[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 197 (Thursday, December 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1666]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       IN RECOGNITION OF MICHELLE ASH'S 25 YEARS OF HOUSE SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2018

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the longtime service of 
Michelle Ash to the House of the Representatives. Michelle is leaving 
Congress after 25 years of distinguished service.
  For 25 years this institution has greatly benefited from Michelle's 
passion for protecting consumers. Over the last decade, as the Energy 
and Commerce Committee's Chief Counsel for Consumer Protection, 
Michelle has been at the helm for many policy issues that directly 
impact consumers. Whether it be developing the guidelines for ensuring 
that autonomous vehicles are safe, keeping unsafe toys off the shelves, 
ensuring safe packing of toxic substances, fighting to protect 
Americans' personal data from abuse and misuse, or protecting consumers 
from scams, Michelle always puts consumers first.
  A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Michelle decided soon after 
graduating from law school that a career in a law firm was not where 
she saw herself making a difference. Instead, she wanted to be involved 
in crafting policy, and there was no better place to do that than here 
in Washington.
  Michelle began her career in the House in the office of then-
Congressman Ben Cardin of Maryland. There she focused on foreign 
affairs, the judiciary, Social Security, and congressional ethics. In 
1997, she served for a short time as counsel for the House Ethics 
Reform Task Force.
  In 1998, she joined the staff of the Oversight and Government Reform 
Committee as Chief Legislative Counsel for then Ranking Member Henry 
Waxman. At OGR Michelle focused on legislative initiatives that brought 
more transparency to government, including initiatives to protect 
whistleblowers.
  Ten years later, in 2009, when Congressman Waxman became Chairman of 
the Energy and Commerce Committee, Michelle moved over with him to 
serve as the Committee's Chief Counsel on Consumer Protection.
  Over the last ten years, Michelle has been a determined consumer 
advocate, pressing federal agencies to put safety first by using all 
the tools and authorities at their disposal to protect consumers and 
holding companies accountable when their actions harm consumers. She 
has pushed the Consumer Product Safety Commission to take swift action 
to protect Americans, and particularly children, from furniture tip-
overs, dangerously strong magnets that were being swallowed by kids, 
liquid nicotine improperly packed and being ingested by kids, and much 
more.
  She has continuously fought to give the Federal Trade Commission more 
authority to fulfill its mission to prevent harm to consumers, not just 
taking enforcement action after harm has already been done. She has 
also worked to advance the cause of auto safety--urging more effective 
and expedient action on deadly unintended acceleration and brake 
failures, faulty ignition switches that prevented airbags from 
deploying, and exploding airbags that turned a safety device into a 
death device. And at the same time, she has been a mentor to many young 
staffers, sharing with them the benefits of her experience and 
expertise.
  Having spent 25 years working on Capitol Hill, there have been many 
late nights and weekends spent negotiating legislative language and 
preparing for committee hearings, and I want to acknowledge the support 
Michelle has received from her husband, Doug Klein, and children, Erin 
and Sasha.
  Mr. Speaker, American consumers are safer today thanks to Michelle 
Ash's 25 years in Congress. I wish her nothing but the best in her 
future endeavors.

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