[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 184 (Wednesday, November 30, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S6879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



               Tribute to Carolyn Mack and Caroline Jones

  Madam President, last but not least, I want to take a moment to 
recognize two terrific members of our staff on the Environment and 
Public Works Committee, which I am privileged to lead along with 
Senator Shelley Capito.
  Two of our finest are going to be leaving us this week. Carolyn Mack, 
our committee operations manager, departs our office today, which 
coincidentally is her birthday day. She is retiring after 29 years of 
Senate service.
  Carolyn came to the Environment and Public Works Committee 21 years 
ago when, I think, Jim Jeffords was our chairman. She has faithfully 
served not one, not two, but three EPW chairs, including Senator 
Jeffords, Senator Boxer, and now yours truly.
  Many of our colleagues have heard me say that Senators cannot do all 
that we do without our staff. I hire people smarter than I with better 
hearts and minds. Carolyn is right up there at the top. Quite simply, 
she is the heart and the soul of our EPW operations. Everyone in the 
Senate buildings, from the furniture department to the parking staff, 
including the graphics department, knows, loves, and respects Carolyn.
  At her recent retirement party, Carolyn reflected on what she liked 
about her job. Here is what she said: ``I like to help people.'' That 
is what she said: ``I like to help people.'' What a humble and lovely 
way to view one's job in the U.S. Senate--namely, that it is something 
that comes and flows from wanting to serve.
  We are grateful for Carolyn's help all these years and wish her the 
very best in retirement.
  Lastly, also departing Saturday is Caroline Jones. Caroline started 
with us at EPW 4 years ago as an intern. The Presiding Officer knows 
how important interns are to us. It is like a farm system, if you will, 
of a great staff.
  She has blossomed into an integral member of our staff, working with 
our climate and clean air team. This year, she was the lead for us 
working to ratify the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol, 
something that she did an incredible job with as we phased down HFCs, 
hydrofluorocarbons, which are a thousand times worse than 
CO2 in terms of climate change. And it not only did that, 
but provides jobs--not just climate change but provides jobs--
thousands, tens of thousands of jobs--and billions of dollars of 
economic opportunity. She gave us a big assist on the plate with that.
  But we will miss Caroline's attention to detail, and we are going to 
miss her hard work. But we know she is not going too far. She is 
joining the staff of the Federal Highway Administration's climate 
office. We know she will bring her talents to that office, and they 
will be the better for it, as will our country.
  You can leave the payroll, but you can never leave ``Carpertown.'' As 
they say in the Eagles in ``Hotel California,'' ``You can check out, 
but you can never leave.''
  That certainly is true in this case.
  As we say to our departing staff members, we say in the Navy, wishing 
you fair winds and following seas.
  God bless you both.
  I yield the floor.