| 1 | 1 | | By: Branch (Senate Sponsor - Carona) H.C.R. No. 1 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 30, 2013; |
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| 3 | 3 | | May 2, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | 4 | | Administration; May 15, 2013, reported adversely, with favorable |
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| 5 | 5 | | Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; |
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| 6 | 6 | | May 15, 2013, sent to printer.) |
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| 7 | 7 | | COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.C.R. No. 1 By: Uresti |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | |
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| 10 | 10 | | HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 11 | 11 | | WHEREAS, John Goodwin Tower greatly benefited his state and |
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| 12 | 12 | | his nation through his dedicated public service, including nearly a |
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| 13 | 13 | | quarter-century in the United States Senate; and |
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| 14 | 14 | | WHEREAS, Born in Houston on September 29, 1925, John Tower |
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| 15 | 15 | | served in the United States Navy during World War II on an |
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| 16 | 16 | | amphibious gunboat in the Pacific; he was discharged as a seaman |
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| 17 | 17 | | first class and remained active in the naval reserve until 1989, |
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| 18 | 18 | | when he retired with the rank of master chief boatswain's mate; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Tower earned a bachelor's degree in |
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| 20 | 20 | | political science at Southwestern University and a master's degree |
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| 21 | 21 | | in the same discipline at Southern Methodist University; he |
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| 22 | 22 | | accepted a position as an assistant professor at Midwestern |
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| 23 | 23 | | University in the early 1950s and continued his studies at the |
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| 24 | 24 | | London School of Economics; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, He soon became a rising star in conservative |
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| 26 | 26 | | politics, and in 1960, he was elected as the first Republican |
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| 27 | 27 | | senator from Texas since Reconstruction; Senator Tower took on |
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| 28 | 28 | | numerous committee assignments in Washington and played a key role |
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| 29 | 29 | | in the modernization and expansion of the military as chair of the |
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| 30 | 30 | | Armed Services Committee and as a member of the Joint Committee on |
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| 31 | 31 | | Defense Production; he also served on the Labor and Public Welfare |
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| 32 | 32 | | and Banking and Currency Committees, among many others; he was |
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| 33 | 33 | | known for his skill at guiding legislation through Congress, and he |
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| 34 | 34 | | sought to stimulate economic growth, increase small business |
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| 35 | 35 | | opportunities, improve transportation systems, and encourage |
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| 36 | 36 | | strong financial institutions; working diligently in behalf of his |
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| 37 | 37 | | fellow Texans, he promoted agriculture as well as the energy, |
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| 38 | 38 | | fishing, and maritime industries; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | WHEREAS, After retiring from Congress in 1985, Senator Tower |
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| 40 | 40 | | served as President Ronald Reagan's strategic arms negotiator in |
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| 41 | 41 | | Geneva, and he further assisted the president by advocating for |
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| 42 | 42 | | ratification of a medium-range nuclear weapons treaty with the |
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| 43 | 43 | | Soviet Union; in late 1986, President Reagan appointed him as chair |
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| 44 | 44 | | of the special review board assigned to investigate the Iran-contra |
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| 45 | 45 | | scandals; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | WHEREAS, This dynamic Texan established a consulting company |
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| 47 | 47 | | in Dallas that served some of the nation's largest weapons |
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| 48 | 48 | | manufacturers, and from 1986 to 1988, he taught political science |
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| 49 | 49 | | as a distinguished lecturer at Southern Methodist University; in |
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| 50 | 50 | | 1990, President Bush named him chair of the President's Foreign |
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| 51 | 51 | | Intelligence Advisory Board; tragically, he died in a plane crash |
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| 52 | 52 | | the following year; and |
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| 53 | 53 | | WHEREAS, Through his leadership in national security and |
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| 54 | 54 | | foreign policy issues, John Tower made vital contributions to the |
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| 55 | 55 | | United States, and his tireless efforts to advance the interests of |
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| 56 | 56 | | the Lone Star State earned the lasting appreciation of his fellow |
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| 57 | 57 | | Texans; naming the State Insurance Building in the Capitol Complex |
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| 58 | 58 | | in his honor would provide a most fitting tribute to his outstanding |
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| 59 | 59 | | accomplishments; now, therefore, be it |
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| 60 | 60 | | RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 61 | 61 | | hereby direct the Texas Facilities Commission to rename the State |
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| 62 | 62 | | Insurance Building the John G. Tower State Office Building as a |
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| 63 | 63 | | lasting tribute to this esteemed Texan; and, be it further |
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| 64 | 64 | | RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official |
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| 65 | 65 | | copy of this resolution to the chair and executive director of the |
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| 66 | 66 | | Texas Facilities Commission. |
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| 67 | 67 | | * * * * * |
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