[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 14, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING CHRIS ALLEN

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I am here today to talk about something 
very sad. Last week, my staff and I were informed that a colleague of 
ours, Chris Allen, a Senate staffer in the Senate Finance Committee, 
passed away unexpectedly.
  Chris was an amazing guy. He was diligent, hard-working, and an 
expert on pensions and tax-exempt organizations. He was a very valued 
colleague.
  I got to know him particularly well over the last couple of years as 
we worked together on pension issues. He was the one who, along with 
Charlie Bolton in my office, really focused on the complicated issue of 
multiemployer pensions and other retirement security issues.
  We have a crisis in our country right now. The pension system is in 
big trouble. Chris Allen played a pivotal role in ensuring that this 
very important issue was brought to the fore and that we have 
responsible solutions for it. He was developing a framework to prevent 
the collapse of that longtime employer system. He also recently 
prevented pension cuts to over 92,000 retired coal miners through his 
work. He is the one, I think, most responsible from all of the staff on 
the Hill for ensuring that we expanded 401(k)s to millions of part-time 
workers left behind by current law.
  Last month, Congress enacted and the President signed the SECURE Act. 
It is going to help millions of Americans to have more peace of mind in 
retirement. I don't believe it would have passed the Senate at the end 
of last year but for Chris. That is how important he was. Through his 
quick wit and tenacity, he is the one who built the coalitions to get 
that done, and he built the momentum for it when, frankly, a lot of 
others had given up. As a result, all Americans are better off.
  In this difficult time, my thoughts and my prayers are with his wife 
Lynda-Marie, his daughters Sophie and Lucie, and all of his family and 
his many, many friends, as we mourn the loss of a true public servant. 
I also want to express condolences to Chairman Grassley and the entire 
staff of the Senate Finance Committee.
  Chris will be dearly missed as a friend, a retirement expert, and a 
model public servant.

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