SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 71

WHEREAS, Former Texas state senator Eddie Lucio Jr. has been named the 2023 recipient of the Defender of Life Award by the St. John Paul II Life Center; and

WHEREAS, First elected to the Legislature in 1986, Eduardo Andres Lucio Jr. served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives before winning his Senate seat in 1990; he served in numerous leadership roles over the course of his 16 consecutive terms in the Senate, including chair of the Intergovernmental Relations and International Relations and Trade Committees and vice chair of the Education Committee; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lucio improved access to higher education in the Rio Grande Valley, authoring legislation to create such institutions as South Texas College and The University of Texas at Brownsville, which was a legacy institution to UTRGV; he was also instrumental in the establishment of the Regional Academic Health Center, a precursor of the UTRGV School of Medicine; and

WHEREAS, Dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of children, Mr. Lucio secured passage of legislation expanding access to school nutrition programs and requiring three-point lap and shoulder belts on new school buses; moreover, he has been a staunch advocate of health care for children with disabilities and of equity in public schools; his love for children extends to those still in the womb, whom he sees as the most helpless and innocent, deserving of the full protection of the law; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure on the Finance Committee, Mr. Lucio worked tirelessly to advance economic development in South Texas by securing funding for infrastructure; his efforts contributed to the designation of the first interstate highways in the Rio Grande Valley; in addition, he has been a champion of veterans issues and of the ranchlands of the Coastal Bend; the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas presented him with its Legislative Hero Award in recognition of his endeavors in behalf of families of fallen police officers; he was further recognized with the naming of Senator Eddie A. Lucio Jr. Middle School in Brownsville in his honor; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lucio's career in public service was informed by his strong Catholic upbringing in the Bougainvillea neighborhood, a subdivision of the Brownsville Housing Authority; he completed his bachelor's degree in education at Pan American University, a predecessor of UTRGV, and worked in the Brownsville Independent School District; at the age of 25, he became Cameron County treasurer, and he later served as a county commissioner; and

WHEREAS, Eddie Lucio has greatly benefited his fellow Texans through his wide-ranging contributions, and he is richly deserving of this prestigious accolade; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby congratulate the Honorable Eddie Lucio Jr. on his receipt of the2023Defenderof Life Award from the St. John Paul II Life Center and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared for Mr. Lucio as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.

Hughes

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on December 5, 2023.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate