SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 662

WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to pay tribute to the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson and to recognize her on her trailblazing career in public service, which included 15 terms of leadership representing the 30th Congressional District of Texas; and

WHEREAS, A native of Waco, Eddie Bernice Johnson studied nursing at Saint Mary's College and later went on to earn a nursing degree from Texas Christian University and a master's degree in public administration from Southern Methodist University; she moved to Dallas during the late 1950s, where she experienced the blatant racism and discrimination that helped to inspire her commitment to activism and advocacy, and she went on to lead an exceptional career of public service that helped to transform the city and improve the lives of people across the nation; and

WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson began her pioneering career of public service when she became the first African American professional at the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital, where she served as chief psychiatric nurse; she would continue to break boundaries at every step of her career, and in 1972, she became the first Black woman elected to represent Dallas County in the Texas House of Representatives; she became the first woman in Texas history to lead a major house committee, and she earned a reputation as a champion for women and children and was admired for her bipartisan and no-nonsense approach to policymaking; and

WHEREAS, In 1977, she accepted an appointment to serve as a regional director of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter; after serving in the federal government and in the private sector, she returned to Texas, and in 1986, she became the first Black person since Reconstruction to represent Dallas in the Texas Senate; she continued to make strides in improving the Dallas community, and she brought her service as a state legislator to a close in 1992, when she became the first registered nurse to be elected to the United States Congress; and

WHEREAS, Congresswoman Johnson served as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee throughout her tenure as a United States Representative, and her many committee and subcommittee leadership assignments have led to national strides in such areas as human rights, STEM education, transportation, environmental policy, and foreign relations; she is widely recognized as one of the most effective legislators in Congress, and she is responsible for authoring and co-authoring more than 175 bills that have been signed into law; she has served as dean of the Texas Congressional Delegation and the Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona Democratic Congressional Delegation, and her acclaimed initiative, A World of Women for World Peace, has gained national and international recognition; and

WHEREAS, This widely esteemed Democratic leader is the founder and cochair of the Diversity and Innovation Caucus and the House Historical Black Colleges and Universities Caucus; she has remained focused on serving her local constituents while tirelessly working in support of human rights in the United States and around the globe, and she can reflect with pride on her exceptional legacy and on the enduring example of leadership and public service she leaves behind; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th Legislature, hereby commend the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson on her dedication to serving the citizens of Dallas County and on 30 years of outstanding leadership as a United States Congresswoman and extend to her best wishes in her retirement and in all her future endeavors; and, be it further

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

West, Alvarado, Eckhardt Johnson, Whitmire

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Member, Texas Senate

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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate

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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on May 25, 2023.

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Secretary of the Senate