H.R. No. 2865
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Honorable Aaron Pea, Jr., a four-term member of
the Texas House of Representatives from Hidalgo County, is
celebrating his 50th birthday on June 8, 2009; and
WHEREAS, Born in Austin and raised his first few years in the
shadow of the Capitol, Aaron Pea moved to Edinburg with his family
as a young child; after earning his diploma from Edinburg High
School in 1977 and his bachelor's degree from UT-Austin in 1984, he
was awarded his juris doctor degree from Texas Southern University
in 1987; and
WHEREAS, Representative Pea was licensed to practice law by
the State Bar of Texas in May 1988; in December 1995, he became
board certified by the State Bar of Texas in the area of Labor and
Employment Law; Aaron Pea enjoyed a celebrated career as one of the
more accomplished employment trial lawyers in the state, later
serving on the State Bar of Texas' governing board for Labor and
Employment attorneys; after 17 years of practicing almost
exclusively as a plaintiff's lawyer, Representative Pea began
working solely as a civil defense lawyer in April 2005; Texas
Monthly has recognized him as a "Super Lawyer" in both fields; he
has been employed by the Pea, McDonald, Prestia and Ornelas law
firm, by Aaron Pea and Associates, and by Colvin and Chaney; and
WHEREAS, First elected to the Texas Legislature in 2002,
Representative Pea has been a strong advocate for education,
working to increase salaries for public school teachers and to
significantly further the development of The University of
Texas-Pan American; to that end, he has been instrumental in
securing funding for the construction of a fine arts center and
student wellness center and for augmenting the resources of the
Regional Academic Health Center on campus; he is also the author and
house sponsor of legislation to create a medical school in the Rio
Grande Valley; and
WHEREAS, Having entered service in the Texas State Guard as a
major, Aaron Pea has been a staunch champion of military veterans;
he participated in the March 14-20, 2009, march from Edinburg to the
Audie L. Murphy Veterans Hospital in San Antonio, a march that was
sponsored by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who are
living in the Rio Grande Valley and that was intended to draw
attention to the need for a VA hospital in the Valley; in addition,
he has authored legislation to posthumously award the Texas
Legislative Medal of Honor to Sergeant Alfredo Gonzalez and Private
Pedro Cano; and
WHEREAS, Representative Pea is also a forceful proponent of
drug-abuse treatment and prevention programs, with his primary
legislative goal in this area being the establishment of a drug
treatment center in South Texas; moreover, he supports the John
Austin Pea Memorial Scholarship, which was established by the
Texas Association of Addiction Professionals to provide assistance
to members of Texas Teens for Legislative Change who wish to pursue
higher education; and
WHEREAS, Representative Pea formerly chaired the criminal
jurisprudence committee and currently serves as vice chair of the
elections committee and as a member of the ways and means and
redistricting committees; and
WHEREAS, Recognized by Capitol Inside as a top house
negotiator during the 80th Legislature, Representative Pea has
received numerous other accolades as well; among these are the
Tough on Crime award, given by the Texas District and County
Attorneys Association, the Champion for Children award from the
Boys and Girls Club, the Bulldog award from the Rio Grande Valley
Teachers Association, and the Lifetime Achievement award from
LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens; and
WHEREAS, Aaron Pea and his wife, Monica, are the parents of
five children, Adrienne Pea-Garza, Aron Leonel Pea III, John
Austin Pea, Alyssa Victoria Pea, and Michael Anthony Pea; they
are also the grandparents of Aquiles Jaime Garza, Chelsea Nicole
Pea, Aron Christian Garza, Aaron Austin Pea, and Addison Rose
Pea; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan continues to embody the highest
standards of public service, and it is a pleasure to pay tribute to
him as he prepares to embark on a new, and no doubt equally
productive, decade; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate the Honorable Aaron Pea, Jr., on
his upcoming 50th birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes for
the coming year; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Representative Pea as an expression of high regard by
the Texas House of Representatives.
Guillen
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2865 was adopted by the House on June
1, 2009, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House