SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 662
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to pay
tribute to the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson and to recognize
her on her trailblazing career in public service, which included
15 terms of leadership representing the 30th Congressional
District of Texas; and
WHEREAS, A native of Waco, Eddie Bernice Johnson studied
nursing at Saint Mary's College and later went on to earn a
nursing degree from Texas Christian University and a master's
degree in public administration from Southern Methodist
University; she moved to Dallas during the late 1950s, where she
experienced the blatant racism and discrimination that helped to
inspire her commitment to activism and advocacy, and she went on
to lead an exceptional career of public service that helped to
transform the city and improve the lives of people across the
nation; and
WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson began her pioneering career
of public service when she became the first African American
professional at the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital,
where she served as chief psychiatric nurse; she would continue
to break boundaries at every step of her career, and in 1972, she
became the first Black woman elected to represent Dallas County
in the Texas House of Representatives; she became the first woman
in Texas history to lead a major house committee, and she earned a
reputation as a champion for women and children and was admired
for her bipartisan and no-nonsense approach to policymaking; and
WHEREAS, In 1977, she accepted an appointment to serve as a
regional director of the United States Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter; after
serving in the federal government and in the private sector, she
returned to Texas, and in 1986, she became the first Black person
since Reconstruction to represent Dallas in the Texas Senate; she
continued to make strides in improving the Dallas community, and
she brought her service as a state legislator to a close in 1992,
when she became the first registered nurse to be elected to the
United States Congress; and
WHEREAS, Congresswoman Johnson served as a member of the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee throughout her
tenure as a United States Representative, and her many committee
and subcommittee leadership assignments have led to national
strides in such areas as human rights, STEM education,
transportation, environmental policy, and foreign relations; she
is widely recognized as one of the most effective legislators in
Congress, and she is responsible for authoring and co-authoring
more than 175 bills that have been signed into law; she has served
as dean of the Texas Congressional Delegation and the Texas, New
Mexico, and Arizona Democratic Congressional Delegation, and her
acclaimed initiative, A World of Women for World Peace, has
gained national and international recognition; and
WHEREAS, This widely esteemed Democratic leader is the
founder and cochair of the Diversity and Innovation Caucus and
the House Historical Black Colleges and Universities Caucus; she
has remained focused on serving her local constituents while
tirelessly working in support of human rights in the United
States and around the globe, and she can reflect with pride on her
exceptional legacy and on the enduring example of leadership and
public service she leaves behind; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
Legislature, hereby commend the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson
on her dedication to serving the citizens of Dallas County and on
30 years of outstanding leadership as a United States
Congresswoman and extend to her best wishes in her retirement and
in all her future endeavors; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
her as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
West, Alvarado, Eckhardt
Johnson, Whitmire
______________________________
Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 25, 2023.
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Secretary of the Senate