By Jones of Lubbock                                   H.R. No. 1233
         77R17610 JKB-F                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, Republican State Representative Tommy Merritt has
 1-2     accrued a distinguished record of public service, including three
 1-3     successful sessions in the Texas Legislature, selection to host the
 1-4     "Best Little Ball in D.C.," for the president's inauguration,
 1-5     appointment to President Bush's energy advisory transition team,
 1-6     and appointment by Governor Bush to the Interstate Oil & Gas
 1-7     Compact Commission; and
 1-8           WHEREAS, While serving as a Republican legislator, member of
 1-9     the Gregg County Appraisal Board, and the Sabine River Authority,
1-10     Mr. Merritt has lived up to his nickname as the "taxpayers'
1-11     watchdog," and his fight to save money for the citizens of this
1-12     state has included support of the two largest tax cuts in Texas
1-13     history and the emergency relief of the severance tax on oil
1-14     production; and
1-15           WHEREAS, A Republican state representative who has stood tall
1-16     and courageous working on behalf of small-town Texans, he has
1-17     promoted the fair and reflective redistricting of state legislative
1-18     boundaries and encouraged economic development of rural areas in
1-19     East Texas through the statutory creation of the Texas-Louisiana
1-20     Border Region, which allows rural Northeast Texas to compete as a
1-21     region with larger urban areas such as Dallas or Houston; and
1-22           WHEREAS, A devoted family man, Mr. Merritt has been married
1-23     to his beloved wife Janet for 29 years, and the couple are the
1-24     proud parents of three children and active members of the First
 2-1     Baptist Church of Longview, and as a Republican member of the State
 2-2     Affairs Committee, he has helped pass strong pro-family values
 2-3     legislation, including the requirement for parental notification
 2-4     for abortion; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, Known throughout his community for his dedication to
 2-6     the youth of this state, this Republican legislator has long fought
 2-7     for quality public education and supported such worthwhile civic
 2-8     initiatives as his local Junior Achievement program, which
 2-9     currently hosts the nation's top high school women's basketball
2-10     tournaments in Longview; and
2-11           WHEREAS, A local crime fighter, Mr. Merritt has been actively
2-12     involved with Turn Around Longview and Turn Around Kilgore and
2-13     participated in citizen marches against local drug dealers and
2-14     crack houses, and he has worked to strengthen our criminal justice
2-15     system as a Republican state legislator; and
2-16           WHEREAS, While a member of the house, he has received
2-17     legislator distinction awards, including an award for his diligent
2-18     efforts to assist the state's domestic oil and gas producers; in
2-19     addition, he was the first Republican legislator in more than two
2-20     decades to be selected for the Legislative Black Caucus's G. J.
2-21     Sutton award for outstanding service in the House of
2-22     Representatives; and
2-23           WHEREAS, Tommy Merritt is a lifelong conservative and
2-24     Republican, whose East Texas roots date back to Barry Goldwater's
2-25     1960s visit to Longview; selected as a presidential election
2-26     recount poll watcher in Florida last year, he has truly proven
2-27     himself to be an asset both to the state of Texas and to the
 3-1     current legislative session; now, therefore, be it
 3-2           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
 3-3     Legislature hereby express respect and appreciation to Republican
 3-4     State Representative Tommy Merritt for being loyal to his state and
 3-5     his community and for proudly serving the state with integrity,
 3-6     courage, and distinction.