88R31433 BHH-D
 
  By: Metcalf 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.