December 19, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 206 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S7203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO GARY HARTZ

  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I rise to recognize Mr. Gary Hartz, who is 
retiring from his position at the Indian Health Service with 48 years 
of distinguished Federal service to the Nation.
  Mr. Hartz is especially deserving of this Chamber's recognition 
because he has spent his entire career on a single and absolutely 
critical goal-improving access to quality health care for American 
Indians and Alaska Natives. In his current position, Mr. Hartz serves 
as the Director of the Office of Environmental Health and Engineering, 
overseeing the construction, maintenance, and operations of Tribal 
health facilities, sanitation, and environmental health programs, a 
position that he has performed for more than two decades after working 
his way up through ranks of the office. An engineer by trade, Mr. Hartz 
also served as a member of the Public Health Service Commissioned 
Corps--retiring with the rank of rear admiral--and served briefly as 
the agency's Deputy Director. He began his career in the field, working 
as an engineer on projects in New Mexico and Alaska.
  I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Mr. Hartz in 
my roles as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and 
the ranking member of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee 
on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. He has worked 
closely with me and my staff and testified before my committees, and I 
can say from firsthand experience that he is one of the most 
knowledgeable, dedicated, and pragmatic public servants at the Indian 
Health Service, and his wisdom and experience will be deeply missed.
  Finally, I want to thank him for all that he has done for my home 
State of New Mexico. Mr. Hartz has been instrumental in working to 
improve and replace Tribal health facilities, including working most 
recently on plans to replace the Service's Albuquerque, Alamo, Pueblo 
Pintado, and Gallup facilities. While we have more to do, I am 
tremendously grateful for the work that he has done to improve access 
to quality health care in Native communities across the State.
  On behalf of the Nation, thank you for a job well done, Mr. Hartz. I 
wish you all the best as you begin your next chapter.

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