To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the design, planning, and construction of the South Sacramento County Agriculture and Habitat Lands Water Recycling Project in Sacramento County, California.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to take this opportunity to thank one of the most dedicated members of my Judiciary Committee staff, Michelle Millben, for her service to both the Committee and the House of Representatives. This month she will be leaving to join the White House in the Office of Presidential Personnel as the Outreach and Recruitment Director (Congressional Affairs).

To say that Michelle is a multi-talented attorney would be an understatement. A native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Michelle received her Bachelor's degree in Music Performance, with honors in the violin and piano, from Oklahoma City University. Her musical talent is evidenced by a strong performance resume, impressively amassed while pursuing her legal education. She has performed in gospel choirs backing up Bruce Springsteen's Super Bowl halftime show and also sang at concerts for President Obama on the National Mall and at his first inauguration. In addition, Michelle has appeared as a choral singer in TNT's ``Christmas In Washington'' and participated as a vocal performer in the annual Kennedy Center Honors, providing background vocals alongside music legends such as Sting, James Taylor, Mavis Staples, Steven Tyler, Carrie Underwood, Heart, and Garth Brooks.

Michelle realized a longstanding dream of coming to Washington by studying at the Georgetown University Law Center as a visiting student during her third year of law school. She was ultimately awarded her Juris Doctor from The University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2009 and joined the Committee staff that fall. Michelle has served as a key resource to Members and staff on both sides of the aisle. While working as an Oversight Counsel, Michelle focused on such issues as the foreclosure crisis, the Fair Housing Act, and oversight of the Department of Justice. After our transition to the minority, Michelle's portfolio grew to encompass matters impacting women and women's health, civil rights, voting rights, human rights, election administration, and campaign finance. Michelle had significant staff responsibility for important pieces of legislation, most notably the National Defense Reauthorization Act of 2011 (H.R. 1540), the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 2014 (H.R. 3899), and a number of significant civil rights bills that have promising bipartisan support. Michelle has also worked to spearhead efforts around the filing of amicus briefs on behalf of Members of the House Judiciary Committee in the landmark Supreme Court cases of Shelby County v. Holder and McCutcheon v. FEC.

While her work on the Judiciary Committee staff clearly evidences a strong commitment to Federal service, Michelle has also taken the time to focus on service to youth and families in her newly adopted home state of Virginia and the City of Alexandria. Michelle currently serves as a Commissioner for the City's Redevelopment and Housing Authority, which strives to provide affordable housing and economic opportunity for city residents, and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington's DC region. As an Associate Minister at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church, Michelle also directs children's programs during the summer for the congregation's Vacation Bible School which gathers almost 1,000 people nightly during one week in June, while also leading music ministry to hundreds of students during their weekly Tuesday bible study at the church.

Michelle's energy and dedication to community service have not gone unnoticed. She was accepted into the Political Leaders Program Class of 2014 at the bipartisan Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership in Virginia. Michelle has been awarded the Dawn Lawson Leadership Development Award from the Virginia Leadership Institute, and was also

awarded the Oliver Hill Award for Social Activism by the National Black Law Students Association for her efforts in battling against social injustices.

On behalf of the Judiciary Committee, its staff, and this distinguished body, I would like to thank Michelle for her exemplary work, generosity, sense of humor, and loyalty over the past five years. She will be sorely missed as a colleague, advisor, and friend. We wish her the best of luck and extend to her our deepest gratitude.