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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Throughout her life, Laura Bush has combined a |
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gentle graciousness and elegance with a passion for causes of the |
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most fundamental importance, and her fellow Texans are proud to |
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claim her as one of their own; and |
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WHEREAS, Born and raised in Midland, the former Laura Lane |
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Welch graduated with a degree in education from Southern Methodist |
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University in 1968 and earned a master of library science degree |
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from The University of Texas at Austin in 1973; she worked as a |
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teacher and librarian in Dallas, Houston, and Austin before |
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marrying George W. Bush in Midland in 1977; and |
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WHEREAS, Keenly aware that an ability to read is vital to a |
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child's ability to learn, Mrs. Bush launched major initiatives to |
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promote literacy skills among children, especially those from |
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disadvantaged backgrounds, after becoming the First Lady of Texas |
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in 1995; in related undertakings, she introduced programs to foster |
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parenting skills and encourage communities to develop family |
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literacy programs; she was also instrumental in founding the Texas |
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Book Festival, which premiered in 1996; a fund-raiser for Texas |
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public libraries, the gathering now ranks as one of the foremost |
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literary festivals in the country; and |
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WHEREAS, While living in the Governor's Mansion, Mrs. Bush |
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additionally advocated for breast cancer and Alzheimer's awareness |
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and research; she also opened several Rainbow Rooms, which provide |
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emergency supplies for abused and neglected children, and she |
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promoted a private-sector effort to provide additional resources to |
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caseworkers with Child Protective Services; and |
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WHEREAS, With her husband's swearing in as the 43rd president |
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of the United States in January 2001, Mrs. Bush immediately began |
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work; before the year was out, she had hosted, with sponsorship from |
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the Library of Congress, the first National Book Festival; since |
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its inception, attendance at that event has risen from |
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approximately 30,000 to more than 120,000; in November 2001, |
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Mrs. Bush also hosted the inaugural White House Salute to America's |
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Authors; and |
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WHEREAS, During her husband's presidency, Mrs. Bush |
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supported an array of programs intended to ensure that all young |
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children are ready to read and learn when they enter school and that |
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they have qualified, well-trained teachers, especially in the |
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poorest neighborhoods; she hosted two White House summits in |
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connection with that initiative, as well as White House Conferences |
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on School Libraries and Global Literacy, and she championed |
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legislation to address a national shortage of librarians; in 2003, |
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she was named an Honorary Ambassador for the United Nations Decade |
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of Literacy; and |
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WHEREAS, In conjunction with her Women's Health and Wellness |
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Initiative, Mrs. Bush served as national ambassador for the Heart |
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Truth campaign to raise awareness about heart disease among women, |
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and she worked closely with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast |
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cancer awareness and research campaign; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Bush made numerous goodwill trips abroad, |
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including several to Africa, during which she promoted HIV/AIDS and |
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malaria awareness; she has advocated for women's rights in the |
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Middle East and has spoken out forcefully in support of the |
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pro-democracy movement in Myanmar; and |
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WHEREAS, Among the many honors she has received have been |
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awards from the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, the |
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Kuwait-America Foundation, the American Library Association, |
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Vanderbilt University, and Christian Freedom International; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Bush is the mother of twin daughters, Jenna and |
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Barbara, who graduated in 2004 from UT-Austin and Yale University, |
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respectively, and she and President Bush have recently welcomed a |
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son-in-law, Jenna's husband, Henry Hager, into the family; and |
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WHEREAS, Through the years, Americans and people the world |
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over have come to know Laura Bush as a devoted wife, loving mother, |
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and deeply engaged citizen and humanitarian, and in both Austin and |
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the nation's capital, she leaves behind an inspiring legacy in her |
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role as First Lady; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby warmly welcome Laura Bush back to Texas and extend to her its |
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deep gratitude for her exceptional public service; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mrs. Bush as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives and Senate. |