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.