[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23160-23161]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO NANCY KRAFT

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today to ask my colleagues 
to join me in paying tribute to a dedicated member of the Montana 
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, FWP, as she concludes 32 years 
of service to her State and Nation. We are proud that this native 
Montanan spent her entire working life dedicated to serving Montana's 
State's citizens and visitors.
  Mrs. Nancy Kraft deserves this honor. We owe her our gratitude for 
her contributions to the conservation of Montana's wildlife and natural 
resources, as well as her efforts to preserve the outdoor heritage that 
makes the Treasure State's way of life unique.
  Nancy's personal and professional career accomplishments truly 
reflect the character of life under the big sky. Her loyal service over 
three decades--spent in our capital city of Helena--are a testament to 
all those who value wildlife and open spaces. I would like to take a 
moment to reflect upon Nancy's career as she embarks on a new phase of 
life beyond government service.
  Born in Helena, Nancy attended primary school locally and began work 
at the then Department of Fish and Game in 1970 as a temporary employee 
in the General Licensing section handling delinquent accounts. Skilled 
in pursuing

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overdue collections she soon designed a system that over the years 
returned more than $300,000 to the people of Montana.
  Nancy progressed through several positions of increasing 
responsibility, while continuing to make sure licensing operations were 
closely related to the needs and interests of Montana's recreating 
public. In 1985 she was selected as the FWP General License Section 
Supervisor. Her capable leadership led to substantive changes in 
regulations and license fees during the time that outdoor recreation 
became a major economic influence in Montana.
  Because of her in-depth knowledge and ability to bring diverse 
interests together, Nancy was assigned to a team of FWP experts charged 
with the task of designing a system to automate the licensing 
processes. Recognizing that the transition to computers from a paper 
process was a major undertaking, she worked tirelessly to ensure the 
myriad regulations, drawing systems, fee schedules, and calendar 
requirements were accurately reflected in the system design.
  In her final assignment Nancy was selected to be the Licensing Bureau 
Chief with responsibility for the collection of fees exceeding $30 
million annually. Shortly after FWP celebrated its 100th anniversary, 
Nancy and her team embarked on one of the biggest challenges in state 
government--providing ongoing services with no down time while changing 
systems affecting over 400,000 customers.
  Over the past 2 years Nancy helped lead the transition to the new 
Automated Licensing System. Within eight months of implementation, the 
system processed over one million license sales with error rates below 
1 percent, and produced a steady increase in customer satisfaction. 
This shining example of perseverance and poise under pressure is a 
reflection of the quiet competence that Nancy Kraft brings to her 
workplace every day for the people of Montana.
  Nancy's contributions to the State's highly complex and important 
licensing functions cannot be overstated. Her staff's accurate 
forecasting and collection of millions of dollars each year allow FWP 
to perform its primary mission while preparing for future uses of 
Montana's special natural resources. Such achievements are a clear 
testament to how she has, for more than 30 years, enhanced the fishing, 
hunting, and parks experience held in such high esteem by the people of 
Montana and our many visitors.
  As a well known and highly regarded member of the Helena community, 
Nancy's ability and knowledge, her willingness to find solutions, and 
her congenial way of dealing with people from all walks of life will be 
most difficult to replace.
  It is a great honor for me to present the credentials of Nancy Kraft 
to the Senate today. All of her actions reflect a devoted public 
servant with a sense of purpose.
  As Nancy departs from public service I ask my colleagues to join with 
me in delivering this tribute to Nancy for her outstanding career and 
service to the State of Montana and the Nation, and our best wishes for 
a productive and rewarding retirement.

                          ____________________