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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Senator Judith Zaffirini became the first female |
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dean of the Texas Senate on December 31, 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, The first Mexican American woman elected to the |
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chamber and now its first Latina dean, Senator Zaffirini took |
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office in 1987; setting a high standard of productivity, she has |
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cast more than 72,000 consecutive votes and passed nearly 1,400 |
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bills, historic records unlikely to be matched by any legislator; |
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her ability to work across the aisle was especially evident during |
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the last five Republican-dominated legislative sessions, during |
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which she has been the highest bill-passer; and |
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WHEREAS, Senator Zaffirini has held numerous leadership |
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roles in the Senate, including chair of the Higher Education, |
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Health and Human Services, and Government Organization Committees |
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and vice chair of the Committee on Natural Resources and Economic |
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Development and of Finance; she also was appointed to the special |
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committees on Grid Reliability Legislative Oversight and on |
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Hurricane and Tropical Storm Preparedness, Recovery, and |
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Electricity, and she has chaired the Eagle Ford Shale Legislative |
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Caucus; among many other committees, she has served as a member of |
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Business and Commerce, Finance, State Affairs, and Redistricting; |
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since 2015 she also has served on the Texas Judicial Council and |
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since 2017 in the Texas Access to Justice Commission; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2024 the Webb County Justice Center was renamed |
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the Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini Justice Center, becoming the |
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first local Texas courthouse named for a woman; Senator Zaffirini |
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is the namesake of a number of other public buildings and |
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facilities, as well as grant programs and scholarships at |
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educational institutions across the state; the recipient of more |
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than 1,200 accolades for her legislative, civic, and professional |
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achievements, she most recently garnered such honors as the Star of |
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Justice Award from the Texas Access to Justice Commission, the |
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Orgullo Latino Legacy Award from Webb County LULAC Council No. |
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22387, and the Champion of Medicine Award from the Texas Medical |
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Association Border Health Caucus; she was inducted into the Texas |
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Women's Hall of Fame by Governor Greg Abbott in 2018; and |
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WHEREAS, Senator Zaffirini is a former educator, the owner of |
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Zaffirini Communications, and the president of the Mr. South Texas |
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Foundation and the D&J Alexander Foundation; named a Distinguished |
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Alumna of The University of Texas at Austin in 2003, she earned her |
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bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the institution; |
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WHEREAS, Above all, she is inspired by her family, namely her |
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husband of 60 years, Carlos Sr.; their son, Carlos Jr., and daughter |
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by marriage, Audrey; and her two darling grandsons, Asher (7) and |
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George (5); and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of her remarkable legislative |
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career, Judith Zaffirini has made a positive difference in the |
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lives of countless Texans, and she has set an example of effective |
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public service to which all may aspire; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize the Honorable Judith Zaffirini for her |
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contributions as a state legislator and congratulate her on being |
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named dean of the Texas Senate; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Senator Zaffirini as an expression of high regard by |
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the Texas House of Representatives. |