On the recordMay 7, 2010
I pay tribute to one of my staff members today. She recently left. She had a child and is being a mom and a civic activist. But she was a trusted adviser and, more than that, a dedicated patriot. Jane Treat, who has been with me since the earliest parts of 2004, is leaving to become a full-time mother. It is hard to lose her. But I understand the attraction as well as the commitment for a much more important job. She first came to work for me as a volunteer, fresh off her studies at Patrick Henry College. Since that time she has played a key role on my Judiciary Committee through many intense legislative battles. She spent many long days in the Dirksen Building poring through briefing materials, preparing background notes for me, and negotiating on my behalf with other offices. She was there during the Roberts and Alito hearings. For a time she also served as my interim chief counsel on the committee, since I had no attorneys and she was a nonattorney as well, which was a rare occasion. Her dedication has never wavered. The fact is, she worked the day she delivered her first child. She prepared negotiations that day for a bill that threatened the second amendment of the Constitution and how it interacted with our veterans. We prevailed that day in no small part because of her efforts. One would be hard pressed to find anyone who cherishes the Constitution and who knows its principles as well as Jane Treat.
