[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 101 (Monday, June 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ERIKA K. LUNDER

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I wish to offer my most sincere 
appreciation and gratitude to Erika K. Lunder, legislative attorney 
with the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service, 
CRS. Erika will be leaving CRS on June 22, 2018, after 15 years of 
dedicated and selfless service to CRS and Congress. She was a trusted 
adviser on tax law to Members on both sides of the aisle, and her 
guidance and counsel will be deeply missed by me and many of my 
colleagues.
  Throughout her time at CRS, Erika provided substantial legislative 
support to Members of Congress and congressional staff who often turned 
to her for analysis, brainstorming, and consultation on various aspects 
of tax law. Erika covered all aspects of tax law, from individual to 
corporate to international, and in connection with every subject on 
which Congress legislates, from health and energy policy, to campaign 
finance, immigration, and veterans. Her work in these areas included 
assisting Congress with interpretations of current and proposed law, 
explaining case law and legal developments, and analyzing legislative 
proposals at various stages of the process. Erika's work was used by 
Congress in hearings, legislative development, markups, and 
preconference negotiations.
  Erika was a tireless worker who never said no to a request and was 
always willing to make herself available, on a moment's notice, 7 days 
a week, to help inform the policy process. She was able to describe and 
distill the most complex and opaque tax law concepts in layman's terms 
in both her writing and her oral consultations to her clients.
  During her time at CRS, Erika contributed her tax law expertise in 
support of major pieces of tax legislation that were enacted into law, 
as well as issues that are still the subject of congressional debate, 
such as the taxation of internet sales.
  Erika's extensive knowledge of tax law and her keen ability to frame 
and analyze issues of paramount concern to Congress often made her the 
primary point of contact for congressional staff. In addition, Erika 
was an invaluable resource to her colleagues at CRS, working at some 
time or another with almost everyone in the Service, providing her tax 
law expertise in combination with their legal and policy expertise in 
other areas. I thank her for her service to Congress and the Nation and 
wish her all the best.

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