[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8101-8102]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMENDING TOM LUNDREGAN

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 347 submitted by Senators Frist 
and Daschle.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 347) to commend the Senate Enrolling 
     Clerk Thomas J. Lundregan on Thirty-Six Years of Service to 
     the United States Government.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. ``Reserved, low key, self-deprecating, totally 
professional, and devoted to the Senate,'' that is how assistant 
enrolling clerk Joe Monahan describes his colleague Tom Lundregan, who 
retires tomorrow from his post as the Senate's enrolling clerk.
  For 15 years in the Office of the Secretary, Tom has had the crucial 
task of ensuring that the written copy of the legislation we pass in 
this body is thoroughly accurate before it is sent on to the House and 
to the President. As Tom explains, ``We cannot make mistakes. The final 
paper that is sent to the White House is being signed by the President 
and is going to become the law of the land.'' He says the 
responsibility can be ``a little scary.''
  Despite the stress, Tom has maintained an impeccable record and 
earned the admiration of all of his colleagues. Not once on his watch 
has a piece of legislation been sent back from the House or from the 
President because of an error.
  Through work weeks that have stretched up to 90 hours, sometimes even 
50 hours straight, Tom has shown total focus, dedication and commitment 
to the integrity of this institution.
  Says his colleague Joe, ``There are darn few people who can do 
that.'' He is right. The Senate has been incredibly fortunate to have 
such a meticulous and hard working member of the team.
  Tom says his most vivid memory of working in the Senate is 9/11, and 
realizing that a plane was heading this way. September 11 reinforced 
his idea of the importance of every Senate job, from clerks to staff to 
elected officials. ``This is the finest institution in the world that 
represents democracy to everyone in the world. To have an opportunity 
to work in this building has been a tremendous honor.''
  Tom and his wife plan to spend their retirement years where it is 
warm all year round. They hope to travel throughout the States, 
starting this spring with Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and the Grand Canyon. 
Tom also anticipates after 15 years of grueling and unpredictable hours 
finally being able to spend quality time with his four grandsons.
  I thank Tom for his extraordinary service to the Senate and to the 
American people. I wish him safe travels and all the best in his well-
earned retirement.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I come to the floor for a couple of 
minutes because I want to thank a man who is a fixture in this 
institution.
  Tom Lundregan is the Senate's enrolling clerk and as fine a public 
servant as you will find anywhere. Today marks his last day in the 
Senate, and I know that I speak for all of us when I say we are going 
to miss him.
  Tom began his Government service 36 years ago as a printing 
apprentice with the Government Printing Office.
  Over the next 21 years, he was detailed a number of times to both the 
House and the Senate.
  Fifteen years ago, the Senate was fortunate enough to convince Tom to 
join us full-time, as member of the Office of the Senate Enrolling 
Clerk. Since 1995, he has headed that office and served this 
institution with great distinction.
  ``Enrolling clerk'' is one of those curious Senate titles that even 
devoted C-SPAN watchers might have a hard time defining.
  It is the enrolling clerk's responsibility to proofread and prepare 
for printing every page of legislation the Senate passes, and then 
transmit those pages to the House of Representatives, the National 
Archives, the Secretary of State, the United States Claims Court, and 
the White House.
  It is also the enrolling clerk who transmits Senate messages to the 
House, and arranges for the delivery of all Senate-enrolled bills and 
resolutions to the White House.
  The job demands diligence, intelligence, enormous attention to detail 
and often incredibly long hours.
  When legislation needs to be moved quickly to the House, or prepared 
for preconferencing, the enrolling clerk and his staff work until the 
job is done.
  I know that, many times, Tom has had only enough time to go home and 
take a shower before coming right back to face another workday. He and 
his staff have also worked through weekends, recesses, and holidays, 
and they have done so without a word of complaint.
  As enrolling clerk, Tom worked closely with the Secretary of the 
Senate and the Senate Legislative Counsel's Office to establish 
policies regarding the proper form and language of legislation.
  He also worked with the Legislative Counsel's Office to develop 
software that will soon allow the enrolling clerks and legislative 
counsel offices to share data electronically. These projects--and 
others--will ensure that Tom's influence will continue to be felt in 
the Senate for years to come.
  As some know, Tom was actually scheduled to retire 16 months ago but 
he stayed on to help train his successor and ensure a smooth 
transition. That's how committed he is to this Senate.
  More than once in these last 16 months, Tom has reminded his 
successor, ``We need to be 100 percent right, not just 99.9 percent.'' 
In 36 years of service to the people of the United States, Tom 
Lundregan has held himself to that same high standard. With Tom, there 
is no such thing as ``good enough for government work.''
  We could not have a Government ``of the people, by the people and for 
the people'' without the extraordinary devotion and skill of people 
such as Tom. He is a public servant in the best sense of that term and 
an important and valued member of our Senate family.
  Today, on the occasion of Tom's well-deserved retirement, I join the 
rest of the Senate family in thanking Tom. I

[[Page 8102]]

also want to thank Tom's wife Yanjie Xu for sharing her husband with 
the Senate at least 16 months longer than she had planned.
  We wish them well as they finally begin those travels they have 
looked forward to for so long, and we want them to know that they take 
with them the thanks, admiration, and best wishes of the entire Senate.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, before the leader yields, I thank the 
leader. This was a very gracious thing to do. We don't do it often 
enough. I commend the Democratic leader for taking out a few minutes to 
recognize people who make such a difference here every single day. The 
leader does this repeatedly, and I commend him for it.
  I associate myself with his remarks, and I wish to express our deep 
gratitude to Tom and his family for remarkable service to this country. 
I hope the people out there realize with all that happens within the 
view of a television camera, there are literally hundreds of people who 
make this government of ours, in spite of all of its inefficiencies, 
function remarkably well, and Tom certainly falls within that category. 
I thank the leader for taking a few minutes out to recognize him.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I would also like to spread across the 
Record of the Senate our congratulations and appreciation for the work 
that Tom has contributed to this institution. Especially late in the 
session, when we are at home, he and the other enrolling clerk are 
working long, long hours after we have left, long after we have left, 
very tedious, very difficult, but a very important job to make sure the 
work we do here winds up in the final record--in the law books, in 
effect--the way it is supposed to be. It is an art that has been 
developed over these many years, and we are very appreciative of all 
that Tom Lundregan has done for not only the Senate but the country.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the 
resolution be printed in the Record at the appropriate place.
  The resolution (S. Res. 347) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 347

       Whereas in 1967, Thomas J. Lundregan became an employee of 
     the Government Printing Office, and since then has devoted 
     his career to the service of the United States Government;
       Whereas in 1989, Thomas J. Lundregan joined the Office of 
     the Enrolling Clerk in the Office of the Secretary of the 
     Senate;
       Whereas in 1995, Thomas J. Lundregan became the Enrolling 
     Clerk of the Senate and has always performed the duties of 
     that office with great dedication, perseverance, and humor;
       Whereas Thomas J. Lundregan has performed a critical role 
     in ensuring the technical accuracy and legal sufficiency of 
     legislation passed by the Senate;
       Whereas Thomas J. Lundregan has been in the forefront of 
     the modernization of the operations of the Senate Enrolling 
     Clerk;
       Whereas Thomas J. Lundregan has faithfully discharged the 
     difficult duties and responsibilities of Enrolling Clerk of 
     the United States Senate with great pride, energy, 
     efficiency, dedication, integrity, and professionalism;
       Whereas Thomas J. Lundregan has earned the respect, 
     affection, and esteem of his colleagues and the United States 
     Senate;
       Whereas Thomas J. Lundregan has for 36 years ably and 
     faithfully upheld the high standards and traditions of 
     service to the United States Government; and
       Whereas Thomas J. Lundregan will retire from the United 
     States Senate on April 30, 2004, with 36 years of Service to 
     the United States Government and 15 years Service to the 
     United States Senate: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the United States Senate commends Thomas J. 
     Lundregan for his exemplary service to the United States 
     Senate and the Nation, and wishes to express its deep 
     appreciation and gratitude for his long, faithful, and 
     outstanding service, and extends its very best wishes upon 
     his retirement.
       Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy 
     of this resolution to Thomas J. Lundregan.

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