By Noriega H.C.R. No. 111 Line and page numbers may not match official copy. Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E. HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, State law (Section 2165.005, Government Code) 1-2 stipulates that the name of a state building must be approved and 1-3 authorized by a concurrent resolution passed by the legislature and 1-4 signed by the governor; and 1-5 WHEREAS, The state office building at 5425 Polk Avenue in 1-6 Houston has never been officially named, and the Tejano Association 1-7 for Historical Preservation has requested that the building be 1-8 named in honor of Elias Ramirez, a prominent Texan and early civil 1-9 rights leader; and 1-10 WHEREAS, A native of Concepcion, Texas, Mr. Ramirez was born 1-11 in 1880 and settled in Houston in 1910; within a few short years, 1-12 he became aware that many Mexican-American citizens and newly 1-13 arrived Mexican immigrants were struggling to establish themselves 1-14 as American citizens while still retaining their proud cultural 1-15 heritage, and he established the Sociedad Mutualista Benito Juarez 1-16 to help them achieve these goals; and 1-17 WHEREAS, This esteemed fraternal organization informed 1-18 Hispanic citizens of their rights and assisted them in obtaining 1-19 educations for their children, while the organization's Mexican 1-20 Patriotic Committee promoted the beauty and history of Mexico's 1-21 rich cultural traditions; and 2-1 WHEREAS, At that time, Mexican-Americans were prohibited from 2-2 enjoying the community's only park, so Mr. Ramirez led a successful 2-3 effort to establish and maintain what is now known as Hidalgo Park; 2-4 this remarkable Texan also helped to establish the first Houston 2-5 council of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), 2-6 and throughout his life, he continually promoted education, 2-7 citizenship, and civic and cultural pride among the young people in 2-8 his community, reminding them that these time-honored ideals held 2-9 the key to their futures; and 2-10 WHEREAS, Mr. Ramirez's passing in 1960 brought a great loss 2-11 to his community, but his many achievements and contributions 2-12 provided an ongoing legacy of good works by which to remember him; 2-13 the naming of a state office building in his honor would provide a 2-14 fitting opportunity for all Texans to pay tribute to Elias Ramirez 2-15 for his outstanding service to the people of Houston and the Lone 2-16 Star State; now, therefore, be it 2-17 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-18 hereby name the state building at 5425 Polk Avenue in Houston the 2-19 Elias Ramirez Building; and, be it further 2-20 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 2-21 copy of this resolution to the executive director of the General 2-22 Services Commission.