[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 25326]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO PAT RAYMOND

 Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, Pat Raymond prefers to be the 
person behind the person. She prefers to work behind the scenes, and as 
I can attest, late at nights, weekends, and holidays. For 30 years she 
has served the Senate faithfully, professionally, tirelessly, and as a 
stalwart advocate. But today I would like to put Pat front and center 
and thank her for her service to me and to the Senate.
  For the past 2 years, Pat has worked as the clerk of the agriculture 
appropriations subcommittee that I chair. I have benefited from her 
institutional knowledge, her counsel, and her judgment. Because of 
consecutive reductions in the budget of the United States Department of 
Agriculture the last 2 years have been very challenging, but Pat has 
been up to the task. In 2003, even though the allocation to the 
subcommittee was nearly $1 billion below the prior years enacted level, 
we produced a bill that the Senate approved with only one dissenting 
vote. Pat has developed strong working relationships not only with the 
staff of Senator Kohl, the subcommittee ranking member, but also with 
the staffs of Representatives Bonilla and Kaptur, the House agriculture 
appropriations chairman and ranking member. These relationships have 
enabled the agriculture appropriations subcommittees of both chambers 
to work together and overcome the challenges posed by being required to 
do more with less.
  After 30 years of service Pat will retire at the end of this 
Congress. I thank her for her dedication, for her hard work, and for a 
job well done. More than that, I wish her well, as she travels to 
Florida for a well deserved rest. But I know that ``rest'' won't last 
long--Pat is too young, too vigorous, and has too much to contribute 
not to get involved in something important right from the 
start.

                          ____________________