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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1541-E1542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RETIREMENT OF MS. PAULA KOCHER BARNES
______
HON. JOHN LEWIS
of georgia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Mr. LEWIS. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Ms. Paula Kocher
Barnes on her retirement from the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) and for her decades of public service.
For over 40 years, Ms. Barnes served our country--most recently as
deputy associate general counsel for the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) in the Office of the General Counsel located in
Georgia's Fifth Congressional District.
It took some time for Ms. Barnes to make her way to our wonderful
city. A native daughter of Iowa, Ms. Barnes completed her undergraduate
degree at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. She continued her studies at
Emory University's School of Law, where I believe Metro Atlanta infused
her spirit. Ms. Barnes began a career in federal service at the
Department of Education in 1980 and joined the HHS Office of the
General Counsel in the Region IV Atlanta Office a couple of years
later.
After five years in the regional office, Ms. Barnes transitioned to
the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR),
where she continued her federal career for the next 32 years. During
her tenure with the ATSDR, Ms. Barnes served on the front lines of
implementing policy at the intersection of environment and health
policy, an issue that is near and dear to my heart. As an attorney-
advisor, Ms. Barnes worked to implement the Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act, a monumental bill which became public law the same
year that I was elected to Congress.
As a senior attorney, Ms. Barnes continued this important effort by
providing key counsel
[[Page E1542]]
for interagency initiatives and memoranda on environmental health
policy. In January 2014, the Centers for Disease Control promoted Ms.
Barnes to the prominent position of deputy associate general counsel
for the CDC/ATSDR Branch. Over the years, she contributed to litigation
efforts regarding the Agent Orange exposure studies, the Federal
Advisory Committee Act-National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) Diesel Study, Freedom of Information Act, ATSDR cost
recovery, and the precedential Hanford Downwinders case.
Ms. Barnes also managed to find the time to advance scholarship and
policy in her professional field by contributing to numerous
publications, including two prominent public health law textbooks and
several articles. In addition, she served as an adjunct professor at
Georgia State University's and Emory University's law schools and as a
guest lecturer at Duke University.
During her esteemed career, Ms. Barnes played a critical role in
several significant public health activities and events, including
emergency responses to the September 11th tragedy, anthrax threats,
Ebola Virus, Zika, and several major natural disasters. Our nation and
the global family are forever grateful for Ms. Barnes and so many other
CDC employees who help keep us safe, healthy, and alive.
Today, I would like to thank Ms. Barnes for her 41 years of federal
service, for her dedication to public health, public service, and
education. As she prepares for a well-deserved retirement, I wish Ms.
Barnes the very best as she embarks upon this next chapter.
____________________
