SENATE RESOLUTION

                         1996-8716

By Senators Snyder, McDonald, Loveland, Sellar, Anderson, Bauer, Cantu, Deccio, Drew, Fairley, Finkbeiner, Franklin, Fraser, Goings, Hale, Hargrove, Haugen, Heavey, Hochstatter, Johnson, Kohl, Long, McAuliffe, McCaslin, Morton, Moyer, Newhouse, Oke, Owen, Pelz, Prentice, Prince, Quigley, Rasmussen, Rinehart, Roach, Schow, Sheldon, Smith, Spanel, Strannigan, Sutherland, Swecker, Thibaudeau, West, Winsley, Wojahn, Wood and Zarelli

     WHEREAS, Lt. Governor Joel Pritchard was elected Washington's fourteenth Lieutenant Governor in 1988; and

     WHEREAS, He handily won re-election to that position in 1992, defeating three other candidates, including "Absolutely Nobody"; and

     WHEREAS, Lt. Governor Pritchard has decided not to seek a third term as Lieutenant Governor, due to his desire to abide by the spirit of the term limits law; and

     WHEREAS, He has been one of our state's most popular politicians and the citizens of Washington State undoubtedly would elect him as long as he wanted to serve; and

     WHEREAS, Lt. Governor Pritchard has served as presiding officer of the Senate and chair of the Rules Committee with integrity, good humor, and fairness for eight years, and this will be his last session as President of the Senate; and

     WHEREAS, He has used the prestige of the Lieutenant Governor's office to champion notable causes such as literacy programs, education reform, and the anti-deficit Concord Coalition; and

     WHEREAS, Lt. Governor Pritchard has served more than a year, 375 days to be exact, as Governor of the State of Washington, as provided by our State Constitution; and

     WHEREAS, Lt. Governor Pritchard also has served the citizens of Washington State with honor and distinction in other important capacities: In the State Legislature from 1958 to 1970; the United States Congress from 1972 to 1984; and as a United States Delegate to the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1983; and

     WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Lt. Governor Pritchard has been known for his honesty and ability to work with others, thereby earning him the respect and praise of people across party lines; and

     WHEREAS, "All right" and "unraveling the gavel" have, under Lt. Governor Pritchard's watch, become an all too familiar part of parliamentary procedure in the Washington State Senate; and

     WHEREAS, Thanks to Governor Pritchard, we remain in doubt as to whether it is Gloria Die or Gloria Day Lutheran Church here in Olympia; and

     WHEREAS, We will miss the Governor's distinctive Seattle accent as he calls upon Senators Finkbinder, Tibadoo, Farly, Rineholt, Swyker, and Stranahan; and

     WHEREAS, Under Governor Pritchard's gavel, the Senate now refuses to insist on its position and requests the House to grant the request for a concurrence; and

     WHEREAS, Questions have been raised about whether any useful work is being accomplished at the rostrum, after hearing the Lt. Governor explain to the galleries: "we're glad you came to visit us, but all the real work is being done in the committees"; and

     WHEREAS, Governor Pritchard regularly proves the maxim that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds especially when the Senate confirms gubernatorial appointments since the Senate has "adopted the nominee," the appointees have been "passed and confirmed" and some individuals have been sent to their "final confirmation"; and

     WHEREAS, During the Lt. Governor's tenure as presiding officer the Senate has convened promptly between 10:05 and 10:13 a.m.; and

     WHEREAS, Despite, or perhaps because of all this, Lt. Governor Pritchard will be sorely missed by the members and staff of the Washington State Legislature;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate thanks Lt. Governor Pritchard for his friendship and years of dedicated public service;

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate wishes him well as he completes his last year as Lieutenant Governor and begins his retirement, likely to pursue more travel and tennis, his sport of choice; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate be directed to present a copy of this resolution to Lt. Governor Joel Pritchard.

I, Marty Brown, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 1996-8716,

adopted by the Senate March 7, 1996.

MARTY BROWN

Secretary of the Senate