SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1077
WHEREAS, For more than a century, the Legislative Reference
Library has provided invaluable assistance to Texas lawmakers; and
WHEREAS, Signaling to the world that the Texas Legislature
early on understood the value of a reference library, leaders of
this state reserved a special place at the core of the 1888
Capitol to house this vital resource for current and future
generations; the Legislative Reference Library was established
on the second floor in the north wing to assist members of the
legislature and their staff, and its resources are also available
to the lieutenant governor, speaker, and their staffs, to the
staff of the governor's office, to legislative officers, agencies,
and committees, to state agencies and commissions, to librarians
and legislators from other states, to members of the press, and
to Texas citizens; and
WHEREAS, The tools may change through the decades, but the
need for information endures, and the library's electronic data
systems currently expedite the delivery of knowledge to the
legislative community in both direct and indirect ways; the creation,
compilation, and utilization of information in a reliable and
timely fashion are provided today in a manner unimaginable by
the legislature in 1888, yet the importance of the Legislative
Reference Library's continued proximity to the seat of Texas
government was reaffirmed during the restoration of the Capitol
in the 1990s, thus underscoring the intrinsic value of this
treasured institution; and
WHEREAS, The effectiveness of the library would not be
possible without the talented people who staff it; these individuals
provide in-depth analyses of legislation from all 50 states,
respond to historical legislative queries, and create ad hoc
legislative statistical reports for staff in the speaker's and
lieutenant governor's offices; during legislative sessions, the
library plays an integral part in the legislative process; staff
develop electronic records in the Texas Legislative Tracking
system for each bill or resolution filed and furnish real-time
information to the legislative community, to executive agencies,
and to citizens of this state through such proprietary
applications as TLIS and TLO; and
WHEREAS, Stationed on the floor of the house and senate
chambers, library staff enter legislative actions as they occur,
and they work closely with the senate and house parliamentarians,
senate and house journal clerks, chief clerk of the house, secretary
of the senate, and their staffs to ensure that records are accurate
and complete; library staff members are also responsible for
assigning and entering subject terms and companion relationships,
and they review enrolled legislation for effective dates of each
measure; in addition, the library operates a toll-free bill status
hotline; and
WHEREAS, The Legislative Reference Library maintains the
most comprehensive physical repository of information relating
to the Texas Legislature, including original legislative bill
files from the 63rd Legislature to present, historical and
current publications of legislative committees, state agencies,
and institutions of higher education, legislative legal
resources, journals, law reviews, and periodicals; a circulating
collection of materials is also made available to the legislative
community; and
WHEREAS, Each business day, the library compiles select
articles from newspapers statewide for the legislative community,
and it generates weekly listings of important journal articles
and quarterly listings of newsworthy additions to the library's
collection; the Legislative Reference Library strives to provide
accurate and up-to-date legislative information electronically
through a number of databases; the Texas Appointment System
contains information on members of state councils, boards, and
committees appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and
speaker; the Legislative Archive System holds the only
electronic version of original legislative bill files and
documentation, while the Index to Sections Affected is the sole
source of information detailing the proposed statutory effect of
bills; moreover, the library maintains Texas Legislators: Past &
Present, highlighting legislative membership information from
1846 to today, as well as a legislative reports database covering
that same period, and it archives gubernatorial executive orders,
messages, and proclamations; and
WHEREAS, Guided skillfully by director Mary Camp, the library
staff includes assistant director Catherine Wusterhausen,
administrative-legislative staff Donald Brower, Jay Young, Julia
Walden, Michelle Martinez, PJ Ellison, and Lindsey Johns,
clipping service staffers David Wood, Karen Wright, and Kathy
Powell, librarians Adrienne Sonder, Ana Sifuentes-Martinez,
Becky Johnson, Brandon Vasquez, Ia Wood, Jesse Saunders, Karen
McBurney, Kay Schlueter, Lindsay Wickham, Melanie Harshman,
Nancy Watson, Penelope Dukes-Williams, Rona Mertink, and Sally
Harlow, library clerks Leah Alejandro and Vincent Cowan, and bill
status clerks Emily Fankell, Kali Palmer, Katie Oncken, and Leo
Casanova; and
WHEREAS, These hardworking professionals demonstrate an
unyielding commitment to excellence as they carry on the long and
storied tradition of their agency, and they may take justifiable
pride in the important services they provide to the legislature
and to the citizens of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th
Legislature, hereby honor the Legislative Reference Library and
extend to the staff members sincere appreciation for their
outstanding contributions; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of the Resolution be
prepared for the library as an expression of high regard from the
Texas Senate.
Hancock
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on June 1, 2015.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate