[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 34 (Monday, February 25, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2065-H2066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THANKING KAREN L. HAAS FOR HER SERVICE AS CLERK OF THE HOUSE, AND 
              WELCOMING CLERK-DESIGNATE CHERYL L. JOHNSON

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank and congratulate Karen Haas, 
and say how very appreciative this House is for the extraordinary 
service that has been given to us for many years, and to the people of 
this country, by Karen Haas.
  Karen, thank you so much.
  She has been the Clerk of the House for a very long time. She was the 
Clerk of the House in the 109th and 110th Congresses as well.
  Throughout her tenure, she served with distinction, working hard to 
ensure that the Office of the Clerk always acted in a nonpartisan, 
bipartisan way, which brought credit on this House and great service to 
every Member.
  Thank you for that, Karen.
  Many of us serving in the House have known her even longer, going 
back to her service on the staff of former Speaker Hastert and former 
Republican Leader Bob Michel.
  I might say of the latter, Bob Michel was one of the finest human 
beings I have ever known and one of the best Members that I have ever 
served with. Karen was proud to serve with him, and he, I know, was so 
fond of Karen and her service to him and to the House.
  Now, I may not be totally objective. Karen is a native Marylander. 
Karen is also a graduate of the University of Maryland, so Karen and I 
share a lot in common. We live in Maryland; we graduated from Maryland; 
and we love this House.
  I offer her the thanks of the House, its Members, and our staff, as 
she steps down from this position. I am not sure where Karen is going, 
but I guarantee you, our loss will be somebody else's gain, because she 
has the kind of talent, commitment, energy, and faithfulness that will 
make a real difference wherever she goes.
  I also congratulate Cheryl Johnson for becoming the 36th Clerk of the 
House of Representatives.
  Ladies and gentlemen of the House, Cheryl returns to the House where 
she served for 20 years with the Committee on Education and Labor, as 
well as the Committee on House Administration.
  She will bring an extraordinary amount of experience to her job as 
the Clerk of the House. I know she will do an outstanding job, and I 
welcome her back to this House, which she has served so ably before.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Scalise), the Republican whip.
  Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland, the 
Terrapin from Maryland, for yielding.
  I want to say, first, we are going to miss Karen Haas. Karen Haas 
served this body so well, as the majority leader talked about, and in 
such a fair way, treating all Members with the dignity and respect that 
they all deserve as we all carry out the work of the people's House.
  When you think about the different roles that she has played, serving 
this Chamber, this body, for decades in a number of different roles, 
but, of course, most notably to all of us, twice as Clerk of the House. 
She was actually here once before, left, realized just how much fun it 
is to be in this House and work for this great body, and came back.
  We thank you for coming back again and for your great service during 
these times.
  So much work goes into the operations of the House. The things that 
we do on a daily basis, whether it is a Member filing a bill, when you 
go down to drop your bill in the hopper, it is Karen and the entire 
team that she has put together at the Office of the Clerk that receives 
the bills, that processes the bills.
  When we all vote for and sometimes against the Journal, it is the 
Clerk that puts together the Journal of the House to make sure that the 
things that we do are properly recorded throughout time for people to 
go review.
  It is an important job. But it is the work that she has done that we 
all see on a daily basis that we are going to miss.
  As Cheryl Johnson takes her place, best of luck to you as well. We 
wish you all the best, but we are going to miss Karen.

[[Page H2066]]

  We wish you the best in your next endeavor. You can come visit us 
from time to time.
  Karen, thank you so much for the work that you have done on behalf of 
not just us as Members of Congress, but on behalf of all the American 
people who count on this institution to function properly, for helping 
us make sure that it is done in a proper, efficient, fair, and 
impartial way. Best of luck to you, Karen.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the whip for his comments, and I 
certainly share his views. I am now pleased to yield to my friend, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the Republican leader.

  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding, and I rise 
to congratulate Karen Haas, who after five terms as Clerk of the House, 
is retiring.
  I would like to remind all Members in this body that fewer than 
11,000 people have ever had the privilege to serve in this House. It is 
even fewer for a Clerk.
  Karen was our 34th Clerk and only the second woman to hold that 
position. We thank you for that leadership. When we think about the 
role of the House Clerk, you think of roll calls and recorded votes. 
But the Office of the Clerk is really about continuity. Without the 
Clerk, Congress could not fulfill its obligation to the American people 
and move in a smooth manner, which many people don't see the challenge.
  Few individuals are more committed to preserving the continuity than 
Karen. She has done that as Clerk and as a trusted staff member and 
floor assistant. Always, she has been a friend and counselor to 
Members, regardless of what side of the aisle you sat on.
  Karen Haas also equipped and modernized this House for the 21st 
century. Oftentimes, you won't see that because it is behind the 
scenes, but it makes the legislative process more accessible to the 
people it serves.
  Mr. Speaker, we are grateful to Karen for her dedication, her team's 
professionalism, and her steady hand on the tiller. Her service reminds 
us of an important fact: The people's House is only as good as its 
people.
  You rose to the occasion. On behalf of a very grateful House, and a 
grateful Nation, we say thank you, Karen.
  And to Cheryl, we wish you the best.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield to the Speaker of 
the House, Ms. Pelosi.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished leader for 
recognition and calling us together to salute two great women in this 
Chamber.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise for the great honor of swearing in Cheryl Lynn 
Johnson as the 36th Clerk of the House of Representatives. This is a 
very distinguished and prestigious role.
  Mr. McCarthy, I was pleased to appoint the first African American 
woman Clerk of the House, Lorraine Miller, when I was Speaker before, 
and now I am happy to be appointing the second.
  We are privileged to be joined by Cheryl's parents, the Reverend 
Charlie Davis and Cynthia Davis of New Orleans, who are with us in the 
Chamber. Thank you for being with us.
  We are also pleased to welcome Cheryl's husband, Clarence Ellison, 
and her son, Bradford, to this Chamber today as well. Welcome to you, 
and thank you.
  I join our colleagues, the distinguished Democratic leader, the 
Republican leader, and distinguished Republican whip in saluting House 
Clerk Karen Haas for her many years of distinguished service to this 
institution.
  Anyone who knows her is proud of her service. On behalf of the U.S. 
House of Representatives, I thank you, Karen, for the great integrity 
and dedication for which you have served the people's House. Thank you 
so much.
  She has been magnificent.
  Cheryl Johnson embodies public service and has dedicated her career 
to strengthening many of the most important institutions of our 
democracy, including our own.
  Indeed, today is a homecoming, as Leader Hoyer has mentioned, as 
Cheryl returns to the House of Representatives where she worked with 
distinction and honor for Chairman Lacy Clay, Sr.--I emphasize senior--
of the Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Libraries 
and Memorials; and the House Committee on Post Offices and Civil 
Service Subcommittee on Investigations.
  Our country is stronger for her work on the then-Committee on 
Education and the Workforce to secure justice and progress for our 
children and advance fairness and respect for our workers.
  In the Congress, she earned the respect of all--Members and staff, 
Democrats and Republicans--for being a leader of compassion, courage, 
and commitment.
  Cheryl returns to the House after more than a decade at the 
Smithsonian Institution. Her great dedication to that American 
treasure--which is the largest museum in the world--has ensured that it 
will remain a source of creativity, innovation, and research for 
generations to come.
  Our Nation is particularly grateful for her extraordinary vision and 
persistence in helping transform the dream of the National Museum of 
African American History and Culture into a reality.
  Cheryl has made a difference empowering millions of Americans and 
visitors from abroad to explore and be inspired by the beauty and 
richness of American culture and history.
  Cheryl's strong leadership and deep love and respect for the 
institutions of our democracy will be vital in her role as House Clerk, 
strengthening and safeguarding the Congress in the tradition of Karen 
and the Congress, the first branch of government, Article I.
  I thank Cheryl for her commitment to our institution and to our 
democracy; and with great, again, recognition and appreciation to Karen 
Haas for her service.
  It is now my privilege to administer the oath of office to Cheryl 
Johnson.

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