88R31314 BPG-D
 
  By: Reynolds H.R. No. 2184
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The Honorable Sylvester Turner has served with great
  distinction as the mayor of Houston, the nation's fourth-largest
  city; and
         WHEREAS, A longtime state representative, Mayor Turner was
  first elected to lead his hometown in 2015 and won overwhelming
  reelection four years later; he has skillfully managed a host of
  challenges, from budget deficits and the homeless crisis to
  Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic; during the national
  turmoil over police-community relations, he signed an executive
  order restricting the use of force and created the Task Force on
  Policing Reforms; and
         WHEREAS, Mayor Turner has passed seven balanced budgets
  within the city's fiscal constraints; he oversaw a remarkable
  rebound from Hurricane Harvey and got the Texas Legislature and
  local voters on board with a desperately needed pension reform
  package that reduced the city's liability by billions of dollars;
  addressing societal problems in the wake of the pandemic, he
  released his One Safe Houston initiative to combat violence, mental
  illness, and the proliferation of guns on the street; the
  initiative has helped bring about a decrease in the year-to-year
  number of homicides and the overall violent crime rate; and
         WHEREAS, Recognizing the peril that global warming poses to
  coastal cities, Mayor Turner launched Houston's first Climate
  Action Plan, and he has been a prominent member of several national
  and international groups focused on the environment; moreover, he
  has worked to revitalize Houston's most underserved neighborhoods
  through his Complete Communities initiative, developed the Hire
  Houston Youth program to increase opportunities for thousands of
  young people, and formed public-private partnerships to expand the
  city's technology and innovation sector and to improve neighborhood
  parks; and
         WHEREAS, Mayor Turner draws on 27 years of experience
  representing Texas House District 139; a member of the House
  Appropriations Committee for over two decades, he was appointed to
  several Budget Conference Committees tasked with balancing the
  state's budget and served on the Legislative Budget Board; he also
  held the office of speaker pro tem of the Texas House for three
  terms; and
         WHEREAS, Demonstrating exceptional vision, leadership, and
  fiscal acumen, Sylvester Turner has guided Houston through a period
  of tremendous change while setting the stage for long-term progress
  and sustainability, and his outstanding contributions will
  resonate far into the future; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby honor former state representative Sylvester
  Turner for his achievements as mayor of Houston and extend to him
  sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for Mayor Turner as an expression of high regard by the
  Texas House of Representatives.