By Brimer                                              H.R. No. 436

         75R9757 BNL-D                           

                                 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.