SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 472
         WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
  recognize Raul Humberto Yzaguirre, cofounder of New America
  Alliance, an American Latino business initiative; and
         WHEREAS, A prominent American civil rights activist, Raul
  Yzaguirre now works primarily as an advocate for the creation of
  a political union between the United States, Mexico, and Canada
  through a variety of nonprofit advocacy groups; and
         WHEREAS, Raul Yzaguirre grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of
  South Texas; he is a former president and chief executive officer
  of the National Council of La Raza; under his leadership, from
  1974 to 2004, the organization grew tremendously; during his
  tenure, he built the regional advocacy group with 17 affiliates
  into a 35,000-member organization with more than 300 affiliates
  and revenues exceeding $42 million; in 2005, the council named
  its headquarters building in Washington, D.C., in his honor; and
         WHEREAS, Also named in his honor is the Raul Yzaguirre
  Policy Institute, which operates out of The University of
  Texas--Pan American; the institute's goal is to inform policy,
  and the leaders who frame it, for the benefit of the Hispanic
  community and the nation as a whole; Mr. Yzaguirre is a lifetime
  member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on its
  member selection committee; he was appointed to the position of
  presidential professor of practice in community development and
  civil rights at Arizona State University and serves on the board
  of advisors for the university's North American Center of
  Transborder Studies; and
         WHEREAS, In 1979, Mr. Yzaguirre was the first Hispanic to
  receive a Rockefeller Public Service Award for Outstanding
  Public Service; in 1993, he received the Order of the Aztec
  Eagle, the highest honor awarded by the Mexican government to a
  citizen of another nation; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st
  Legislature, hereby commend Raul Yzaguirre on his outstanding
  leadership in civil rights and foreign relations and on his
  invaluable contributions and service to our country; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
  him as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate.
  Ellis
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on March 19, 2009.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate