TO THE HONORABLE ROGER MILLAR, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, AND TO THE WASHINGTON STATE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, AND TO THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, Thomas S. "Tom" Foley, a native of Spokane, Washington, served in the United States House of Representatives for thirty years representing the 5th Congressional District from 1965 to 1995; and

WHEREAS, His decency and integrity gained him the respect of his colleagues, and he rose steadily through the ranks of leadership in the House of Representatives; and

WHEREAS, He was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1989, the first member of Congress from west of the Rocky Mountains to hold that exalted constitutional position; and

WHEREAS, He presided over the House of Representatives with dignity and fairness, winning the admiration of allies and opponents, and forging a reputation for problem solving through compromise and conciliation; and

WHEREAS, Before joining the United States House of Representatives, Thomas S. Foley taught at Gonzaga Law School from 1958 to 1959 and joined the Office of the Washington State Attorney General in 1960; and

WHEREAS, Thomas S. Foley was appointed as the 25th United States Ambassador to Japan by President Bill Clinton and served as ambassador from 1997 to 2001; and

WHEREAS, Thomas S. Foley was awarded the Washington State Medal of Merit in 2003 by Governor Gary Locke; and

WHEREAS, Thomas S. Foley was effective in securing over two hundred eighty-nine million dollars in federal funds for state route number 395 during his time in Congress, significantly increasing safety and expediting the movement of people and freight between population centers throughout eastern Washington;

NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Washington State Transportation Commission commence proceedings to name state route number 395 as the Thomas S. "Tom" Foley Memorial Highway to honor his service to Washington state.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Roger Millar, Secretary of Transportation, the Washington State Transportation Commission, and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

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