89R14079 BPG-D
By: Miles, et al. S.R. No. 117
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The 80th birthday of an esteemed legislator is truly
cause for celebration, and State Representative Harold V. Dutton,
Jr., of Houston is marking this significant milestone in his life on
February 17, 2025, to the delight of his family, his friends, and
his colleagues in the Capitol community; and
WHEREAS, A proud son of Houston's Fifth Ward, Harold Dutton
was born in 1945, and he received his diploma from Phillis Wheatley
High School at the age of 16; after earning his bachelor's degree in
accounting from Texas Southern University, he went on to graduate
from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at TSU; he held management
positions with Conoco in the areas of corporate planning and
economic analysis before becoming president of Four Star
Broadcasting and opening his law practice; and
WHEREAS, Representative Dutton was first elected to the Texas
House of Representatives in 1984, and he is presently serving his
21st term in office; during his remarkable 40-year tenure, he has
served on numerous committees and in many leadership roles,
including as chair of the Urban Affairs and the Juvenile Justice and
Family Issues Committees, and he became the first African American
chair of the Public Education Committee during the 87th Legislative
Session in 2021; moreover, he has served as chair of the Texas
Legislative Black Caucus and the Harris County legislative
delegation; and
WHEREAS, Among his many achievements as a lawmaker,
Representative Dutton sponsored the state's first statutory
program to assist women- and minority-owned businesses, as well as
initiatives to enhance public education, particularly regarding
alternative education and early childhood literacy; he has also
sponsored legislation to establish the annual sales tax holiday, to
compensate individuals who are wrongfully convicted, and to create
incentives to improve the availability and affordability of
property insurance in traditionally underserved areas; the
recipient of myriad accolades, he was named Legislator of the Year
by the Texas Municipal League and was recognized as a Distinguished
Alumnus by the TSU School of Business, and he has been honored by a
host of organizations and publications through the years; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his long and distinguished career
in the Texas Legislature, Harold Dutton has earned the deep
admiration of his colleagues and constituents alike, and he may
indeed reflect with pride on his wide-ranging contributions as he
celebrates eight decades of life well lived; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature
hereby congratulate the Honorable Harold V. Dutton, Jr., on the
occasion of his 80th birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes
for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Representative Dutton as an expression of high regard
by the Texas Senate.