[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14497]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO STEPHANIE SCHISLER

  Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my Deputy 
Chief of Staff Stephanie Schisler, who is retiring this week after 41 
years of service in the Senate. She has been working here longer than 
99 of the current Members of the Senate, which you would never know by 
looking at her because she still looks amazingly youthful, but she and 
Senator Leahy, our longest serving Senator today, both began their 
careers in the Senate in 1975. Her dedication to this institution and 
to serving our country is absolutely remarkable.
  Stephanie is a well-known member of the Senate community, having 
worked for me as well as four other Senators--Richard Stone, a Democrat 
from Florida; Bob Kasten, a Republican from Wisconsin; a good friend of 
mine, Dirk Kempthorne, a Republican from Idaho; and Blanche Lincoln, a 
Democrat from Arkansas, before joining our office. She has a remarkable 
record.
  Stephanie's bipartisan resume is a testament to her expertise and her 
skill, but also to her integrity. Stephanie is beloved by the entire 
Senate community, from fellow staffers to Capitol police officers, to 
folks who maintain the building. It seems as though she knows all of 
them, if you can believe that. She has built wonderful relationships on 
the Hill, which is one of the reasons she is so effective. No matter 
what you ask of her, Steph knows who to call and how to get the job 
done and done well. That includes everything from hanging animal mounts 
in my front office, such as a huge buffalo or bison head, which 
couldn't have been an easy proposition, but she figured out how to get 
it done. Now there is even a drone suspended from the ceiling in our 
conference room.
  While Stephanie has always excelled at her job, she has also helped 
those around her succeed. She has an eye for recognizing talent. For 
example, when she worked for Senator Kasten of Wisconsin, she hired a 
young man by the name of Paul Ryan as an intern. Of course, today he is 
Speaker of the House. Stephanie has always been able to see the 
potential in people, and that is a great example. She has always worked 
very hard to help them to succeed. She has been a mentor and a 
surrogate mother to many staffers, not only in my office but in other 
offices and throughout her tenure working at the Senate.
  I want to thank her husband Gordon and her children Nick and Leigh 
for supporting Stephanie during all those late nights and long weeks 
throughout her career.
  Stephanie is truly a unique individual and an irreplaceable member of 
my team. I keep pleading for her not to retire, but so far it hasn't 
worked. I am not giving up, though. She is truly somebody who cannot be 
replaced.
  While we will miss Steph, we are grateful for the positive impact she 
has had on so many lives with her amazing influence for good in the 
Senate. We thank her for her service to our country, and we wish her 
the best as she begins this new chapter in her life. We are so 
appreciative to have had Steph as part of our team, and we will truly 
miss her.
  With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up 
to 20 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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