HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2020-4664

HR 4664

ByRepresentatives Appleton, Bergquist, Blake, Callan, Chapman, Chopp, Cody, Davis, Doglio, Dolan, Duerr, Entenman, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Frame, Goodman, Gregerson, Hansen, Hudgins, Jinkins, J. Johnson, Kilduff, Kirby, Kloba, Leavitt, Lekanoff, Lovick, Macri, Mead, Morgan, Ormsby, Ortiz-Self, Orwall, Paul, Pellicciotti, Peterson, Pettigrew, Pollet, Ramel, Ramos, Riccelli, Robinson, Ryu, Santos, Sells, Senn, Shewmake, Slatter, Springer, Stonier, Sullivan, Tarleton, Thai, Tharinger, Valdez, Walen, Wylie, Wilcox, Kretz, Harris, DeBolt, Caldier, Mosbrucker, Boehnke, Schmick, Goehner, Stokesbary, Rude, Barkis, Steele, and Dent

WHEREAS, Congressman Denny Heck brought his stalwart statesmanship and an unwavering sense of duty to the United States House of Representatives and the Washington State House of Representatives; and

WHEREAS, Before being elected to the United States House of Representatives, he enjoyed great success in his private and public endeavors, one of which involved starting a local workplace education business and quickly growing it from two employees to over 300; and

WHEREAS, He had an illustrious and rewarding public service career, beginning his work as an intern in the Washington State Legislature before being elected to the state House of Representatives at age 24, representing the 17th Legislative District, which included Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties; and

WHEREAS, Heck served as Chief Clerk in 1985, Governor Booth's Chief of Staff from 1990 to 1993, and excelled in leading the floor as the Majority Leader, as he worked to create bipartisan agreement focused on Washington values; and

WHEREAS, As an ardent supporter of education, Congressman Heck fought for the improvement of Washington's public schools as a prime author of Washington's Basic Education Act of 1977; and

WHEREAS, A champion of accessible democracy, Congressman Heck also co-founded TVW, an award-winning public affairs network delivering nonpartisan coverage of the Washington State Legislature, going on to host Inside Olympia, and win an Emmy for a self-written and produced documentary on the Washington State Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Heck represented the people of the 10th Congressional District and all of Washington state with his essential work on fighting for the middle class and strengthening the economy; and

WHEREAS, In these times of sharp partisan differences in Congress, Denny has built a reputation as someone who seeks bipartisan solutions and works across the aisle on issues; and

WHEREAS, He faithfully represents Washington on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Financial Services Committee, the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee, and the Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee; and

WHEREAS, Washington Governor Jay Inslee praised Congressman Heck for having "fought for a strong democracy, been a powerful voice at the national level, and is never afraid to do what's right"; and

WHEREAS, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to the Congressman as a "leader of outstanding integrity and character";

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives recognize and honor Congressman Heck for his lifetime of public service.