[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 195 (Tuesday, November 17, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7041-S7042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO COLLEEN HEALY

  Mr. LEE. Madam President, in a city divided by politics, a nation 
riven by disease, and an era defined by partisan opportunism, it is 
vital to remember that there are among us, mercifully, on Capitol Hill, 
a few men and women who embody the very highest ideals of honesty, 
charity, public service, and personal integrity.
  As chairman of the Joint Economic Committee for the past 2 years, I 
have had the privilege of knowing one of these indispensable patriots.
  I rise today, before the end of my term as chairman of the Joint 
Economic Committee and at the end of her 40th year of service on the 
Joint Economic Committee, to commend to all of my colleagues the 
personal and professional merits of Ms. Colleen Healy.
  Colleen was born in Port Allegany, PA, to Bob and Theresa Healy and 
is a sister to Bob, Barry, Brian, and Bret. She attended Port Allegany 
Union High School, where she participated in the school band, chorus, 
student government, and the Spanish club. As a senior, she was selected 
by her classmates to compete for the title of Pennsylvania State Laurel 
Queen of 1969.

[[Page S7042]]

  Colleen next attended Penn State, where she earned her B.A. in 
Spanish and Latin American Studies. After graduating and teaching 
Spanish for several years in Florida, she came to Washington in 1977, 
first working for Representative Joseph Ammerman of Pennsylvania as his 
executive secretary. Colleen then found her calling in the Joint 
Economic Committee, where she has made an indelible mark on generations 
of Representatives, Senators, and staff ever since.
  Colleen has now served on the JEC staff for more than half the time 
the committee has even been in existence. All great institutions, of 
course, depend on institutional memory. The Joint Economic Committee 
depends on Colleen Healy. That is why for decades the first decision 
every incoming JEC chair has made, whether the chair happens to be from 
the House or the Senate, happens to be a Democrat or a Republican, the 
first decision made over and over again is retaining Colleen's 
invaluable services as financial director.
  Colleen is the reason the JEC is known across Capitol Hill for being 
one of the most cooperative and congenial committees to work for, to 
work with, or to serve on because both sides trust Colleen. They also 
know they can trust each other. That has a ripple effect that is 
undeniably positive.
  Staffers trust that they can always go to Colleen with their 
questions and their problems, whether it is about the committee process 
or procedure, and receive gracious, knowledgeable, consistent, honest 
answers.
  But even more impressive than her acumen is her essential kindness 
and grace. Colleen is known to get a flag flown over the Capitol for 
each new baby born to a coworker. Staffers past and present joke that 
you can't walk 10 minutes with Colleen from her office in the Dirksen 
Building and get very far because she has befriended literally everyone 
across the Capitol complex, remembering personal details about their 
lives and their families and stopping to talk with each person along 
the way.
  From Members to staffers, to interns and custodians, Colleen never 
misses an opportunity to make every single person feel important and 
valued and necessary. That, again, has ripple effects that are always 
positive in any organization and certainly are on the JEC.
  As one former coworker put it, when you talk to Colleen, you are 
instantly made to feel like the most special, loved, and cared-for 
person on Earth.
  When you step into her office, you know she is ready to laugh, 
listen, or cry with you.
  As another has said, despite the length of time she has worked in 
Washington, DC, Colleen still exudes warmth and joy--a spirit that 
permeates the committee and touches everyone she meets. This in a city 
not necessarily known for those traits.
  And though she lives it out quietly, she gives witness to her 
Catholic faith each and every day. Mother Teresa once advised: ``Let no 
one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.'' I can think 
of no better way to describe how Colleen Healy lives her life.
  In the words of the JEC vice chair, Representative  Don Beyer, 
``Colleen is the JEC's administrator, historian, sage, and most 
important, the heart and soul of the committee. She is respected and 
beloved by decades of JEC Senate and House Members of both parties, as 
well as generations of staff. Her decades of service have been 
invaluable.''
  We are all better and happier for it.
  I thank Colleen for her service to the committee, and I hope we are 
lucky enough to get another 40 years with her serving on the Joint 
Economic Committee
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.

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