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H.R. No. 319
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Sheila Beckett, executive director of the Employees
Retirement System of Texas (ERS), is retiring June 30, 2004, after
30 years of outstanding service to the State of Texas; and
WHEREAS, Appointed to her present position in 1996, Ms.
Beckett oversees programs that provide retirement, health
insurance, deferred compensation, and flexible benefits for more
than 200,000 current state employees and retirees; under her
direction, ERS manages the Texas Employees Group Benefits Program,
which provides health care coverage to more than 500,000 state
employees and retirees, together with their families; the agency is
further entrusted with an investment portfolio whose market value
stands at approximately $20 billion; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of the exceptional leadership that
Ms. Beckett has provided at the helm of ERS, she has been named
Agency Administrator of the Year by the Texas Public Employees
Association and Professional Administrator of the Year by the
Central Texas Chapter of the American Society for Public
Administration; for her commitment to ensuring that ERS
accomplishes its mission of efficiently delivering high-quality
benefits, the American Society for Public Administration and the
National Academy of Public Administration have conferred on her the
prestigious National Public Service Award; and
WHEREAS, A highly regarded state government and budget
expert, Ms. Beckett served Governor Bill Clements as the director
of the Office of Budget and Planning and Lieutenant Governor Bob
Bullock as budget director; she also served the lieutenant governor
as senior advisor on issues concerning employee benefits; and
WHEREAS, This distinguished Texan began her career in state
government in the 1970s as a research assistant to a special state
committee formed by Governor Dolph Briscoe to study public employee
benefits; she later worked in the Texas House of Representatives
and served as a budget examiner for the Legislative Budget Board;
she has managed the spending analysis section in the office of the
comptroller of public accounts and served as a special assistant to
the director of the Texas Legislative Council; and
WHEREAS, A graduate of Texas A&M University, where she
received a bachelor's degree in political science, Ms. Beckett went
on to earn a master of public affairs degree from the Lyndon B.
Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at
Austin; and
WHEREAS, After stepping down from her post at ERS, Ms.
Beckett will be moving to Belgrade, Serbia, where she will join the
staff of the U.S. Treasury Department and serve as resident budget
advisor to the Serbian minister of finance and economy; and
WHEREAS, For three decades, Sheila Beckett has given
unstintingly of her talents and expertise in behalf of the people of
Texas, and her unwavering commitment to this state and its citizens
represents the very best in government service; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby honor Sheila Beckett on the
occasion of her retirement as executive director of the Employees
Retirement System of Texas and extend to her profound gratitude for
her immeasurable contributions to ERS and the people of the Lone
Star State; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Beckett as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Ritter
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 319 was adopted by the House on May
17, 2004, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House