Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR662 Compare Versions

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1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 662
2	2	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to pay
3	3	tribute to the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson and to recognize
4	4	her on her trailblazing career in public service, which included
5	5	15 terms of leadership representing the 30th Congressional
6	6	District of Texas; and
7	7	WHEREAS, A native of Waco, Eddie Bernice Johnson studied
8	8	nursing at Saint Mary's College and later went on to earn a
9	9	nursing degree from Texas Christian University and a master's
10	10	degree in public administration from Southern Methodist
11	11	University; she moved to Dallas during the late 1950s, where she
12	12	experienced the blatant racism and discrimination that helped to
13	13	inspire her commitment to activism and advocacy, and she went on
14	14	to lead an exceptional career of public service that helped to
15	15	transform the city and improve the lives of people across the
16	16	nation; and
17	17	WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson began her pioneering career
18	18	of public service when she became the first African American
19	19	professional at the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital,
20	20	where she served as chief psychiatric nurse; she would continue
21	21	to break boundaries at every step of her career, and in 1972, she
22	22	became the first Black woman elected to represent Dallas County
23	23	in the Texas House of Representatives; she became the first woman
24	24	in Texas history to lead a major house committee, and she earned a
25	25	reputation as a champion for women and children and was admired
26	26	for her bipartisan and no-nonsense approach to policymaking; and
27	27	WHEREAS, In 1977, she accepted an appointment to serve as a
28	28	regional director of the United States Department of Health,
29	29	Education, and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter; after
30	30	serving in the federal government and in the private sector, she
31	31	returned to Texas, and in 1986, she became the first Black person
32	32	since Reconstruction to represent Dallas in the Texas Senate; she
33	33	continued to make strides in improving the Dallas community, and
34	34	she brought her service as a state legislator to a close in 1992,
35	35	when she became the first registered nurse to be elected to the
36	36	United States Congress; and
37	37	WHEREAS, Congresswoman Johnson served as a member of the
38	38	House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee throughout her
39	39	tenure as a United States Representative, and her many committee
40	40	and subcommittee leadership assignments have led to national
41	41	strides in such areas as human rights, STEM education,
42	42	transportation, environmental policy, and foreign relations; she
43	43	is widely recognized as one of the most effective legislators in
44	44	Congress, and she is responsible for authoring and co-authoring
45	45	more than 175 bills that have been signed into law; she has served
46	46	as dean of the Texas Congressional Delegation and the Texas, New
47	47	Mexico, and Arizona Democratic Congressional Delegation, and her
48	48	acclaimed initiative, A World of Women for World Peace, has
49	49	gained national and international recognition; and
50	50	WHEREAS, This widely esteemed Democratic leader is the
51	51	founder and cochair of the Diversity and Innovation Caucus and
52	52	the House Historical Black Colleges and Universities Caucus; she
53	53	has remained focused on serving her local constituents while
54	54	tirelessly working in support of human rights in the United
55	55	States and around the globe, and she can reflect with pride on her
56	56	exceptional legacy and on the enduring example of leadership and
57	57	public service she leaves behind; now, therefore, be it
58	58	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
59	59	Legislature, hereby commend the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson
60	60	on her dedication to serving the citizens of Dallas County and on
61	61	30 years of outstanding leadership as a United States
62	62	Congresswoman and extend to her best wishes in her retirement and
63	63	in all her future endeavors; and, be it further
64	64	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
65	65	her as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
66	66	West, Alvarado, Eckhardt
67	67	Johnson, Whitmire
68	68	______________________________
69	69	Member, Texas Senate
70	70	____________________________________________________________
71	71	Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
72	72	____________________________________________________________
73	73	Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
74	74	______________________________
75	75	President of the Senate
76	76	I hereby certify that the
77	77	above Resolution was adopted by
78	78	the Senate on May 25, 2023.
79	79	______________________________
80	80	Secretary of the Senate