| 1 | 1 | | By: Metcalf H.C.R. No. 110 |
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| 6 | 6 | | HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 7 | 7 | | WHEREAS, Justin Dart Jr. made a lasting, positive difference |
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| 8 | 8 | | in the lives of countless Americans through his work to empower |
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| 9 | 9 | | people with disabilities; and |
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| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1930, Justin Dart |
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| 11 | 11 | | contracted polio in 1948; he found his purpose after beating a grim |
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| 12 | 12 | | prognosis of imminent death; his legs paralyzed, he relied on a |
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| 13 | 13 | | wheelchair for mobility and gained a deep understanding of the |
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| 14 | 14 | | challenges faced by others as well; after graduating from the |
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| 15 | 15 | | University of Houston, where he earned both a bachelor's degree and |
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| 16 | 16 | | a master's degree in history, he embarked on a business career; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, After working with Tupperware Japan, Mr. Dart |
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| 18 | 18 | | settled in Texas in 1974, and six years later, he was named to the |
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| 19 | 19 | | Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities; he served as its |
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| 20 | 20 | | inaugural chair, and in 1981, he was also appointed vice chair of |
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| 21 | 21 | | the National Council on Disabilities by President Ronald Reagan; |
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| 22 | 22 | | the council drafted a policy to end centuries of discrimination, |
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| 23 | 23 | | laying the groundwork for the Americans with Disabilities Act; at |
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| 24 | 24 | | the end of the decade, as chair of the Congressional Task Force on |
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| 25 | 25 | | the Rights and Empowerment of Americans with Disabilities, Mr. Dart |
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| 26 | 26 | | helped craft the language of the ADA; he then barnstormed across the |
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| 27 | 27 | | country to galvanize support for the legislation, visiting each |
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| 28 | 28 | | state five times and addressing crowds in his trademark cowboy hat |
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| 29 | 29 | | and boots; President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law on |
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| 30 | 30 | | July 26, 1990; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, Along the way, Mr. Dart further served as |
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| 32 | 32 | | commissioner of the Education Department's Rehabilitation Service |
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| 33 | 33 | | Administration, as chair of the president's Committee on Employment |
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| 34 | 34 | | of People with Disabilities, as president-elect of the National |
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| 35 | 35 | | Rehabilitation Association, and as a member of the National Council |
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| 36 | 36 | | on Disability; in 1998, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of |
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| 37 | 37 | | Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor; he died on June 22, |
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| 38 | 38 | | 2002, at the age of 71; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | WHEREAS, Often called one of the fathers of the ADA, Justin |
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| 40 | 40 | | Dart was widely known for his rallying cry, "Lead On!"; his |
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| 41 | 41 | | visionary activism effected transformative change for people with |
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| 42 | 42 | | disabilities, and it would be most fitting to name the new transit |
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| 43 | 43 | | amenity center at 207 W. 14th Street in the Capitol Complex the |
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| 44 | 44 | | "Lead On! Transit Amenity" in his honor; now, therefore, be it |
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| 45 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 46 | 46 | | hereby direct the Texas Facilities Commission to name the transit |
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| 47 | 47 | | amenity center at 207 W. 14th Street in the Capitol Complex the |
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| 48 | 48 | | "Lead On! Transit Amenity" in honor of Justin Dart; and, be it |
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| 49 | 49 | | further |
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| 50 | 50 | | RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official |
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| 51 | 51 | | copy of this resolution to the chair and executive director of the |
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| 52 | 52 | | Texas Facilities Commission. |
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