MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2011 1st Extraordinary Session

To: Rules

By: The Entire Membership

House Resolution 2

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING SPEAKER WILLIAM J. "BILLY" MCCOY FOR HIS MANY YEARS OF OUTSTANDING AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI AND WISHING HIM WELL UPON HIS RETIREMENT.

     WHEREAS, William J. "Billy" McCoy, Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, completed 32 years of consecutive service as a member of the House of Representatives from District 3, which includes Alcorn and Prentiss Counties; and

     WHEREAS, Speaker McCoy was born on August 14, 1942, and grew up in Booneville, Mississippi, attended Booneville High School and Northeast Mississippi Junior College before earning an undergraduate degree in agriculture and extension education from Mississippi State University in 1964, and commenced his career as a public servant by becoming a vocational agriculture teacher, a loan officer with the Farmers Home Administration and as a school auditor with the State Department of Audit; and

     WHEREAS, he began his service as a legislator when he became a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1980, gaining his stature as a statesman by rising from freshman lawmaker to Vice Chairman of the Highways and Highway Financing (now Transportation) Committee in 1984, to his appointment as Chairman of the House Education Committee in 1993, to his tapping in 2000 to chair the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and culminating in his 2004 election by his colleagues to the Office of Speaker of the House of Representatives, in which he served two terms; and

     WHEREAS, during his tenure in the House, Speaker McCoy has become a guiding force assuming a leading role in virtually every meaningful economic development, educational, transportation and agricultural program, and an election reform measure that has been addressed by the Mississippi Legislature, including the legislation creating the Four-Lane Highway System in 1984 and the Mississippi Adequate Education Program in 1997; and

     WHEREAS, over the course of his more than three decades of diligence and devotion as a people's champion, Speaker McCoy's committee assignments have included:  Agriculture, Apportionment and Elections, Education, Penitentiary, Highways and Highway Financing (Transportation), Appropriations, Management, State Library, Joint Congressional Redistricting, Joint Legislative Reapportionment, PERS, Juvenile Justice, Legislative Budget, Ways and Means, Investigation of State Offices, Rules, and Joint Legislative Code Compilation, Revision and Publication; and

     WHEREAS, Speaker McCoy's love and deeply felt respect for the Legislature as an institution has led him to fight to preserve and nurture its integrity, becoming a guardian of this democratic institution during a time in Mississippi's history when the diversity of the House membership expanded to include meaningful participation by women, African Americans and Republicans, as well as the majority group of Democrats; and

     WHEREAS, demonstrating that he is one of the rare leaders who is able to lead effectively while promoting and protecting the strength of the Legislature, Speaker McCoy is known to be a fair and evenhanded steward of the diplomacy, who ensures that every member's voice is heard throughout the legislative process; and

     WHEREAS, Speaker McCoy is widely admired for his talent in building consensus in the Legislature, regardless of the issue at hand, and the members of the House rely on that talent in the face of challenging legislative deliberations; and

     WHEREAS, even while he leads the House with strength, Speaker McCoy is known for his congenial nature, ability to listen effectively and infectious sense of humor, qualities which have enabled him to defuse contentious and controversial situations with his infallible knack for impromptu anecdotal improvisation;  and

     WHEREAS, apart from his proprietary career as a farmer and public servant, Speaker McCoy has been a faithful member of the Gaston Baptist Church, as well as affiliations as a Shriner, Scottish Rite Mason and member of the Farm Bureau; and

     WHEREAS, a true statesman vetted by the authenticities of the legislative process, Speaker McCoy, who holds sacred the bonds of family, endured every triumphant, historic, laughable and daunting moment through the support and encouragement of his family:  devoted wife, Edith Leatherwood McCoy; son, Sam McCoy; daughter, Kim McCoy Eubank; and four grandchildren, Molly Beth and Chloe Eubank and Lee and Tate McCoy; and

     WHEREAS, Speaker McCoy has indicated that he will retire at the expiration of his present term and the members of the House of Representatives wish to express sincere appreciation to Mr. Speaker for his dedicated service to the people of the State of Mississippi and for the personal sacrifices he has made on their behalf:

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend our friend, colleague and leader, Speaker William J. "Billy" McCoy, for all he has meant to the Mississippi House of Representatives and for his unmatched contributions to the people of the State of Mississippi, and we want him to know that his leadership will be missed.

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Speaker Billy McCoy and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.