[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 24011]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RETIREMENT OF VEE BURKE

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I commend Ms. Vee Burke for 
her years of public service as a member of the Congressional Research 
Service, CRS. She has demonstrated an enormous capacity for public 
service and tremendous insight on social policy. In over 30 years 
working for the CRS, Vee has proven herself to be a true expert in the 
field of public welfare.
  Through her hard work and dedication, Vee has provided background 
reports and thoughtful analysis of low-income programs, especially 
welfare reform. Members need timely and clear information in order to 
make informed policy decisions. Vee has provided such information for 
many years. Her ability to immerse herself in the specific details of 
each program assured the completeness of her reports, and her 
consistent presence from one year to the next was essential in 
maintaining an overview of the larger welfare system that the 
individual programs collectively represent.
  At the end of this month, Vee will be retiring from CRS. While she 
will be missed, she has certainly earned the right to move on to the 
next phase of her life. The legacy she leaves behind will be difficult 
to match. Having been honored for her outstanding performance numerous 
times, it is clear that Ms. Burke has earned the respect of her 
colleagues within CRS, congressional Members and staff, and the larger 
research and policy community as a whole. Though many of them will 
never know her name, her knowledge and commitment to public service has 
affected the lives of millions of Americans. It is with the deepest 
respect and admiration that I thank Ms. Burke here today and wish her 
the best in all of her future ventures.

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