Texas 2017 - 85th 1st C.S.

Texas Senate Bill SR118 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 118
2	2	In Memory
3	3	of
4	4	Mark Wells White Jr.
5	5	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins Texans
6	6	across the state in mourning the loss of Mark Wells White Jr., who
7	7	died August 5, 2017, at the age of 77; and
8	8	WHEREAS, Governor White served the people of Texas with
9	9	dedication and integrity over the course of an exceptional career
10	10	in public service that spanned many years; a conservative
11	11	Democrat and a highly respected state leader and politician, Mark
12	12	White served with distinction as Texas' secretary of state,
13	13	attorney general, and governor; during his governorship, he was
14	14	noted for championing political and educational reform and for
15	15	making inclusiveness a high priority in all facets of life in
16	16	Texas; and
17	17	WHEREAS, Mark White was born March 17, 1940, in Henderson,
18	18	Texas, and he grew up in Houston; he attended Baylor University,
19	19	where he earned degrees in business administration and law, and
20	20	where he also met his beloved wife, Linda Gale White; and
21	21	WHEREAS, He began his career in statewide office at the age
22	22	of 32, when he was appointed by Governor Dolph Briscoe in 1973 to
23	23	be Texas secretary of state; in 1978, at the age of 37, he was
24	24	elected attorney general; and
25	25	WHEREAS, In 1982, he defeated the incumbent governor, Bill
26	26	Clements, to become the state's 43rd governor; during his term in
27	27	office, from 1983 to 1987, he was a powerful advocate for
28	28	transforming the state's educational system, and he pushed
29	29	through a $4 billion tax and fee increase to pay for improvements
30	30	in the state's public schools; an innovative and, at the time,
31	31	controversial aspect of his reform efforts was the
32	32	implementation of "no pass, no play," a measure that required
33	33	students to be passing all their classes in order to participate
34	34	in extracurricular activities; the measure endured a firestorm
35	35	of criticism and became a valued and integral part of the Texas
36	36	educational system that remains in place today; and
37	37	WHEREAS, Other features of his significant and successful
38	38	public school initiatives were reductions in class size, a 26
39	39	percent increase in funding to equalize statewide education
40	40	spending, and the implementation of statewide testing standards;
41	41	a number of states across the nation adopted into their
42	42	educational systems many of Governor White's groundbreaking
43	43	initiatives; and
44	44	WHEREAS, During Governor White's tenure, he grappled with
45	45	the state's struggling economy due to disruptions in the oil
46	46	market and the collapse of the savings and loan industry, which
47	47	led to drastically reduced revenues for the state; however, he
48	48	welcomed the era of new technology, and he is noted for embracing
49	49	diversification of the state's economy and for the major role he
50	50	played in the recruitment to Austin of the research conglomerate
51	51	MCC; and
52	52	WHEREAS, After leaving office, he returned to the private
53	53	practice of law; he also continued to be active on behalf of his
54	54	fellow Texans, and he eventually began to have serious
55	55	reservations about capital punishment; he urged lawmakers to
56	56	reconsider its use, and he worked with the Innocence Project on
57	57	behalf of wrongfully convicted inmates; and
58	58	WHEREAS, A man of courage and exceptional vision, he served
59	59	the people of Texas with loyalty and a commitment to fairness,
60	60	and his love of this state, his many accomplishments as its
61	61	governor, and his dedication to public service have had a lasting
62	62	and positive impact; and
63	63	WHEREAS, He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather,
64	64	and he leaves behind memories that will be treasured forever by
65	65	his family and countless friends and by all who were privileged
66	66	to share in his life; now, therefore, be it
67	67	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
68	68	Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby extend sincere
69	69	condolences to the bereaved family of Mark Wells White Jr.: his
70	70	wife, Linda Gale Thompson White; his sons, Mark White III and
71	71	Andrew White; his daughter, Elizabeth Marie White Russell; his
72	72	daughters-in-law, Melanie and Stacey; his son-in-law, Seth
73	73	Russell; his sister, Betty Gerlach; and his nine grandchildren;
74	74	and, be it further
75	75	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
76	76	his family as an expression of deepest sympathy from the Texas
77	77	Senate and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in
78	78	memory of Governor Mark White.
79	79	Watson
80	80	Bettencourt Hinojosa Perry Bettencourt Hinojosa Perry
81	81	Bettencourt Hinojosa Perry
82	82	Birdwell Huffines Rodríguez Birdwell Huffines Rodríguez
83	83	Birdwell Huffines Rodríguez
84	84	Buckingham Huffman Schwertner Buckingham Huffman Schwertner
85	85	Buckingham Huffman Schwertner
86	86	Burton Hughes Seliger Burton Hughes Seliger
87	87	Burton Hughes Seliger
88	88	Campbell Kolkhorst Taylor of Collin Campbell Kolkhorst Taylor of Collin
89	89	Campbell Kolkhorst Taylor of Collin
90	90	Creighton Lucio Taylor of Galveston Creighton Lucio Taylor of Galveston
91	91	Creighton Lucio Taylor of Galveston
92	92	Estes Menéndez Uresti Estes Menéndez Uresti
93	93	Estes Menéndez Uresti
94	94	Garcia Miles West Garcia Miles West
95	95	Garcia Miles West
96	96	Hall Nelson Whitmire Hall Nelson Whitmire
97	97	Hall Nelson Whitmire
98	98	Hancock Nichols Zaffirini Hancock Nichols Zaffirini
99	99	Hancock Nichols Zaffirini
100	100	Patrick, President of the Senate
101	101	________________________________
102	102	President of the Senate
103	103	I hereby certify that the
104	104	above Resolution was adopted by
105	105	the Senate on August 10, 2017, by
106	106	a rising vote.
107	107	________________________________
108	108	Secretary of the Senate
109	109	________________________________
110	110	Member, Texas Senate
111	111
112	112	Bettencourt Hinojosa Perry
113	113
114	114	Birdwell Huffines Rodríguez
115	115
116	116	Buckingham Huffman Schwertner
117	117
118	118	Burton Hughes Seliger
119	119
120	120	Campbell Kolkhorst Taylor of Collin
121	121
122	122	Creighton Lucio Taylor of Galveston
123	123
124	124	Estes Menéndez Uresti
125	125
126	126	Garcia Miles West
127	127
128	128	Hall Nelson Whitmire
129	129
130	130	Hancock Nichols Zaffirini