[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 15630]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BONNY O'NEIL

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to join the three other 
sitting Senators who have served as chairman of the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, to salute a dedicated public 
servant, Ms. Bonny O'Neil, who is retiring after more than 34 years of 
meritorious service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  As the senior career official in the Department in charge of the Food 
Stamp Program, Ms. O'Neil is responsible for national oversight of 
policy and operations for a program that serves over 20 million people 
each month at an annual cost of over $20 billion.
  Ms. O'Neil came to the Department in November of 1968 following 
graduation from Ohio Wesleyan University where she majored in politics 
and government. She has spent the majority of her career in various 
positions with the Food Stamp Program, with the exception of 6 years 
that were spent in the agency's Office of Regional Operations. She has 
been USDA's main career official on all Food Stamp Program legislation 
since 1984.
  Since that time, Ms. O'Neil has worked closely with Congress to help 
craft food stamp legislation. She has been available at any hour of the 
day, including weekends, to provide her wise counsel. She spent 
countless hours and worked tirelessly to assist the Agriculture 
Committee on significant legislation, including numerous farm bills and 
the landmark 1996 welfare reform bill.
  In 2003, due to Ms. O'Neil's exemplary work, she received a 
Presidential Rank Award recognizing her contribution to the 
reauthorization of the Food Stamp Program.
  In her years of Federal service, Ms. O'Neil has overseen many program 
improvements, including replacing paper coupons with electronic benefit 
delivery, setting records for payment accuracy and extending many 
policy options to States to improve customer service.
  Ms. O'Neil is a native of New Jersey and now resides in Alexandria, 
VA.
  I commend Ms. Bonny O'Neil for her many years of devoted service to 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and for the outstanding work she has 
done throughout her distinguished career. I congratulate her on the 
occasion of her retirement and extend my best wishes for much happiness 
and satisfaction in the years ahead.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I too wish to pay tribute to the 
accomplishments of Ms. Bonny O'Neil and thank her for her many years of 
dedicated service to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ms. O'Neil has 
done an outstanding job as the senior career official responsible for 
the Food Stamp Program. Under her very capable leadership, this 
important program has been greatly improved.
  During the writing of the recent farm bill, which took almost 2 
years, Ms. O'Neil worked tirelessly with the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry on the food stamp provisions. Her expertise in 
this area was invaluable and she was always available to provide 
assistance. After the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 
was signed into law, Ms. O'Neil worked to implement the food stamp 
provisions, including the large number of State flexibility sections 
contained in the act.
  The quality of her efforts in this regard are obvious. In the one 
year since the farm bill passed, numerous States have already 
implemented or are planning to implement important State options that 
significantly improve the Food Stamp Program. As a result, we are 
helping working Americans in their efforts to enter and stay in the 
workforce and also making sure that, for millions of American children, 
the shadow of hunger does not loom so darkly.
  In always remembering that her job is to serve Americans and to 
better their lives, rather than just to run a program from an office in 
Washington, Bonny meets and surpasses the highest ideals of civil 
service.
  I thank Ms. O'Neil for her years of service to our Nation and wish 
her well in her retirement.
  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in expressing my 
sincere gratitude to Ms. Bonny O'Neil for her more than 34 years of 
devoted service to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a result of 
her wealth of knowledge and experience with the Food Stamp Program, Ms. 
O'Neil was an invaluable resource to the entire Congress as we crafted 
the 1996 welfare reform law. Ms. O'Neil's wisdom, patience and good 
humor were vitally important during the long process of writing that 
landmark legislation.
  I thank Ms. O'Neil for her many accomplishments and for her honorable 
service to this Nation.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I, too, join my colleagues today to 
recognize and honor Ms. Bonny O'Neil upon her retirement from the 
Federal Government. Ms. O'Neil is a true public servant--in all the 
best sense of that phrase--diligent, hardworking, attentive to details, 
willing to dig in and truly analyze both sides of each issue, smart, 
totally honest, a woman of her word, and driven by a desire to do the 
right thing.
  She is to be commended for serving her Nation and the U.S. Department 
of Agriculture so well. She also served the Congress well by providing 
us with clear and informative answers, and guiding us through complex 
issues. I know that she worked closely with my nutrition counsel Ed 
Barron for many years--both when he was at USDA and while he worked for 
me starting in 1987. On many occasions late at night during a 
conference, I would hear someone say: ``Let's call Bonny to get the 
facts.''
  Bonny spent all but six of those years in various positions with the 
Food Stamp Program, where she currently serves as the Associate Deputy 
Administrator.
  Ms. O'Neil provided valuable assistance during our work on nutrition 
programs, food stamp amendments and several farm bills. Anyone who has 
ever worked on a farm bill knows that it is an extremely complicated 
task that requires many long hours, including nights and weekends. Her 
attention to detail and willingness to be available at any time, day or 
night, was most appreciated.
  I thank Ms. Bonny O'Neil for her distinguished service to the public 
good and wish her well in her retirement.

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