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H.R. No. 255
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Honorable Terry Keel of Austin has rendered
exceptional service to his fellow citizens throughout his tenure in
the Texas House of Representatives; and
WHEREAS, First elected to the house in 1996, Representative
Keel was returned to four succeeding legislatures by the
constituents of District 47; he currently serves as chairman of the
committee on criminal jurisprudence, and he was chair of the select
interim committee on sex offender statutes and the select committee
on election contests; and
WHEREAS, A former Travis County sheriff and assistant
district attorney, Representative Keel has authored or sponsored a
number of successful bills relating to the criminal justice system
as well as bills relating to property and education; and
WHEREAS, Before entering the legislature, Terry Keel served
as sheriff of Travis County from 1992 to 1997; the first Republican
elected to that office since Reconstruction, he supervised a staff
of more than 1,200 and managed an inmate population of more than
2,500; during his tenure, he established a professional
victim-services program and collaborated with the Austin Police
Department in organizing joint law enforcement operations; he also
expanded inmate agriculture, labor, and education programs; and
WHEREAS, While assistant district attorney, from 1984 to
1992, he served as lead prosecutor in more than 50 contested felony
jury trials and held the position of chief prosecutor over several
units; additionally, he was designated the lead assistant D.A. in
numerous capital murder, homicide, sexual assault, and attempted
capital murder cases; and
WHEREAS, This distinguished Texan has given generously of his
time and expertise to the advisory council of the Crime Victims'
Institute, in the Texas Attorney General's Office, and to the
advisory board of the St. Edward's University School of Behavioral
and Social Sciences; and
WHEREAS, Representative Keel has received accolades from the
chief of the APD and from a host of law enforcement organizations,
as well as from the Austin Fire Fighters Association, the Texas
Library Association, and The University of Texas System Board of
Regents; in 2000 and 2001, he was recognized by the State Bar of
Texas for his significant contributions to the delivery of legal
services to low-income Texans; and
WHEREAS, A fifth-generation Austinite, Representative Keel
is the father of twin sons, Travis and Sean; he is a parishioner of
Emmaus Catholic Church, in Lakeway, and a charter board member of
the APD chapter of the Emerald Society of Texas; and
WHEREAS, In the nearly 10 years he has spent in the house of
representatives, Terry Keel has brought his deep experience and
formidable skills to bear, especially on the vital policy areas of
public safety and criminal justice, and through his legislative
leadership he has touched the lives of Texans across the Lone Star
State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby commend the Honorable Terry
Keel for his outstanding service in the Texas House of
Representatives and extend to him sincere appreciation for his
tireless devotion to this state; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Representative Keel as an expression of high regard by
his colleagues in the Texas House of Representatives.
Baxter
Craddick Geren Merritt
Allen of Harris Giddings Miller
Allen of Dallas Gonzales Moreno of Harris
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of El Paso
Anchia Goodman Morrison
Anderson Goolsby Mowery
Bailey Griggs Naishtat
Baxter Grusendorf Nixon
Berman Guillen Noriega
Blake Haggerty Oliveira
Bohac Hamilton Olivo
Bonnen Hamric Orr
Branch Hardcastle Otto
Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Paxton
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Pena
Burnam Hegar Phillips
Callegari Herrero Pickett
Campbell Hilderbran Pitts
Casteel Hill Puente
Castro Hochberg Quintanilla
Chavez Hodge Raymond
Chisum Homer Reyna
Coleman Hope Riddle
Cook of Navarro Hopson Ritter
Cook of Colorado Howard Rodriguez
Corte Hughes Rose
Crabb Hunter Seaman
Crownover Hupp Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Harris
Davis of Dallas Jackson Smithee
Dawson Jones of Lubbock Solis
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solomons
Denny Keffer of Dallas Strama
Deshotel Keffer of Eastland Straus
Driver King of Parker Swinford
Dukes King of Zavala Talton
Dunnam Kolkhorst Taylor
Dutton Krusee Thompson
Edwards Kuempel Truitt
Eiland Laney Turner
Eissler Laubenberg Uresti
Elkins Leibowitz Van Arsdale
Escobar Luna Veasey
Farabee Madden Villarreal
Farrar Martinez Vo
Flores Martinez Fischer West
Flynn McCall Wong
Frost McClendon Woolley
Gallego McReynolds Zedler
Gattis Menendez
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 255 was adopted by the House on August
19, 2005, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House