giving individual who 
shared so much with so many. Laura made a positive impact during her 
life, one that extends from coast to coast, and took her from Hawaii to 
the highest levels of our government. As her brother Steve wrote on the 
day she passed:

       Her impact on people was never more evident than during the 
     outpouring of support she had during the past year and 
     especially during the past few weeks. The impact she had will 
     be felt way beyond the end of her time on earth. Her time 
     here with us is pau. But Laura will live on in our hearts, 
     our memories, our actions, our stories, as well as in 
     programs she helped guide, in legislation she helped to 
     craft, and in her crafts, and in

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     the example she set. Our celebration of her life here with us 
     is going to be a special one.

                          ____________________