1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2023 SR 41
4
5 By: Senators C. Tucker, J. Bryant
6
7 SENATE RESOLUTION
8 CONGRATULATING VINCENT C. HENDERSON II, ADMINISTRATOR
9 FOR THE BUREAU OF LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH AND CODE
10 REVISOR, UPON HIS RETIREMENT AND COMMENDING HIM FOR
11 HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STATE OF ARKANSAS.
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14 Subtitle
15 CONGRATULATING VINCENT C. HENDERSON II,
16 ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE BUREAU OF
17 LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH AND CODE REVISOR,
18 UPON HIS RETIREMENT AND COMMENDING HIM
19 FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STATE OF
20 ARKANSAS.
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23 WHEREAS, Vincent C. Henderson II, Administrator of the Bureau of
24 Legislative Research's Statutory Review Section and the Code Revisor, has
25 announced his upcoming retirement on March 31, 2023, after over forty-three
26 (43) years of state service; and
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28 WHEREAS, Mr. Henderson began his state service with the bureau, where
29 he served as a staff attorney from April 1978 to July 1979 and January 1981
30 to January 1984; and
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32 WHEREAS, in January of 1984 Mr. Henderson joined the Arkansas Statute
33 Revision Commission as its executive director as the agency began the process
34 of codifying the state's statutory law; and
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36 WHEREAS, in his role with the commission, Mr. Henderson presided over
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1 the creation of the Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated, a laborious and detail-
2 oriented task completed over a period of years without the aid of the
3 computerized applications that are now centerpieces of such work; and
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5 WHEREAS, the creation of the Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated would not
6 have been successful without Mr. Henderson's diligent eye and thoughtful
7 review of all law existing at that time, and the successful implementation of
8 the Arkansas Code has positively impacted the practice of law in this state
9 every day since; and
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11 WHEREAS, equally as important to the codification of Arkansas law were
12 the processes Mr. Henderson established to maintain and update the Arkansas
13 Code, including being one (1) of the first states to adopt computerized
14 approaches to codification work; and
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16 WHEREAS, Mr. Henderson was also heavily involved in the addition of
17 markup language to bills of the General Assembly, the creation of the
18 legislative drafting manual that established the fundamentals of bill
19 drafting in this state, and the development of the bill review process now
20 used for all draft legislation prior to its filing; and
21
22 WHEREAS, the staff of the Arkansas Code Revision Commission merged with
23 the bureau in 2005, resuming Mr. Henderson's tenure with the bureau; and
24
25 WHEREAS, Mr. Henderson is a key member of the bureau's leadership team,
26 and his wisdom and intellect will be greatly missed; and
27
28 WHEREAS, following his retirement, the bureau will continue to use the
29 codification methods Mr. Henderson developed and implemented, which will
30 serve as a legacy that lives on far beyond his retirement; and
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32 WHEREAS, in addition to his distinguished state service, Mr. Henderson
33 has benefitted the state and his community in many other ways, including
34 serving on the Uniform Law Commission; serving in a variety of roles with the
35 Boy Scouts of America, including as a Scoutmaster; serving as a soccer
36 referee for the Arkansas Activities Association and the United States Soccer
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1 Federation, including training referees; serving as a lector for Our Lady of
2 the Holy Souls Catholic Church; and being actively involved in Scottish Clan
3 Henderson Society, including serving as its general counsel; and
4
5 WHEREAS, while Mr. Henderson will be greatly missed by the bureau, his
6 retirement will allow him to spend more time with his wife Sherry, his
7 children Vincent Henderson III, John Henderson, Ph.D, and his wife Kimhouy
8 Tong, PharmD., and Martha Godfrey, MD, and her husband Will Godfrey, MBA, and
9 his grandchildren Savannah Henderson, Grace Godfrey, and Everett Godfrey; and
10
11 WHEREAS, Mr. Henderson's institutional knowledge is irreplaceable, and
12 his dedication to the General Assembly has resulted in a lasting impact on
13 the institution and its practices,
14
15 NOW THEREFORE,
16 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
17 STATE OF ARKANSAS:
18
19 THAT the Senate commend Vincent C. Henderson II for his distinguished
20 service to the State of Arkansas and the legislative branch of government,
21 thank him for his countless contributions, and wish him all the best in his
22 retirement.
23
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, upon adoption, the Secretary of the Senate
25 provide a copy of this resolution to Vincent C. Henderson II.
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