Commending the staff of the Legislative Reference Library for their work during the 89th Legislative Session.

89(R) HR 1504 - Introduced version - Bill Text

89R34033 KSM-D

By: Geren

H.R. No. 1504

R E S O L U T I O N

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 need for expert assistance from

professional library staff and the value of a specialized 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 and the people of Texas 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 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 record critical legislative actions as they

occur, and they work closely with the Senate and House

parliamentarians, the Senate and House journal clerks, the chief

clerk of the House, the secretary of the Senate, and their staffs to

ensure that these records are accurate and complete; library staff

members are also responsible for assigning and entering subject

terms and companion relationships to facilitate legislative

research, and they review enrolled legislation for the effective

dates of each measure; in addition, the library operates a

toll-free bill status hotline for the public; and

WHEREAS, As the statutory custodian of legislative records,

the library maintains the most comprehensive physical repository of

information relating to the Texas Legislature, including original

legislative bill files, 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, The library has undertaken an ambitious and ongoing

project to digitize historical legislative records and

information, including the House and Senate journals, to ensure

that this information is available to scholars and the public to

foster better understanding of the history of Texas and the

Legislature's role in that history; 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

monthly listings of newsworthy additions to the library's

collection; the library provides 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 LRL

staff includes assistant director Catherine Wusterhausen,

librarians Tricia Bailey, Ali Dzienkowski, Colton Chambers, Ia

Wood, Karen McBurney, Linna Dean, and Melanie Harshman, archivists

Kaelyn Morice, Megan North, and Marrisa Talamantes, legislative

assistants Donald Brower, Michelle Martinez, Kelvin Mote, Kali

Palmer, Julia Walden, and Jay Young, library assistants Megan

Hodson, Bailey Williams, Josh Sklar, and Fernanda Zamora, and

clipping service staff David Wood, Christopher Taylor, and Vincent

Cowan; and

WHEREAS, These hardworking and dedicated 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 89th 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.