[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3840]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING KAREN HAAS FOR HER SERVICE AS CLERK OF THE HOUSE

  (Mr. LaHOOD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Speaker Pelosi 
for naming the first African American woman to be Clerk of the House of 
Representatives. And in doing so, I want to recognize the outstanding 
service of one Karen Haas.
  Mr. Speaker, the reason I want to do this is because earlier on in 
her career, Karen and I both worked for then-Republican leader Bob 
Michel, and she was one of three or four people that ran the leader's 
office and did an extraordinary job. She then came to work for Speaker 
Hastert and had the assignment of trying to find people who could keep 
this House under control. And because of her extraordinary skill and 
abilities, Speaker Hastert appointed her Clerk of the House, which is 
an impossible job because she has to put up with all of us, and she 
also has to keep the House running.
  She is an enormously talented woman and has done a great, great job 
for those of us who serve in the House. Tomorrow is her last day as 
Clerk of the House, and I thank all of you for giving her a standing 
ovation for a job well done.
  Mr. HOYER. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. LaHOOD. Of course I will yield.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for rising, and I thank the 
gentleman for his remarks.
  I said similar remarks, as the gentleman may know, last week. But I 
certainly want Karen to know, I want everybody in this House to know, 
that the opinions just expressed by Mr. LaHood reflect, I think, Karen, 
the opinions of everybody on this floor. You have done a wonderful job 
for the House of Representatives as an institution, a great job for 
your country, and we know you will be a great success in the future. 
And all of us stand ready to tell anybody who wants to know what an 
asset you have been to the House of Representatives.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. LaHOOD. I thank the majority leader.
  Good luck, Karen. Thank you for doing a great job.

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