ENGROSSED SENATE
CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION NO. 7	By:	David, Adelson, Aldridge, Allen, Anderson, Ballenger, Barrington, Bass, Bingman, Branan, Brecheen, Brinkley, Brown, Burrage, Coates, Crain, Eason McIntyre, Ellis, Fields, Ford, Garrison, Halligan, Holt, Ivester, Johnson (Constance), Johnson (Rob), Jolley, Justice, Laster, Lerblance, Marlatt, Mazzei, Myers, Newberry, Nichols, Paddack, Reynolds, Rice, Russell, Schulz, Shortey, Simpson, Sparks, Stanislawski, Sykes, Treat, Wilson and Wyrick of the Senate

			and

		Faught of the House

A Concurrent Resolution commending the United States Marshals and their role in Oklahoma history; supporting the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas; encouraging cooperation in promoting cultural tourism; and directing distribution.

WHEREAS, President George Washington established the United States Marshals by signing into law SB 1 on September 24, 1789, making the United States Marshals the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the United States Marshals played a key role in establishing law and order in Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory prior to statehood in 1907; and
WHEREAS, of the more than 250 documented U.S. Marshals and Deputies who lost their lives in the line of duty, more were killed in Indian Territory or Oklahoma Territory (what is now the State of Oklahoma) than anywhere else in the nation; and
WHEREAS, the United States Marshals have served their country and enforced the law during times of domestic unrest including the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, the Civil War and events leading up thereto, the Pullman Strike of 1894, the Civil Rights era, and more; and
WHEREAS, the United States Marshals Service continues today to serve the people of Oklahoma and their nation by pursuing and arresting fugitives from justice, sexual predators who prey on children, and other dangerous criminals; and
WHEREAS, the United States Marshals Service administers the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program that converts assets seized from criminals used in certain criminal enterprises to cash and returns millions of dollars to the victims of crime and to state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide; and
WHEREAS, the United States Marshals Service provided heightened security in the courtroom and elsewhere and protection for the federal judiciary and court personnel in the aftermath of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995; and
WHEREAS, the United States Marshals Service further provided secure transportation for court appearances in Oklahoma City for Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols and provided for their safe and secure transport to stand trial in Denver, Colorado, in 1997 and 1998; and
WHEREAS, the United States Marshals Service has made 2,755 fugitive arrests in Oklahoma in FY 2008 and 4,063 in 2009; and
WHEREAS, the United States Marshals Service has returned $5,347,109.00 to state and local law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma in FY 2008 and $6,642,536.00 in FY 2009; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Marshals Service promotes the administration of justice by protecting members of the federal judiciary, transporting and incarcerating federal prisoners and protecting witnesses in high profile criminal prosecutions, and more; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Marshal Service operates the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation (JPATS) program that completes over 300,000 prisoner and alien movements per year by aircraft and ground transportation with air fleet operations located in Oklahoma City; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Marshals Museum, to be built in Fort Smith, Arkansas, seeks to honor the long and illustrious history of the U.S. Marshals Service and its contribution to maintaining law and order and our constitutional form of government; and
WHEREAS, the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes of the State of Oklahoma is represented on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Marshals Museum; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the planned tours in eastern Oklahoma will create jobs in Oklahoma, increase Oklahoma tourism and will have a positive economic impact on Oklahoma.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 53RD OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN:
THAT the State of Oklahoma commends the United States Marshals Service for their long history of service to the State of Oklahoma and to the United States of America.
THAT the State of Oklahoma supports the establishment of the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the resulting positive benefits that will occur for Oklahoma tourism.
THAT the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism are encouraged to cooperate in promoting cultural tourism in Oklahoma and Arkansas to the benefit of the citizens of both states.
THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the United States Marshals Service and to the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.
Adopted by the Senate the 7th day of March, 2011.

	
Presiding Officer of the Senate

Adopted by the House of Representatives the ____ day of _______, 2011.

	
Presiding Officer of the House
	of Representatives