By Goodman H.R. No. 1231 74R14448 PAN-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to honor 1-2 Professor John J. "Jack" Sampson, the associate dean for academic 1-3 affairs and William Benjamin Wynne Professor of Law at The 1-4 University of Texas School of Law; and 1-5 WHEREAS, This eminent attorney and educator has long played 1-6 an active role in making this state a better place in which to live 1-7 and raise a family, and he is known to many members of this chamber 1-8 as "Mr. Family Code of Texas" for the invaluable assistance he has 1-9 provided legislators through the years in the drafting of 1-10 legislation affecting Texas children and their families; and 1-11 WHEREAS, For the past two decades, Professor Sampson also has 1-12 served as the legislative advisor to the Family Law Council of the 1-13 State Bar of Texas and as editor of the State Bar Family Law 1-14 Section Report; and 1-15 WHEREAS, In 1980, he founded the Children's Rights Clinic at 1-16 The University of Texas School of Law, an entity that has since 1-17 provided attorneys ad litem for children involved in abuse and 1-18 neglect cases in Travis County; and 1-19 WHEREAS, A nationally recognized authority in the field of 1-20 family law, Professor Sampson has served as coreporter of the 1-21 Uniform Interstate Family Support Act for the National Conference 1-22 of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and is highly regarded 1-23 throughout the State of Texas as the coauthor of Sampson & 1-24 Tindall's Texas Family Code Annotated, as the chairman of the 2-1 Pattern Jury Charge Committee on Family Cases for the State Bar of 2-2 Texas, and as a longtime member of the board of the Legal Aid 2-3 Society of Central Texas; and 2-4 WHEREAS, Most recently, Professor Sampson devoted countless 2-5 hours to the nonsubstantive revision of the parent-child sections 2-6 of the Texas Family Code contained in House Bill 655, which was 2-7 passed unanimously by the 74th Legislature and was signed into law 2-8 by Governor George W. Bush on April 20, 1995; and 2-9 WHEREAS, This fine gentleman has actually resided in the Lone 2-10 Star State only for the past 25 years; a native of Minnesota, he 2-11 moved to the Great State of Texas in 1970, where he has since 2-12 learned to appreciate the good life despite never having acquired a 2-13 taste for the excellent Tex-Mex fare the state has to offer; and 2-14 WHEREAS, Though he has not totally assimilated every aspect 2-15 of the state's unique culture, we are all much richer for his 2-16 presence, for his determined efforts to keep the Texas Family Code 2-17 attuned to the needs of today's rapidly changing society have 2-18 greatly enhanced the lives of countless Texans; now, therefore, be 2-19 it 2-20 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-21 Legislature hereby honor Professor John J. "Jack" Sampson for his 2-22 extensive contributions to the citizens of Texas as a preeminent 2-23 authority on family law matters and as a longtime advocate for the 2-24 rights of our state's youngest citizens; and, be it further 2-25 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-26 prepared for Professor Sampson as an expression of highest regard 2-27 by the Texas House of Representatives.