2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 42
BY SENATORS JOHN SMITH, 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 Christopher C. John upon the occasion of his retirement as the president of the
Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, at the end of an illustrious eleven
year tenure, and for more than thirty years in the arena of governmental affairs.
WHEREAS, Christopher John was born on January 5, 1960, in Crowley, Louisiana,
where his family owned and operated a transportation company for generations; and
WHEREAS, Chris John left the friendly environs of Acadia Parish to attend college
at Louisiana State University where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration;
and
WHEREAS, Chris John is married to the former Payton Smith of Leesville,
Louisiana, and the couple have twin sons, Hays and Harrison; and
WHEREAS, Mr. John began his political career as a member of the Crowley City
Council, the youngest ever elected; he moved on to serve in the Louisiana House of
Representatives from 1988 through 1996, when he was elected to the United States House
of Representatives where he served for eight years, from January 3, 1997, through
January 3, 2005; and
WHEREAS, while in Congress, Chris John fought for many causes important to
Louisiana and its citizens, including, championing efforts to protect Louisiana's threatened
coastline, the endeavors to develop and support a high tech economy in the state, and to
advance the issues important to Louisiana's farmers, oil and gas producers, and small
businesses; and
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WHEREAS, Chris John served on the U. S. House of Representatives Committee on
Energy and Commerce where he worked to advance an aggressive agenda, including helping
parishes and counties nationwide combat the West Nile virus, and founding the
Congressional I-49 Caucus that at the time was the first ever bipartisan, multi-state coalition
which focused on the completion of Interstate 49 from New Orleans to Kansas City, as an
important interstate transportation corridor; and
WHEREAS, also on the national level, Mr. John was successful in efforts to craft a
new national energy policy and he served as leader of the "Blue Dog Coalition", which was
the voice of conservative members of the democratic party in Congress; and
WHEREAS, as a congressman and in support of his constituents, Chris John was
committed to working across party lines to accomplish goals that were for the benefit of the
entire country rather than giving way to partisan divides between political party members;
and
WHEREAS, following his career in elective politics, Mr. John entered the arena of
governmental affairs from the public interest perspective and he served as managing director
of Ogilvy Government Relations, a bipartisan governmental affairs firm located in
Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, eventually, the pull to return to their native Louisiana brought Chris
John and his family to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he became the leader of the Louisiana
Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, which is the oldest trade association in the state,
having been founded in 1929; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association exclusively
represents all sectors of the oil and gas industry operating in Louisiana and the Gulf of
Mexico; and
WHEREAS, as president, Mr. John directed the operation, budget, staff, and
advancement of the association on behalf of the association's one hundred member
companies; and
WHEREAS, as the president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas
Association, Chris John raised the profile of the association on both the national and state
levels; and
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WHEREAS, after twenty years in elective politics and thirteen in private
governmental affairs, both on the national and state levels, Chris John's skill in bringing
consensus and a reputation for operating successfully within the political arena have made
him an integral part of the oil and gas industry and his retirement from the Louisiana
Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association will leave a void in the arena of governmental
affairs that will not be easily filled.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Christopher C. John upon the occasion of his retirement as the
president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, at the end of an
illustrious eleven year tenure, and for more than thirty years in the arena of governmental
affairs.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Mr. Chris John.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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