79S30748 CME-D

By:  Davis of Dallas                                            H.C.R. No. 28 



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, According to the United States Census Bureau, 37 
million Americans, representing 12.7 percent of the nation's 
population, were living in poverty in 2004; regrettably, this 
figure signified an increase of 1.1 million people from the 
previous year; and
	WHEREAS, Although we have made progress combating this 
intractable human problem since President Lyndon Baines Johnson 
declared an "unconditional war on poverty" more than 40 years ago, 
rapid economic and demographic changes since that time have caused 
economic inequality between the poorest of the poor in America and 
the rest of the nation to rise sharply; and
	WHEREAS, Because poverty and inequality are often 
inextricably linked, individuals, families, and even entire 
neighborhood communities that fall behind economically often fall 
behind in other ways that make it difficult for them, and ultimately 
their children, to compete successfully with their more advantaged 
counterparts and thus end the cycle of poverty; regardless of the 
conditions that give rise to poverty, the economic inequality and 
social injustice that result are antithetical to the principles 
upon which this nation and this state were founded; now, therefore, 
be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas, 
3rd Called Session, hereby express its support for a bill of rights 
for the poor based on the following principles:  (1) all people, and 
especially the poor, have the right to pursue life, liberty, and 
happiness without institutional barriers; (2) the poor have a right 
to a public policy agenda that invests in human beings; (3) every 
child should have access to quality health care, education, and 
housing and live in a safe community; (4) all people have a 
constitutional right to equal protection under the law and, to that 
end, the poor must be protected from injustice in the legal system; 
(5) the poor have the right to full employment and a guaranteed 
income that enables them to rise above the poverty level; (6) the 
poor should not be victimized by inequality of opportunity; (7) the 
poor must be protected from environmental racism that 
disproportionately targets impoverished communities with toxic 
waste sites and other elements that adversely affect the atmosphere 
and health of persons in those communities; (8) the poor have a 
right to substance-abuse treatment and that substance-abuse 
treatment, rather than incarceration, should be the first response 
to substance abuse; (9) the poor have a right to quality health care 
that is affordable; and (10) the foreign policy of the United States 
should be based on justice and freedom and should ensure the 
elimination of economic exploitation of impoverished people 
throughout the world.