H.C.R. No. 3

	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a distinguished native son
	and legendary champion of the underdog with the passing of Jim
	Mattox of Dripping Springs on November 20, 2008, at the age of 65;
	and
	WHEREAS, Born in Dallas on August 29, 1943, James Albon
	Mattox was the oldest child of a union sheet-metal worker and a
	waitress; he worked his way through Baylor University, initially
	intending to enter the ministry; when President John F. Kennedy was
	assassinated in his own hometown, he felt called to public service,
	and after earning his law degree from Southern Methodist
	University, he became an aide to U.S. Representative Earle Cabell
	in the Fifth Congressional District; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Mattox went on to join the Dallas County
	district attorney's office as a criminal prosecutor; in 1973, he
	began the first of two terms in the Texas House of Representatives,
	where he helped draft the state's first open-records law as a member
	of the bipartisan reform group "the Dirty 30" and was instrumental
	in the passage of consumer protection laws; after winning the Fifth
	Congressional District seat in 1976, he was elected to the powerful
	House Budget Committee, a singular achievement for a freshman, and
	during his three terms, this dynamic legislator chaired that
	committee's Task Force on National Security and Veterans Affairs
	and served on the Banking and Finance and Corporate Affairs
	Committees; and
	WHEREAS, In 1982, Mr. Mattox was elected to the first of two
	remarkable terms as Texas attorney general; fearless in the face of
	controversy and unrelenting in his commitment to consumer rights,
	he took on airlines, automakers, insurance companies, and more; he
	made Texas a national leader in prosecuting deceptive advertising
	practices and won millions of dollars in settlements for the state;
	in addition, he battled for struggling single parents and their
	children, bringing sweeping change to the system for collecting
	child support, and he greatly increased gender and racial diversity
	in the attorney general's office; and
	WHEREAS, Even after beginning a private law practice,
	Mr. Mattox remained a lion in Democratic politics and continued to
	strive for progressive causes and reform; he served as a delegate at
	numerous national conventions and contributed in myriad ways during
	the 2008 election cycle; most recently, he testified at a hearing on
	his party's "Texas two-step" system for nominating presidential
	candidates and drew a standing ovation for his rousing words; and
	WHEREAS, Devoted to his family, Mr. Mattox helped support and
	nurture his young brother and sister after his mother's untimely
	death; moreover, he enjoyed a rewarding marriage of 18 years to
	Marta Mattox and cherished their two children, Jim and Janet; as
	engaging and generous as he was outspoken, he will be deeply mourned
	by those who knew him, from his childhood neighbors to his
	colleagues in public office; a Texan who cast a long shadow, Jim
	Mattox raised his voice loudly for working Americans, and his
	achievements will continue to resonate in this state for many years
	to come; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas,
	1st Called Session, hereby pay special tribute to the memory of Jim
	Mattox and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to
	his wife, Marta; to his son, Jim; to his daughter, Janet; to his
	sister, Janice; to his brother, Jerry; and to his other friends and
	admirers across the country; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
	Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of
	Jim Mattox.
	Hodge
	Straus Gattis Menendez
	Allen Geren Merritt
	Alonzo Giddings Miklos
	Alvarado Gonzales Miller of Comal
	Anchia Gonzalez Toureilles Miller of Erath
	Anderson Guillen Moody
	Aycock Gutierrez Morrison
	Berman Hamilton Naishtat
	Bohac Hancock Oliveira
	Bolton Hardcastle Olivo
	Bonnen Harless Orr
	Branch Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
	Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Otto
	Brown of Brazos Heflin Parker
	Burnam Hernandez Patrick
	Button Herrero Paxton
	Callegari Hilderbran Peña
	Castro Hochberg Phillips
	Chavez Hodge Pickett
	Chisum Homer Pierson
	Christian Hopson Pitts
	Cohen Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
	Coleman Howard of Travis Raymond
	Cook Hughes Riddle
	Corte Hunter Rios Ybarra
	Crabb Isett Ritter
	Craddick Jackson Rodriguez
	Creighton Jones Rose
	Crownover Keffer Sheffield
	Darby Kent Shelton
	Davis of Harris King of Parker Smith of Tarrant
	Davis of Dallas King of Taylor Smith of Harris
	Deshotel King of Zavala Smithee
	Driver Kleinschmidt Solomons
	Dukes Kolkhorst Strama
	Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
	Dutton Laubenberg Taylor
	Edwards Legler Thibaut
	Eiland Leibowitz Thompson
	Eissler Lewis Truitt
	Elkins Lucio III Turner of Tarrant
	England Madden Turner of Harris
	Farabee Maldonado Vaught
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Marquez Villarreal
	Fletcher Martinez Vo
	Flores Martinez Fischer Walle
	Flynn McCall Weber
	Frost McClendon Woolley
	Gallego McReynolds Zerwas
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.C.R. No. 3 was unanimously adopted by a
	rising vote of the House on July 2, 2009.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	I certify that H.C.R. No. 3 was unanimously adopted by a
	rising vote of the Senate on July 2, 2009.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED: __________________
	Date
	__________________
	Governor