By Uher                                               H.R. No. 1444
         77R16355 JKB-F                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, The many successes of the 77th legislative session
 1-2     have been realized through the hard work and commitment of numerous
 1-3     men and women, and the members of Speaker Pete Laney's staff are
 1-4     especially deserving of recognition; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, The speaker's staff includes many multitalented
 1-6     individuals, all of whom work diligently to ensure that the
 1-7     speaker, the members of the house, and their constituents receive
 1-8     the information and assistance they need; from providing counsel on
 1-9     legislative issues to responding to the folks back home, these
1-10     remarkable public servants excel in the performance of their
1-11     duties; and
1-12           WHEREAS, Executive assistant Barry Miller has been a member
1-13     of Speaker Laney's staff for more than 25 years and has served in
1-14     his present capacity since the 74th Regular Session; respected for
1-15     his knowledge of the legislative process, he is a source of both
1-16     information and inspiration to members of the house and to his
1-17     fellow staffers; and
1-18           WHEREAS, The overall day-to-day operations of the speaker's
1-19     office are the responsibility of Sandy McKey as director of
1-20     administration, and Gregg Werkenthin oversees special projects and
1-21     constituent services for the speaker's district; and
1-22           WHEREAS, Bobby Gierisch heads the speaker's outstanding
1-23     research staff, which provides research assistance to members and
1-24     committees and monitors committee meetings and the status of
 2-1     legislation; Frank Battle serves as ethics advisor to the speaker
 2-2     and to house members while also acting as a liaison to the Texas
 2-3     Ethics Commission; and
 2-4           WHEREAS, The speaker's schedule is handled by Mark Bell, who
 2-5     somehow manages to make time in the speaker's busy calendar to
 2-6     accommodate the numerous requests for meetings and appointments
 2-7     that are received each day; and
 2-8           WHEREAS, The legislative session requires the contributions
 2-9     of these as well as numerous other staffers in the Speaker's Office
2-10     who play vital roles in the success of this biennial gathering; as
2-11     the regular session draws to a close, it is indeed fitting to
2-12     salute them for their notable service; now, therefore, be it
2-13           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-14     Legislature hereby honor the exemplary staff of the Speaker's
2-15     Office for their dedication and efficiency throughout this
2-16     legislative session and commend them for their commitment to
2-17     excellence in their many endeavors; and, be it further
2-18           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-19     prepared for the staff of the Speaker's Office as an expression of
2-20     high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.