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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Honorable Sylvester Turner has served with great |
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distinction as the mayor of Houston, the nation's fourth-largest |
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city; and |
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WHEREAS, A longtime state representative, Mayor Turner was |
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first elected to lead his hometown in 2015 and won overwhelming |
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reelection four years later; he has skillfully managed a host of |
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challenges, from budget deficits and the homeless crisis to |
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Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic; during the national |
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turmoil over police-community relations, he signed an executive |
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order restricting the use of force and created the Task Force on |
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Policing Reforms; and |
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WHEREAS, Mayor Turner has passed seven balanced budgets |
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within the city's fiscal constraints; he oversaw a remarkable |
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rebound from Hurricane Harvey and got the Texas Legislature and |
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local voters on board with a desperately needed pension reform |
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package that reduced the city's liability by billions of dollars; |
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addressing societal problems in the wake of the pandemic, he |
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released his One Safe Houston initiative to combat violence, mental |
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illness, and the proliferation of guns on the street; the |
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initiative has helped bring about a decrease in the year-to-year |
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number of homicides and the overall violent crime rate; and |
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WHEREAS, Recognizing the peril that global warming poses to |
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coastal cities, Mayor Turner launched Houston's first Climate |
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Action Plan, and he has been a prominent member of several national |
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and international groups focused on the environment; moreover, he |
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has worked to revitalize Houston's most underserved neighborhoods |
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through his Complete Communities initiative, developed the Hire |
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Houston Youth program to increase opportunities for thousands of |
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young people, and formed public-private partnerships to expand the |
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city's technology and innovation sector and to improve neighborhood |
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parks; and |
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WHEREAS, Mayor Turner draws on 27 years of experience |
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representing Texas House District 139; a member of the House |
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Appropriations Committee for over two decades, he was appointed to |
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several Budget Conference Committees tasked with balancing the |
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state's budget and served on the Legislative Budget Board; he also |
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held the office of speaker pro tem of the Texas House for three |
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terms; and |
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WHEREAS, Demonstrating exceptional vision, leadership, and |
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fiscal acumen, Sylvester Turner has guided Houston through a period |
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of tremendous change while setting the stage for long-term progress |
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and sustainability, and his outstanding contributions will |
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resonate far into the future; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor former state representative Sylvester |
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Turner for his achievements as mayor of Houston and extend to him |
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sincere best wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mayor Turner as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |