Senate Joint Resolution 24

Oregon Laws 2005

AN ACT

Whereas both Victor G. Atiyeh and Barbara Roberts have set precedents when elected to serve as the Governor of Oregon; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh is a native Oregonian, a lifelong Washington County resident, the husband of Dolores and the father of two children; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh honorably served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly both in the House of Representatives and the Senate; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh, in his long-term service to the Boy Scouts of America, holds the highest council and regional adult leadership awards; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh won a decisive victory, attracting 55 percent of the vote in the Oregon Governor’s race in 1978; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh was the first elected governor of Arab descent in the United States; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh cut his own salary three times to help balance the budget; and

Whereas during Victor G. Atiyeh’s first term of office, he improved state management productivity and reformed workers’ compensation and welfare; and

Whereas during Victor G. Atiyeh’s first term, major new programs in energy and economic development were created; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh won his second term by attracting 61.6 percent of the vote, the largest gubernatorial margin in 32 years; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh won legislative repeal of Oregon’s unitary-tax formula; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh launched a worldwide tourism initiative and opened Oregon’s first overseas trade office in Tokyo; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh reinstated a state employee suggestion program that saves Oregon taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh was described as the “most accessible Governor” by Oregon department managers; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh was instrumental in establishing Oregon Food Share, the nation’s first statewide food bank; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh served as chairman of the Western Governors’ Conference and as vice chairman of the National Governors’ Association Committees on International Trade, Foreign Relations, Criminal Justice and Public Protection; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh received the “Oregon Statesman Award” from the Oregon Business Association and received the “Distinguished Service to Oregon” award from the University of Oregon’s Department of Planning Public Policy and Management; and

Whereas Victor G. Atiyeh serves as chairman of the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor; and

Whereas Barbara Roberts, a fourth-generation Oregonian, was born in Corvallis on December 21, 1936; and

Whereas Barbara Roberts began her lifelong career as a public servant in 1969 as an unpaid lobbyist advocating for children with disabilities; and

Whereas Barbara Roberts served on the Parkrose School Board, the Mt. Hood Community College Board and the Multnomah County Commission before being elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980; and

Whereas in her second term serving in the Oregon House of Representatives, Barbara Roberts became the first woman to serve as House majority leader; and

Whereas Barbara Roberts was elected Secretary of State in 1984, and reelected in 1988; and

Whereas during her term as Secretary of State, Barbara Roberts achieved election reform legislation, construction of a new Archives building and broader audit powers for the Secretary of State; and

Whereas Barbara Roberts was the first woman to be elected Governor of Oregon and was inaugurated on January 14, 1991; and

Whereas during her term as Governor, Barbara Roberts was recognized as a strong advocate for public education, human rights and services; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:

That the Port of Portland is directed to name a terminal at the Portland International Airport after Victor G. Atiyeh; and be it further

Resolved, That the Oregon Department of Human Services building, headquarters for the department, be renamed the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building.

Filed in the Office of the Secretary of State August 3, 2005

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