Chris Van Hollen: “I rise to recognize an excellent member of my staff, Melissa Bonine, who is moving on to a new challenge. For the past…”

“I rise to recognize an excellent member of my staff, Melissa Bonine, who is moving on to a new challenge. For the past year, Melissa has coordinated daily operations in my office, helping to create order out of the chaos of my schedules. Having worked for Congressman Rick Boucher, Senator Jim Webb, and Secretary Castro at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Melissa has many friends on Capitol Hill, and she was an immediate asset to my office. With a cool head under pressure and excellent diplomatic skills, Melissa has kept the trains running on time and put out the occasional fire. She has worked with the rest of my staff to manage priorities and coordinate each day efficiently while assisting in long-term planning. Our entire team will miss her counsel and sense of humor. I am sure she will make a tremendous impact on her next project, an exciting new advocacy group where she will continue to fight for progressive values. I hope her new job will also give her some more time with her husband, David, daughter, Penny, and cats, Rex and Willie Nelson, and I look forward to hearing about the extraordinary work she does next. ____________________”