H.R. No. 525

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Residents of Houston lost a tireless champion of
	opportunity and positive change with the passing of Congressman
	Sylvester Turner on March 5, 2025, at the age of 70; and
	WHEREAS, A former mayor of the city and a longtime member of
	the Texas Legislature, Sylvester Turner was born in Houston on
	September 27, 1954, and grew up with eight siblings in a two-bedroom
	house in the Acres Homes neighborhood; while watching the
	Kennedy-Nixon debates with his family as a small boy, he resolved to
	become a lawyer and public servant, beginning his lifelong
	commitment to helping others; his father, a commercial painter,
	died when he was just 13, and his mother continued to support the
	family as a housekeeper at the Rice Hotel; although neither of his
	parents received a diploma, he became student body president and
	valedictorian at Klein High School, and he went on to graduate from
	the University of Houston and Harvard Law School; and
	WHEREAS, Congressman Turner began his career as a trial
	lawyer with the Fulbright & Jaworski firm and later cofounded
	Barnes & Turner, a practice focused on commercial law and personal
	injury litigation; in addition, he taught at the Texas Southern
	University Thurgood Marshall School of Law, at the South Texas
	College of Law, and in the University of Houston Law School
	continuing legal education program; and
	WHEREAS, First elected to the Texas House of Representatives
	in 1988, Congressman Turner was reelected 13 times and served three
	terms as speaker pro tempore; he helped shape fiscal policy during
	more than two decades on the House Appropriations Committee and
	multiple terms as chair of its Subcommittee on Criminal Justice;
	moreover, he distinguished himself in his duties as a member of the
	Legislative Budget Board and as chair of the Texas Legislative
	Black Caucus and the Greater Houston Area Legislative Delegation;
	known for his eloquence and his ability to work across the aisle, he
	secured passage of such important legislation as a 2007 children's
	health insurance measure; his passion for health care, education,
	human services, consumer rights, and juvenile justice earned him
	recognition as "the conscience of the House"; and
	WHEREAS, Congressman Turner was elected to the first of two
	terms as Houston mayor in 2015; he guided the city through a period
	of unprecedented challenges, among them Hurricane Harvey and six
	other federally declared disasters, as well as the COVID-19
	pandemic; early in his tenure, he strengthened finances by crafting
	a solution for the mounting pension debt crisis; he also promoted
	sustainability, bolstering the city's status as the energy capital
	of the world; addressing violent crime and mental health, he
	launched the One Safe Houston initiative, and other important
	programs included Hire Houston Youth, One Clean Houston, and
	Complete Communities, which fostered economic advancement through
	revitalization of underserved areas; in addition to his other
	responsibilities, he provided national leadership in urban policy
	as chair of the Global Resilient Cities Network, Climate Mayors,
	and the African American Mayors Association, and he was a trustee of
	the U.S. Conference of Mayors; and
	WHEREAS, In 2024, citizens elected him to Congress to
	represent the historically significant 18th Congressional
	District, and he served as a member of the Homeland Security and the
	Science, Space, and Technology Committees; during his time in
	office, he maintained the incomparable work ethic and whirlwind
	pace that defined his entire career, devoting himself to the
	lawmaking process, staying in close touch with constituents, and
	participating in numerous neighborhood and community-wide events
	in Houston; he also set aside time to attend the Church Without
	Walls, where he worshipped for well over three decades, and he
	rarely missed a Sunday service, even while undergoing cancer
	treatment; he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,
	Incorporated, and remained a proud resident of the Acres Homes
	community where he grew up; and
	WHEREAS, Intent on fulfilling his mission until the very
	last, Sylvester Turner made an enduring, positive difference in the
	lives of millions of Texans through his transformative public
	service, and although his loss is deeply felt, his extraordinary
	contributions will continue to resonate in the years to come; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
	Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable
	Sylvester Turner and extend sincere condolences to the members of
	his family: to his daughter, Ashley Turner Captain, and her
	husband, Jimmie; to his grandson, Jameson Captain; to his other
	relatives and a host of friends and colleagues; and to all who mourn
	his passing; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
	Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
	Congressman Turner.
	Thompson
	Y. Davis of Dallas
	Dutton
	Lalani
	Burrows Guerra Morales Shaw
	Alders Guillen Morgan
	Allen Harless Muñoz
	Anchía Harris Noble
	Ashby Harris Davila Olcott
	Barry Harrison Oliverson
	Bell of Kaufman Hayes Ordaz
	Bell of Montgomery Hefner Orr
	Bernal Hernandez Patterson
	Bhojani Hickland Paul
	Bonnen Hinojosa Perez of El Paso
	Bowers Holt Perez of Harris
	Bryant Hopper Phelan
	Buckley Howard Pierson
	Bucy Hull Plesa
	Bumgarner Hunter Raymond
	Button Isaac Reynolds
	Cain Johnson Richardson
	Campos Jones of Dallas Rodríguez Ramos
	Canales Jones of Harris Romero
	Capriglione Kerwin Rose
	Cole King Rosenthal
	Collier Kitzman Schatzline
	Cook LaHood Schofield
	Cortez Lalani Schoolcraft
	Craddick Lambert Shaheen
	Cunningham Landgraf Shofner
	Curry Leach Simmons
	Darby Leo Wilson Slawson
	A. Davis of Dallas Little Smithee
	Y. Davis of Dallas Longoria Spiller
	Dean Lopez of Bexar Swanson
	DeAyala Lopez of Cameron Talarico
	Dorazio Louderback Tepper
	Dutton Lowe Thompson
	Dyson Lozano Tinderholt
	Fairly Lujan Toth
	Flores Luther Troxclair
	Frank Manuel Turner
	Gámez Martinez VanDeaver
	Garcia of Bexar Martinez Fischer Vasut
	Garcia of Dallas McLaughlin Villalobos
	Garcia Hernandez McQueeney Virdell
	Gates Metcalf Vo
	Gerdes Meyer Walle
	Geren Meza Ward Johnson
	Gervin-Hawkins Money Wharton
	González of Dallas Moody Wilson
	González of El Paso Morales of Harris Wu
	Goodwin Morales of Maverick Zwiener
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 525 was unanimously adopted by a rising
	vote of the House on March 13, 2025.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House