NASHUA, N.H. – Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) celebrated passage of a bill they introduced to designate the air route traffic control center in Nashua as the “Patricia Clark Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center” in honor of Patty Clark, a fifty-year veteran of the center. Matching legislation introduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Kelly Ayotte passed the Senate in March, and the bill should soon head to President Obama’s desk to be signed into law.

“Patty Clark is an exemplary federal employee whose commitment to serving her community is an inspiration to all Granite Staters,” Kuster said. “I am honored to join our entire congressional delegation in celebrating Patty’s 50 years of dedicated service, and look forward to visiting the center once it is officially renamed.”

“Patty has been an inspiration to her coworkers and has shown great dedication to her job and the people she serves,” Shea-Porter said. “She makes all of us public servants proud!”

“All of us who have worked at Boston Center are thrilled to see Patty receive this great recognition which she so richly deserves," added Mike Robicheau, New England Regional Vice President for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. “We consider her the 'rock' at the facility. Everything is taken care of because of her. Patty is tremendously dedicated to public service and exemplifies the very best qualities of federal employees. It's special people like Patty who make working at a place like Boston Center so enjoyable.”

Earlier this month, Kuster and Shea-Porter sent a letter to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor urging him to allow a vote on the legislation. The full text of their letter is below.

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June 6, 2013

The Honorable Eric Cantor
Majority Leader
United States House of Representatives
H-329, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Leader Cantor:

As you plan the legislative agenda in the House of Representatives for the coming weeks, we urge you to schedule for consideration H.R. 1092, a bill to designate the air route traffic control center located in Nashua, New Hampshire, as the “Patricia Clark Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center.”

This bill, which we introduced together, would recognize the dedication of Patty Clark, an exemplary federal employee who has worked at the center since it opened fifty years ago.  Ms. Clark is responsible for administrative functions including scheduling, travel arrangements, and payroll, and is held in high regard by her colleagues at the Center.  Remarkably, Patty has never even taken a sick day during her entire tenure working for the federal government!

H.R. 1092 was reported out of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on May 16, 2013 by voice vote, and is a companion measure to S. 540, which was introduced in the Senate by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Kelly Ayotte.  That measure was discharged by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and passed the full Senate by unanimous consent on March 21, 2013.

This bipartisan, no cost legislation would honor a model federal employee who has dedicated her life to public service, and we hope that you will schedule H.R. 1092 for consideration by the full House of Representatives in the very near future.

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Press Contact:
Rob Friedlander, (202) 225-5206