[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 5993-5994]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                        RECOGNIZING NANCY BILLET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Nancy Billet, the office manager and financial administrator of my 
Washington, D.C., office. After working for three Members of Congress 
over a span of 36 years, Nancy will retire on Friday, and she will be 
missed by all.
  Nancy grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and she never thought 
about working in politics. After graduating from Chesapeake College, 
she and a classmate moved to the D.C. suburbs, and Nancy found her way 
to Capitol Hill.
  In 1981, shortly after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President, Nancy 
began her career as a staff assistant with Congressman Phil Crane, a 
Republican from Illinois. She worked for Congressman Crane, a member of 
the Ways and Means Committee, for almost 14 years as a staff assistant, 
legislative assistant, and office manager.
  She joined a softball team that played on The Mall after work hours, 
and that is where she would eventually meet her husband, Barry. They 
got married, had a baby boy, and Nancy continued working, but only 
part-time. She also continued her education with evening classes at 
Northern Virginia Community College and proceeded to receive a 
bachelor's degree from George Mason University.
  After the birth of their second son, Nancy would return to the Hill 
full-time after the 1994 election. In January 1995, Nancy was hired as 
an office manager for Congressman Phil English, a Republican from 
Pennsylvania. Nancy worked with Congressman English until his 
retirement in January of 2009.
  When he heard about her retirement, former Congressman Phil English 
said Nancy was a ``fabulous source of stability and good humor in an 
office where we were always a kite dancing in a hurricane. Your 
gracious manner and personal generosity made many difficult days 
tolerable and the cause possible to pursue. You brightened the lives of 
all you worked with, all you touched.''
  Congressman English went on to say that Nancy's consistent patience 
with constituents, interns, and any individual who came through the 
door was legendary. I couldn't agree more.
  Nancy came to work in my office in 2009, and we have been so blessed 
to have her on staff. I was able to hit the ground running as a 
freshman Member with such a knowledgeable veteran Hill staffer on my 
team. Nancy can master the most difficult tasks with ease, but it is 
her pleasant personality that I will miss most. I have been fortunate 
to have her on staff, and her shoes will not be easily filled.
  Her institutional knowledge is remarkable. Nancy has had a front-row 
seat to so much change in the Capitol, from using an IBM typewriter 
with a correctable ribbon to floppy disc computers, to today's laptops, 
iPads, and smartphones; from busy phone booths in the Longworth 
Building outside of the Ways and Means Committee to everyone talking on 
their own personal cell phone in every hallway and every office; from 
easy access to the buildings to the barriers put in place after the 
September 11 attacks; and all the administrations to come and go. Nancy 
was employed for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill 
Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now under Donald Trump.
  Mr. Speaker, to say we will miss Nancy is an understatement, but I 
know she is looking forward to spending time with her husband, Barry, 
and her three sons--Brian, Will, and Robby--and the rest of the family.
  Nancy, on behalf of Penny and me and all the staff, we wish you the 
best for a well-deserved retirement. On behalf of the Congress of the 
United States, thank you for your nearly four decades of service to the 
people's House. Thank you for all your dedication to serving the 
American people.

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