Volume 164, No. 195 covering the 2nd Session of the 115th Congress (2017 - 2018) 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.
“HONORING KATHY NICKEL FOR HER TIRELESS SERVICE IN ADDRESSING THE OPIOID CRISIS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1639-E1640 on Dec. 11, 2018.
More than half of the Agency's employees are engineers, scientists and protection specialists. The Climate Reality Project, a global climate activist organization, accused Agency leadership in the last five years of undermining its main mission.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING KATHY NICKEL FOR HER TIRELESS SERVICE IN ADDRESSING THE OPIOID
CRISIS
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HON. ANN M. KUSTER
of new hampshire
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Brookings Fellow, Kathy Nickel. I am sad to say that her last day in my office is today, December 14th. I thank Kathy for her work on addressing the opioid crisis. Her service to the people of New Hampshire and the United States of America is truly appreciated.
Kathy, like many of us, is personally affected by the opioid epidemic. Her desire to make a positive impact in our nation's struggle with this ``disease of the brain'' brought her to Washington from her home in Oxford, Ohio. An accomplished employee for the Environmental Protection Agency, she brought a passion and perspective that is greatly needed here in Washington.
As you might expect, Kathy was a wonderful liaison to families and community leaders grappling with the crisis at home. The compassion she embodied brought people together not in grief but with the hope that this crisis can be solved, together. I was proud to have her represent me at a national conference on drug misuse in correctional settings and Kathy demonstrated her ability to bring people together.
But, she will also leave an important legislative legacy for my office. She crafted legislation that would improve the delivery of medication-assisted treatment in correctional settings. Through her work on this issue, Kathy went above and beyond merely crafting said legislation--she brought together disparate stakeholders to champion the bill. The Corrections Public Health and Community Re-entry Act will be one of my top priorities for the next Congress.
Moreover, she started what will be an important issue for the 116th Congress to consider--whether to eliminate a half-century old prohibition on the use of Medicaid in a correctional setting. Her work on uncovering the negative impacts to what is known as the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion may prove transformational. Few fellows can say they have personally crafted such impressive legislation.
Kathy was a fantastic team member. Her kindness and positive attitude will be missed in our office. I wish her the best of luck in her next endeavor with the EPA. I thank her again for her dedication and service.
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