[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15260]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO PATRICE GORDON

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Patrice 
Gordon in honor of her retirement this week after 29 years of 
exceptional service to the Congress at the Congressional Budget Office. 
She began her congressional career in CBO's Natural Resources and 
Commerce Division in 1988 after receiving her Ph.D. in economics from 
the University of Maryland.
  Since that time, Patrice has been recognized as one of CBO's best 
when it comes to focusing on details, ensuring analyses are thorough 
and correct, and questioning any gaps in reasoning. She is a critical 
thinker with an encyclopedic mind for details. Throughout her career, 
she has balanced her keen analytic approach with humility and kindness, 
becoming a mentor to many young analysts and helping them hone their 
quantitative skills. She is a valued colleague to everyone who has 
worked closely with her.
  In the mid-1990s, Patrice and a few other colleagues at CBO took on 
the task of implementing requirements of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act, and soon she would end up supervising all of CBO's work on 
private-sector mandates. Throughout her tenure, she helped distill the 
principles that guide CBO's analyses of Federal mandates, ensuring that 
the agency's work was consistent with the previsions of UMRA. During 
that time, she also reviewed virtually every bill reported by a 
congressional committee, including bills that regulate the 
transportation of snakes on airplanes to healthcare reform and 
bankruptcy regulation. Patrice has probably read more than 10,000 bills 
during her time at the Congressional Budget Office.
  In short, over the past 29 years, the Congressional Budget Office and 
Congress have been fortunate to enjoy the dedication and insight that 
Patrice has brought to her work. I understand she is looking forward to 
playing more competitive bridge and perhaps even tuning up a clarinet 
and saxophone to jazz up her time away from cost estimates and mandate 
analyses. I know my Senate colleagues join me in extending our 
appreciation to Patrice for her service to our Nation and our very best 
wishes for a happy and productive retirement.

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