[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 99 (Wednesday, June 12, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF JACK SIMES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 12, 2024

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Jack Simes as he 
retires after more than four decades of federal service.
  Mr. Simes has dedicated 43 years of public service to our country and 
to nine Southern California counties that are home to more than 23 
million people. For the last seven years, Mr. Simes served as the 
Southern California Area Manager for the United States Bureau of 
Reclamation. As Area Manager, Mr. Simes was responsible for 
implementing water reclamation and reuse projects under the Title XVI 
authority, conducting water and related resources planning, water 
conservation field services, and Native American Affairs. Mr. Simes 
established constructive working relationships with dozens of locally 
led water and power districts, guiding them through the process of 
seeking federal financial assistance for much needed infrastructure 
improvements.
  Mr. Simes brought a can-do spirit and commitment to work that 
inevitably turned his colleagues and stakeholders into friends. 
Notably, he has a sign in his office detailing his motto: be good, be 
kind, and be of service. Mr. Simes leaves behind a legacy that will be 
impossible to match.
  As a direct result of Mr. Simes's exemplary work, the federal 
government was able to financially participate in and expedite the 
development of hundreds of millions of dollars in locally developed 
water resiliency, conservation and water supply projects that are 
operating today.
  Mr. Speaker, Jack Simes has been an invaluable resource to Members of 
Congress, our staff, and to the constituents and water agencies we 
represent in the West. I ask that my colleagues in the United States 
House of Representatives join me in congratulating Mr. Simes and wish 
him and his wife, Karen Simes, a rich and rewarding retirement.

                          ____________________