[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 27]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 36492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF MARY MILLS RITCHIE

                                 ______
                                 

                   HON. CHARLES W. ``CHIP'' PICKERING

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2007

  Mr. PICKERING. Madam Speaker, as we wrap up this year in Congress, I 
want to honor Mary Mills Ritchie, who left my staff earlier this year 
to return to Mississippi. She was a dedicated member of my staff who 
honorably served my office and the people of Mississippi.
  Mary Mills came to my office as our staff assistant in 2003, after 
graduating from the University of Mississippi earlier that year, and 
Jackson Preparatory School in 1999. She demonstrated her abilities to 
understand and affect public policy and with her dedicated work ethic, 
her role grew to Legislative Assistant for health care policy.
  She managed this legislative portfolio at a critical time, as we 
worked with seniors and communities to implement the Medicare Reform 
Act of 2003 that provides prescription drug benefits to needy 
Americans. She served as my liaison to the Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services and assisted pharmacists, hospitals, and other health 
care providers in Mississippi move through the Washington 
bureaucracies.
  Following Hurricane Katrina, she played a critical role as we 
inserted language in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that provided 
funds for 8\1/2\ months of Mississippi's state Medicaid budget: $850 
million in budget relief at a time when Mississippi was straining under 
the pressures of disaster recovery.
  While working in Washington, she met a young man from Texas named 
Spencer Ritchie and they married in March of 2005. But rather than 
carrying her away to the Lone Star State, she converted him into a 
Mississippian. He is now in law school at the University of 
Mississippi, where she works in Oxford.
  Mary Mills' hard work and success is a tribute to her parents, Sam 
and Leila Lane. I know they and her brothers, Samuel and Ben, are very 
proud of her.
  Madam Speaker, Mary Mills Ritchie left a formative mark on my health 
care agenda and on our office. We will not forget her good nature or 
her eagerness to learn and work. She possesses a rare grace and 
presence. This unique spirit carries her compassion and commitment to 
help, teach and serve others. She continues to bless the lives of all 
who know her. I thank her for her service to this office and to 
Mississippi.

                          ____________________