[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 194 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S7384]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO JANAK ``HODGE'' K. PATEL

  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today, I wish to recognize and honor the 
extraordinary public service of Janak ``Hodge'' Kanti Patel, who has 
been my State director for the past 6 years in the U.S. Senate and my 
district director for the prior 6 years in the U.S. House of 
Representatives. Over 22 years in the House and Senate, Hodge has 
served the people of Indiana with a high level of integrity and 
professionalism, combined with a strong emphasis on constituent 
services and community engagement.
  A longtime resident of South Bend, IN, Hodge attended St. John the 
Baptist Roman Catholic Church and School, St. Joseph's High School, 
Holy Cross College, St. Mary's College, and the University Notre Dame. 
While at Notre Dame, Hodge interned for then-Third Congressional 
District U.S. Congressman Tim Roemer and was hired upon graduation as a 
case manager, where he worked on military, veterans, and immigration 
case work until he was promoted to the role of field representative in 
that same office.
  In 2001, Hodge joined the staff of U.S. Senator Evan Bayh as his 
Northeast Indiana Regional Director, where he covered 21 counties and 
two offices: Fort Wayne and South Bend. Upon my election in 2006 to the 
U.S. House of Representatives, I invited Hodge to join my team as 
district director. In his role, he helped establish three congressional 
offices and hired a highly dedicated team of nine staff members to help 
serve the more than 700,000 Hoosiers that I represented for three terms 
in Congress. Together we worked to establish an expanded VA community 
based outpatient clinic in downtown South Bend, a full service veterans 
healthcare clinic for St. Joseph County, as well as organized job 
fairs, job-seeker workshops, and access to capital events for small 
businesses across the Second Congressional District. Hodge also helped 
to organize more than 1 dozen constituent stakeholder advisory groups 
and oversaw our office's military service academy nominations process.
  In 2012, when I was elected to the U.S. Senate, I once again asked 
Hodge to join me. As my State director, Hodge led my team in Indiana 
and played a vital role in hiring 20 staff members to help serve 
Hoosiers and established six Senate offices located in Evansville, Fort 
Wayne, Hammond, Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, and in my hometown of 
South Bend.
  Over the last 6 years, Hodge oversaw our constituent services team 
that managed 12,000 cases and recovered $12.6 million for Hoosiers. He 
also played an important role in working with our grants director to 
proactively seek out opportunities where we could enhance nonprofit 
organizations and local communities in their efforts to serve the 
public. Additionally, there were more than 100 projects around the 
state that Hodge and the Indiana State staff team worked on to ensure a 
favorable outcome. Finally, Hodge was also able to build coalitions and 
gain a high level of respect among his counterparts in Indiana on both 
sides of the aisle in both the House and Senate.
  I am extremely proud to recognize Hodge Patel's 22 years of tireless 
commitment to public service on behalf of Hoosiers. I wish Hodge and 
his four children Harper, Dylan, Elliott and Quinn, as well as his 
partner, Ali Oesch, the best in their future endeavors outside of 
public service.

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