HLS 24RS-1423 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 47
BY REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON
COMMENDATIONS: Commends Joe R. Salter, former speaker of the House, on the
occasion of his retirement from public service
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To commend Joe R. Salter, former speaker of the House, on the occasion of his retirement
3 from public service.
4 WHEREAS, Joe is a native of the village of Florien in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, and
5he graduated from Florien High School; he received both a bachelor's and master's degree
6from Northwestern State University in addition to completing thirty additional hours of
7graduate studies; and
8 WHEREAS, Mr. Salter is an incredibly civic-minded individual who has served the
9state of Louisiana in various capacities; he is a former alderman of the village of Florien, a
10former teacher in Sabine Parish and Vernon Parish, a former auditor for the Caddo Parish
11School System, a former principal of Florien High School, and a former assistant
12superintendent of Sabine Parish schools; and
13 WHEREAS, Joe represented District 24 in the Louisiana House of Representatives
14from 1986 until 2008; he also served with great distinction as the sixty-second speaker of
15the House; during his time in the legislature, he served as chair of the House Legislative
16Bureau and the Rural Legislative Task Force, as vice chair of the House Committee on
17Education, and as a member of numerous committees including the House Committee on
18Appropriations, the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, and the Joint Committee on
19Capital Outlay; and
20 WHEREAS, as speaker, Joe demonstrated his outstanding leadership skills by
21expertly guiding the House and Louisiana's citizens during the aftermaths of Hurricane
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HCR NO. 47
1Katrina and Hurricane Rita; he provided strength, dignity, and determination throughout the
2unprecedented recovery process and helped the citizens of Louisiana to endeavor to rebuild
3the state; and
4 WHEREAS, Mr. Salter has been the deserving recipient of numerous honors and
5awards including the Champion of Senior Citizen Issues in Louisiana Special Award from
6the Louisiana Council on Aging, the Fleur de Lis Health Care Leadership Award, the
7Guardian of Small Business Award, and the Louisiana Public Broadcasting President's
8Award; he is a three-time Legislative Golden Apple Award winner, and he has been twice
9honored by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers with the Representative of the Year Award;
10and
11 WHEREAS, Mr. Salter is affiliated with a number of professional, civic, and
12business organizations including the National Conference of State Legislatures and its
13education committee; the advisory council of the Southern Regional Education Board; the
14Education Commission of the States; the board of directors of the Louisiana School for
15Math, Science, and the Arts; the advisory board of Northwestern State University at Fort
16Polk in Leesville; the Coushatta-Red River and Sabine Parish Chambers of Commerce; the
17Florien Lions Club; the Many Rotary Club; Phi Kappa Phi; the Blue Key Honor Fraternity;
18Phi Delta Kappa; the Toledo Bend Citizens Advisory Committee; and the Toledo Bend Lake
19Association; and
20 WHEREAS, after the end of his House service, Mr. Salter continued his state public
21service as the director of governmental relations for the state Department of Education; and
22 WHEREAS, Mr. Salter's wife, Bettye, and their children and grandchildren celebrate
23with him as he enters the next chapter of their lives together; and
24 WHEREAS, Representative Francis Thompson paid tribute to Mr. Salter on his
25election as Speaker: "I don't believe I have met anyone with more integrity, honesty, loyalty,
26and ability to get along with people than Joe Salter"; and
27 WHEREAS, Joe most recently served as the first assistant to the Louisiana Secretary
28of State; for nearly four decades, he has committed his unique blend of intelligence,
29compassion, and dauntless courage to the service of the state, and he is most deserving of
30the highest recognition for his work.
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HCR NO. 47
1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
2commend Joe R. Salter on the occasion of his retirement from public service and does
3hereby extend sincerest wishes that he continue to prosper in all of his endeavors as he
4begins a new journey in retirement.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 47 Original 2024 Regular Session Thompson
Commends Joe R. Salter, former speaker of the House, on the occasion of his retirement
from public service.
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