H.C.R. No. 57
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Honorable Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of the
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, is an
outstanding Texan who has rendered immeasurable service to the
citizens of Texas and the United States; and
WHEREAS, Nominated by President George W. Bush, Secretary
Jackson was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate as
the nation's 13th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on
March 31, 2004; with that appointment, he inherited an enormous
challenge as the president set a goal two years ago for the creation
of 5.5 million new minority homeowners by the end of the decade;
Secretary Jackson has boldly risen to that challenge and, to date,
there has been a net increase of 2.2 million minority homeowners in
the country, which represents a remarkable 40 percent of the
president's goal; and
WHEREAS, Under Secretary Jackson's leadership, sales of new
single-family homes in the United States have set a record with 1.2
million sales in 2004, a nine percent increase above the record set
the previous year; a new national homeownership record was also set
in 2004, with 69 percent of American families owning their own
homes; moreover, minority homeownership set a record annual rate of
51 percent, which translated into more than 15.5 million minority
homeowners; and
WHEREAS, Alphonso Jackson witnessed firsthand the struggles
of urban Americans, growing up the youngest in a family of 12
children in Dallas; later, he set out to help other families in need
when he served as president and chief executive officer of the
Housing Authority of the City of Dallas; during his tenure there
from 1989 to 1996, that agency was consistently ranked as one of the
best-managed large city housing agencies in the country; he has
also worked as a senior administrator of housing agencies in St.
Louis and Washington, D.C., and is an experienced executive in both
the public and private sectors; immediately preceding his
appointment at HUD, Secretary Jackson served as president of
America Electric Power-TEXAS, a $13 billion utility company located
in Austin; and
WHEREAS, Secretary Jackson has shared his expertise on public
housing and urban issues with a number of state and national
entities, including the General Services Commission of the State of
Texas, which he served as chair; he has also served on the National
Commission of America's Urban Families, the National Commission on
Severely Distressed Public Housing, and numerous nonprofit and
corporate boards; and
WHEREAS, Described by President Bush as a man of great
integrity and compassion, Secretary Jackson has worked tirelessly
during his tenure as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to
facilitate the goal of home ownership for more Americans,
particularly minorities; a firm supporter of the belief that we
best serve our neighbors in need by empowering them to pursue their
dreams, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the
lives of all Americans and truly represents the very best in
government service; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby recognize the Honorable Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of the
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, for his
innumerable contributions to the people of this state and nation
and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success with his
important work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Secretary Jackson as an expression of high regard by
the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.
Merritt
Thompson
Corte
Craddick Geren Menendez
Allen of Harris Giddings Merritt
Allen of Dallas Gonzales Miller
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of Harris
Anchia Goodman Moreno of El Paso
Anderson Goolsby Morrison
Bailey Griggs Mowery
Baxter Grusendorf Naishtat
Berman Guillen Nixon
Blake Haggerty Noriega
Bohac Hamilton Oliveira
Bonnen Hamric Olivo
Branch Hardcastle Orr
Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Otto
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Paxton
Burnam Hegar Pena
Callegari Herrero Phillips
Campbell Hilderbran Pickett
Casteel Hill Pitts
Castro Hochberg Puente
Chavez Hodge Quintanilla
Chisum Homer Raymond
Coleman Hope Reyna
Cook of Navarro Hopson Riddle
Cook of Colorado Howard Ritter
Corte Hughes Rodriguez
Crabb Hunter Rose
Crownover Hupp Seaman
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Dallas Jackson Smith of Harris
Dawson Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solis
Denny Keel Solomons
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Strama
Driver Keffer of Eastland Swinford
Dukes King of Parker Talton
Dunnam King of Zavala Taylor
Dutton Kolkhorst Thompson
Edwards Krusee Truitt
Eiland Kuempel Turner
Eissler Laney Uresti
Elkins Laubenberg Van Arsdale
Escobar Leibowitz Veasey
Farabee Luna Villarreal
Farrar Madden Vo
Flores Martinez West
Flynn Martinez Fischer Wong
Frost McCall Woolley
Gallego McClendon Zedler
Gattis McReynolds
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 57 was adopted by the House on
February 9, 2005, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 57 was adopted by the Senate on
February 9, 2005, by a viva-voce vote.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor