Volume 153, No. 148 covering the of the 110th Congress (2007 - 2008) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO LYNNE M. ROSS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S12431-S12432 on Oct. 2, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO LYNNE M. ROSS
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, before I was elected by the people of Connecticut to serve in the Senate, I was privileged to serve as their attorney general for 6 years. During my tenure as AG, I was assisted not only by my top rate staff but by an organization that proved invaluable toward my efforts to protect public health and safety, the National Association of Attorneys General.
The National Association of Attorneys General, NAAG, has been assisting the chief legal officers of all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and other jurisdictions since 1907. In the last 30 years, the scope of NAAG's operations has increased dramatically with the opening of its Washington, DC, office, which has been a tremendous resource to State attorneys general seeking to coordinate with each other and with the Federal Government. One person who was particularly instrumental in expanding the association's Washington operations is Lynne Ross, who retired in September after working in public service for over 30 years.
When NAAG first opened its Washington office in 1976, Ms. Ross was its first and at that time only full time employee. Given this, it is amazing the broad array of services this office offered. Serving as both deputy director and legislative director, Ms. Ross coordinated legislative activities on behalf of attorneys general across the country, including securing $25 million dollars in Federal aid to help States develop/enhance their antitrust capacity. In addition, she worked together with State and environmental groups in passing the Federal Facilities Compliance Act, which requires Federal facilities to follow the same State, local, and Federal environmental regulations that govern private industry. This act has greatly expanded the ability of attorneys general to clean up the environment.
Ms. Ross also worked as a liaison between State attorneys general and the White House and executive agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Trade Commission, with which many AGs have extensive, yet sometimes frayed, relations. Ms. Ross was known for her ability to help AGs and their staff clear through the bureaucratic brush and find who they need to talk to. She undertook efforts to help attorneys generals better perform their jobs by preparing regular NAAG meetings which fostered interaction between AGs and the various Federal agencies, by producing various NAAG publications which both informed AG offices of various legal developments, and also provided advice on how best to fulfill their roles and responsibilities as the chief public law enforcement officer for the State.
The work done by Ms. Ross and NAAG proved to be so immensely valuable to State attorneys general that by 1997, when Ms. Ross returned to the NAAG after serving 4 years at EPA, its Washington office had grown to employ almost 50 people to accommodate for the increased demand for services. This speaks volumes about Ms. Ross's talents and work ethic.
Upon returning to NAAG, Ms. Ross served again as deputy director, managing the day-to-day operations of the association. In 2002, she became executive director, in which she put her experience and wisdom to work developing programs and initiatives in an array of substantive areas including criminal law, consumer protection, cybercrime, and more.
Throughout the years Lynne was at NAAG she was also instrumental in the creation and support of an auxiliary organization of former attorneys general called the Society of Attorneys General Emeritus, SAGE. SAGE members could always rely on Lynne's prompt and responsive counsel and advice.
Mr. President, what I have provided today is just a mere sampling of Lynne Ross's professional accomplishments. One could easily fill up a large book with the things she has done and yet still not do her career justice. Perhaps it best to simply say: Thank you, Lynne Ross, for helping to make NAAG the organization it is today. All our country's attorneys general and the people they serve are better off because of you.
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