| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Lavinia Masters is being inducted into the Texas |
|
|
Women's Hall of Fame on November 9, 2023, by Governor Greg Abbott |
|
|
and the Governor's Commission for Women; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Recognized for her advocacy and community service, |
|
|
Ms. Masters is the namesake of the Lavinia Masters Act; this |
|
|
important legislation requires that law enforcement agencies test |
|
|
evidence collected after sexual assaults in a timely manner and |
|
|
extends the statute of limitations for cases with untested |
|
|
evidence; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, When she was only 13 years old, Ms. Masters |
|
|
experienced the trauma of sexual assault and the further trauma of a |
|
|
dehumanizing and ineffective system of justice for victims; she |
|
|
relied on a foundation of faith and family to gradually heal, and as |
|
|
an adult, she began to use her voice in behalf of other survivors; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In 2005, Ms. Masters became a leader in the national |
|
|
effort to eliminate the backlog in processing rape kits; at a news |
|
|
conference with the Dallas Police Department, she urged other |
|
|
survivors to come forward and request that their evidence be |
|
|
examined; she testified before the Texas Legislature and the |
|
|
U.S. Congress and spoke to numerous news outlets; recognizing that |
|
|
the issue was international, she even addressed audiences abroad; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Ms. Masters joined forces with state legislators in |
|
|
2017 to pursue action on the matter; she served on a sexual assault |
|
|
task force and worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the need for |
|
|
such legislation; when House Bill 8 was passed in 2019, it was |
|
|
fittingly named in her honor; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Today, as an activist, author, public speaker, and |
|
|
consultant, Ms. Masters encourages others to embrace purposeful |
|
|
living after trauma and speak out; she is also a coach for members |
|
|
of the entertainment industry seeking to remain trauma-informed and |
|
|
survivor-centered; the founder and director of Hope S.A.V.E.S., she |
|
|
has given generously of her time and expertise as a member of many |
|
|
organizations, among them the boards of the Turning Point Rape |
|
|
Crisis Center and the Governor's Sexual Assault Survivors' Task |
|
|
Force; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Lavinia Masters has inspired innumerable people by |
|
|
effecting positive change and empowering them to do likewise, and |
|
|
she is richly deserving of this prestigious accolade; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
|
|
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby congratulate Lavinia |
|
|
Masters on her induction into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame and |
|
|
extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success in her |
|
|
endeavors; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Ms. Masters as an expression of high regard by the |
|
|
Texas House of Representatives. |
| |
|
|
Thimesch |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 20 was adopted by the House on |
|
|
November 17, 2023, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |