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“TRIBUTE TO RAY UHALDE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S6125-S6126 on June 26, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO RAY UHALDE
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I want to pay a special tribute to a great public servant who is retiring later this month after nearly 25 years of tireless and effective service. Raymond J. Uhalde has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training for the past 8 years. As the senior career professional in the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), he provided executive direction for its $11 billion annual budget and 1300 employees. Ray also served as acting Assistant Secretary from 1996 to 1998, and held other key policy positions during his tenure at the Department of Labor. As Deputy Assistant Secretary, he led important initiatives that improved the nationwide systems of job training, job placement, and income support that are administered by ETA. These public investments help millions of Americans increase their job skills, make smoother transitions between jobs, and improve their wage levels. They also help employers find the skilled workers they need. As a result, family incomes and our nation's prosperity have both improved.
Ray has received many accolades for his leadership over his years of service, including recognition by President Clinton in awarding him with the rank of Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service, as well as the Department of Labor's most prestigious career award, the Philip Arnow Award for excellence. But what stands above even these awards is Ray's unquestionable integrity and professionalism on a bipartisan basis. Ray enjoys a great deal of respect for his leadership and skill in shaping employment policy from Members of Congress and their staffs on both sides of the aisle, enabling him to be an effective representative for the Department of Labor through several different Administrations.
His work has made a real difference in the lives of millions of Americans. His legislative and administrative skills have played critical roles in the enactment and implementation of many important bills including the Workforce Investment Act, a 5-year effort which fundamentally reformed the Nation's job training system; the Welfare to Work program, which has helped transition welfare recipients to gainful employment; and the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which assists low income seniors earn a paycheck while providing important community services. The passage and administration of each of these acts was due in large part to Ray's personal skills and dedicated efforts to assist in the development of consensus bills that would reflect the Administration's priorities and help Americans in need.
I am also grateful for his help and advice over the years on a range of immigration issues facing the Department of Labor. Ray embraced our immigrant heritage, but also understood the importance of strengthening our immigration laws to ensure they would not be misused by those who sought to bring in immigrants to abuse them with substandard wages and working conditions, and to displace U.S. workers.
These efforts represent only a small fraction of the most recent accomplishments that mark Ray's career at the Department of Labor. His fellow workers in the Department of Labor and throughout the administration will sorely miss his wisdom and guidance, as will State and local workforce development leaders in every corner of the Nation. While I am sad to see Ray leave the civil service, I am happy to know that he is going to become Co-Director of the Workforce Program at the National Center on Education and the Economy, where I look forward to continuing to work with him in the years to come on issues involving workforce development--a crucial social policy area in helping all Americans to become full participants in the economic, social and political life of this great country.
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