R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Our esteemed colleague, Speaker James E. "Pete" 1-2 Laney, will celebrate his birthday on March 20, 1997, and it gives 1-3 the members of this chamber great pleasure to join the Laney family 1-4 in marking this special day; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A native Texan, Speaker Laney was born in Plainview 1-6 on March 20, 1943, and with the exception of his sojourn to exotic 1-7 Lubbock to attend Texas Tech University, he has lived in Hale 1-8 County throughout his life; a third-generation cotton farmer, 1-9 Speaker Laney exemplifies the proud Texas tradition of the citizen 1-10 legislator, returning--often eagerly, or even gleefully--to his 1-11 farm near Hale Center at the close of each legislative session, 1-12 apparently preferring the backbreaking but relatively quiet work of 1-13 the cotton field to the organized chaos of the house chamber; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Since his first election to the Texas House of 1-15 Representatives in 1972, Speaker Laney has offered thoughtful 1-16 leadership as a member of the House Agriculture and Livestock 1-17 Committee, the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, the Transportation 1-18 Committee, and many others, and as chairman of the House 1-19 Administration Committee from 1975 to 1982, he initiated a number 1-20 of cost-saving measures that have greatly improved the efficiency 1-21 of state operations; and 1-22 WHEREAS, In his role as speaker of the house, this 1-23 distinguished gentleman is known for his fairness and his open, 1-24 approachable manner, giving freely of his time to help freshman 2-1 legislators become accustomed to their new roles; sadly, Speaker 2-2 Laney's good-natured personality has made it nearly impossible for 2-3 senior legislators to haze their freshman counterparts, and very 2-4 few of the newcomers have fallen for the ruse that they are 2-5 required to pledge allegiance to the Red Raiders before entering 2-6 the speaker's office; and 2-7 WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Speaker Laney has benefited 2-8 from the love and support of his wife, Nelda McQuien Laney, and his 2-9 children, KaLyn Laney, Jamey Laney Phillips, and J Pete Laney; 2-10 Mrs. Laney is highly respected by the members of this chamber for 2-11 her historical preservation efforts, and her unfailing grace, 2-12 courtesy, and charm have made her a welcome presence in the often 2-13 unruly world of Texas politics; and 2-14 WHEREAS, Pete Laney's reputation as a man of integrity, 2-15 fairness, and commitment has made him an inspiration to all of his 2-16 fellow legislators, and it is with sincere respect that we join in 2-17 offering this heartfelt and good-natured tribute; now, therefore, 2-18 be it 2-19 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas 2-20 Legislature hereby honor Speaker James E. "Pete" Laney on the 2-21 auspicious occasion of his birthday and extend to him warmest best 2-22 wishes for many more years of happiness and success; and, be it 2-23 further 2-24 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-25 prepared for Speaker Laney as an expression of highest regard by 2-26 his colleagues in the Texas House of Representatives. Brimer Alexander Gutierrez Oliveira Allen Haggerty Olivo Alvarado Hamric Palmer Averitt Hartnett Patterson Bailey Hawley Pickett Berlanga Heflin Pitts Bonnen Hernandez Place Bosse Hightower Price Brimer Hilbert Puente Burnam Hilderbran Rabuck Carter Hill Ramsay Chavez Hinojosa Rangel Chisum Hirschi Raymond Christian Hochberg Reyna of Bexar Clark Hodge Reyna of Dallas Coleman Holzheauser Rhodes Cook Horn Rodriguez Corte Howard Roman Counts Hunter Sadler Crabb Hupp Seaman Craddick Isett Serna Cuellar Jackson Shields Culberson Janek Siebert Danburg Jones of Lubbock Smith Davila Jones of Dallas Smithee Davis Junell Solis Delisi Kamel Solomons Denny Keel Staples Driver Keffer Stiles Dukes King Swinford Dunnam Krusee Talton Dutton Kubiak Telford Edwards Kuempel Thompson Ehrhardt Lewis of Tarrant Tillery Eiland Lewis of Orange Torres Elkins Longoria Turner of Coleman Farrar Luna Turner of Harris Finnell McCall Uher Flores McClendon Van de Putte Gallego McReynolds Walker Galloway Madden West Garcia Marchant Williams Giddings Maxey Williamson Glaze Merritt Wilson Goodman Moffat Wise Goolsby Moreno Wohlgemuth Gray Mowery Wolens Greenberg Naishtat Woolley Grusendorf Nixon Yarbrough Oakley Zbranek _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 436 was adopted by the House on March 20, 1997, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House