89R16669 CW-D
By: Morales Shaw H.R. No. 398
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Houston lost a political icon and
fierce champion of social justice with the passing of U.S.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee on July 19, 2024; and
WHEREAS, The daughter of Ezra Jackson and Ivalita Bennett
Jackson, the former Sheila Jackson was born in New York City on
January 12, 1950, and grew up in Jamaica, Queens; she earned a
bachelor's degree in political science as a member of Yale
University's first coed class and went on to complete her law degree
at the University of Virginia; following her marriage to Elwyn Lee,
a Houston native, she became the proud mother of two children, Jason
and Erica; and
WHEREAS, In 1978, Congresswoman Jackson Lee moved to the
Bayou City with her husband and began working for the Fulbright &
Jaworski law firm; appointed as a municipal judge in 1987, she later
became a highly effective member of the city council, and she
further served as a deputy agriculture commissioner for the State
of Texas; she won her first congressional race in 1994 and was
reelected 14 times, never with less than 70 percent of the vote;
known for her formidable work ethic, she filed scores of bills
addressing the needs of the most vulnerable, and she did not
hesitate to work across the aisle to pass them; after the Violence
Against Women Act expired in 2019, she fought for its reenactment
and authored the legislation that achieved that goal; she was also
the author and lead sponsor of the Juneteenth National Independence
Day Act, which established the first new federal holiday in nearly
four decades; in 2021, she sponsored H.R. 40, a resolution to
establish the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals
for African Americans, and she succeeded in shepherding it through
to a committee vote; her many other major initiatives included the
Sentencing Reform Act and Paycheck Fairness Act; Congresswoman
Jackson Lee was known for her passionate speeches on the House
floor, and she often took her message to innumerable media outlets
as well; most recently, she lent her support to a federal version of
the CROWN Act to prevent discrimination based on hairstyles favored
by people of color; and
WHEREAS, Congresswoman Jackson Lee held numerous leadership
roles, including chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime,
Terrorism, and Homeland Security and senior member of the
Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget Committees; she was the
House Democrats' chief deputy whip, chair of the Congressional
Black Caucus Energy Braintrust, co-chair of the Justice Reform Task
Force, and a founder and chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus
and the Congressional Children's Caucus; Congressional Quarterly
ranked her among the 50 most effective members of Congress; and
WHEREAS, Devoted to her constituents, Congresswoman Jackson
Lee was instrumental in directing billions of federal dollars to
under-resourced communities; she helped her city recover from
numerous natural disasters and other crises, even personally
directing traffic to a COVID-19 testing site at the height of the
pandemic and unloading food and supplies for residents during the
2021 freeze; over the years, she appeared at countless local
meetings and events, and she demonstrated deep compassion to those
suffering loss, attending funerals, extending words of comfort, and
connecting the bereaved with support services; and
WHEREAS, Sheila Jackson Lee was a fearless warrior in behalf
of freedom, democracy, and positive change, and although she will
be greatly missed, her exceptional contributions will continue to
resonate in the years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Sheila Jackson Lee and
extend sincere condolences to the members of her family: to her
husband, Elwyn Lee; to her children, Jason and Erica Lee; to her
grandchildren, Ellison Bennett Carter and Roy Lee Carter III; and
to her other relatives, her many friends, and all who mourn her
passing; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sheila
Jackson Lee.