Mike Flood: “Yesterday, during new Member orientation with the freshman class, which I now claim, we were addressed by the Clerk of…”

“Yesterday, during new Member orientation with the freshman class, which I now claim, we were addressed by the Clerk of the House of Representatives. She shared with us the history of her post and that, in 1789, the Clerk of the House of Representatives was named as the second officer following the Speaker of this storied institution. Mr. Speaker, I have the great privilege today to rise and congratulate one of the Nation's longest-serving clerks of a State legislature in America's history. Just like yesterday, when we were impressed with the history of this institution, it goes without saying that institutions like this are sacred because of the work of the nonpartisan staff, the people who pay attention to the parliamentary procedure, the quiet ones that sit next to the loud ones, the clerks of the United States State legislatures and this body. Mr. Patrick O'Donnell lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, and he has had a distinguished career as clerk of the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature. In 1977, he became the assistant clerk. He became the clerk in 1978. Patrick has a record of defending the legislature as a unique institution in our United States. He believes in the process and has championed the vision of Nebraska voters when the voters changed to a unicameral back in 1937.…”