HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 8
(By Delegates Staton, Amores, Trump, Martin
and Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss)
Congratulating Morris E. "Mike" Mowery for receiving the 1997
Carter/Hellard Legislative Staff Award as the outstanding
legislative staff member from the sixteen states of the
Southern Legislative Conference.
Whereas, Morris E. "Mike" Mowery is from Kanawha County, West
Virginia, was educated in the public schools of Wood County and
graduated from the West Virginia University and the West
Virginia University School of Law; and
Whereas, Morris E. "Mike" Mowery is the Chief Counsel for the
House of Delegates and the House of Delegates' Judiciary
Committee; and
Whereas, Morris E. "Mike" Mowery has been an advocate for the
creation of a strong internal litigation team to represent the
Legislature in court proceedings, and whose vision has been
realized in the last several years with the employment of
experienced full-time legal staff in each of the major
committees to complement the Legislature's joint legal staff in
legislative services; and
Whereas, Morris E. "Mike" Mowery has been a strident advocate for the protection and enhancement of a strong legislative
branch in the separation of powers; and
Whereas, Morris E. "Mike" Mowery as the House of Delegates'
Chief Counsel has impacted the House of Delegates in many ways
ranging from the socialization of new legal staff to
representing the Legislature in litigation on rule-making review
and budgetary and financial matters; and
Whereas, Morris E. "Mike" Mowery has participated in the
drafting of almost every major non-financial piece of legislation
considered by the West Virginia Legislature since 1979,
including drafting the rewriting of the state's Workers'
Compensation law, drafting the first comprehensive driving while
under the influence of alcohol interlock statute, which became
a model for other states, drafting all of West Virginia's
comprehensive domestic law rewrites, and drafting legislation
restructuring the West Virginia Division of Environmental
Protection; and
Whereas, Morris E. "Mike" Mowery has been at the forefront
of using the internet for legal research, searching the internet for the brightest ideas in bill drafting throughout the world
and has based some of his bill drafts upon laws of other
countries; and
Whereas, Past and present House of Delegates Judiciary
Chairmen have relied on Morris E. "Mike" Mowery's advice and
guidance; and
Whereas, The present House of Delegates Judiciary Chairman,
Delegate Staton, has affectionately nicknamed Morris E. "Mike"
Mowery "Yoda"; and
Whereas, Morris E. "Mike" Mowery's outstanding services to
the citizens of West Virginia was recognized by the legislative
services directors of the Southern Legislative Conference by
awarding him with the 1997 Carter/Hellard Legislative Staff
Award as the outstanding legislative staff member from the
sixteen states of the Southern Legislative Conference;
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates:
That Morris E. "Mike" Mowery be congratulated for receiving
the 1997 Southern Legislative Conference Carter/Hellard
Legislative Staff Award; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to Morris E. "Mike" Mowery.