WHEREAS, Former Representative James Carl (Jim) Moeller was a native of Vancouver who spent more than two decades in elected office, serving two terms as a Vancouver City Council member and 14 years as a state representative from Washington's 49th legislative district; and

WHEREAS, Jim was a proud graduate of Fort Vancouver High School, Washington State University, and the Mark Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University; and

WHEREAS, He used his education in a career as a social worker, behavioral health counselor, and chemical dependency counselor, helping others to overcome significant hurdles and lead full, free lives; and

WHEREAS, In 2002, as he approached the end of his second four-year term on the Vancouver City Council, Jim looked north toward Olympia and, after a successful campaign, was sworn in for the first of his seven two-year terms representing his southwest Washington friends and neighbors in the Washington State House of Representatives; and

WHEREAS, During the last three of those seven two-year terms in the Legislature, Jim served as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives, a leadership position to which he was elected by the full membership of the House; and

WHEREAS, In his position as Speaker Pro Tem, he presided over an estimated 80 percent of the House floor debates and votes that occurred from 2011 to 2016, gaining a reputation for wielding the gavel with impartiality, respect for the institution and its elected members, and a deep concern for the integrity of the legislative process; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his duties as Speaker Pro Tem, which earned him the affectionate nickname of "Mr. Speaker," Jim played a part in developing and passing some of the most significant pieces of legislation enacted during his tenure in the House, serving as a member of the House committees on Rules, Transportation, Labor & Workforce Development, Community and Economic Development & Trade, and, appropriately given his lifelong career, Healthcare & Wellness; and

WHEREAS, Jim worked throughout much of his legislative tenure to make progress on replacing the aging bridge on Interstate 5 linking Washington and Oregon; and

WHEREAS, His dedication to his community and his state was apparent in countless ways, including service as cochair of the Joint Committee on Veterans & Military Affairs, cochair of the Senate/House Joint Taskforce on Public Health Financing, honorary board member of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters, vice chair of the Association of Washington Cities, member of the YWCA Diversity Task Force, founding member of Clark County Pride, and a founding member of Hands Off Washington, and many others; and

WHEREAS, Jim was a proud gay man who worked tirelessly in the Legislature and in his private life to help Washingtonians realize the goal of marriage equality which became the law of the land on December 6, 2012; and

WHEREAS, Jim was himself the target of discrimination based on his choosing to live a life of public service as an out gay man, but never lost his conviction that government was his highest calling, often reminding others of President John F. Kennedy's quote, "Let the public service be a proud and honorable profession"; and

WHEREAS, Jim Moeller, "Mr. Speaker," with his ever-present bow tie, gentle smile, and twinkling eye, was himself an institution within the institution of government that he loved, served, and improved in countless ways;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives honor former Representative Jim Moeller as well as his dedication and service to the citizens of Washington State.