| 1 | 1 | | 87R28155 JGH-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Morales of Harris H.R. No. 1493 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, In the aftermath of the devastating winter storm of |
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| 7 | 7 | | February 2021, many leaders and philanthropists across the nation |
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| 8 | 8 | | came to the aid of Texans in need; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, One such individual was U.S. Congresswoman |
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| 10 | 10 | | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; shortly after the storm left |
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| 11 | 11 | | millions of Texans without power, heat, or access to food and water, |
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| 12 | 12 | | she spearheaded a fundraising campaign that raised $5 million in |
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| 13 | 13 | | less than a week to benefit Texas residents; the money was evenly |
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| 14 | 14 | | allocated among five Texas nonprofits, including the Houston Food |
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| 15 | 15 | | Bank, Feeding Texas, Family Eldercare, The Bridge Homeless Recovery |
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| 16 | 16 | | Center, and the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO); and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, In addition, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez flew to |
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| 18 | 18 | | Texas to help distribute emergency supplies at the Houston Food |
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| 19 | 19 | | Bank with Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvia R. Garcia of |
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| 20 | 20 | | Texas; she also visited residents of Representative Garcia's |
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| 21 | 21 | | district on the east side of Houston; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, A third-generation Bronxite, Congresswoman |
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| 23 | 23 | | Ocasio-Cortez represents the 14th district of New York in the U.S. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Congress; after earning degrees in economics and international |
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| 25 | 25 | | relations at Boston University and interning in the office of the |
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| 26 | 26 | | late Senator Ted Kennedy, she returned to the Bronx to work as a |
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| 27 | 27 | | community organizer and went on to serve as educational director |
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| 28 | 28 | | with the National Hispanic Institute; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, Following the financial crisis of 2008, |
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| 30 | 30 | | Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez experienced firsthand the challenges |
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| 31 | 31 | | faced by many Americans when her family was forced to sell their |
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| 32 | 32 | | home after her father's death; she took on extra shifts as a |
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| 33 | 33 | | waitress and bartender to help out, and her dedication to issues |
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| 34 | 34 | | affecting working people deepened as a result; in 2016, she |
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| 35 | 35 | | volunteered as an organizer with the Bernie Sanders presidential |
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| 36 | 36 | | campaign, and two years later, she stepped onto the national stage |
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| 37 | 37 | | when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | WHEREAS, A true champion for working-class people across the |
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| 39 | 39 | | country, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has inspired her fellow |
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| 40 | 40 | | citizens with her eloquent advocacy and her passionate commitment |
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| 41 | 41 | | to social, racial, economic, and environmental justice, and her |
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| 42 | 42 | | generous actions in the aftermath of the 2021 winter storm have |
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| 43 | 43 | | earned her the lasting admiration and appreciation of many Texans; |
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| 44 | 44 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 45 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 46 | 46 | | Legislature hereby commend the leaders and philanthropists who |
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| 47 | 47 | | assisted the people of Texas in February 2021 and extend to them |
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| 48 | 48 | | sincere best wishes for continued success in their important work. |
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