H.R. No. 2865

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Honorable Aaron Peņa, Jr., a four-term member of the Texas House of Representatives from Hidalgo County, is celebrating his 50th birthday on June 8, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Born in Austin and raised his first few years in the shadow of the Capitol, Aaron Peņa moved to Edinburg with his family as a young child; after earning his diploma from Edinburg High School in 1977 and his bachelor's degree from UT-Austin in 1984, he was awarded his juris doctor degree from Texas Southern University in 1987; and

WHEREAS, Representative Peņa was licensed to practice law by the State Bar of Texas in May 1988; in December 1995, he became board certified by the State Bar of Texas in the area of Labor and Employment Law; Aaron Peņa enjoyed a celebrated career as one of the more accomplished employment trial lawyers in the state, later serving on the State Bar of Texas' governing board for Labor and Employment attorneys; after 17 years of practicing almost exclusively as a plaintiff's lawyer, Representative Peņa began working solely as a civil defense lawyer in April 2005; Texas Monthly has recognized him as a "Super Lawyer" in both fields; he has been employed by the Peņa, McDonald, Prestia and Ornelas law firm, by Aaron Peņa and Associates, and by Colvin and Chaney; and

WHEREAS, First elected to the Texas Legislature in 2002, Representative Peņa has been a strong advocate for education, working to increase salaries for public school teachers and to significantly further the development of The University of Texas-Pan American; to that end, he has been instrumental in securing funding for the construction of a fine arts center and student wellness center and for augmenting the resources of the Regional Academic Health Center on campus; he is also the author and house sponsor of legislation to create a medical school in the Rio Grande Valley; and

WHEREAS, Having entered service in the Texas State Guard as a major, Aaron Peņa has been a staunch champion of military veterans; he participated in the March 14-20, 2009, march from Edinburg to the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Hospital in San Antonio, a march that was sponsored by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who are living in the Rio Grande Valley and that was intended to draw attention to the need for a VA hospital in the Valley; in addition, he has authored legislation to posthumously award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Sergeant Alfredo Gonzalez and Private Pedro Cano; and

WHEREAS, Representative Peņa is also a forceful proponent of drug-abuse treatment and prevention programs, with his primary legislative goal in this area being the establishment of a drug treatment center in South Texas; moreover, he supports the John Austin Peņa Memorial Scholarship, which was established by the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals to provide assistance to members of Texas Teens for Legislative Change who wish to pursue higher education; and

WHEREAS, Representative Peņa formerly chaired the criminal jurisprudence committee and currently serves as vice chair of the elections committee and as a member of the ways and means and redistricting committees; and

WHEREAS, Recognized by Capitol Inside as a top house negotiator during the 80th Legislature, Representative Peņa has received numerous other accolades as well; among these are the Tough on Crime award, given by the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, the Champion for Children award from the Boys and Girls Club, the Bulldog award from the Rio Grande Valley Teachers Association, and the Lifetime Achievement award from LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens; and

WHEREAS, Aaron Peņa and his wife, Monica, are the parents of five children, Adrienne Peņa-Garza, Aron Leonel Peņa III, John Austin Peņa, Alyssa Victoria Peņa, and Michael Anthony Peņa; they are also the grandparents of Aquiles Jaime Garza, Chelsea Nicole Peņa, Aron Christian Garza, Aaron Austin Peņa, and Addison Rose Peņa; and

WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan 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 81st Texas Legislature hereby congratulate the Honorable Aaron Peņa, Jr., on his upcoming 50th 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 Peņa as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

Guillen

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 2865 was adopted by the House on June 1, 2009, by a non-record vote.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House