[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6415-6416]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING LAUREL SAYER, OF IDAHO, FOR HER DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE 
                            PEOPLE OF IDAHO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 7, 2013

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Laurel 
Sayer, a member of my staff and one of the finest public servants I 
have ever met. While I am happy for Laurel that her long career as a 
Congressional staffer has culminated with her well-earned retirement 
from this body, I am equally concerned by the hole her absence will 
leave in my office and the challenge my remaining staff faces in 
filling the void.
  Laurel began her service in my office not long after my election to 
Congress in 1998. She had served with then-Congressman Mike Crapo for 
several years and I consider my successful effort to lure her away from 
his office one of my earliest, and finest, achievements.
  For the last 14 years, Laurel has been the anchor of my staff in 
eastern Idaho where she led my outreach efforts regarding natural 
resources, arts, and conservation issues. She was also my lead staffer 
on issues related to the Idaho National Laboratory and its talented 
workforce. Her compassion, insight, knowledge, and reliability were 
often critical to my constituents dealing with the peaks and valleys of 
the federal government's support for nuclear energy and the work of the 
laboratory.
  In a district that spans almost two dozen counties and roughly half 
of the State of Idaho, you spend a lot of time driving back roads, 
visiting small communities, talking politics in farmer's fields, and 
marveling at the stunning geography of the American West. Laurel has 
always been the best traveling companion a Congressman could ask for on 
those long trips across the state.
  We've been backpacking and fishing in the Boulder-White Coulds. We've 
worked together to open a wheel-chair accessible trail in central Idaho 
and to assist Custer County in their economic development needs.
  Laurel is a great advocate for the arts, and will remain so in her 
life after Congress. A few years ago we visited Idaho's rural 
communities with National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco 
Landesman and watched Idaho's Shakespeare Festival share its talents 
with schoolchildren. Laurel and I have spent many hours in book stores 
large and small and have been in perpetual pursuit of the best chicken 
fried steak in Idaho. And we think we found it in Salmon, Idaho.
  Laurel and I have shared a lot of laughs, many successes, a few 
failures, and a tremendous friendship over the past 14 years. Laurel 
has been loyal, fair, honest, and dependable. She has provided wise 
counsel, constructive criticism, and the not-so-subtle nudges those of 
us who work in this body need from time-to-time. She has been a fierce 
advocate for my priorities but the source of measured advice when 
things didn't go our way. In short, she has been a valued adviser, 
supporter, and friend for as long as I have been in Congress. What more 
could any of us ask of our staff?

[[Page 6416]]

  Laurel's presence in the office and in the communities of eastern 
Idaho will be deeply missed by me and by everyone who works in my 
office. While we are going to miss her, we are comforted by the fact 
that she vows to remain in the Boise area and visit us often. We're 
going to lean on her frequently for the same advice, constructive 
criticism, and gentle nudges she always offered and hope to see her 
regularly on the trail, in the museum, or at a play.
  In closing, I would simply like to thank Laurel for her hard work, 
her tenacity, her good counsel, and most of all, her friendship.

                          ____________________