[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING JANICE SIEGEL ON HER RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2021

  Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the work and dedication of 
my longest-serving congressional staff person--Janice Siegel.
  Janice worked with me and a small group of people on the brief but 
intense campaign to fill the vacancy left by Ted Weiss in 1992. She 
came with me to Washington, D.C., to set up my office and staff for my 
first term and stayed with my office for 29 years. As my Director of 
Operations, Janice provided sound advice on complicated budget, ethics, 
and personnel matters. Her careful, methodical approach to financial 
matters has served the office well and has saved us tens of thousands 
of dollars over the years. Janice also managed my D.C. schedule for 
more than twenty years, made countless train/plane/and hotel 
reservations for me, and tracked every penny of our Members' 
Representational Allowance. Perhaps most importantly she made sure we 
never overspent our MRA, and, therefore, I was never asked to pay for 
any office expenses from my own pocket. I thank her for that.
  Janice also coordinated numerous office moves over her career in the 
House and worked on everything from the color of the carpet, walls and 
drapes, to the purchasing of equipment, and movement of phones and 
computers throughout the House complex. She was well known throughout 
the House by the many hundreds of people she worked with on all these 
matters over the years.
  Janice not only served my office well, but she was a real asset to 
the House of Representatives as a whole and helped with numerous House-
wide initiatives to make the House operate more efficiently and 
effectively.
  Janice founded the Professional Administrative Managers (PAM) 
organization, and as its leader she organized a number of large 
meetings which brought staff together with House Administrative 
officials to discuss the implementation of new policies and procedures 
related to House operations. In addition, she worked with the Office of 
the Inspector General to create a ``Financial Administrators 
Curriculum'' which is now offered by the Congressional Staff Academy. 
Her organization included offices from both sides of the aisle and its 
influence was felt by the leaders of House Administration who 
frequently sought input and advice from the group. She was in regular 
contact with the various Chief Administrative Officers (CAO) of the 
House, the C.F.O., and the Directors of Payroll during her time on the 
Hill. These relationships gave her access to information and resources 
that were very helpful to our office.
  On another note, Janice has always cared about me personally, about 
my reputation, and especially about my personal safety. Over the years, 
Janice made sure the Capitol Police were aware of the threats against 
me and took additional steps to enhance my safety. She has had my 
interests in mind as she made spending and ethics decisions and was 
driven by a strong sense or right and wrong that kept me out of trouble 
for her entire tenure. As she was fond of saying, her job was to keep 
me OUT of the news. Meaning, she never wanted there to be a news story 
that we were not running the office ethically or in a financially sound 
manner.
  Finally. Janice is a compassionate, caring person who has a touch for 
and a real understanding of the importance of nice gestures. She takes 
the initiative to make suggestions for reaching out to people, 
especially when they are sick or someone close to them has recently 
passed away. She is thoughtful and considerate of others when it 
matters most. I appreciate all she has done over the years to connect 
with people facing trying times.
  I would be remiss if I did not mention Janice's family and her 
husband, Frank Mumford. Janice is a wonderful daughter, sister, and 
wife and mentioned her family often while at work. She cared for her 
father when he became ill and moved into her home, and helped her 
sister get the help she needed to get treatment for cancer. She and 
Frank supported each other through tough times and were always there 
for one another. She is lucky to have Frank by her side.
  Janice herself is a breast cancer survivor and she worked in our 
office all through her own treatment. She faced the diagnosis bravely 
and unafraid. She has always been a strong supporter of breast cancer 
research and funding and was always looking for ways for us to get 
involved and be supportive of the cause. We know that the loss of her 
mother to the disease when she was just a child affected her deeply. We 
imagine her mother would be proud to see her daughter working in 
Congress, supporting efforts to increase funding for breast cancer 
research, working for a Member from New York City, and doing so with 
such distinction and for such a long period of time.
  I know I am proud of the work she has done for us and want to 
sincerely thank her for everything she has done for me.
  We will miss Janice. We wish her all the best in her retirement.