[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO MARK LEDUC

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise to honor a member of my staff, 
Mark LeDuc, who will soon retire after decades of distinguished 
service. Mark exemplifies the ideal public servant, demonstrating 
integrity, thoroughness, a spirit of inquiry, and hard work in every 
undertaking. Above all, Mark has always demonstrated his belief that it 
is an honor to serve the people of Maine and our Nation.
  Mark was born in New Jersey, but his father's final tour of duty in 
the U.S. Navy brought the family to Maine, where they were finally 
home. I first met Mark in 1986 at a campaign event for then-
Representative John McKernan, who was running for Governor of the State 
of Maine. He had recently graduated from a joint degree program at 
Columbia Law School and the School of Public and International Affairs 
at Princeton University. He had just moved back to Maine with his wife 
Marie, whom he had met while they were both studying at Princeton.
  Mark and I both went on to work in the Governor McKernan's 
administration. Mark served as head of the Governor's legislative 
staff, and I was commissioner of professional and financial regulation 
in his cabinet. At the time, Maine's workers compensation market was in 
the midst of a crisis, leading to a 17-day State government shutdown. 
Mark and I worked closely together on the reform legislation that ended 
the shutdown and successfully resolved the crisis.
  Mark held other roles in State government, but it was during his 
service in the Governor's office that I first saw and came to 
appreciate his ability to master complex issues and his dedication to 
public service.
  Mark joined my Senate staff in 2003. He has served in various roles 
since that time, first in my personal office, then on my Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs Committee staff, and now as chief 
counsel on my Aging Committee staff. Through the years, Mark has 
advised me with expertise and thoroughness on a wide range of issues. 
He served as my lead economic staffer on such legislation as the 2003 
tax cuts, the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program, the American Recovery 
and Reinvestment Act, the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform 
legislation, and the Collins capital standards amendment. He also 
advised me on the economics of the 2010 Patient Protection and 
Affordable Care Act and later put his knowledge of State insurance 
regulation to work when he helped me to draft the Lower Premiums 
Through Reinsurance Act.
  Mark's most significant professional accomplishment may very well be 
the Paycheck Protection Program that he helped me craft earlier this 
year. During the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, this program has helped 
to sustain more than 50 million American jobs, including more than 
250,000 jobs in the State of Maine, and I so appreciate the great 
knowledge and untiring energy he put into this crucial project. It was 
important, and it helped real people--the small business owners and 
their employees who are the backbone of communities across our Nation.
  Mark has achieved great professional success, but what he is most 
proud of is his family. Mark and Marie have three daughters: Miriam-
Rose, Julie, and Karen. While I am delighted for him that in his 
retirement he will have more time to spend with the family he loves so 
dearly, his absence as a member of my staff will be deeply felt.
  Mark is a true public servant. He performs his work not for accolades 
but for a belief in helping people and doing what right. I wish him and 
his family all the best as they embark on this next chapter.

                          ____________________