Providing for Consideration of H.R. Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Affordable Insulin Now Act; and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize someone who has made a truly exceptional contribution to this institution and to the work that goes on here, the amazing Peggy Fields.

Peggy has served in the Clerk's Office since 2008, first as assistant bill clerk and now as bill clerk, where she oversees an amazing team that works late nights and long hours to literally keep the House of Representatives running.

I can spend hours talking about how incredible everyone in the Clerk's Office is:

How they have an incredible eye for detail and never drop the ball;

How they seamlessly process the hundreds of daily submissions into the hopper;

How they rose to the challenge of keeping this body running during a pandemic--implementing proxy voting and the e-hopper so our work could go on, even when it wasn't safe for all of us to be here;

And, of course, how much they believe in this institution and all that it represents.

But I only have a few minutes, so let me just say to everyone in the Clerk's Office that your work does not go unnoticed. It is recognized by so many of us here in the congressional community and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, Peggy Fields started her journey to Capitol Hill 33 years ago when she went to work for former Congressman ``Bud'' Cramer, who was then the district attorney of Madison County, Alabama.

Congressman Cramer told me that when he was sworn into Congress in January 1991, the first employee in his Washington office was Peggy Fields. Peggy helped run that office for 18 years, and unsurprisingly, she was beloved by everyone. In the Congressman's office, Peggy proudly represented her hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.

He told me that Peggy and her family are renowned in Huntsville, and that she is and always has been devoted to the people of Huntsville, as well as her friends and family back home.

In 2008, she joined the Office of the Clerk as an assistant bill clerk. And her dedication and exceptional work ethic earned her the promotion to bill clerk in July of 2021.

As if all this were not enough, Peggy will soon graduate from Wesley Theological Seminary with a doctorate of ministry degree in church leadership. And I want to congratulate her on that incredible achievement.

Peggy and her team have the daunting task of processing every single bill and cosponsor form for the House.

Mr. Speaker, as you know, the bill clerks work especially closely with the Parliamentarian's office, because the Parliamentarian is responsible for referring all bills on the day that they are introduced. And the bill clerks process those referrals on the same day as well.

Now, sometimes that means that the bill clerks and Parliamentarians share late nights together and they get to know each other quite well. I want to read a note sent over to me by the Parliamentarian's office about Peggy.

``Peggy is always such a welcoming presence to us, both on the floor and in our offices. However, Peggy is so welcoming and kind that there is always a noticeable uptick in bill introduction whenever she is stationed on the floor. That is why we came to know her by the nickname `The Bill Magnet,' we know that our workload increases whenever she is on the floor.

``However, always thinking of others, Peggy would make up for this increased bill count by singing a cappella renditions of popular songs in our office while we finished up our referrals. She is one of a kind, the consummate public servant, and truly irreplaceable to this institution.''

Mr. Speaker, at a time when there are a lot of challenges and uncertainties in the world, here is someone who is doing everything she can to make everyone's day a little bit brighter and to give back to her community and to her country; someone who, through her dogged willpower, incredible knowledge, and decades of experience, tackles every challenge she faces with poise, talent, and a great sense of humor.

Even on her team's busiest days, during their longest hours, and on their latest nights, and during the historic and often unprecedented times that we are living through, Peggy is a beacon of light, bringing camaraderie and positivity to everything she does.

She has served this institution, and the people it represents, with integrity, with honor, and with skill for the past 33 years.

Mr. Speaker, Peggy Fields is an inspiration, and her career in public service has been nothing short of remarkable. She set out to make a difference, and what a difference she has made.

On behalf of all of my colleagues and staff on both sides of the aisle, past and present, and the countless people in whose lives Peggy has made an immeasurable difference, I would like to extend this institution's deepest and most sincere thanks to Peggy and wish her all the best as she begins this new chapter.

Thank you, Peggy.

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