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Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 91
BY SENATORS CHAISSON, ADLEY, ALARIO, AMEDEE, APPEL, BROOME,
CHABERT, CHEEK, CLAITOR, CROWE, DONAHUE, DORSEY,
ERDEY, GUILLORY, HEITMEIER, JACKSON, KOSTELKA,
LAFLEUR, LONG, MARIONNEAUX, MARTINY, MCPHERSON,
MICHOT, MILLS, MORRELL, MORRISH, MOUNT, MURRAY,
NEVERS, PERRY, PETERSON, QUINN, RISER, SHAW, SMITH,
THOMPSON, WALSWORTH AND WILLARD-LEWIS
A RESOLUTION
To commend Senator D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux and to express sincere appreciation for his
distinguished service to the people of Louisiana, particularly to the citizens of Senate
District No. 21, as a member of the Legislature of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, a native of Louisiana's coastal parishes, D.A. Gautreaux was born
December 12, 1947, the third of six children and only son of Cora and Dudley Gautreaux;
he attended Central Catholic High School and Nicholls State University; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux began his voluntary service to his country when he
entered the Navy in 1968, receiving an honorable discharge in 1972; and
WHEREAS, affectionately known as "Butch", Senator Gautreaux first took office
in 1996 having been chosen by the people of House District No. 51 to represent them as a
member of the state legislature, and he was joined in his freshman class by other legislators
from the heart of Cajun Country who together adopted the moniker The Pelican Group; and
WHEREAS, with the support and encouragement of his beloved wife of forty-three
years, Marilyn, their sons Michael and Lee, daughters-in-law Rhonda and Stephanie, and
grandchildren Alana, Drew, Adrien, Abigail, Andrew, and Katelyn, Senator Gautreaux has
for sixteen years continued to offer himself in service to his family, his friends, his
neighbors, and his faith; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux was elected to represent Senate District No. 21 in
1999, and he is completing his third and final term in the Senate; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux currently serves as chair of the Senate Committee SR NO. 91 ENROLLED
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on Retirement; as a member of the Senate committees on health and welfare and
transportation, highways, and public works; as a member of the Senate select committees
on coastal restoration and flood control, consumer affairs and technology, homeland
security, and oversight of the gulf coast claims facility; as the Senate President's designee
to the Public Retirement Systems' Actuarial Committee; and as an interim member of the
Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs and the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital
Outlay; and
WHEREAS, a man of principle, Senator Gautreaux has consistently proven his
commitment to voting his conscience while acknowledging that others with dissimilar values
must do the same, necessarily leading to disagreement, a natural part of the legislative
process; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux's skillful use of the written word is legendary; he
employs his accurate, incisive, effective, and sometimes ironic communication style to keep
his constituents and fellow legislators fully informed regarding all manner of volatile issues
including pay raises for legislators and insurance coverage and benefit increases for retired
teachers; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux has been honored by the Louisiana Senate
Democratic Caucus, whose members selected him as Whip for this legislative term; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux embodies a dynamic balance of heartfelt compassion
for his fellow man and thoughtful dedication to transparent fiscal responsibility for the hard-
working Louisiana citizenry, making him particularly well-suited for a leadership role in the
development of policy for providing public employees with dependable retirement annuities
sufficient to support them in a modest lifestyle, at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux, working diligently to fulfill his constitutional duty
to maintain the actuarial soundness of Louisiana's public retirement systems which provide
benefits to retired teachers and state employees, has sponsored numerous bills and
resolutions for the betterment of those systems, including Act 370 of the 2007 Regular
Session providing a minimum benefit to retired career state troopers and Act 497 of the 2009
Regular Session of the Legislature, which will afford savings to the citizens of Louisiana of
over half a billion dollars; and SR NO. 91 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, in recognition of his exemplary service to the public, Senator Gautreaux
has received numerous well-deserved accolades and awards including the 1997 Outstanding
Rural Legislator Award, the 1998 Friend of the Parishes Award, the 2001 Louisiana Wildlife
Federation Legislator of the Year Award, the 2004 Leonard J. Chabert Leadership Award,
the 2006 Tobacco Free Living Legislative Champion Award, and the 2009 State Troopers'
Association Legislator of the Year Award; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gautreaux's love of "La Louisiane", and all that is encompassed
within her history and her borders, is evident in his persistence in protecting and preserving
Louisiana's God-given cultural and natural resources; this devotion is currently manifested
in his position as Louisiana's legislative appointee to the fifteen-member federal Gulf States
Marine Fisheries Commission, and he has previously served on the committees on natural
resources and agriculture, authoring Act 920 of the 1999 Regular Session of the Legislature
to provide funding and an operating plan for the Atchafalaya Basin Program; and
WHEREAS, as he completes his final regular legislative session with the Senate, it
is fitting and proper that Senator Gautreaux's unflagging efforts to improve the welfare of
his state and her people, particularly those in the parishes of St. Mary, Assumption,
Terrebonne, Lafourche, and St. Martin, should be given their due measure of admiration and
recognition from his peers and colleagues.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Senator D.A. "Butch" Gautreaux and offer its gratitude for his
exceptional contributions as a member of the legislature, particularly during his incumbency
with the Senate.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby extend to Senator Gautreaux its sincere wishes for success and happiness in all his
future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Senator Butch Gautreaux.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE