TITLE: Honoring Representative Elliott Naishtat of Austin on his 70th birthday.

SUMMARY: Honoring Representative Elliott Naishtat of Austin on his 70th birthday.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Honorable Elliott Naishtat claims that he is celebrating his 70th birthday on February 15, 2015, despite everyone's conclusion that their party invitation must have gotten lost in the mail; and WHEREAS, This Brooklyn native served as a VISTA volunteer in Eagle Pass and San Antonio, but he was deemed too weird by both communities and was permanently exiled to Austin, where he ended up getting a gig in the Texas Legislature for 13 terms and counting; and WHEREAS, While Elliott, also known as the Hebrew Hammer, Mighty Mensch, and Tenacious Member of the Tribe, is well known for his social consciousness and dedication to the Texas Legislature, he is particularly famous for his unmatched devotion to all-you-can-eat buffets and his extraordinary collection of take-home plastic containers; and WHEREAS, Representative Naishtat has invested a lifetime honing his considerable skills scrounging free food from friends, relatives, constituents, and the wedding receptions of complete strangers; and WHEREAS, A recent visit to a Minneapolis hospital has inspired him to forgo any participation in this year's Tour de France cycling race and to spend his time instead mastering his culinary skills in the arts of preprepared granola and boiled eggs; and WHEREAS, His insatiable appetite for current events and the news has contributed to the accumulation of decades' worth of New York Times issues, which are neatly arranged and sorted into piles in his garage, waiting to be read and edited; and WHEREAS, The irony is inescapable that Representative Naishtat has himself awarded an estimated 93 percent of his constituents with their own birthday resolutions; if this resolution were a bill, it would almost certainly be vetoed by the governor; and WHEREAS, His leadership and grit fighting for working families has established a high standard that has guided many of his colleagues throughout his distinguished 24 years in office; he has been recognized by numerous community organizations, including the AARP, the American Cancer Society, the Sierra Club, the Texas Council on Family Violence, the Texas Freedom Network, Public Citizen, and the National Association of Social Workers; and WHEREAS, It is with the utmost respect and honor that the members of this chamber wish him mazel tov on the occasion of his 70th birthday; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the 70th birthday of the Honorable Elliott Naishtat, the dean of the Travis County delegation, assuming he is still awake by the time this final clause is read, and extend to him best wishes for a truly memorable birthday celebration; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Representative Naishtat as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Rodriguez of Travis Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 496 was adopted by the House on February 16, 2015, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House