| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 757 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, The Honorable Rebecca Simpson retired as judge of |
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| 3 | 3 | | Gregg County Court at Law No. 1 on May 2, 2017, concluding a |
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| 4 | 4 | | distinguished 18-year tenure on the bench and a career with the |
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| 5 | 5 | | county court that has spanned more than three decades; and |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Dedicated to the swift and efficient administration |
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| 7 | 7 | | of justice, Becky Simpson handled more than 4,000 misdemeanor |
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| 8 | 8 | | cases annually, earning her courtroom the nickname "the rocket |
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| 9 | 9 | | docket"; nearly half of the defendants qualified for |
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| 10 | 10 | | court-appointed legal counsel, and Judge Simpson worked with the |
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| 11 | 11 | | Board of Judges to arrange the assignment of four local attorneys |
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| 12 | 12 | | to her court, which saved over $200,000 annually in |
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| 13 | 13 | | court-appointed lawyer fees; she presided over numerous felony |
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| 14 | 14 | | cases as well; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, This esteemed jurist implemented a mental health |
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| 16 | 16 | | docket to help break destructive cycles of petty crime, |
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| 17 | 17 | | especially among the homeless, and she was instrumental in the |
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| 18 | 18 | | creation of the Veterans Treatment Court; in managing the Child |
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| 19 | 19 | | Protective Services docket, she looked out for children's |
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| 20 | 20 | | interests by seeking the insights of court-appointed special |
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| 21 | 21 | | advocates from East Texas CASA; in addition, she maintained a |
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| 22 | 22 | | weekly juvenile docket, and she marshaled a number of local |
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| 23 | 23 | | nonprofit groups to assist defendants in pursuing more |
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| 24 | 24 | | productive paths in life; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, In 2015, Judge Simpson was named Outstanding |
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| 26 | 26 | | Criminal Justice Judge by Mothers Against Drunk Driving; her many |
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| 27 | 27 | | accolades also include a Women of Achievement Award from Zonta |
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| 28 | 28 | | Club of Longview; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, Judge Simpson grew up in Big Sandy; while majoring |
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| 30 | 30 | | in criminal justice at The University of Texas at Tyler, she |
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| 31 | 31 | | worked full-time as the office manager for the Smith County |
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| 32 | 32 | | District Attorney's Office; after graduating from South Texas |
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| 33 | 33 | | College of Law in 1984, she joined Gregg County Court at Law No. 1 |
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| 34 | 34 | | as an assistant district attorney; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | WHEREAS, A caring, dedicated, and innovative judge, Becky |
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| 36 | 36 | | Simpson made a lasting, positive difference in countless lives in |
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| 37 | 37 | | Gregg County while setting a high standard of professionalism; |
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| 38 | 38 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 39 | 39 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th |
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| 40 | 40 | | Legislature, hereby congratulate the Honorable Rebecca Simpson |
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| 41 | 41 | | on her retirement as judge of Gregg County Court at Law No. 1 and |
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| 42 | 42 | | extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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| 43 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for |
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| 44 | 44 | | Judge Simpson as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. |
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| 45 | 45 | | Hughes |
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| 46 | 46 | | ________________________________ |
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| 47 | 47 | | President of the Senate |
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| 48 | 48 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 49 | 49 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 50 | 50 | | the Senate on May 10, 2017. |
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| 51 | 51 | | ________________________________ |
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| 52 | 52 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 53 | 53 | | ________________________________ |
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| 54 | 54 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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