[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 1218-1219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           THANKING HELGA BROWN FOR HER SERVICE TO THE HOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 2006

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of her retirement in 
February 2006, I rise to thank Ms. Helga Brown for 23 years of 
outstanding service to the United States House of Representatives.
  A native of Bad Reichenhall, Germany, Helga has served this great 
institution in mail processing, sales clerk, and payment processing 
positions within the offices of the Doorkeeper, Clerk, and the Chief 
Administrative Officer. She began her career at the House on February 
24, 1983 in the Folding Room, where she assisted House offices with the 
preparation and packaging of mail. In 1988, after 5 years of hard work 
in the Folding Room, she transferred to the Office Supply store, where 
she started as a sales clerk. Helga's knowledge, enthusiasm and 
friendliness endeared her to her customers and coworkers. She always 
went the extra mile to assist House staffers and Office Supply Store 
visitors with their purchases or questions. Helga moved from the Office 
Supply sales floor to the payment processing department, where she 
quickly learned the new MCBA and FFS payment processing software. She 
proved to be an excellent worker in this area too, doing everything 
necessary to provide swift and correct payments to supply vendors. In 
addition to making prompt and accurate payments, Helga also assisted 
with the reconciliation of cash sales.
  After 10 years in Office Supply, Helga briefly served as receptionist 
at Office Systems Management within House Support Services, again 
providing superior service to the House community. Her outstanding work 
prompted Office Supply to seek her out again, and she returned there to 
process payments. The Vendor Management department of House Support 
Services also recognized her abilities, and she finally transferred 
permanently there on August 1, 1999. Even years after her transition 
from the sales floor to the accounts payable section of Office Supply 
and Vendor Management, customers remembered how well she had helped 
them in the past, and would often seek her out for guidance, or just 
for a friendly chat. She has managed the processing of the majority of 
the countless payments for office supplies ordered by House Offices 
through Vendor Management. She painstakingly researched delivery 
documentation and invoices

[[Page 1219]]

in order to ensure accuracy and swiftness of payments. Always a 
cheerful volunteer for special projects, Helga eagerly went above and 
beyond the call of duty. One of these special projects was a temporary 
detail back to her old position in Office Supply to assist with daily 
deposits and accounts. Her standard of excellence, dedication, 
professionalism, and pleasant disposition have earned her the 
admiration and respect of all of her customers and coworkers.
  Helga will be greatly missed by the many friends and acquaintances 
that she has made throughout the entire House community over the years. 
We thank her for a job well done, and we wish her many happy years of 
retirement.

                          ____________________