By Edwards                                            H.R. No. 1165
         76R17530 BE-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, Throughout her lifetime, Tipper Gore has been an
 1-2     outspoken advocate for families, women, and children, and her work
 1-3     focusing on such important issues as mental health, homelessness,
 1-4     young people's exposure to violent and explicit entertainment,
 1-5     children's health, education, and physical fitness indeed merits
 1-6     special legislative recognition; and
 1-7           WHEREAS, Born on August 19, 1948, Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson
 1-8     was nicknamed "Tipper" by her mother and was raised in Arlington,
 1-9     Virginia; she first met Al Gore at his high school senior prom and
1-10     they were married on May 19, 1970, while the future vice president
1-11     was serving in the U.S. Army; and
1-12           WHEREAS, That same year, Mrs. Gore received her bachelor's
1-13     degree in psychology from Boston University, and in 1975 she earned
1-14     her master's degree in psychology from George Peabody College at
1-15     Vanderbilt University; an avid photographer, she worked as a
1-16     photojournalist for The Tennessean until her husband was elected to
1-17     congress in 1976; and
1-18           WHEREAS, While a congressional spouse, Mrs. Gore sought to
1-19     become involved in issues she had always cared about, namely,
1-20     mental health and homelessness; she helped form the Congressional
1-21     Wives Task Force and the group met periodically to discuss those
1-22     and other topics of importance to women and families; and
1-23           WHEREAS, In 1985 she received national attention for her work
1-24     with the Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC), an organization
 2-1     that worked closely with the National Parent Teacher Association to
 2-2     gain a voluntary agreement with the record industry to place
 2-3     warning labels on music marketed to children that contained
 2-4     explicit or violent lyrics; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, Mrs. Gore is also the author of two books: the
 2-6     first, Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society, highlights her
 2-7     efforts with the PMRC; the second, Picture This, A Visual Diary, is
 2-8     a scrapbook of photos and memories of her family and her
 2-9     experiences as the nation's Second Lady; all proceeds from the book
2-10     have been donated to the National Health Care for the Homeless
2-11     Council, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee; and
2-12           WHEREAS, A major advocate for the homeless and mentally ill,
2-13     Mrs. Gore serves as mental health policy advisor to President
2-14     Clinton, and she has founded and worked with numerous
2-15     organizations, including Families for the Homeless and Tennessee
2-16     Voices for Children; she is currently working on a photographic
2-17     exhibit, to open at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in September 1999,
2-18     which will illustrate the positive solutions that promote a
2-19     continuum of care to move people out of homelessness; and
2-20           WHEREAS, Mrs. Gore is a nationally recognized authority on
2-21     the topic of mental health services; a vocal proponent for the
2-22     parity of mental health benefits with those of health benefits
2-23     under medical insurance plans, she continues to work closely with
2-24     the administration to ensure the inclusion of mental health
2-25     services in health care policy, such as the Children's Health
2-26     Initiative; and
2-27           WHEREAS, In his 1999 State of the Union address, President
 3-1     Clinton announced the first White House Conference on Mental
 3-2     Health, to be chaired by Mrs. Gore; she has made a strong
 3-3     commitment to eliminating the stigma and discrimination associated
 3-4     with mental illness and to educating Americans about the need for
 3-5     quality, affordable mental health care; and
 3-6           WHEREAS, Under Mrs. Gore's leadership, the White House
 3-7     Conference on Mental Health will seek to shed light and
 3-8     understanding on issues surrounding mental illness and its impact
 3-9     on people of all ages; it will highlight cutting-edge treatments
3-10     and approaches to recovery, dispel myths about mental illness, and
3-11     bring us closer to a time when mental health will be given the same
3-12     level of importance as physical health; and
3-13           WHEREAS, This dynamic and accomplished woman also serves in a
3-14     leadership role with the administration on many other issues and
3-15     initiatives, including "America Goes Back to School," the
3-16     Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Back to Sleep Campaign to
3-17     reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and the National
3-18     Youth Fitness Campaign of the President's Council on Physical
3-19     Fitness and Sports; and
3-20           WHEREAS, Few Americans are as widely recognized for their
3-21     advocacy in behalf of children and families as is our nation's
3-22     Second Lady, and it is truly a great pleasure to honor her at this
3-23     time; now, therefore, be it
3-24           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas
3-25     Legislature hereby welcome Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore to the
3-26     State Capitol and commend her for her exceptional efforts in
3-27     helping America's families and children.