By: Hunter H.R. No. 176
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance (STAR)
Day bill (SB-1656) was passed by the 76th State of Texas Legislature
and signed into law by Governor George W. Bush on June 18, 1999 and
stated that all Texas public schools and other organizations shall
celebrate the birthday of the State of Texas on the 19th of February
each year with appropriate and patriotic programs to inspire a
greater appreciation for the history of our state; and
WHEREAS, THE GREAT TEXAS BLOOD DONOR ROUNDUP CAMPAIGN was
organized and established by The State of Texas Anniversary
Remembrance (STAR) Day Foundation on February 19, 2001 as an
appropriate and patriotic annual statewide program with a MISSION
to educate, inspire and motivate students to become our future
blood donors to help alleviate the growing Texas blood supply
shortage in partnership with all Texas public schools by sponsoring
SCHOOL ROUNDUP events hosted by School Board Presidents at the
1,754 Texas public schools serving seventh and eight grade students
where students as a public service after-school activity invite
their parents, brothers and sisters of age (17 years of age or
older) grandparents and relatives, school employees, community
friends and high school students of age to donate blood to help
alleviate the growing Texas blood supply shortage as their personal
STAR DAY birthday present for our each year; and
WHEREAS, The Galveston County Dickinson Independent School
District Board of Trustees President Alvin Alton Pool hosted the
first SCHOOL ROUNDUP event in Texas at R. D. McAdams Junior High
School in partnership with volunteer students, parents, school
employees and friends of the school district on Saturday, March 2,
2002 in their school cafeteria from 9am till 4pm to ROUNDUP adults
and Dickinson High School students of age to donate blood to help
alleviate the growing Texas blood supply shortage as their school
STAR DAY birthday present for our state; and
WHEREAS, The State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance (STAR)
Day Foundation is inviting all Texas Public School Board Presidents
in the 1,055 Texas public school districts to host an annual SCHOOL
ROUNDUP event at each of their 1,754 Texas public schools serving
seventh and eight grade students to provide an opportunity for the
nearly 600,000 students in the seventh and eight grades of Texas
public schools to volunteer and donate their time in an
after-school setting as their annual student STAR DAY birthday
present for our state to help ROUNDUP their parents, brothers and
sisters of age (17 years or older), grandparents and relatives,
school employees and community friends to blood to help alleviate
the growing Texas blood supply shortage at a school ROUNDUP event by
signing a STUDENT ROUNDUP PLEDGE letter approved by parents in
which the volunteer students pledge to read four (4) books and
complete eight (8) hours of public service work in an after-school
setting as their annual student STAR DAY birthday president for our
state to challenge and motivate an adult to donate a pint of blood
to help alleviate the growing Texas blood supply shortage; and
WHEREAS, On September 26, 2002, Governor Rick Perry issued
Executive Order RP-19 in which the Governor noted that donating
blood provides a lifesaving service to patients with cancer, burns,
transplants, and other surgeries and encouraged each state agency
in Texas to allow their employees to take one hour of compensatory
or vacation time to donate blood to address this current shortage;
and
WHEREAS, On May 29, 2003 Governor Rick Perry signed House
Bill 89 which was authored by Representative Ruth Jones McClendon
establishing a TEXAS EMPLOYEE DONOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE (TEDLOA)
POLICY for certain employees of Texas agencies providing paid leave
of absence to donate blood, bone marrow and organs; and
WHEREAS, On May 22, 2003, Representative Bob Hunter,
Representative Elizabeth Jones (an author of House Bill 89), and
Senator Kyle Janek, MD hosted the inaugural GREAT TEXAS BLOOD DONOR
ROUNDUP AT THE STATE CAPITOL event which was coordinated by Mr. Tim
Flynn, State Capitol Nurse and sponsored by The State of Texas
Anniversary Remembrance (STAR) Day Foundation to answer the call of
Governor Perry in the spirit of his Executive Order RP-19 and in
support of House Bill 89 to provide an opportunity for all elected
individuals, State Capitol legislative office employees and
employees of State Capitol agencies to donate blood to help
alleviate the growing Texas blood supply shortage as their annual
personal STAR DAY birthday presents for our state; and
WHEREAS, On July 3, 2003 Manny C. Morales, owner of a State
Farm Insurance Agency in El Paso Texas, joined THE GREAT TEXAS BLOOD
DONOR ROUNDUP CAMPAIGN by adopting the TEXAS EMPLOYEE DONOR LEAVE
OF ABSENCE (TEDLOA) POLICY for his employees to answer the call of
Governor Rick Perry in the spirit of his Executive Order RP-19 and
in support of House Bill 89 and has also agreed to donate one book to
an area partnering school hosting a SCHOOL ROUNDUP event in the name
of employee and the agency for each pint of blood donated by an
employee at an official ROUNDUP event; and
WHEREAS, On September 8, 2003, Loving County Judge Donald C.
Creager and the Loving County Commissioners joined THE GREAT TEXAS
BLOOD DONOR ROUNDUP CAMPAIGN by approving the first TEXAS EMPLOYEE
DONOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE (TEDOLA) POLICY for county employees by
adopting a Loving County Commissioners' Court Resolution to answer
the call of Governor Rick Perry in the spirit of his Executive Order
RP-19 and in support of House Bill 89; and
WHEREAS, On September 8, 2003, the City of Wink Mayor Betty
Lou Dodd and the City of Wink Alderpersons in Winkler County joined
THE GREAT TEXAS BLOOD DONOR ROUNDUP CAMPAIGN by approving the first
TEXAS EMPLOYEE DONOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE (TEDOLA) POLICY for
incorporate city employees by adopting a City of Wink Resolution to
answer the call of Governor Rick Perry in the spirit of his
Executive Order RP-19 and in support of House Bill 89; and
WHEREAS, The State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance (STAR)
Day Foundation shall commemorate the birthday of the Great State of
Texas Each year on the nineteenth day of February by inviting all
254 Texas Counties, the 1,203 incorporate Texas cities, the many
tens of thousands of Texas corporations and small businesses to
adopt a TEXAS EMPLOYEE DONOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE (TEDLOA) POLICY for
their respective employees to encourage, motivate and mobilize
their employees to donate blood to help alleviate the growing Texas
blood supply shortage to answer the call of Governor Rick Perry in
the spirit of his RP-19 and in support of House Bill 89 and to invite
their employees to visit seventh and eight grade schools hosting
SCHOOL ROUNDUP events to donate blood; and; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas,
Third Called Session, hereby recognize February 2004, as THE GREAT
TEXAS BLOOD DONOR ROUNDUP MONTH.