MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2005 5th Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Representative McCoy, Malone, Bounds, Nicholson, Gregory, Smith (27th), Holland, Staples, Akins, Aldridge, Arinder, Bailey, Baker (74th), Baker (8th), Banks, Barnett, Beckett, Bentz, Blackmon, Bondurant, Broomfield, Brown, Buck, Burnett, Calhoun, Carlton, Chism, Clark, Clarke, Coleman (29th), Coleman (65th), Compretta, Cummings, Davis, Dedeaux, Denny, Dickson, Eaton, Ellington, Ellis, Espy, Evans, Fillingane, Flaggs, Fleming, Formby, Franks, Fredericks, Frierson, Gadd, Gibbs, Guice, Gunn, Hamilton (109th), Hamilton (6th), Harrison, Hines, Holloway, Horne, Howell, Huddleston, Hudson, Ishee, Janus, Jennings, Johnson, Lott, Markham, Martinson, Masterson, Mayhall, Mayo, McBride, Middleton, Miles, Mims, Moak, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Moss, Myers, Norquist, Parker, Patterson, Peranich, Perkins, Read, Reed, Reeves, Reynolds, Robinson (63rd), Robinson (84th), Rogers (14th), Rogers (61st), Rotenberry, Scott, Shows, Simpson, Smith (39th), Smith (59th), Snowden, Stevens, Straughter, Stringer, Sullivan, Thomas, Turner, Upshaw, Vince, Walley, Ward, Warren, Watson, Weathersby, Wells-Smith, Whittington, Woods, Young, Zuber
A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF CHIEF PHILLIP MARTIN OF THE MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS TO THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, born March 13, 1926, and currently serving his seventh consecutive four-year term as Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Chief Phillip Martin is the democratically elected Tribal Chief of the federally-recognized American Indian tribe of 9,400 members residing on approximately 35,000 acres of reservation in east central Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, nationally Chief Martin has served as president of the National Tribal Chairmen's Association, founded and served as president of United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET), an association of the 23 federally-recognized tribes in the eastern portion of the United States, in addition to serving as the first president of the Board of Regents of Haskell Indian Junior College (now Haskell Indian Nations University) and founding the United South and Eastern Tribes Gaming Association; and
WHEREAS, locally serving the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on numerous boards of directorship, Chief Martin, during his tenure as Tribal Chief, has established countless Tribally-owned and operated businesses on the Choctaw Indian Reservation, Sonora, Mexico, and other major cities across North America, creating a widely diversified local economy and ranking the Tribe as Mississippi's second largest employer; and
WHEREAS, a strong and well-known advocate for education, Chief Martin serves on the Advisory Committee for the Division of Technology, Mississippi State University, Meridian Branch and established the Choctaw Tribal Scholarship Program to ensure that all Mississippi Choctaw Students can attend the colleges and universities of their choice; and
WHEREAS, having made the necessary concessions to comply with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 after the Mississippi State Legislature legalized dockside gaming in the state in 1989 and 1990, Chief Martin and Governor Kirk Fordice signed the Tribal-State Compact on December 4, 1992, paving the way for the Tribe to launch its first gaming operation, the Silver Star Hotel and Casino on July 1, 1994, followed by the 2002 opening of the Golden Moon Hotel and Casino as well as the championship 36-hole, Dancing Rabbit Golf Course; and
WHEREAS, during recent years, Chief Martin has been the recipient of several awards including, but not limited to, the following prestigious honors: United Indian Development Association's Jay Silverheels Award, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Economic Achievement Award, Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Millsaps College, Honorary Member of Rotary International and recipient of its 2003 Paul Harris Fellow Award, Meridian Community College's Highest Flying Eagle Hall of Fame inductee, Mississippi Association of Educators Outstanding Achievement Award, the Mississippi Distinguished Civilian Service Medal presented by Governor Haley Barbour and Adjutant General Harold A. Cross, the National Education Association's Leo Reano Memorial Award and the NASA Public Service Medal; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives of the State of Mississippi to recognize and commend excellence in such an outstanding individual as Chief Martin, whose business savvy and leadership skills have propelled the Tribe to the forefront of economic development in the Southeast:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the leadership and contributions of Chief Phillip Martin of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to his tribe and to the State of Mississippi and express our appreciation and warmest wishes for continued success in all of his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Chief Martin and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.