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Bayless appointment update - (07/03)

Taken from Speaker Straus's office -

Speaker Joe Straus Applauds Appointment of James Bayless, Jr. to State Cemetry Committee

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus today applauded Gov. Rick Perry for appointing Austin attorney James L. “Jim” Bayless, Jr. to the State Cemetery Committee. As required by statute, Governor Perry appointed Bayless based on a recommendation from the Speaker.

Bayless’ term on the Cemetery Committee will expire Feb. 1, 2017. He fills the seat formerly held by Michael McKinney, who passed away in February.

The three-member State Cemetery Committee oversees the day-to-day operations of the Texas State Cemetery.

Bayless is an attorney with Winstead PC in Austin. He was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce under President Ronald Reagan, and also served as Associate Director of President Reagan’s Office of Presidential Personnel. Today, Bayless is Chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Federal Relations Committee and a member of the University of Texas System’s Archer Center Advisory Board.

“I want to thank Governor Perry for appointing Jim Bayless,” Speaker Straus said. “Jim has a long record of accomplishments in the private and public sectors. His vast experience and love of history will serve the State well.”

While in the Reagan White House, Bayless handled the President’s selection of appointees to the American Battle Monuments Commission, which is the guardian of America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and memorials.

“I am indebted to Speaker Straus and Governor Perry for this honor,” Bayless said. “The Texas State Cemetery is one of our state’s greatest treasures. Visiting its grounds is not only an incomparable learning experience, but it’s also bound to give any Texan a feeling of pride in our history and our heroes.”