85R11622 BPG-D

By: Romero, Jr. H.R. No. 917

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Honorable Senfronia Thompson has received the 2017 Family Champion Award by the Texas Council on Family Relations; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thompson is the longest-serving woman and the longest-serving African American in the history of the Texas Legislature; since 1973, when she began representing House District 141, she has succeeded in securing the passage of a host of bills benefiting Texas families; she is the author of the state's first alimony law, its current minimum wage law, and the contraceptive parity law; in addition, she helped pass legislation creating the Sexual Assault Program Fund and other reforms designed to protect women and children against domestic violence; she sponsored the National Domestic Violence Hotline and fought to end gender discrimination in the workplace; and

WHEREAS, Deeply committed to the security of our youngest residents, Representative Thompson was instrumental in major reforms in child support enforcement, among them the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act and the Uniform Child Custody and Jurisdiction Enforcement Act; moreover, she simplified probate proceedings by authoring the Durable Power of Attorney Act, and she worked to overhaul statutes dealing with statutory county courts and municipal courts; she also helped pass legislation requiring free testing for the human papillomavirus, an early indicator of cervical cancer; in the 84th legislative session alone, her many achievements included the passage of her bill, H.B. 2630, which prioritizes evidence-based parent education, and of three bills aimed at preventing human trafficking; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thompson is the recipient of myriad accolades; she was selected as an Eleanor Roosevelt Fellow by the Center for Public Policy Alternatives, and she has been named one of the state's top legislators by numerous media outlets, among them Texas Monthly, the Associated Press, and the Nation magazine; in 2011, she was accorded the Legislator of the Year Award by the Texas Family Law Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Through her unyielding dedication to the most vulnerable members of society, Representative Thompson has improved the lives of countless Texans, and she is most deserving of this significant honor; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Senfronia Thompson on her receipt of the 2017 Family Champion Award from the Texas Council on Family Relations and that she be commended for her work in behalf of Texas families; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Representative Thompson as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.