Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HR750 Compare Versions

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1	1	H.R. No. 750
2	2
3	3
4	4	R E S O L U T I O N
5	5	WHEREAS, Family and friends are mourning the loss of John
6	6	Paul Barnich of Houston, who died on February 2, 2009, at the age of
7	7	63; and
8	8	WHEREAS, John Barnich was born to Aileen and Bill Barnich,
9	9	Jr., of Cheboygan, Michigan, on September 25, 1945, and grew up on
10	10	nearby Mullett Lake; he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology
11	11	from Michigan State University in 1968; and
12	12	WHEREAS, After moving to Houston in 1969, Mr. Barnich taught
13	13	for 10 years in the Houston Independent School District; he was a
14	14	gifted and energetic teacher, designing a psychology program for
15	15	the district and working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation
16	16	to create a pilot program in police administration, which grew into
17	17	the HISD High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice; and
18	18	WHEREAS, Mr. Barnich was a student council sponsor and a
19	19	building steward for the Houston Federation of Teachers; he was
20	20	recognized by Waltrip High School in 1973 as an Outstanding Young
21	21	Educator, and in 1978, he earned a Teacher of the Year Achievement
22	22	Award; and
23	23	WHEREAS, In 1977, Mr. Barnich spent six months in India
24	24	studying comparative religion as a Fulbright scholar; returning to
25	25	Texas, he earned his law degree from South Texas College of Law in
26	26	1980, and he opened his practice in 1981; he worked for Houston
27	27	Volunteer Lawyers and was a founder of the Bar Association for Human
28	28	Rights; he also lectured on the law for Thurgood Marshall School of
29	29	Law, Texas Southern University, the Texas Human Rights Foundation,
30	30	and the Houston Bar Association; and
31	31	WHEREAS, Mr. Barnich was a pioneering activist on behalf of
32	32	the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people; he
33	33	took on much pro bono work on behalf of the GLBT community, and one
34	34	of his cases was joined by the U.S. Department of Justice and
35	35	resulted in people with AIDS being included in the Americans with
36	36	Disabilities Act; in another case, he effected an important change
37	37	in the way dentists treat people with AIDS; and
38	38	WHEREAS, A cofounder of AIDS Foundation Houston, Mr. Barnich
39	39	served as chair of the organization's board from 1990 to 1994;
40	40	during his tenure, he helped obtain a major community development
41	41	grant for AIDS housing, and developed a grant for AIDS education in
42	42	the county Juvenile Detention Center; he also served on the board of
43	43	the AIDS Equity League from 1988 to 1992 and played an active role
44	44	in the Houston GLBT Political Caucus; and
45	45	WHEREAS, In 1999, Mr. Barnich was appointed to be Houston's
46	46	first openly gay municipal judge, and he served with distinction in
47	47	that post until 2007; he continued to serve as a part-time
48	48	adjudication hearing officer until his death; and
49	49	WHEREAS, For his efforts in behalf of equality and social
50	50	justice, Mr. Barnich was named the Texas Human Rights Foundation
51	51	Advocate of the Year in 1992, and two years later, he earned the
52	52	Humanitarian Award from the Conference on AIDS in America; he was
53	53	also recognized with the Houston Humanitarian Award and the
54	54	Humanitarian Award from the GLBT Political Caucus; and
55	55	WHEREAS, Mr. Barnich possessed a ready wit; when he was asked
56	56	how being gay would make him different from other municipal judges,
57	57	he quipped that he would upgrade the courtroom sound system to play
58	58	show tunes; a sign on his office door read, "Be nice or leave"; and
59	59	WHEREAS, An outspoken champion for the causes he believed in,
60	60	John Barnich worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others, and
61	61	his legacy will long resonate in the community that he loved; now,
62	62	therefore, be it
63	63	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
64	64	Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable John
65	65	Paul Barnich and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
66	66	family: to his brothers, Rick Barnich and Bill Barnich III; to his
67	67	sisters, Mary Barnich and Martha Jo Vanderberg; and to his other
68	68	relatives and many friends; and, be it further
69	69	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
70	70	prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
71	71	Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of John
72	72	Barnich.
73	73	Cohen
74	74	Coleman
75	75	______________________________
76	76	Speaker of the House
77	77	I certify that H.R. No. 750 was unanimously adopted by a
78	78	rising vote of the House on March 19, 2009.
79	79	______________________________
80	80	Chief Clerk of the House