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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Justin Dart Jr. made a lasting, positive difference |
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in the lives of countless Americans through his work to empower |
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people with disabilities; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1930, Justin Dart |
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contracted polio in 1948; he found his purpose after beating a grim |
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prognosis of imminent death; his legs paralyzed, he relied on a |
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wheelchair for mobility and gained a deep understanding of the |
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challenges faced by others as well; after graduating from the |
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University of Houston, where he earned both a bachelor's degree and |
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a master's degree in history, he embarked on a business career; and |
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WHEREAS, After working with Tupperware Japan, Mr. Dart |
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settled in Texas in 1974, and six years later, he was named to the |
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Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities; he served as its |
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inaugural chair, and in 1981, he was also appointed vice chair of |
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the National Council on Disabilities by President Ronald Reagan; |
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the council drafted a policy to end centuries of discrimination, |
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laying the groundwork for the Americans with Disabilities Act; at |
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the end of the decade, as chair of the Congressional Task Force on |
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the Rights and Empowerment of Americans with Disabilities, Mr. Dart |
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helped craft the language of the ADA; he then barnstormed across the |
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country to galvanize support for the legislation, visiting each |
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state five times and addressing crowds in his trademark cowboy hat |
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and boots; President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law on |
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July 26, 1990; and |
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WHEREAS, Along the way, Mr. Dart further served as |
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commissioner of the Education Department's Rehabilitation Service |
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Administration, as chair of the president's Committee on Employment |
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of People with Disabilities, as president-elect of the National |
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Rehabilitation Association, and as a member of the National Council |
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on Disability; in 1998, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of |
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Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor; he died on June 22, |
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2002, at the age of 71; and |
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WHEREAS, Often called one of the fathers of the ADA, Justin |
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Dart was widely known for his rallying cry, "Lead On!"; his |
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visionary activism effected transformative change for people with |
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disabilities, and it would be most fitting to name the new transit |
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amenity center at 207 W. 14th Street in the Capitol Complex the |
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"Lead On! Transit Amenity" in his honor; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby direct the Texas Facilities Commission to name the new |
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transit amenity center at 207 W. 14th Street in the Capitol Complex |
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the "Lead On! Transit Amenity" in honor of Justin Dart; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official |
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copy of this resolution to the chair and executive director of the |
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Texas Facilities Commission. |