[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 444-445]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       RETIREMENT OF ALAN FRUMIN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, many years ago when I graduated from 
Georgetown Law School, I was offered a job by the Lieutenant Governor 
of Illinois, Paul Simon. He asked if I would join his staff in 
Springfield, IL, in the State capital and if I would serve as his 
senate parliamentarian. I jumped at the chance. I was in desperate need 
of a job with a wife, a baby, and another one on the way.
  Deep in debt, I skipped my commencement exercise to get out and on 
the payroll in Springfield of the Illinois State Senate. The first day 
I walked in on the job at the Lieutenant Governor's office they handed 
me the senate rule book. It was the first time I had ever seen it. They 
parked me in a chair next to the presiding officer of the Illinois 
Senate, the Lieutenant Governor, and said: Now you are here to give 
advice.
  I spent every waking moment reading that rule book and trying to 
understand what it meant. There wasn't a course like that in law school 
or anything that gave me guidance as to what I was to do. I made a lot 
of stupid mistakes, and I learned along the way what it meant to be a 
senate parliamentarian.
  It was a humbling experience, in many respects, to learn this new 
body of law, how it applied to the everyday business of the Illinois 
State Senate. It was equally humbling to be in a position where your 
voice was never heard but your rulings were repeated by so many.
  I recall that many years later--14 years later--I was elected to the 
U.S.

[[Page 445]]

House of Representatives. After serving 12 of those 14 years in the 
office of the Illinois State Senate Parliamentarian, I cannot describe 
to you the heady feeling I had when I went on the floor of the U.S. 
House of Representatives, they handed me the gavel, and I actually 
presided over the U.S. House. After 14 years of silence as the Illinois 
State Senate Parliamentarian, I was speaking before one of the greatest 
legislative bodies in the world. So I have some appreciation for the 
role of a parliamentarian, and particularly for the contribution of 
people such as Alan Frumin. In some respects, it is a thankless job, 
because you are bound to make some people upset. As the majority leader 
mentioned, we respect Alan's impartiality as Parliamentarian, but many 
times we go back to our office and are critical of it at the same time. 
We hope he will rule in our favor instead of the other way.
  Alan has been faithful to precedent, to the rules of the Senate, and 
that is all we can ask of a person who serves in his position. He has 
to tolerate the titanic egos that occupy this Chamber. I used to say 
that the majority leader is the captain of a small boat full of titanic 
egos. That is the nature of this institution. Alan has been called on 
more often than most to deal with the peculiarities of even my 
colleagues and myself.
  I wish him the best after more than 35 years of service to the 
Congress, both in the House and the Senate. I am glad he is going to 
continue at least on the research side to establish a body precedent 
that will guide the Senate and the Congress in the years to come.
  Alan, thank you so much for all the service you have given to the 
Senate, to the Congress, and to the United States.
  To Elizabeth MacDonough, congratulations. It is great you will be 
coming into this new role. It is precedent-setting in and of itself 
that you will be the first woman to serve as the U.S. Senate 
Parliamentarian. We all respect very much your professionalism and look 
forward to working with you--even when you give us disappointing 
rulings.

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