2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 198
BY SENATORS ALARIO, ALLAIN, APPEL, BARROW, BISHOP, BOUDREAUX,
CARTER, CHABERT, CLAITOR, COLOMB, CORTEZ, DONAHUE,
ERDEY, FANNIN, GATTI, HENSGENS, HEWITT, JOHNS,
LAFLEUR, LAMBERT, LONG, LUNEAU, MARTINY, MILKOVICH,
MILLS, MIZELL, MORRELL, MORRISH, PEACOCK, PETERSON,
PRICE, RISER, GARY SMITH, TARVER, THOMPSON,
WALSWORTH, WARD AND WHITE
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Honorable John R. Smith for his service to the people of the state of
Louisiana and for his many outstanding accomplishments during his tenure in the
Louisiana Senate.
WHEREAS, John R. Smith is completing an outstanding career in public service for
the people of Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Vernon parishes and for the state of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Leesville High School, Senator Smith received
a bachelor of science degree and a master's degree in business administration from Loyola
University in New Orleans and studied at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS, an investor, past Chamber of Commerce president, and past president
of the Vernon Parish Police Jury, Senator Smith has also served as a member of the
Republican Delegation and the Acadiana Delegation of the Louisiana Legislature; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith's professional, civic, and business affiliations include the
Leesville Lions Club, the Leesville/Vernon Chamber of Commerce, the Masons, the
Shriners, and the board of directors of the Sabine State Bank; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith began his career of public service as a member of the
Vernon Parish Police Jury in the early 1980s and was elected to the Louisiana House of
Representatives in 1987; and
WHEREAS, among other appointments, then Representative Smith was a sixteen-
year member of the House Committee on Appropriations and also served as a member of the
Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget and as chairman of the House Committee on
Natural Resources; and
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WHEREAS, after his tenure of two decades as a member of the people's chamber,
the voters of Senate District 30 rewarded his statesmanship by electing Senator Smith to
serve in the Louisiana Senate in 2007, and reelected him to two successive terms; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance
and has served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection,
and International Affairs, and as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Senate and
Governmental Affairs; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith is a member of the Senate Committee on Local and
Municipal Affairs, the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs, and the Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development, as well as the
Select Committee on Coastal Restoration and Flood Control, the Office of Group Benefits
Policy and Planning Board, the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay, the State
Bond Commission, and the Legislative Audit Advisory Council, and he also represents the
Senate on the Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith has represented Louisiana on the executive committee
of the Energy Council for twenty-five years, twice serving as chairman of the council; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith and his wife of fifty-six years, the former Pamela
Arnondin, have two children, Bradford and Payton, and grandchildren, Hays and Harrison;
and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith is a man of unflappable effectiveness, working diligently
to build relationships with his fellow legislators, statewide elected officials, and everyone
involved in the legislative process, regardless of their rank, position, caucus, or party
affiliation; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith is a master of capital outlay, successfully acquiring
funding for essential infrastructure projects that affect all the people of District 30, including
water, sewage, drainage, energy, and road projects; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith was instrumental in securing the transportation funding
necessary for the construction of the vital four-lane highway connecting Leesville, Fort Polk,
and Alexandria and to complete the four-lane highway connecting Lake Charles and
Shreveport; and
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WHEREAS, Senator Smith takes particular pride in his work to serve those who have
served their country in the establishment of the Central Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in
Vernon Parish; and
WHEREAS, Senator Smith merits accolades and appreciation of the highest order
for devoting nearly forty years of his life to the service of others through elective office,
culminating with his distinguished twelve-year career in the Louisiana Senate.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby express its enduring gratitude to the Honorable John R. Smith for his steadfast
commitment to the citizens of Senate District 30 and the people of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby extend to him the best wishes of his fellow Senators for success in all his future
endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Honorable John R. Smith of Louisiana Senatorial District 30.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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