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Regular Session, 2011
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 91
BY SENATOR CHAISSON
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Senator D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux for his distinguished
public service to the people of Louisiana.
A RESOLUTION1
To commend Senator D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux and to express sincere appreciation for his2
distinguished service to the people of Louisiana, particularly to the citizens of Senate3
District No. 21, as a member of the Legislature of Louisiana.4
WHEREAS, a native of Louisiana's coastal parishes, D.A. Gautreaux was born5
December 12, 1947, the third of six children and only son of Cora and Dudley Gautreaux;6
he attended Central Catholic High School and Nicholls State University; and7
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux began his voluntary service to his country when he8
entered the Navy in 1968, receiving an honorable discharge in 1972; and 9
WHEREAS, affectionately known as "Butch", Senator Gautreaux first took office10
in 1996 having been chosen by the people of House District No. 51 to represent them as a11
member of the state legislature, and he was joined in his freshman class by other legislators12
from the heart of Cajun Country who together adopted the moniker The Pelican Group; and13
WHEREAS, with the support and encouragement of his beloved wife of forty-three14
years, Marilyn, their sons Michael and Lee, daughters-in-law Rhonda and Stephanie, and15
grandchildren Alana, Drew, Adrien, Abigail, Andrew, and Katelyn, Senator Gautreaux has16
for sixteen years continued to offer himself in service to his family, his friends, his17
neighbors, and his faith; and18 SR NO. 91
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WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux was elected to represent Senate District No. 21 in1
1999, and he is completing his third and final term in the Senate; and2
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux currently serves as chair of the Senate Committee3
on Retirement; as a member of the Senate committees on health and welfare and4
transportation, highways, and public works; as a member of the Senate select committees5
on coastal restoration and flood control, consumer affairs and technology, homeland6
security, and oversight of the gulf coast claims facility; as the Senate President's designee7
to the Public Retirement Systems' Actuarial Committee; and as an interim member of the8
Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs and the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital9
Outlay; and10
WHEREAS, a man of principle, Senator Gautreaux has consistently proven his11
commitment to voting his conscience while acknowledging that others with dissimilar values12
must do the same, necessarily leading to disagreement, a natural part of the legislative13
process; and14
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux's skillful use of the written word is legendary; he15
employs his accurate, incisive, effective, and sometimes ironic communication style to keep16
his constituents and fellow legislators fully informed regarding all manner of volatile issues17
including pay raises for legislators and insurance coverage and benefit increases for retired18
teachers; and19
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux has been honored by the Louisiana Senate20
Democratic Caucus, whose members selected him as Whip for this legislative term; and21
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux embodies a dynamic balance of heartfelt compassion22
for his fellow man and thoughtful dedication to transparent fiscal responsibility for the hard-23
working Louisiana citizenry, making him particularly well-suited for a leadership role in the24
development of policy for providing public employees with dependable retirement annuities25
sufficient to support them in a modest lifestyle, at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer; and26
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux, working diligently to fulfill his constitutional duty27
to maintain the actuarial soundness of Louisiana's public retirement systems which provide28
benefits to retired teachers and state employees, has sponsored numerous bills and29
resolutions for the betterment of those systems, including Act 370 of the 2007 Regular30 SR NO. 91
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Session providing a minimum benefit to retired career state troopers and Act 497 of the 20091
Regular Session of the Legislature, which will afford savings to the citizens of Louisiana of2
over half a billion dollars; and3
WHEREAS, in recognition of his exemplary service to the public, Senator Gautreaux4
has received numerous well-deserved accolades and awards including the 1997 Outstanding5
Rural Legislator Award, the 1998 Friend of the Parishes Award, the 2001 Louisiana Wildlife6
Federation Legislator of the Year Award, the 2004 Leonard J. Chabert Leadership Award,7
the 2006 Tobacco Free Living Legislative Champion Award, and the 2009 State Troopers'8
Association Legislator of the Year Award; and9
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux's love of "La Louisiane", and all that is encompassed10
within her history and her borders, is evident in his persistence in protecting and preserving11
Louisiana's God-given cultural and natural resources; this devotion is currently manifested12
in his position as Louisiana's legislative appointee to the fifteen-member federal Gulf States13
Marine Fisheries Commission, and he has previously served on the committees on natural14
resources and agriculture, authoring Act 920 of the 1999 Regular Session of Louisiana to15
provide funding and an operating plan for the Atchafalaya Basin Program; and16
WHEREAS, as he completes his final regular legislative session with the Senate, it17
is fitting and proper that Senator Gautreaux's unflagging efforts to improve the welfare of18
his state and her people, particularly those in the parishes of St. Mary, Assumption,19
Terrebonne, Lafourche, and St. Martin, should be given their due measure of admiration and20
recognition from his peers and colleagues.21
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana22
does hereby commend Senator D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux and offer its gratitude for his23
exceptional contributions as a member of the legislature, particularly during his incumbency24
with the Senate.25
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does26
hereby extend to Senator Gautreaux its sincere wishes for success and happiness in all his27
future endeavors.28
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to29
Senator Butch Gautreaux.30 SR NO. 91
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The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Laura Gail Sullivan.
DIGEST
Chaisson SR No.
Commends Senator D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux for his years of exceptional legislative service.