[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING JESSICA SHAPIRO FOR EXEMPLARY WORK FOR THE HOUSE OFFICE OF THE 
                          LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 7, 2023

  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise along with the Honorable Frank Pallone 
of New Jersey, to include in the Record a letter to recognize and 
express our sincere appreciation for Ms. Jessica Shapiro's nearly two 
decades of exemplary work for the House Office of the Legislative 
Counsel.

                                                 February 7, 2023.
     Jessica Shapiro,
     Senior Counsel, House Office of the Legislative Counsel, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Ms. Shapiro: Over the last two decades, you have 
     played a vital role drafting the words of thousands of health 
     policies--many of which have become transformative laws--and 
     you have done so with integrity, professionalism, and 
     meticulousness.
       When you began your career in the U.S. House of 
     Representatives, America still had gaping holes in its health 
     insurance system. The words you drafted as part of the 
     Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148), Medicare Access and CHIP 
     Reauthorization Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-10), and No Surprises 
     Act (P.L. 116-260)--just to name have few--have become the 
     cornerstone for a more equitable health system that has 
     guaranteed access to health services and provided a more 
     robust safety net for millions of Americans. Most recently, 
     the work you did on Medicare drug pricing reform, originally 
     part of the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, 
     formed a key component or President Biden's Inflation 
     Reduction Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-169). Your equanimity, vast 
     knowledge of the intricacies of the Social Security Act (P.L. 
     74-271), and methodical approach to drafting policy were 
     vital to the success of that process, which required hundreds 
     of hours of drafting, problem-solving, and redrafting. Nearly 
     70 million Americans will benefit from your unwavering 
     commitment to this work.
       Few realize the number of hours of refinement, 
     modification, and revision that go into making a law 
     operational, particularly in the health space. And for every 
     high-profile public law, there are also countless bills and 
     amendments that do not succeed. All of this work requires 
     sacrifices--time away from family and friends as a result of 
     weekend and after-hour intrusions--that often go 
     unacknowledged.
       The U.S. health system is in a better place today because 
     of the sacrifices you made during your time at the House 
     Office of the Legislative Counsel, and we thank you and your 
     family for your dedication. Your commitment to public service 
     will live on for decades in the words you have written in the 
     U.S. Code.
           Sincerely,
     Hon. Richard E. Neal.

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