The Texas Senate on May 30 adopted Senate Resolution 89 honoring Elizabeth Ann Seligman McCarty, a longtime legislative staffer and registered nurse, after Senator Lois Kolkhorst described McCarty’s life and work.

Kolkhorst recounted McCarty’s career in nursing and her service on the senator’s staff, noting McCarty ran a mobile office across several counties and handled constituent cases directly. "All they did was ask for Betty McCarty because Betty could solve any problem," Kolkhorst said. She also said McCarty helped secure a change in medical care for an inmate that she said likely saved the man’s life.

The resolution memorializes McCarty’s public service and personal history. Kolkhorst said McCarty worked at MD Anderson, the Brenham Clinic and the Brenham State Supported Living Center, served in hospice care, and later helped with campaign finance filings and mobile office operations. Kolkhorst described McCarty’s role as one that connected constituents to services: "She worried most about and cared for the least among us."

Senator José Menéndez moved to add all members’ names to the resolution; the motion was adopted. The clerk called for the resolution to be adopted, and the Senate recorded, "Resolution is adopted."

Family members and friends of McCarty were introduced in the gallery during the ceremony. Kolkhorst referred to McCarty by her full name in the resolution text as Elizabeth Ann Seligman McCarty and closed by urging colleagues to follow McCarty’s example: "Be like Betty McCarty. Do what Betty would do."

After the resolution, the Senate adjusted its schedule as a courtesy to McCarty’s family: a caucus was postponed until noon and the Senate recessed until 12:45 p.m., as announced on the floor.