Bill Text: TX HR2217 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring the Legislative Reference Library.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-05-28 - Reported enrolled [HR2217 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR2217-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 2217 |
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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 staffs, and its resources are also available to the | ||
lieutenant governor, the 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 LRL'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 LRL maintains the most comprehensive physical | ||
repository of information relating to the Texas Legislature, | ||
including original legislative bill files from the 63rd Session to | ||
the present, historical and current publications of legislative | ||
committees, state agencies, and institutions of higher education, | ||
and 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 LRL 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/librarian Mary Camp, | ||
the LRL staff includes assistant director/librarian Catherine | ||
Wusterhausen, administrative/legislative staff Donald Brower, | ||
Elizabeth Buchanan, Michelle Martinez, Kali Palmer, Christopher | ||
Taylor, Julia Walden, and Erin Willard, clipping service staffers | ||
Vincent Cowan, David Wood, Karen Wright, and Jay Young, and | ||
librarians Ali Dzienkowski, Cassandra Gallegos, Sally Harlow, | ||
Melanie Harshman, Karen McBurney, Kaelyn Morice, Amanda Norman, Kay | ||
Schlueter, Ana Sifuentes-Martinez, Brandon Vasquez, Lindsay | ||
Wickham, and Ia Wood; 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 House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
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 this resolution be | ||
prepared for the library as an expression of high regard by the | ||
Texas House of Representatives. | ||
King of Hemphill | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 2217 was adopted by the House on May | ||
27, 2019, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||