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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of Houston lost a political icon and |
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fierce champion of social justice with the passing of U.S. |
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Representative Sheila Jackson Lee on July 19, 2024; and |
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WHEREAS, The daughter of Ezra Jackson and Ivalita Bennett |
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Jackson, the former Sheila Jackson was born in New York City on |
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January 12, 1950, and grew up in Jamaica, Queens; she earned a |
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bachelor's degree in political science as a member of Yale |
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University's first coed class and went on to complete her law degree |
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at the University of Virginia; following her marriage to Elwyn Lee, |
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a Houston native, she became the proud mother of two children, Jason |
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and Erica; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1978, Congresswoman Jackson Lee moved to the |
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Bayou City with her husband and began working for the Fulbright & |
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Jaworski law firm; appointed as a municipal judge in 1987, she later |
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became a highly effective member of the city council, and she |
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further served as a deputy agriculture commissioner for the State |
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of Texas; she won her first congressional race in 1994 and was |
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reelected 14 times, never with less than 70 percent of the vote; |
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known for her formidable work ethic, she filed scores of bills |
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addressing the needs of the most vulnerable, and she did not |
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hesitate to work across the aisle to pass them; after the Violence |
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Against Women Act expired in 2019, she fought for its reenactment |
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and authored the legislation that achieved that goal; she was also |
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the author and lead sponsor of the Juneteenth National Independence |
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Day Act, which established the first new federal holiday in nearly |
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four decades; in 2021, she sponsored H.R. 40, a resolution to |
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establish the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals |
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for African Americans, and she succeeded in shepherding it through |
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to a committee vote; her many other major initiatives included the |
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Sentencing Reform Act, Paycheck Fairness Act, and George Floyd Law |
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Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act; known for her passionate |
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speeches on the House floor, she advocated for gay rights long |
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before mainstream acceptance of the movement and continued to serve |
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as a powerful voice for progressive causes, including Black Lives |
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Matter and gun control; she took her message to innumerable media |
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outlets as well; most recently, she lent her support to a federal |
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version of the CROWN Act to prevent discrimination based on |
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hairstyles favored by people of color; and |
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WHEREAS, Congresswoman Jackson Lee held numerous leadership |
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roles, including chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime, |
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Terrorism, and Homeland Security and senior member of the |
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Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget Committees; she was the |
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House Democrats' chief deputy whip, chair of the Congressional |
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Black Caucus Energy Braintrust, co-chair of the Justice Reform Task |
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Force, and a founder and chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus |
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and the Congressional Children's Caucus; Congressional Quarterly |
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ranked her among the 50 most effective members of Congress; and |
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WHEREAS, Devoted to her constituents, Congresswoman Jackson |
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Lee was instrumental in directing billions of federal dollars to |
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under-resourced communities; she helped her city recover from |
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numerous natural disasters and other crises, even personally |
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directing traffic to a COVID-19 testing site at the height of the |
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pandemic and unloading food and supplies for residents during the |
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2021 freeze; over the years, she appeared at countless local |
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meetings and events, and she demonstrated deep compassion to those |
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suffering loss, attending funerals, extending words of comfort, and |
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connecting the bereaved with support services; and |
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WHEREAS, Sheila Jackson Lee was a fearless warrior in behalf |
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of freedom, democracy, and positive change, and although she will |
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be greatly missed, her exceptional contributions will continue to |
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resonate in the years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Sheila Jackson Lee and |
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extend sincere condolences to the members of her family: to her |
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husband, Elwyn Lee; to her children, Jason and Erica Lee; to her |
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grandchildren, Ellison Bennett Carter and Roy Lee Carter III; and |
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to her other relatives, her many friends, and all who mourn her |
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passing; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sheila |
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Jackson Lee. |