David Obey: “Before I get into the bill, I would simply like to take a moment to also, from the minority side of the aisle, extend…”

“Before I get into the bill, I would simply like to take a moment to also, from the minority side of the aisle, extend our best wishes to Sue Quantius as she leaves to pursue other opportunities in life. As the subcommittee chairman indicated, Sue has been with our subcommittee for 9 years. She has worked for four full committee chairmen during that time, including myself and the gentleman from Louisiana. The gentleman from Illinois kindly left out that Sue had the great misfortune to begin her public service by serving as an intern on the Commission on Administrative Review, which was a reform commission which I chaired. We got half of our package through, the ethics package, but the other half of the package, the administrative changes in the House, were abruptly interrupted by a resounding 'no' vote on the rule, and it took about 10 years for most of those recommendations to be adopted on a piecemeal basis. That was an ignominious beginning to a distinguished career. I simply want to say that her work on biomedical research, on health issues in general and other issues has been superb. The public has been greatly served. Sue is another one of those persons about whom the public never hears much but without whom Government simply would not work. I appreciate the work that she has done for all of us.”