[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4823]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JEAN M. MANNING

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I congratulate Jean Manning on her 
retirement from the Senate and thank her for her 21 years of dedicated 
service. Her wise counsel will be missed in the Senate. That is why the 
Senate recently passed S. Res. 391 designating Jean Manning as Chief 
Counsel for Employment Emeritus of the United States Senate.
  Jean grew up in the heart of Chicago and received three degrees from 
the University of Illinois--a B.A., an M.B.A., and a J.D. While 
pursuing her law degree, Jean was a member and the articles editor of 
the University of Illinois Law Review and was awarded the Rickert Award 
for Excellence in Legal Writing. Not forgetting where she came from, 
today Jean remains very active at the University of Illinois, where she 
is a member of the University of Illinois Foundation and of the College 
of Law Board of Advisors, serving as president at one time.
  In the early 1990s, Congress as a workplace underwent a sea change 
when all major employment laws became applicable. In 1993, following a 
nationwide search, Jean was tapped to establish and manage the Office 
of the Senate Chief Counsel for Employment. She and her staff helped 
guide Senate offices as these employment laws were implemented and has 
continued to assist our offices to this day. Jean has counseled Senate 
offices to ensure compliance with the Equal Pay Act, the Family and 
Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age 
Discrimination in Employment Act and many other laws. It was her 
responsibility to see that Senate offices understood and followed 
employment laws so that Senate employees have the rights and 
protections the laws provide.
  To Jean's credit, the Office of the Senate Chief Counsel for 
Employment has earned a stellar reputation throughout the Senate. Her 
office provides impartial and discreet legal advice, training, and 
representation to Senate committees, support services, and the 247 
Senators who have served in this body since Jean's hiring. Jean and the 
attorneys under her supervision have resolved countless administrative 
matters within the Senate and have always been ready to assist with any 
question a Senate office may have on employment matters. Considering 
the Senate is comprised of some 150 offices--Member, committee, and 
support services--this is no small task.
  Jean also has represented Senate offices at all levels of the Federal 
court system, including the U.S. Supreme Court. And since its inception 
21 years ago, the Office of the Senate Chief Counsel for Employment has 
never lost a case.
  I thank Jean for her exceptional service to the Senate. The Senate is 
losing a great legal advocate, educator and source of institutional 
knowledge. We will miss her, though I will be among the many who will 
gladly welcome her back when she returns to Illinois.

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