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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers is celebrating the 200th |
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anniversary of its founding in 2023, providing a fitting |
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opportunity to pay tribute to one of the most legendary law |
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enforcement organizations in the world; and |
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WHEREAS, In the early 1820s Stephen F. Austin saw a need to |
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protect the families of settlers he was bringing to Texas, and in |
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1823, he established a minuteman-style guard called the Rangers; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In 1835 an official corps of 60 men was created, |
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called the Texas Rangers, to safeguard settlements from Indian |
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attack during the Texas Revolution; after the defeat of General |
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Santa Anna's army at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the Republic |
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of Texas raised a battalion of 280 mounted riflemen to defend the |
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frontier; more companies were soon added, and Rangers began to |
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patrol along the border and throughout Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, During the latter part of the 19th century, Rangers |
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were organized in companies under the command of a captain, |
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lieutenant, or sergeant, and over time, their duties changed from |
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serving as soldiers to becoming law enforcement officers, tracking |
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train robbers, highwaymen, horse thieves, cattle rustlers, and |
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other outlaws; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1935, the Texas Rangers became part of the new |
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Texas Department of Public Safety, and today it is an elite unit |
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with statewide responsibility for investigating major crimes, |
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unsolved and serial crimes, public corruption, and officer shooting |
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incidents; the group also plays a role in border security, and it |
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maintains a special weapons and tactics team, a regional special |
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response team, and a crisis negotiation unit, among others; and |
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WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers has often been portrayed in |
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popular culture, as the exploits of Rangers during the Texas |
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Revolution, the frontier era of the Old West, and the age of |
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gangsters and bank robbers in the 1930s have become the stuff of |
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countless books, films, and television programs; and |
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WHEREAS, The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco has |
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been designated as the official historical center of the Rangers by |
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the Texas Legislature and the Texas Public Safety Commission, and |
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in 2023, the museum will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the |
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oldest police agency on the North American continent; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of two centuries, the Texas Rangers |
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has become one of the most iconic institutions of the Lone Star |
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State, and the Rangers' reputation for courage, determination, and |
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dedication to duty remains unparalleled in the history of law |
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enforcement; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Texas |
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Rangers and extend to its members sincere best wishes for continued |
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success with their important work; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Texas Rangers as an expression of high regard by |
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the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Raymond |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1936 was adopted by the House on May |
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24, 2019, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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