Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HR247 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R13387 BPG-D
2	2	By: Morales Shaw H.R. No. 247
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7	7	R E S O L U T I O N
8	8	WHEREAS, Residents of Houston lost a political icon and
9	9	fierce champion of social justice with the passing of U.S.
10	10	Representative Sheila Jackson Lee on July 19, 2024; and
11	11	WHEREAS, The daughter of Ezra Jackson and Ivalita Bennett
12	12	Jackson, the former Sheila Jackson was born in New York City on
13	13	January 12, 1950, and grew up in Jamaica, Queens; she earned a
14	14	bachelor's degree in political science as a member of Yale
15	15	University's first coed class and went on to complete her law degree
16	16	at the University of Virginia; following her marriage to Elwyn Lee,
17	17	a Houston native, she became the proud mother of two children, Jason
18	18	and Erica; and
19	19	WHEREAS, In 1978, Congresswoman Jackson Lee moved to the
20	20	Bayou City with her husband and began working for the Fulbright &
21	21	Jaworski law firm; appointed as a municipal judge in 1987, she later
22	22	became a highly effective member of the city council, and she
23	23	further served as a deputy agriculture commissioner for the State
24	24	of Texas; she won her first congressional race in 1994 and was
25	25	reelected 14 times, never with less than 70 percent of the vote;
26	26	known for her formidable work ethic, she filed scores of bills
27	27	addressing the needs of the most vulnerable, and she did not
28	28	hesitate to work across the aisle to pass them; after the Violence
29	29	Against Women Act expired in 2019, she fought for its reenactment
30	30	and authored the legislation that achieved that goal; she was also
31	31	the author and lead sponsor of the Juneteenth National Independence
32	32	Day Act, which established the first new federal holiday in nearly
33	33	four decades; in 2021, she sponsored H.R. 40, a resolution to
34	34	establish the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals
35	35	for African Americans, and she succeeded in shepherding it through
36	36	to a committee vote; her many other major initiatives included the
37	37	Sentencing Reform Act, Paycheck Fairness Act, and George Floyd Law
38	38	Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act; known for her passionate
39	39	speeches on the House floor, she advocated for gay rights long
40	40	before mainstream acceptance of the movement and continued to serve
41	41	as a powerful voice for progressive causes, including Black Lives
42	42	Matter and gun control; she took her message to innumerable media
43	43	outlets as well; most recently, she lent her support to a federal
44	44	version of the CROWN Act to prevent discrimination based on
45	45	hairstyles favored by people of color; and
46	46	WHEREAS, Congresswoman Jackson Lee held numerous leadership
47	47	roles, including chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime,
48	48	Terrorism, and Homeland Security and senior member of the
49	49	Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget Committees; she was the
50	50	House Democrats' chief deputy whip, chair of the Congressional
51	51	Black Caucus Energy Braintrust, co-chair of the Justice Reform Task
52	52	Force, and a founder and chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus
53	53	and the Congressional Children's Caucus; Congressional Quarterly
54	54	ranked her among the 50 most effective members of Congress; and
55	55	WHEREAS, Devoted to her constituents, Congresswoman Jackson
56	56	Lee was instrumental in directing billions of federal dollars to
57	57	under-resourced communities; she helped her city recover from
58	58	numerous natural disasters and other crises, even personally
59	59	directing traffic to a COVID-19 testing site at the height of the
60	60	pandemic and unloading food and supplies for residents during the
61	61	2021 freeze; over the years, she appeared at countless local
62	62	meetings and events, and she demonstrated deep compassion to those
63	63	suffering loss, attending funerals, extending words of comfort, and
64	64	connecting the bereaved with support services; and
65	65	WHEREAS, Sheila Jackson Lee was a fearless warrior in behalf
66	66	of freedom, democracy, and positive change, and although she will
67	67	be greatly missed, her exceptional contributions will continue to
68	68	resonate in the years to come; now, therefore, be it
69	69	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
70	70	Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Sheila Jackson Lee and
71	71	extend sincere condolences to the members of her family: to her
72	72	husband, Elwyn Lee; to her children, Jason and Erica Lee; to her
73	73	grandchildren, Ellison Bennett Carter and Roy Lee Carter III; and
74	74	to her other relatives, her many friends, and all who mourn her
75	75	passing; and, be it further
76	76	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
77	77	prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
78	78	Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sheila
79	79	Jackson Lee.