By Averitt H.R. No. 735 Line and page numbers may not match official copy. Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E. R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives recognizes that 1-2 the schoolchildren of Texas are the state's greatest asset for the 1-3 future; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Over 800,000 children disappear each year in the 1-5 United States and the problem of missing, kidnapped, and runaway 1-6 children potentially affects every community in Texas; and 1-7 WHEREAS, The State of Texas is committed to the protection of 1-8 its children as an important resource to continue the strong and 1-9 vital growth of the state; and 1-10 WHEREAS, The American Football Coaches Association, the 1-11 credit unions of Texas, the Texas Association of School 1-12 Superintendents, the Boy Scouts of America, Roger Staubach, Troy 1-13 Aikman, Nolan Ryan, and tens of thousands of Texas contributors 1-14 have joined together to make Texas the leader in the protection of 1-15 its children by providing child identification kits for use by 1-16 parents to keep current photographs, vital information, and 1-17 fingerprints readily accessible to provide to law enforcement 1-18 agencies across the state in the event of an emergency; and 1-19 WHEREAS, These partners, in conjunction with the leadership 1-20 of Governor George Bush, Lieutenant Governor Rick Perry, and 1-21 Speaker James E. "Pete" Laney have made a commitment to supply 1-22 every one of the more than four million children attending public 2-1 school in Texas with a free inkless identification kit paid for by 2-2 voluntary contributions to help parents provide current detailed 2-3 information about their children; and 2-4 WHEREAS, Texas played a leadership role in starting this 2-5 child protection program that, through the work of the American 2-6 Football Coaches Association, credit unions across the United 2-7 States, and volunteer civic and athletic leaders, will be a vital 2-8 link in providing the best chance to protect missing, kidnapped, 2-9 and runaway children in the United States; now, therefore, be it 2-10 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 2-11 Legislature hereby commend all those involved in this important 2-12 child protection program and request the governor of the State of 2-13 Texas to declare the month of March 2000 as Child ID Protection 2-14 Month in Texas; and, be it further 2-15 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-16 prepared for the American Football Coaches Association, the Texas 2-17 Credit Union League on behalf of Texas credit unions and their 2-18 members and owners, the Texas Association of School 2-19 Superintendents, the Boy Scouts of America, Roger Staubach, Troy 2-20 Aikman, and Nolan Ryan as an expression of high regard by the Texas 2-21 House of Representatives.