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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Pioneering lawmaker Irma Rangel left an indelible |
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imprint on the State of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1976, Irma Rangel became the first Mexican |
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American woman elected to the Texas Legislature; she embarked on a |
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mission to dismantle structural inequities and improve the lives of |
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the most vulnerable; during more than a quarter century in office, |
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she secured passage of numerous bills that empowered the |
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disadvantaged, including legislation extending the absentee voting |
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system, creating centers for victims of domestic violence, and |
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providing educational and employment programs to mothers with |
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dependent children; and |
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WHEREAS, Representative Rangel worked tirelessly to ensure |
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access to quality instruction at all levels and transformed the |
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state's higher education landscape; as chair of the Higher |
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Education Committee, she expanded opportunities for low-income and |
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minority youth; she was the primary sponsor of the bill that gave |
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high school students in the top 10 percent of their graduating class |
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automatic admission to the state's best public universities; |
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moreover, she was instrumental in providing funding for the first |
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professional school in South Texas; in appreciation, Texas A&M |
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University-Kingsville named that school the Irma Rangel College of |
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Pharmacy; also honoring her legacy are the Irma Lerma Rangel Young |
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Women's Leadership School in Dallas and the Irma Rangel Public |
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Policy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Kingsville in 1931, Representative Rangel |
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attended a segregated elementary school; she went on to earn a |
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bachelor's degree in business administration from Texas A&M |
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University-Kingsville and taught in Texas, California, and |
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Venezuela for 14 years; determined to make a greater impact, she |
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graduated from St. Mary's University School of Law and became the |
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first Mexican American woman district attorney in Corpus Christi; |
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she returned to Kingsville to open a law practice and became |
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involved in grassroots politics; and |
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WHEREAS, Representative Rangel served in the legislature |
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until 2003, when she lost her battle with brain cancer; since then, |
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her enormous contributions have continued to resonate, and the |
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naming of a state building in her honor would be a fitting tribute |
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to a trailblazer who opened avenues of advancement for all Texans; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby direct the Texas Facilities Commission to name the building |
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being constructed in Phase Two of the Texas Capitol Complex Master |
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Plan at the northwest corner of Congress Avenue and 15th Street the |
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Irma Rangel Building; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official |
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copy of this resolution to the chair and executive director of the |
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Texas Facilities Commission. |