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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, In the aftermath of the devastating winter storm of |
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February 2021, many leaders and philanthropists across the nation |
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came to the aid of Texans in need; and |
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WHEREAS, One such individual was U.S. Congresswoman |
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; shortly after the storm left |
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millions of Texans without power, heat, or access to food and water, |
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she spearheaded a fundraising campaign that raised $5 million in |
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less than a week to benefit Texas residents; the money was evenly |
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allocated among five Texas nonprofits, including the Houston Food |
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Bank, Feeding Texas, Family Eldercare, The Bridge Homeless Recovery |
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Center, and the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO); and |
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WHEREAS, In addition, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez flew to |
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Texas to help distribute emergency supplies at the Houston Food |
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Bank with Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvia R. Garcia of |
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Texas; she also visited residents of Representative Garcia's |
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district on the east side of Houston; and |
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WHEREAS, A third-generation Bronxite, Congresswoman |
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Ocasio-Cortez represents the 14th district of New York in the U.S. |
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Congress; after earning degrees in economics and international |
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relations at Boston University and interning in the office of the |
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late Senator Ted Kennedy, she returned to the Bronx to work as a |
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community organizer and went on to serve as educational director |
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with the National Hispanic Institute; and |
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WHEREAS, Following the financial crisis of 2008, |
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Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez experienced firsthand the challenges |
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faced by many Americans when her family was forced to sell their |
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home after her father's death; she took on extra shifts as a |
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waitress and bartender to help out, and her dedication to issues |
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affecting working people deepened as a result; in 2016, she |
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volunteered as an organizer with the Bernie Sanders presidential |
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campaign, and two years later, she stepped onto the national stage |
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when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; and |
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WHEREAS, A true champion for working-class people across the |
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country, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has inspired her fellow |
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citizens with her eloquent advocacy and her passionate commitment |
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to social, racial, economic, and environmental justice, and her |
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generous actions in the aftermath of the 2021 winter storm have |
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earned her the lasting admiration and appreciation of many Texans; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend the leaders and philanthropists who |
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assisted the people of Texas in February 2021 and extend to them |
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sincere best wishes for continued success in their important work. |