88R32281 JH-D

By: Metcalf H.R. No. 2294

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Over the course of this 140-day regular session, the staff of the Texas Legislative Council has worked diligently to meet the needs of the legislature; and

WHEREAS, The council is led by executive director Jeff Archer, who draws on more than 40 years of experience with the agency; he is relied on throughout the Capitol community for his expertise in a broad range of subject areas, and through the decades, he has worked thousands of late night and early morning hours to provide steadfast support to legislators, legislative staff, and council employees; and

WHEREAS, The agency's leadership team also includes assistant executive director Kimberly Shields and general counsel Jon Heining, who help coordinate the operation of the five TLC divisions--information systems, legal, research, document production, and administration--each of which specializes in specific areas of support; and

WHEREAS, Guided by division director Joe Diana, the council's information systems division provides a range of computer-related services to the legislative branch of state government; in addition to equipping member offices with PCs, iPads, printers, and software, the division maintains the network infrastructure for the Capitol community, develops applications, and offers comprehensive training and assistance in technical matters, lending its expertise through a variety of channels; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of division director Mike Marshall, the attorneys, legal assistants, editors, and support staff of the legal division help to craft proposed bills and constitutional amendments, substitutes, amendments, conference committee reports, and miscellaneous drafts and provide legal advice and analysis on request; the division's legal editing team also performs a dual role by carrying out the engrossing and enrolling duties for the House; and

WHEREAS, The research division, led by division director Karen White, is composed of the redistricting & data, policy research & bill analysis, research editing & special projects, and resolutions & publications sections; during the session, division staff produce numerous bill analyses for House committees, resolutions and certificates, and side-by-side analyses; moreover, they support the redistricting process, provide mapping and statistical services, and maintain Capweb, Texas Redistricting, and other useful websites; and

WHEREAS, Contributing to the council's efforts to serve the legislature are the members of the TLC document production staff; division director Janet Sullivan manages sections that handle data transcription, proofreading, printing, and document processing & delivery; over the course of the session, the division produces and distributes thousands of drafts, House official printings, and other documents; and

WHEREAS, The council's diverse responsibilities are supported by the staff of the administration division, who keep the other divisions running smoothly through their efforts in the areas of human resources, accounting and purchasing, and assurance services; and

WHEREAS, Council staff bring to their duties precision, creativity, knowledge, and technical expertise, serving the legislature and the citizens of this state with stamina and resilience as they meet the myriad challenges of a legislative session; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas Legislature hereby recognize the staff of the Texas Legislative Council for their work in behalf of the legislative branch of government and the Lone Star State; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the council staff as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.