House Resolution 187

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE HONORABLE AND DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN FROM SCOTT, REPRESENTATIVE TOM MILES, FOR HIS ESTEEMED LEGISLATIVE CAREER AND PUBLIC SERVICE UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS DEPARTURE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

WHEREAS, the honorable and distinguished Gentleman from Scott, Representative Tom Miles, has announced his plans for departure from the Mississippi House of Representatives at the conclusion of his current term, after tirelessly working on behalf of the citizens of Mississippi and House District 75, which encompasses portions of Scott and Rankin Counties, marking a triumphant end to 12 years of exceptional legislative service in the hallowed halls of the Mississippi State Capitol; and

WHEREAS, upon his election to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 2011, Representative Miles, a graduate of Morton High School and Mississippi State University, became the distinguished Gentleman from Scott upon being sworn into office on the first day of his first legislative session in January 2012, and wasted no time requesting the legislation, amendments and reports that would help effectuate into law the policy changes that his constituents had elected him to further; and

WHEREAS, Representative Miles's love and deeply felt respect for the Legislature as a sacred institution is innately apparent in his welcoming and cordial disposition, which have served as beacons of hope in pursuits to preserve and nurture the integrity of the body for all legislators who equally hold a lion's share in the stake of advancing the direction of the state's economic, educational and political climate; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure as a legislator, Representative Miles has served as a member of numerous committees, such as: Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency; Insurance; Interstate Cooperation; Judiciary B; Judiciary En Banc; Energy; Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks; Public Health and Human Services; Public Property; Public Utilities; Tourism; and Transportation; and

WHEREAS, among the numerous significant legislation that was enacted during his service in the House, Representative Miles is most proud of authoring and ensuring the passage of the Blind Persons' Literacy Rights and Education Act as a freshman legislator in 2012, which resulted in mandating that Mississippi Public School Systems have children's books for children who are blind or visually impaired at the beginning of each school year, and provided for testing in braille for students who are blind or visually impaired, and remarkably, since the bill's passage, this law has been patterned in seven other states, and for his extraordinary efforts, he was awarded the Community Service Award by The National Federation of the Blind of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, looking back on his time in the Legislature, Representative Miles is also proud of other legislation that he personally supported or made important contributions to, including

the passage of the bill that provided death benefits for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency management personnel, to ensure that the families of these public servants, who are unfortunately killed in the line of duty, will receive benefits that will hopefully ease some of the burden during difficult times; and

WHEREAS, notably, Representative Miles was awarded as a Champion for Children by Prevent Child Abuse Mississippi for his work on authoring and getting passed Erin's Law, which is a bill that was passed in the 2013 Legislative Session to protect children from sexual abuse; and

WHEREAS, during Representative Miles' time in the Mississippi Legislature, his constituents' needs were of crucial importance to him, and because of this, he advocated for his district's local schools by urging the ending of excessive testing of students; and promoted his district's local communities, law enforcement officers, volunteer firefighters and first responders; and he further worked to connect rural Mississippi with broadband Internet; revitalized the State Parks; and made mental health services a top priority at the Capitol; and

WHEREAS, not one to limit his community involvement to the Legislature, Representative Miles, owner of Tom Miles Tri-County Insurance Agency and AMT Wholesale Imports in Forest, has always been active in his district and dedicated to improving the quality of life for all citizens, as evidenced by his service and affiliation as a member of the Scott County Search and Rescue Dive Team, a founding member of the Mississippi Legislative First Responder Caucus, Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, Morton Chamber of Commerce, and the Rankin County Chamber of Commerce, and he is also past president of the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and Forest Rotary Club, and is currently serving as chairman of Friends of Roosevelt State Park; and

WHEREAS, outside of his career and legislative service, Representative Miles enjoys spending time with family and friends, being active in local community events, watching local sporting events, supporting his Mississippi State Bulldogs, fishing with his dad and scuba diving; and

WHEREAS, the members of the House of Representatives will cherish the bond shared with Representative Miles over the course of the past 12 years, as he has remained a phenomenal gentleman, grounded in his integrity, who seeks to improve the lives of others through positive example, hard work and the undeniable truths of the Word of God; and

WHEREAS, the service of Representative Miles would be without honor but for the continued support, encouragement and love of his family, who have endured the daunting struggles that accompany the life of an elected official, and much credit is certainly due to his loved ones who have sacrificed countless hours without him in order to allow him to fulfill his legislative obligations; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to honor the indelible legacy of remarkable service of our colleague and friend, Representative Tom Miles, who represented his district, this body and the people of this state with honor and dignity:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the most honorable, distinguished Gentleman from Scott, Representative Tom Miles, for his esteemed legislative career and public service, and express fondest respect and best wishes for continued success in all his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Representative Tom Miles and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.