BySenators Nguyen, Billig, Cleveland, Conway, Dhingra, Hasegawa, Hawkins, Hunt, Keiser, Kuderer, Liias, Lovelett, Lovick, Mullet, Nobles, Pedersen, Randall, Robinson, Rolfes, Saldaña, Salomon, Shewmake, Stanford, Torres, Trudeau, Valdez, Van De Wege, Warnick, Wellman, C. Wilson, and L. Wilson

WHEREAS, Gary Wilburn has served the Legislature with distinction for more than 35 years, providing invaluable counsel to hundreds of elected officials; and

WHEREAS, Before landing in Olympia, Gary earned his law degree from Stanford and spent time as a trial lawyer in the Natural Resources Division of the United States Justice Department; and

WHEREAS, Gary was hired by Senate Committee Services in December of 1986, just in time for the 1987 legislative session. It was Booth Gardner's first term as governor and legislators were beginning work on what would later become the Growth Management Act; and

WHEREAS, Gary spent a decade with Senate Committee Services, staffing various environmental committees tackling issues like solid waste, the transport of toxic materials, and new waste-to-energy incinerators; and

WHEREAS, Gary joined the Senate Democratic Caucus in 1996, using his skillset and knowledge of natural resource issues to help minority Democrats battle over salmon recovery, growth issues, and water resources; and

WHEREAS, Gary's brain arguably contains more obscure legislative acronyms than any other individual on the Capitol Campus, and he can rattle off water rights rulings quicker than you can spell Hirst or Foster; and

WHEREAS, Gary has seen the majority in the Senate change eight times, served under five different governors, and shared his unique institutional knowledge to the benefit of hundreds of members, staffers, and interns over the years; and

WHEREAS, Gary has been instrumental in our state's efforts to address climate change, culminating with his work on the Climate Commitment Act of 2021; and

WHEREAS, Gary has reduced his own carbon footprint over the years with thousands of bicycle commutes to and from the Capitol Campus; and

WHEREAS, Gary and his wife Jane raised their two children, Eric and Kate, while juggling busy legislative sessions and now watch with pride as they pursue careers in environmental engineering and public health; and

WHEREAS, Gary has been known to get caught looking longingly at topographical maps of the Pacific Northwest hanging in his office, dreaming of his next adventure into our region's beautiful landscapes; and

WHEREAS, Gary has earned a permanent interim to enjoy his retirement with his family and friends, but his legislative family will miss his talent and passion for our democracy and our state's environmental health;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate, in recognition of his unwavering dedication to public service, honor and thank Gary Wilburn and wish him well as he retires from the Senate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Gary Wilburn.