ByRepresentatives Jinkins, Wilcox, Barkis, Bergquist, Blake, Boehnke, Caldier, Callan, Chambers, Chandler, Chapman, Chopp, Cody, Corry, Davis, DeBolt, Dent, Doglio, Dolan, Duerr, Dufault, Dye, Entenman, Eslick, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Frame, Gildon, Goehner, Goodman, Graham, Gregerson, Griffey, Hansen, Harris, Hoff, Hudgins, Irwin, Jenkin, J. Johnson, Kilduff, Kirby, Klippert, Kloba, Kraft, Kretz, Leavitt, Lekanoff, Lovick, MacEwen, Macri, Maycumber, McCaslin, Mead, Morgan, Mosbrucker, Orcutt, Ormsby, Ortiz-Self, Orwall, Paul, Pellicciotti, Peterson, Pettigrew, Pollet, Ramel, Ramos, Riccelli, Robinson, Rude, Ryu, Santos, Schmick, Sells, Senn, Shewmake, Slatter, Smith, Springer, Steele, Stokesbary, Stonier, Sullivan, Sutherland, Tarleton, Thai, Tharinger, Valdez, Van Werven, Vick, Volz, Walen, Walsh, Wylie, Ybarra, and Young

WHEREAS, Representative Sherry Appleton has ably and proudly served the people of Washington's 23rd legislative district since taking the oath of office as a state representative on January 10, 2005; and

WHEREAS, During her sixteen years in the Legislature, she has been an unswervingly progressive voice, with a fierce commitment to her constituents in Kitsap County and a deep compassion for society's underdogs; and

WHEREAS, As a proud Navy widow with thousands of active-duty sailors and retired Naval personnel in her district, Sherry has been a staunch and effective advocate for the military, serving on related boards, commissions, and legislative committees, and was named "Outstanding Legislator of the Year" by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the governor's Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee for her years of often behind-the-scenes work on behalf of the state's approximately seven hundred thousand military veterans; and

WHEREAS, During her tenure in the Legislature, Sherry has chaired two standing House panels, the Committee on Local Government and the Committee on Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs, facilitating the passage of scores of bills designed to make Washington a better place to live, work, do business, and raise a family; and

WHEREAS, Sherry's commitment to seniors, especially those living with dementia, earned her the title of Mother of the Silver Alert for her multiyear effort to create a public safety law that has saved countless lives since its passage in 2015; and

WHEREAS, Living amid the natural beauty and bounty of the Kitsap Peninsula helped Sherry become a conservationist before conservation was cool, and her consistency in advancing this cause led the nonpartisan Washington Conservation Voters to induct her into its "Lifetime 100 Club," an honor based on how consistently an elected official votes to "protect our clean air, water and forests, while accelerating the transition to a good-job, clean-energy economy"; and

WHEREAS, Our four-footed or feathered friends have no greater legislative ally than Sherry, who includes them in the category of the voiceless for whom she is privileged to speak, a fact obvious in the wide range of animal-welfare bills that she has sponsored over the years, including the breed-ban bill that she pursued for years, and her successful efforts to secure funding in the capital budget for much-needed improvements to the puppy room at Kitsap Humane Society; and

WHEREAS, This continuing dedication to animals and animal rights led the Washington state chapter of the Humane Society of the United States to name Sherry "Humane Legislator of the Year" in 2018, prompting her to say at the award ceremony, "A society, a culture, can be judged by how it treats those with the least power: Children, seniors, persons living with disabilities, and yes, our animals. I'm grateful to have colleagues in the Legislature on both sides of the party aisle who recognize this and work with me to make this a better place for all of us"; and

WHEREAS, Sherry has fought hard for her beloved 23rd legislative district, bringing home victories for the people of Kitsap County, its cities and towns, and its valuable institutions, including Martha & Mary, Olympic College, the Marine Science Center (SEA Discovery Center), Village Green Community Center, and Fishline Food Bank, among many, many others during her legislative tenure; and

WHEREAS, Sherry's commitment to public service is evident in her work outside of and prior to her election to the Legislature, including her appointments by Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton to serve on the Washington State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and her service on the board of directors of the Association of Washington Cities, on the Northwest Women's Law Center Legislative Committee, on the board of NARAL, and as vice-chair of the Washington State Women's Political Caucus; and

WHEREAS, Last, but certainly not least, Sherry has continually called the Legislature's attention to the fact that the people she represents live on a peninsula and an island, and that the Washington state ferry system is their economic and recreational lifeline, and she has been a fierce and tireless advocate for safer, more affordable, and more dependable ferry service for Kitsap County;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives honor Representative Sherry Appleton upon her retirement from the Legislature for her sixteen years of service to her constituents in the 23rd legislative district, to the House of Representatives, and to the entire State of Washington.