H.R. No. 1258
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, According to the Texas Department of Public Safety,
    1-2  violent juvenile crime in Texas has risen by 52 percent over the
    1-3  course of the past decade and between 1985 and 1991 serious crimes
    1-4  were being committed by youthful offenders in this state at a rate
    1-5  that was twice that of the national average; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, Many young, at-risk Texans who turn to delinquency
    1-7  and crime are children of poor and broken homes that offer them few
    1-8  economic, educational, or social opportunities; in recent years,
    1-9  the lack of role models for our state's young citizens also has
   1-10  been identified as a key factor in the rapid growth of juvenile
   1-11  crime; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, These statistics regarding Texas' growing juvenile
   1-13  crime rate represent a sobering toll of both human and financial
   1-14  costs; among those Texans who have risen to help stem the tide of
   1-15  the growing problem are Judge Eddie Harrison and Allen Commander,
   1-16  who have labored tirelessly in behalf of Texas' youth through their
   1-17  active support of the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Program; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, An innovative approach to redirecting at-risk youth,
   1-19  the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Program enables children from poor
   1-20  families to develop responsible behavior, improve their
   1-21  self-esteem, and learn the benefits and rewards of hard work
   1-22  through a specially designed curriculum and outdoor skills course;
   1-23  and
   1-24        WHEREAS, Judge Harrison and Mr. Commander have devoted much
    2-1  of their time and talents to the development of many of the
    2-2  program's unique and vital components, and their considerable
    2-3  contributions to the curriculum have helped the Buffalo Soldier
    2-4  Heritage Program achieve its enviable record of success; and
    2-5        WHEREAS, The young citizens of Texas hold in their hands the
    2-6  future of our state, and those individuals who labor to ensure that
    2-7  our children possess both the understanding and the capabilities
    2-8  they need to successfully meet that task perform a service truly
    2-9  worthy of special legislative recognition; now, therefore, be it
   2-10        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-11  Legislature hereby honor Judge Eddie Harrison and Allen Commander
   2-12  for their exemplary efforts in helping to secure a brighter future
   2-13  for many young Texans through the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Program
   2-14  and extend to those fine gentlemen best wishes for continued
   2-15  success in their worthy endeavors; and, be it further
   2-16        RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
   2-17  for Judge Harrison and Mr. Commander as an expression of high
   2-18  regard by the Texas House of Representatives.