[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24125]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO DIANE BEEDLE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 10, 2007

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bid farewell to one of 
the most creative, competent, caring and clever Hill staffers, my 
Legislative Director, Diane Beedle. For four years, Diane has moved a 
legislative agenda that addresses issues as diverse as the safety of 
children's products, outsourcing of American jobs, immigrant rights, 
data security and identity theft, new telecommunications technologies, 
private military contracts, ending horse slaughter, auto safety, energy 
independence, expanding health care, preventing cancer, and ending the 
war in Iraq. She prepared me for all of the many hearings in the Energy 
and Commerce Committee including, of course, the priority sporting 
hearings--boxing, steroids, and college bowl games, and far more.
  As if that weren't enough, Diane was responsible for identifying and 
securing funding for projects important to the 9th Congressional 
District of Illinois. There is less flooding, better law enforcement, 
improved transportation, and better services for vulnerable people 
because of Diane's work. How does she do it all? As Kim, our office 
manager and executive assistant/scheduler said, ``She rose to the 
challenges and opportunities that the LD position offered, and she is 
very organized and methodical as well as being a very positive and 
nurturing presence in the office.''
  Diane has a gift for negotiating. I have watched her push my position 
as far as she could and then a little further, her demeanor always 
pleasant, her counter proposals always workable, her objections 
irrefutable. She won the respect and friendship of staff across party 
and ideological lines. I will truly miss her bargaining skills.
  Diane is able to translate complicated issues into language 
comprehensible to her boss and to constituents. I receive many kudos 
for letters Diane has written that are clear and directly responsive to 
the concerns of individual district residents, and not just ``thank you 
for your interest'' letters and she has prepared me for meetings on 
issues that would otherwise be too ``high tech'' for me.
  On top of all that, Diane has been a leader in the office, providing 
help to her co-workers in the office in many different ways. Kevin 
(though officially one of the beautiful people on Capitol Hill and 
quite slim) has an astonishing capacity for food. Diane affectionately 
calls him the ``human garbage disposal'' (in a good way), yet still 
treats him and the rest of the office with her wonderful baked goods, 
lemon bars being a specialty.
  Our chief of staff especially appreciated Diane's magic with naming 
bills. Her favorite: the Stop Attempted Fraud against Everyone's Cell 
and Land Line--a bill title that is instantly forgettable until you 
realize the acronym is the SAFE CALL ACT.
  Megan described what Diane has meant not only to her but to other 
staff members. ``Diane has always been an excellent mentor to me, 
teaching me how to make the most of contacts and pointing me toward 
good legislative ideas.'' She also mentioned what we all know: Diane is 
an excellent punster.
  Diane is leaving us now, soon to be embracing a new role in her 
life--that of Mom. Hearing the good news, everyone in the office wanted 
to help Diane and her husband Adrian by suggesting some really great 
baby names. Peter, a new father himself and Diane's ``work husband,'' 
brought in baby naming books. We had a Name the Baby list put up with 
interesting ideas such as Noble Eagle, Sparky and Porterhouse, and some 
more suitable boy names including Mason, Lucas, Oliver, Cooper, Oscar, 
Lucca, Gideon and Felix. Disregarding our suggestions in total, they 
chose Franklin.
  We all look forward to many visits from Diane, Adrian, Baby Franklin 
and Suki the dog, who we will also miss very much. All of us love Diane 
very much, thank her for her service and wish her and her growing 
family the best of everything.

                          ____________________