R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Honorable Helen Giddings has been elected 1-2 president of the National Order of Women Legislators (NOWL), and 1-3 her achievement is a great source of pride to her fellow Texans; 1-4 and 1-5 WHEREAS, NOWL is a nonpartisan organization that has been 1-6 serving women legislators and supporting effective government for 1-7 more than 60 years; with her swearing in on November 20, 2000, 1-8 Representative Giddings became both the first Texan and the first 1-9 African American to lead the organization as president; the 1999 1-10 vice president of NOWL, she was elected to her current position by 1-11 a unanimous vote of the group's 1,000 members; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Representing constituents in portions of Dallas, 1-13 Lancaster, and DeSoto for her fifth consecutive term, Ms. Giddings 1-14 has long distinguished herself as a member of this body, most 1-15 recently through her service on the House Appropriations Committee, 1-16 the House Business and Industry Committee, and the House 1-17 Administration Committee; additionally, she is the second vice 1-18 chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and a former regional 1-19 vice president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators; 1-20 and 1-21 WHEREAS, During her tenure as a state representative, she has 1-22 worked diligently to improve public education in Texas by leading 1-23 efforts to create the acclaimed "Read to Succeed" program and by 1-24 authoring legislation prohibiting liquor stores from being located 2-1 next to public schools; two scholarships have been formed in her 2-2 name as well: the Helen Giddings Scholarships for Exemplary 2-3 Students from South Africa at Prairie View A&M University and the 2-4 Helen Giddings Scholarship for high-achieving students in the 2-5 DeSoto area, both of which will positively affect the lives of many 2-6 deserving young people; and 2-7 WHEREAS, A small-business owner, community leader, and 2-8 experienced legislator, this esteemed woman has much to share with 2-9 her fellow legislators, and her tenure as president of NOWL will 2-10 undoubtedly usher in a period of great success and achievement for 2-11 both its members and the constituents they so ably represent; now, 2-12 therefore, be it 2-13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 2-14 Legislature hereby congratulate the Honorable Helen Giddings on her 2-15 election as president of the National Order of Women Legislators 2-16 and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success and 2-17 happiness; and, be it further 2-18 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-19 prepared for Ms. Giddings as an expression of high regard by her 2-20 colleagues in the Texas House of Representatives. Danburg Brown of Kaufman Chavez Crownover Davis of Dallas Delisi Denny Dukes Ehrhardt Farrar Gray Hamric Hawley Hodge Hupp Jones of Bexar Kitchen Kolkhorst Luna McClendon Morrison Mowery Olivo Rangel Reyna of Dallas Thompson Truitt Wohlgemuth Woolley Laney Goodman Merritt Alexander Goolsby Miller Allen Gray Moreno of Harris Averitt Green Moreno of El Paso Bailey Grusendorf Morrison Berman Gutierrez Mowery Bonnen Haggerty Naishtat Bosse Hamric Najera Brimer Hardcastle Nixon Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Noriega Brown of Brazos Hawley Oliveira Burnam Heflin Olivo Callegari Hilbert Pickett Capelo Hilderbran Pitts Carter Hill Puente Chavez Hinojosa Ramsay Chisum Hochberg Rangel Christian Hodge Reyna of Bexar Clark Homer Reyna of Dallas Coleman Hope Ritter Cook Hopson Sadler Corte Howard Salinas Counts Hunter Seaman Crabb Hupp Shields Craddick Isett Smith Crownover Janek Smithee Cuellar Jones of Lubbock Solis Danburg Jones of Bexar Solomons Davis of Harris Jones of Dallas Swinford Davis of Dallas Junell Talton Delisi Keel Telford Denny Keffer Thompson Deshotel King of Parker Tillery Driver King of Uvalde Truitt Dukes Kitchen Turner of Coleman Dunnam Kolkhorst Turner of Harris Dutton Krusee Uher Edwards Kuempel Uresti Ehrhardt Lewis of Tarrant Villarreal Eiland Lewis of Orange Walker Elkins Longoria West Ellis Luna Williams Farabee McCall Wilson Farrar McClendon Wise Flores McReynolds Wohlgemuth Gallego Madden Wolens Garcia Marchant Woolley George Martinez Fischer Yarbrough Geren Maxey Zbranek Glaze Menendez _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 53 was adopted by the House on January 11, 2001, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House