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SR 8613

Honoring the legacy of Dr. Michael Lawler, President of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Nikki Torres

Ceremonial Senate Resolution recognizing Dr. Michael Lawler's transformative leadership at PNWU, honoring his rural-health mission and extending condolences to his family.

Adopted.
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Bill Summary · SR 8613

Summary: Senate Resolution 8613 (SR 8613) – Honoring Dr. Michael Lawler

Overview

  • Type: Senate Resolution (ceremonial, non-binding)
  • Sponsor: Senator Torres
  • Introduced: February 12, 2025
  • Status: Adopted
  • Adoption date: February 12, 2025
  • Purpose: To formally recognize and honor the life, leadership, and legacy of Dr. Michael Lawler, former president of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU), and to extend condolences to his family.

Purpose and Intent

  • Acknowledges Dr. Lawler as the longest-tenured president of PNWU and credits his leadership with transforming the institution from a single-program entity into a five-program health sciences university.
  • Highlights a career dedicated to advancing health care education, with a focus on rural and medically underserved communities.
  • Seeks to memorialize his broader contributions to health education, public service, and university leadership within the Pacific Northwest region.

Key Provisions and Provisions’ Impact

  • Recognition of Dr. Lawler’s career spanning over 35 years, including prior roles as Dean and Professor at the University of South Dakota’s School of Health Sciences and leadership work at the University of California, Davis.
  • Notation of his scholarly output (over 80 publications) and involvement in global child well-being through the Children’s Worlds survey.
  • Emphasis on his role in fostering meaningful partnerships, notably with the 14 confederated tribes and bands of the Yakama Nation, and his efforts to establish a formal land acknowledgment acknowledging the land’s significance and shared reverence.
  • Statement of the Senate’s condolences to Dr. Lawler’s wife, Kimberly Lawler, his son, Sebastian, and the Lawler family.
  • Directive that a copy of the resolution be transmitted to the Lawler family and to the leadership of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.

Affected Parties and Institutions

  • Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU): formal recognition of leadership and impact.
  • Yakama Nation and the 14 Yakama-affiliated tribes and bands: noted collaboration and land acknowledgment.
  • Dr. Michael Lawler’s family: recipients of expressed condolences.
  • Washington State Senate and affiliated legislative staff: implementers of the ceremonial recognition.

Procedural and Timeline Details

  • Introduced: February 12, 2025
  • Adopted: February 12, 2025
  • No fiscal impact or statutory changes; the resolution is ceremonial and serves as an official house acknowledgment.
  • Transmission: copies to the Lawler family and PNWU leadership.

Bottom Line

SR 8613 is a ceremonial resolution recognizing Dr. Michael Lawler’s transformative leadership at PNWU, his commitment to rural health education, his collaborative work with Indigenous communities (notably the Yakama Nation), and his broader contributions to health sciences. It conveys condolences to his family and ensures formal acknowledgment by transmitting copies to the family and university leadership.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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