79R4890 MMS-D

By:  Edwards                                                      H.R. No. 388



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Our fellow member, who has spent two decades 
rendering exceptional service to his constituents in Harris County 
and to citizens throughout the Lone Star State, the Honorable 
Harold V. Dutton, Jr., is celebrating his 60th birthday on February 
17, 2005; and
	WHEREAS, A native of Houston's Fifth Ward, Representative 
Dutton graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School and received a 
bachelor's degree in accounting from Texas Southern University; he 
later returned to TSU to earn his J.D. from the Thurgood Marshall 
School of Law, on whose faculty he now serves as an adjunct 
professor; and
	WHEREAS, Representative Dutton was formerly associated with 
Julia C. Hester House as its executive director and spent a number 
of years with Conoco, Inc., where he held management positions in 
corporate planning and economic analysis; as the president of Four 
Star Broadcasting, he subsequently obtained an FCC license to 
operate TV-67, an independent UHF station, which began airing in 
the Houston area in early 1986; his law firm, Harold V. Dutton, Jr., 
and Associates, specializes in the area of civil rights and 
employment discrimination; and
	WHEREAS, First elected to the legislature in 1984, this 
distinguished gentleman currently chairs the House Committee on 
Juvenile Justice and Family Issues and serves on the public 
education and the general investigating and ethics committees; he 
also holds a seat on the steering committee of the House Research 
Organization; and
	WHEREAS, Throughout his legislative career, Representative 
Dutton has championed measures that would enhance the human 
resources of the state by helping more Texans to achieve their full 
potential; his many legislative achievements include successful 
sponsorship of the state's first statutory program to assist 
women-owned and minority-owned businesses, initiatives to 
strengthen public education, especially alternative education, and 
creation of incentives to improve the availability and 
affordability of insurance in traditionally underserved areas; and
	WHEREAS, The recipient of numerous accolades, Representative 
Dutton has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of the TSU School of 
Business and honored by the United States Small Business 
Administration, the newspaper Forward Times, the Hispanic Journal, 
the Texas Women's Political Caucus, and the American Civil 
Liberties Union, as well as by the Houston Police Officers' 
Association, Harris County Deputy Sheriffs' Association, and 
Afro-American Sheriff's Deputy Association; while in law school, 
his stellar record won him a listing in Who's Who in American 
Colleges and Universities, and he was also designated an 
Outstanding Young Man of America; and
	WHEREAS, Harold Dutton is the proud father of seven children 
and an active member of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, where 
he serves as an usher and sings in the male choir; in his leisure 
time, he can often be found engaged in a vigorous match on the 
tennis courts; and
	WHEREAS, Deeply committed to advancing the cause of social 
and economic justice in the State of Texas, Representative Dutton 
continues to embody the highest standards of public service, and it 
is a pleasure to pay tribute to him as he prepares to embark on a 
new--and no doubt equally productive--decade; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby congratulate the Honorable Harold V. Dutton, 
Jr., on the occasion of his 60th birthday and extend to him sincere 
best wishes for the coming year; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Representative Dutton as an expression of high regard 
by the Texas House of Representatives.