Bill Text: MS HC101 | 2011 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Secretary Raymond Edwin "Ray" Mabus, Jr.; commend dedication and leadership of the U.S. Navy in observance of Mississippi Navy Week.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-03-24 - Enrolled Bill Signed [HC101 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2011-HC101-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2011 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Brown, Scott
House Concurrent Resolution 101
(As Adopted by House and Senate)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE ZEALOUS DEDICATION OF RAYMOND EDWIN "RAY" MABUS, JR., IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS COMMITTED LEADERSHIP OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL FORCES AND MARITIME SERVICE AS SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY IN OBSERVANCE AND COMMEMORATION OF MISSISSIPPI NAVY WEEK ON MARCH 19-27, 2011.
WHEREAS, Raymond Edwin "Ray" Mabus, Jr., the State of Mississippi's 60th Governor, having served from 1988 to 1992, was sworn in on May 19, 2009, as the 75th Secretary of the United States Navy after having been nominated by President Barack H. Obama on March 27, 2009, to lead America's Navy and Marine Corps; and
WHEREAS, as Secretary of the Navy, Mabus is responsible for conducting all the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including administering the management of an annual budget in excess of $150 billion and almost 900,000 personnel, recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training and mobilizing, in addition to overseeing the construction, outfitting and repair of naval ships, equipment and facilities, and the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the President and the Secretary of Defense; and
WHEREAS, a fourth-generation Mississippian born October 11, 1948, in Starkville, Secretary Mabus grew up in Ackerman and after attending public schools, he graduated from the University of Mississippi, obtained a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and a law degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School; and
WHEREAS, prior to joining the administration of President Barack Obama, Mabus served in a variety of top posts in government and the private sector: as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy for two years aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock as a surface warfare officer; Law Clerk in the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals; and Legal Counsel to the United States House Agriculture Committee before returning home to Mississippi to work in the Governor's Office upon the election of Governor William Winter; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, Mabus was elected State Auditor and served from 1984 to 1988, during which time he recovered millions in misspent or stolen public funds as he worked with the FBI to lead a crackdown on public corruption and instituted modern financial controls in state and local governments in Mississippi, and at the time of his 1987 gubernatorial election, he became the youngest Governor in the nation and Mississippi's youngest Governor in more than 100 years at the commencement of his administration in 1988; and
WHEREAS, during his term as Governor of Mississippi, he stressed education and job creation, working tirelessly for passage of the B.E.S.T. (Better Education for Success Tomorrow) Act, one of the most comprehensive education reform programs in America, gave teachers the largest pay increases in the nation and was named one of Fortune Magazine's top ten education governors; and
WHEREAS, appointed the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1994 to 1996, Secretary Mabus, during his ambassadorship, diffused the Yemen border crisis, successfully averted a crisis with Iraq, negotiated contracts totaling more than $16 billion that were signed between Saudi Arabian and American companies, which officially signified Saudi Arabia's abandonment of the boycott of United States businesses that trade with Israel, and decreased proposed expenditures for the American mission by more than $8 million; and
WHEREAS, active in many community activities, primarily focusing on education, Secretary Mabus has been acknowledged on the national, state and local levels for his meritorious service to his country, home state and local community with numerous awards and honors; and
WHEREAS, in June 2010, after being asked by President Obama to prepare a long-term recovery plan for the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Secretary Mabus, after extensive travel and many meetings, released his report, "America's Gulf Coast: A Long-Term Recovery Plan after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill," in September 2010, which was met with broad bi-partisan support; and
WHEREAS, in addition to Secretary Mabus' in-state presence in further promotion of Mississippi Navy Week 2011, other notable dignitaries such as Rear Admiral Arthur J. Johnson (Commander, Naval Safety Center), Rear Admiral Ted N. Branch (Prospective Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic) and Commander John McGrath (Officer-in-Charge of Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Mississippi (SSN 782)) are among those scheduled to serve as leading spokespersons for the festivities, which are geared toward affording area residents the opportunity to meet Navy sailors and learn of the division's critical missions and broad ranging capabilities; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to acknowledge the meritorious and valiant commitment of individuals who render their selfless service to the upkeep and protection of our nation's defenses and freedoms, such as Secretary Mabus, whose dedication to serve reflects great light upon the character, morals and allegiance of Mississippians in support of and advancement of the sovereignty of these United States:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the zealous dedication of Raymond Edwin "Ray" Mabus, Jr., in acknowledgment of his committed leadership of the United States Naval Forces and maritime service as Secretary of the United States Navy in observance and commemoration of Mississippi Navy Week on March 19-27, 2011.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Secretary Mabus and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.
