WHEREAS, Washington State Representative John Lovick has defended the honor and upheld the decorum of the House of Representatives since his colleagues elected him in 2003 to serve as House Speaker Pro Tempore; and
     WHEREAS, Speaker Pro Tempore Lovick, who was first elected in 1998 to the House of Representatives and then reelected four times, was recently elected to the office of Snohomish County Sheriff; and
     WHEREAS, Without a doubt, Sheriff-elect Lovick's pending departure from the Legislature is at once a loss for the propriety and uprightness of the House of Representatives and a gain for the public safety and peace of mind of Snohomish County citizens; and
     WHEREAS, John Lovick and his wife, Karen, have made their home in the community of Mill Creek for fifteen years, and they have five children and three grandchildren; and
     WHEREAS, A veteran of the United States Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve, John Lovick was graduated from the Washington State Patrol Academy in 1975 and recently retired as Sergeant John Lovick after serving with the State Patrol for thirty-one years; and
     WHEREAS, Named Washington State Patrol Trooper of the Year in 1992, John Lovick also received a Lifesavers Award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2003 and an award for outstanding contributions to public safety from the Snohomish County DUI Task Force in 1998; and
     WHEREAS, Speaker Pro Tempore Lovick received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award in 1998, the Washington Association of County Officials Legislator of the Year Award in 2005, a National Commission Against Drunk Driving Certificate of Commendation in 2003, and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission Special Director's Award in 2002; and
     WHEREAS, A former Mill Creek Mayor Pro Tempore and councilmember, John Lovick is a member of the Mill Creek Lions and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Snohomish County and he has also contributed his heart and mind to community service as a mentor at Gateway Elementary School and as a youth baseball, boxing, and basketball coach and official; and
     WHEREAS, Washington State Representative John Lovick has dedicated his decade of legislative expertise to issues as diverse and pivotal as public safety, education, and transportation; and
     WHEREAS, Shortly after one of his elections to the office of House Speaker Pro Tempore, John Lovick stated that "My mother and grandmother taught me lessons more valuable than anything I learned in a classroom. They taught me to work hard and be held to the highest standards. Each of you should expect no less of me today. And we should expect no less of each other"; and
     WHEREAS, In his service as presiding officer of the House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore Lovick is universally respected by his colleagues for the way he has handled arduous hours and sometimes rancorous floor debate; and
     WHEREAS, Always a gentleman on as well as off the rostrum, John Lovick has invariably wielded a tough but firm gavel through clear, nonpartisan decisions;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the State of Washington salutes, celebrates, and proclaims "Thank you so very much!" to John Lovick for his tireless dedication to the propriety of a House that he can forever count on as his home away from home; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to the family of Speaker Pro Tempore John Lovick.