88R31314 BPG-D
By: Reynolds H.R. No. 2184
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Honorable Sylvester Turner has served with great
distinction as the mayor of Houston, the nation's fourth-largest
city; and
WHEREAS, A longtime state representative, Mayor Turner was
first elected to lead his hometown in 2015 and won overwhelming
reelection four years later; he has skillfully managed a host of
challenges, from budget deficits and the homeless crisis to
Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic; during the national
turmoil over police-community relations, he signed an executive
order restricting the use of force and created the Task Force on
Policing Reforms; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Turner has passed seven balanced budgets
within the city's fiscal constraints; he oversaw a remarkable
rebound from Hurricane Harvey and got the Texas Legislature and
local voters on board with a desperately needed pension reform
package that reduced the city's liability by billions of dollars;
addressing societal problems in the wake of the pandemic, he
released his One Safe Houston initiative to combat violence, mental
illness, and the proliferation of guns on the street; the
initiative has helped bring about a decrease in the year-to-year
number of homicides and the overall violent crime rate; and
WHEREAS, Recognizing the peril that global warming poses to
coastal cities, Mayor Turner launched Houston's first Climate
Action Plan, and he has been a prominent member of several national
and international groups focused on the environment; moreover, he
has worked to revitalize Houston's most underserved neighborhoods
through his Complete Communities initiative, developed the Hire
Houston Youth program to increase opportunities for thousands of
young people, and formed public-private partnerships to expand the
city's technology and innovation sector and to improve neighborhood
parks; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Turner draws on 27 years of experience
representing Texas House District 139; a member of the House
Appropriations Committee for over two decades, he was appointed to
several Budget Conference Committees tasked with balancing the
state's budget and served on the Legislative Budget Board; he also
held the office of speaker pro tem of the Texas House for three
terms; and
WHEREAS, Demonstrating exceptional vision, leadership, and
fiscal acumen, Sylvester Turner has guided Houston through a period
of tremendous change while setting the stage for long-term progress
and sustainability, and his outstanding contributions will
resonate far into the future; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby honor former state representative Sylvester
Turner for his achievements as mayor of Houston and extend to him
sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mayor Turner as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.