Tina Smith: “I rise today in support of Jessica Looman to be Administrator for the Wage and Hour Division at the Department of Labor.…”

“I rise today in support of Jessica Looman to be Administrator for the Wage and Hour Division at the Department of Labor. And I want my Senate colleagues to know a little bit about Jessica, whom I have had the opportunity to know well and to work with since 2011. Jessica is from St. Paul, MN. She has worked as an attorney and advocate, as a labor leader heading the Minnesota building trades, as a public sector leader, and as a lifelong champion for workers. And in all her roles, Jessica has earned the reputation for being thoughtful and innovative and fair. She is respected for her skill leading large, complex organizations and getting results and working productively with diverse groups of people to find good solutions and common ground. Before I was Minnesota's Senator and Lieutenant Governor, I served as chief of staff for the Governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton. And when we needed a leader who was trusted both by business and by labor to be a leader at Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry, we selected Jessica, who served both as assistant commissioner and also as deputy commissioner. And Jessica impressed me and everyone with her leadership, her competence, and her commitment to fairly and diligently enforcing the law. She led Minnesota's efforts to ensure safe, fair, and healthy workplaces and labor standards. And she led our effort to expand apprenticeships.…”