[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 9 (Thursday, January 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING MELISSA CONNOLLY AND HER SERVICE TO THE HOUSE OF 
                            REPRESENTATIVES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 13, 2022

  Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank Melissa Connolly for 
over eight years of service to the constituents of New York's 10th 
Congressional District.
  Melissa's career in the House began in 2009 as a Legislative 
Assistant to former Representative Jerry Costello following her 
graduation from Duke University's School of Public Policy and the 
University of Pennsylvania. After working with former Representative 
Shelley Berkley, Melissa joined my office in 2013, rising from 
Legislative Assistant to become my Legislative Director.
  As Legislative Director, Melissa has been a trusted and valued 
advisor who helped set and manage my policy agenda. She also played a 
significant leadership role in my Washington DC office, serving as a 
mentor and a resource for junior staff, and I appreciate and have 
relied on her skill and experience in managing our team. Melissa also 
helped staff me in my role as Dean of the New York Delegation, which 
included coordinating meetings with the New York Delegation and other 
elected officials from the City and State.
  Throughout her tenure in my office, Melissa established herself as an 
expert on issues relating to women and families and as a critical 
resource for other staff on Capitol Hill working on those issues. She 
worked tirelessly with the Education and Labor Committee, women's and 
labor rights organizations, and businesses to help pass the Pregnant 
Workers Fairness Act on the House floor with a strong bipartisan vote. 
Her countless hours of work building support for this legislation 
should pave the way for it to become law soon and to improve the lives 
of millions of Americans.
  Melissa also worked closely with my Judiciary Committee staff on 
several important initiatives, including legislation extending the 
deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which passed the House 
twice. She also helped lead the Judiciary Committee's work to protect 
women's fundamental right to abortion, springing into action after 
Texas enacted its abortion ban to help plan a hearing to spotlight the 
devastating impact of the law. She approaches the topic of reproductive 
freedom and health with the knowledge, passion, and energy that makes 
her an extremely effective policymaker.
  In addition to these issues, Melissa has managed a broad portfolio 
over the course of her 13 years on the Hill. She worked to help pass 
and ensure effective implementation of the Affordable Care Act and 
helped fend off numerous Republican attacks designed to repeal it. She 
has worked diligently with stakeholders to build support for the Living 
Donor Protection Act, which would protect living organ donors from high 
insurance premiums and remove barriers to organ donation. She has also 
long led my office's effort to increase funding for both Section 8 
housing and Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS in the annual 
appropriations bills. Her efforts to build support for these programs 
has translated into millions of dollars of additional funding for 
people in dire need of support. They may never know her name, but she 
has, nevertheless, improved countless lives through her efforts.
  Twenty years later, my office continues to work on issues stemming 
from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Melissa was essential 
to our efforts to extend and expand the 9/11 health and victim 
compensation programs that have distributed more than $9 billion to the 
families of first responders and survivors of these attacks. The health 
care program has helped care for tens of thousands of Americans with 9/
11 related health conditions and Melissa helped organize the most 
recent Judiciary Committee hearings on the programs that led to their 
long-term extension.
  In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Melissa not only smoothly 
managed her legislative team's transition to a remote work environment, 
but she also worked tirelessly to advocate for the needs of New Yorkers 
and keep my constituents informed of our efforts. She effectively 
advocated for specific legislative provisions to assist New York's 
hospitals, mass transit, small businesses, arts institutions and 
museums, and tenants, and she worked doggedly to see that these 
provisions were included in the comprehensive bills that were passed to 
address the pandemic and economic collapse that followed. She also 
planned and implemented our COVID-19 communication strategy with our 
communications and community liaison staff, including drafting issue-
specific, weekly e-newsletters, setting up web pages explaining the 
CARES Act and Heroes Act benefits, and creating toolkits for 
constituents seeking assistance.
  I would be remiss if I did not mention Melissa's husband, Mike 
Connolly, and her children, Maisie and Robert. Both of her children 
were born during her tenure in the office, and for me and the rest of 
our team it has been a pleasure watching them grow up, hearing their 
stories, and occasionally receiving their artwork, many of which are 
displayed throughout the D.C. office.
  Finally, Melissa has a great attitude, a good sense of humor, and is 
a joy to work with. She has sound judgment, excellent people skills, 
and a deep understanding of how Congress works. My staff and I are 
lucky to have worked with her for all these years, and we will surely 
miss her as she moves on to new endeavors in the private sector.

                          ____________________