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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Successfully meeting the needs of the legislature |
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over the course of a 140-day regular session is a Herculean task |
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willingly taken on every two years by the mere mortal staff of the |
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Texas Legislative Council; and |
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WHEREAS, Each odd-numbered year, legislators travel to |
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Central Texas from across the Lone Star State to represent their |
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constituents at the State Capitol, yet they must stay connected |
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with the folks back home throughout their tenure in Austin; helping |
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them to maintain that tie are the intrepid members of the council's |
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information systems division, whose skilled technical services |
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crew ensures that both district and Capitol offices are equipped |
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with the PCs, printers, and software needed to get the job done; |
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before the session even began, these movers and shakers installed |
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or relocated equipment in 31 district offices and moved 129 Capitol |
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offices; the division's Computer Support Center provides training |
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designed to serve everyone from the most experienced computer geek |
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to those in the grips of advanced technophobia, and, to help with |
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those little temporary setbacks that can make the difference |
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between a bad day and a worse day in the life of a harried |
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legislative staffer, the division's technical support staff and CSC |
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operators truly are standing by, ready to lend their vital |
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expertise over the phone or to dispatch the council equivalent of |
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the knight in shining armor, the council computer consultant, to an |
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office just in time to save the day; to date, the staff has answered |
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more than 18,000 trouble calls and provided training to over 1,100 |
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clients; as if that weren't enough, other brainiacs among the IS |
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staff are constantly at work developing and supporting such custom |
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network and web applications as LMS, CMS, MSS, and TLO to accomplish |
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ever more amazing feats; and |
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WHEREAS, The hardworking attorneys, legal assistants, |
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editors, and support staff of the legal division effectively bid |
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their private lives a fond farewell in the November before each |
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regular session to once again fully devote themselves to supporting |
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the work of the legislature; relied on for the sharpness of their |
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minds, the accuracy of their work, and the resilience of their |
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sleep-deprived bodies, these folks are one by one helping to craft |
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the proposed laws of the Lone Star State; to that end, legal staff |
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members have collectively put in more than 23,000 hours of overtime |
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this session to produce some 8,000 bills and constitutional |
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amendments and approximately 10,500 amendments, substitutes, |
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conference committee reports, and miscellaneous drafts, with each |
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attorney averaging approximately 430 drafts; joining in the fun are |
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members of the division's top-notch legal editing team, who not |
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only work on each draft produced by the agency but also get to |
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experience a serious case of déjà vu in the performance of their |
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engrossing and enrolling duties for the house; in that capacity, |
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they have engrossed more than 1,350 and enrolled close to 1,000 |
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house bills and constitutional amendments and over 4,000 house |
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concurrent and simple resolutions; and |
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WHEREAS, The research division of the TLC attracts all kinds, |
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including policy wonks, wordsmiths, number crunchers, webmasters, |
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mapmakers, and database specialists; during session, members of |
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this fast-paced shop have filled their days and nights answering |
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nearly 400 research requests from the legislature and the public |
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while also serving up a veritable smorgasbord of legislative |
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goodies, producing several hundred senate amendment and conference |
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committee side-by-side analyses in the waning days of the session; |
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some 4,700 policy, honorary, and memorial resolutions; new-member |
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orientation and other publications and websites; statistical and |
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demographic research and data; election and geographic databases; |
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and maps presenting darn near any topic one's heart may desire in a |
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compelling visual format; and |
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WHEREAS, Working 'round the clock and on weekends to |
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accommodate the needs of the legislature are the unsung heroes of |
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the agency, the TLC's valiant document production staff; these |
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plucky performers do the painstaking work required to expertly |
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produce approximately 22,000 legislative drafts, as well as house |
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official printings and numerous other documents each session, |
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through a combination of the flying fingers of the folks in data |
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transcription, the artful work of the graphics section, the |
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astoundingly strong attention to detail of the proofreading |
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section, the over-15-million sheets of paper printed by the council |
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print shop staff, and the multitasking ministration of the document |
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production nerve center, the members of the processing group who |
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whip council drafts into final form and deliver them in huge stacks |
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to Capitol offices each day, as well as receive, organize, process, |
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and deliver house official printings; also central to the mix are |
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the paper pushers of the division's document distribution section, |
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who distributed a whopping figure of more than 100,000 copies of |
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bills and resolutions to the legislative community and the public; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Tying it all together is the vital staff of the |
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administration division, whose invaluable contributions keep all |
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systems go as the agency battens down the hatches for session; |
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composed of the executive team and the human resources, accounting |
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and purchasing, and staff services and facilities management |
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personnel, the administration division seamlessly maintains the |
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overall operations of the agency, assists in bringing on the 100 |
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extra people needed throughout the agency each session to handle |
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the burgeoning workload, and manages the myriad everyday tasks |
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required to ensure its staff the little things that mean so much in |
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their home away from home, including a smoothly functioning |
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physical plant, well-stocked supply stores, cleaner surroundings |
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than employees can find in their own increasingly neglected homes, |
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and countless other amenities without which the challenges of the |
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session would indeed be more daunting; and |
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WHEREAS, Council staff strive to bring to their duties |
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accuracy, creativity, knowledge, technical expertise, a skilled |
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command of the English language, and unparalleled dedication, and |
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when another regular session draws to a close, TLC employees may |
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reflect with justifiable pride on the significant role they have |
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played once again in serving the legislature, and thereby the |
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citizens of this state, to the very best of their abilities; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the staff of the Texas Legislative Council |
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for their indispensable efforts in behalf of the legislative branch |
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of government and the Lone Star State; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the staff of the council as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |