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1997 SESSION

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 653 Designating Constitutional Officer Week in Virginia.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 20, 1997 Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 1997

WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 1, of the Constitution of Virginia provides for the direct election of local officials charged with the critically important duties of maintenance of public records, operation of the circuit courts, prosecution of criminals, protection of public safety, and administration and collection of local revenues; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's more than 750 Clerks of the Circuit Courts, Commissioners of the Revenue, Commonwealth's Attorneys, Sheriffs, and Treasurers continue a tradition of local administration of government functions that predates the American Revolution; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's constitutional officers and the more than 12,000 women and men who serve in their offices provide the people of Virginia with a direct link to their government at the local level, unfiltered by bureaucracy and responsive to citizens' needs; and

WHEREAS, Virginia's constitutional officers embody Thomas Jefferson's ideal of government close to the people and answerable directly to the people at the ballot box; and

WHEREAS, as Virginia approaches the 21st century, constitutional officers, far from being a mere historical curiosity, are in fact setting new standards of customer service, innovative service delivery, and responsiveness that public servants across the Commonwealth would do well to emulate; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate the week of February 17-22, 1997 as Constitutional Officer Week in Virginia, and that in each succeeding year the week that includes the Lee-Jackson-King holiday be recognized as Constitutional Officer Week in Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the General Assembly urge Virginia's citizens to familiarize themselves with the services provided by Virginia's constitutional officers and to observe Constitutional Officer Week with appropriate festivities; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the presidents of the Virginia Association of Local Elected Constitutional Officers, the Virginia Circuit Court Clerks' Association, the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys, the Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia, the Virginia Sheriffs Association, and the Treasurers Association of Virginia, with an accompanying request that these associations further distribute copies to their members, and through them, to the public they serve.