H.R. No. 2298

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, For more than a century, the Legislative Reference
	Library has provided invaluable assistance to Texas lawmakers; and
	WHEREAS, Signaling to the world that the Texas Legislature
	early on understood the need for expert assistance from
	professional library staff and the value of a specialized reference
	library, leaders of this state reserved a special place at the core
	of the 1888 Capitol to house this vital resource for current and
	future generations; the Legislative Reference Library was
	established on the second floor in the north wing to assist members
	of the legislature and their staffs, and its resources are also
	available to the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker, and their
	staffs, to the staff of the governor's office, to legislative
	officers, agencies, and committees, to state agencies and
	commissions, to librarians and legislators from other states, to
	members of the press, and to Texas citizens; and
	WHEREAS, The tools may change through the decades, but the
	need for information endures, and the library's electronic data
	systems currently expedite the delivery of knowledge to the
	legislative community and the people of Texas in both direct and
	indirect ways; the creation, compilation, and utilization of
	information in a reliable and timely fashion are provided today in a
	manner unimaginable by the legislature in 1888, yet the importance
	of the library's continued proximity to the seat of Texas
	government was reaffirmed during the restoration of the Capitol in
	the 1990s, thus underscoring the intrinsic value of this treasured
	institution; and
	WHEREAS, The effectiveness of the library would not be
	possible without the talented people who staff it; these
	individuals provide in-depth analyses of legislation from all 50
	states, respond to historical legislative queries, and create ad
	hoc legislative statistical reports for staff in the Speaker's and
	Lieutenant Governor's offices; during legislative sessions, the
	library plays an integral part in the legislative process; staff
	develop electronic records in the Texas Legislative Tracking System
	for each bill or resolution filed and furnish real-time information
	to the legislative community, to executive agencies, and to
	citizens of this state through such proprietary applications as
	TLIS and TLO; and
	WHEREAS, Stationed on the floor of the House and Senate
	chambers, library staff record critical legislative actions as they
	occur, and they work closely with the Senate and House
	parliamentarians, the Senate and House journal clerks, the chief
	clerk of the House, the secretary of the Senate, and their staffs to
	ensure that these records are accurate and complete; library staff
	members are also responsible for assigning and entering subject
	terms and companion relationships to facilitate legislative
	research, and they review enrolled legislation for the effective
	dates of each measure; in addition, the library operates a
	toll-free bill status hotline for the public; and
	WHEREAS, As the statutory custodian of legislative records,
	the library maintains the most comprehensive physical repository of
	information relating to the Texas Legislature, including original
	legislative bill files, historical and current publications of
	legislative committees, state agencies, and institutions of higher
	education, and legislative legal resources, journals, law reviews,
	and periodicals; a circulating collection of materials is also made
	available to the legislative community; and
	WHEREAS, The library has undertaken an ambitious and ongoing
	project to digitize historical legislative records and
	information, including the House and Senate journals, to ensure
	that this information is available to scholars and the public to
	foster better understanding of the history of Texas and the
	legislature's role in that history; and
	WHEREAS, Each business day, the library compiles select
	articles from newspapers statewide for the legislative community,
	and it generates weekly listings of important journal articles and
	monthly listings of newsworthy additions to the library's
	collection; the library provides accurate and up-to-date
	legislative information electronically through a number of
	databases; the Texas Appointment System contains information on
	members of state councils, boards, and committees appointed by the
	governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker; the Legislative
	Archive System holds the only electronic version of original
	legislative bill files and documentation, while the Index to
	Sections Affected is the sole source of information detailing the
	proposed statutory effect of bills; moreover, the library maintains
	Texas Legislators: Past & Present, highlighting legislative
	membership information from 1846 to today, as well as a legislative
	reports database covering that same period, and it archives
	gubernatorial executive orders, messages, and proclamations; and
	WHEREAS, Guided skillfully by director Mary L. Camp, the LRL
	staff includes assistant director/librarian Catherine
	Wusterhausen, librarians Elizabeth Buchanan, Colton Chambers, Ali
	Dzienkowski, Melanie Harshman, Elizabeth Hinderer, Karen McBurney,
	Marissa Talamantes, and Ia Wood, archivists Tricia Bailey, Linna
	Dean, and Kaelyn Morice, library assistants and administrative
	staff Elizabeth Bellisario, Donald Brower, Michelle Martinez,
	Kelvin Mote, Kali Palmer, Julia Walden, Jay Young, and Fernanda
	Zamora, and clipping service staff Vincent Cowan, Cristopher
	Taylor, David Wood, and Karen Wright; and
	WHEREAS, These hardworking and dedicated professionals
	demonstrate an unyielding commitment to excellence as they carry on
	the long and storied tradition of their agency, and they may take
	justifiable pride in the important services they provide to the
	legislature and to the citizens of the Lone Star State; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
	Legislature hereby honor the Legislative Reference Library and
	extend to the staff members sincere appreciation for their
	outstanding contributions; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for the library as an expression of high regard by the
	Texas House of Representatives.
	Metcalf
	Phelan Guerra Murr
	Allen Guillen Neave Criado
	Allison Harless Noble
	Anchía Harris of Anderson Oliverson
	Anderson Harris of Williamson Ordaz
	Ashby Harrison Orr
	Bailes Hayes Ortega
	Bell of Kaufman Hefner Patterson
	Bell of Montgomery Hernandez Paul
	Bernal Herrero Perez
	Bhojani Hinojosa Plesa
	Bonnen Holland Price
	Bowers Howard Ramos
	Bryant Hull Raney
	Buckley Hunter Raymond
	Bucy Isaac Reynolds
	Bumgarner Jetton Rogers
	Burns Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr.
	Burrows A. Johnson of Harris Rose
	Button J. Johnson of Harris Rosenthal
	Cain Jones of Dallas Schaefer
	Campos Jones of Harris Schatzline
	Canales Kacal Schofield
	Capriglione King of Hemphill Shaheen
	Clardy King of Uvalde Sherman, Sr.
	Cole Kitzman Shine
	Collier Klick Slawson
	Cook Kuempel Smith
	Cortez Lalani Smithee
	Craddick Lambert Spiller
	Cunningham Landgraf Stucky
	Darby Leach Swanson
	Davis Leo-Wilson Talarico
	Dean Longoria Tepper
	DeAyala Lopez of Bexar Thierry
	Dorazio Lopez of Cameron Thimesch
	Dutton Lozano Thompson of Brazoria
	Flores Lujan Thompson of Harris
	Frank Manuel Tinderholt
	Frazier Martinez Toth
	Gamez Martinez Fischer Troxclair
	Garcia Metcalf Turner
	Gates Meyer VanDeaver
	Gerdes Meza Vasut
	Geren Moody Vo
	Gervin-Hawkins Morales of Harris Walle
	Goldman Morales of Maverick Wilson
	González of Dallas Morales Shaw Wu
	González of El Paso Morrison Zwiener
	Goodwin Muñoz, Jr.
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 2298 was adopted by the House on May 29,
	2023, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House