| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 66 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
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| 3 | 3 | | honor Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates and to recognize |
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| 4 | 4 | | February 12, 2015, as CASA Day at the State Capitol; and |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Texas CASA is part of a national volunteer |
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| 6 | 6 | | movement begun in the 1970s that enlists community volunteers to |
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| 7 | 7 | | serve as court advocates for abused and neglected children; these |
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| 8 | 8 | | volunteers research the child's situation, provide critical |
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| 9 | 9 | | information and recommendations to judges about what is best for |
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| 10 | 10 | | the child, and help ensure that children in the foster care |
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| 11 | 11 | | system find safe, permanent homes as soon as possible; and |
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| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, The first CASA program in Texas began in Dallas |
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| 13 | 13 | | some 35 years ago; Texas CASA was formed in 1989 and recently |
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| 14 | 14 | | celebrated its 25th anniversary; Texas CASA provides funding, |
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| 15 | 15 | | training, coordination, and assistance to 71 local CASA programs |
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| 16 | 16 | | statewide that last year engaged more than 8,000 volunteers, who |
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| 17 | 17 | | gave life-changing advocacy, help, and encouragement to 24,742 |
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| 18 | 18 | | children, more than 50 percent of the children in the foster care |
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| 19 | 19 | | system; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, CASA volunteers help to give children in the |
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| 21 | 21 | | foster care system hope for a better future and provide courts |
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| 22 | 22 | | with information they need to make well-informed decisions in |
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| 23 | 23 | | child protective services cases, and their efforts help to ensure |
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| 24 | 24 | | that the system functions as intended; all those associated with |
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| 25 | 25 | | CASA are truly deserving of recognition for their service to the |
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| 26 | 26 | | State of Texas, its courts, and its children; now, therefore, be it |
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| 27 | 27 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th |
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| 28 | 28 | | Legislature, hereby proclaim February 12, 2015, as CASA Day at |
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| 29 | 29 | | the State Capitol and commend the organization for its noble |
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| 30 | 30 | | efforts to aid abused and neglected children; and, be it further |
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| 31 | 31 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared as an |
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| 32 | 32 | | expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. |
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| 33 | 33 | | Nelson |
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| 34 | 34 | | ________________________________ |
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| 35 | 35 | | President of the Senate |
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| 36 | 36 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 37 | 37 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 38 | 38 | | the Senate on January 28, 2015. |
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| 39 | 39 | | ________________________________ |
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| 40 | 40 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 41 | 41 | | ________________________________ |
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| 42 | 42 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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