[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 177 (Thursday, October 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6950-S6951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MEGAN MERCER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, now on one final matter, it is a 
small group of people who become familiar faces right here on the floor 
of the U.S. Senate. There are the Senators themselves, the nonpartisan 
professionals on the dais, the Capitol Police, and doorkeepers.
  And then, Madam President, you have the men and women of each party's 
cloakroom. These small and tight-knit teams keep information flowing 
from the Senate floor to Members' offices and vice versa. They track 
legislation and amendments. They negotiate procedure across the aisle. 
And in a thousand other duties, they all add up to tense days, late 
nights, and a truly front-row seat to Congress.
  For the last decade, one of those special few has been a daughter of 
Kentucky and an alumna of my own office: Megan Mercer.
  Megan's Senate story started about 15 years ago, when she spent a 
summer as a page. Before long, this impressive young woman took an 
internship in my personal office, serving Kentucky; then an entry-level 
position in my leadership office here in the Capitol; and then Megan 
came here to the floor, to the Republican cloakroom.
  A decade ago now, she took a seat behind their big desk. She answered 
phones. She answered questions. She learned the ropes. And over 10 
years, she worked her way up to a key role of senior floor assistant.
  Pick any important vote, and Megan has been right here in the well, 
at this table, tallying the count for our side. She has cleared 
legislation and consent

[[Page S6951]]

requests. She has negotiated with Democrat counterparts on a daily 
basis.
  Through it all, Megan's colleagues have come to admire her patience, 
level-headedness, and the institutional knowledge she has built up; and 
so have we Senators.
  Fortunately, the work has not been thankless. I remember Megan was 
especially thrilled when Senator Lamar Alexander made sure that Megan's 
help with the Music Modernization Act yielded a signed ``thank you'' 
note from Dolly Parton--one of her all-time favorites.
  So as we, unfortunately, prepare for Megan's upcoming departure from 
the Senate, I want to thank her for her fine public service. Megan has 
made her native Kentucky proud; she has made her parents Dr. Albert and 
Robin Mercer very proud; and she has made me proud as well.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
permitted to speak as if in morning business.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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