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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 600
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WHEREAS, Two decades have passed since the tragic death of |
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Ortralla Mosley, and her mother, Carolyn White-Mosley, has since |
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done extraordinary work to prevent other families from suffering |
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the loss of a loved one to teen dating violence; and |
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WHEREAS, Ortralla Mosley was only 15 years old when she |
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lost her life on May 28, 2003, at the hands of her ex-boyfriend; |
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her death left a deep void in the lives of her family and friends, |
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and in the midst of tremendous grief, Ms. White-Mosley dedicated |
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herself to honoring her daughter's memory and becoming a catalyst |
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for change; she began working with a community safety task force |
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to recommend safety measures to the Austin Independent School |
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District, which led to the development of the first policies to |
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prevent teen dating violence in the state of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Ortralla Mosley's story inspired the creation of |
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the Texas Advocacy Project's Teen Justice Initiative, which |
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provides free legal services to students experiencing dating |
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violence, and the passage of House Bill 121 by the 80th Texas |
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Legislature, which requires all school districts in the state to |
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adopt dating violence policies like those developed by Austin |
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ISD; this groundbreaking piece of legislation has since served as |
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a model for laws in other states; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2010, Carolyn White-Mosley joined together |
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with a group of young activists, including her daughter's friend |
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RaeAnne Spence, to advocate for the establishment of February as |
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National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month; |
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Ms. White-Mosley continued to push for legislative action on the |
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issue, and in 2013, she met with then-Vice President Joe Biden to |
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support the inclusion of language addressing teen violence in the |
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Violence Against Women Act; recently, she has remained active in |
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her community by overseeing afterschool programs for youth; and |
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WHEREAS, Carolyn White-Mosley has demonstrated an |
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unwavering commitment to building a future where all young people |
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are safe, secure, and free from fear and abuse, and she has |
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touched the lives of countless people through her tireless |
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dedication to this important cause; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, hereby honor Carolyn White-Mosley for her efforts |
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to end teen dating violence and pay tribute to the legacy of her |
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daughter, Ortralla Mosley, on the 20th anniversary of her death; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be |
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prepared for Ms. White-Mosley as an expression of high regard |
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from the Texas Senate. |
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Eckhardt |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on May 16, 2023. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |