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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has borne sorrowful witness to |
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some of the nation's worst mass shootings; and |
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WHEREAS, In August 1966, a sniper killed 15 people on The |
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University of Texas at Austin campus; the unprecedented carnage |
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shocked the nation, and the Associated Press and United Press |
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International ranked it as the second most important story of the |
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year, after the Vietnam War; and |
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WHEREAS, Tragically, mass shootings have become almost |
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commonplace; over the past decade, dozens of Texans have been |
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killed in such massacres, including two that occurred back-to-back |
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in 2019; the slaughter at an El Paso Walmart in August claimed 23 |
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lives, and a murderous spree across Midland-Odessa took seven more |
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later that month; and |
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WHEREAS, Santa Fe High School lost eight students and two |
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teachers in a 2018 shooting; the year before, a gunman opened fire |
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at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, slaying 25 |
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worshippers; and |
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WHEREAS, The victims of these savage attacks deserve to be |
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remembered; under Chapter 443, Government Code, and rules of the |
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State Preservation Board, a portion of the north Capitol grounds is |
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available for new monuments, subject to legislative approval, |
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specified procedural requirements, the provision of funding from |
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private donors, conformity to certain size and design limitations |
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and parameters, and completion on a timely basis; and |
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WHEREAS, A memorial on the Capitol grounds would provide a |
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communal place for Texans to honor the innocent lives cut short by |
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mass gun violence, and many citizens stand ready to donate funds for |
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such a project; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby authorize the State Preservation Board, subject to state law |
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and rules of the board, to approve and permit the construction of a |
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monument at the state Capitol Complex, at a site outside the |
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historic Capitol grounds, honoring victims of mass shootings; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward an |
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official copy of this resolution to the executive director of the |
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State Preservation Board. |