SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 116
	In Memory
	of
	Eddie Bernice Johnson
	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
	honor and commemorate the life of Eddie Bernice Johnson, who died
	on December 31, 2023, at the age of 89; and
	WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson was born on December 3,
	1934, in Waco; a graduate of A. J. Moore High School, she 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; and
	WHEREAS, Upon moving to Dallas in the late 1950s, 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 improved the lives of people across the
	nation; and
	WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson began her career as a chief
	psychiatric nurse, and in 1972, she became the first Black woman
	elected to represent Dallas County in the Texas House of
	Representatives, where 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 a
	period of time with 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 brought her state service to a close in 1992,
	when she was elected to the United States Congress; and
	WHEREAS, Congresswoman Johnson led many committees and
	subcommittees that effected progress in such areas as human
	rights, STEM education, transportation, environmental policy,
	and foreign relations; widely recognized as one of the most
	effective legislators in Congress, she was responsible for
	authoring and co-authoring more than 175 enacted bills; and
	WHEREAS, Her distinguished career in public service
	included 15 terms of leadership representing the 30th
	Congressional District of Texas, and she continued serving her
	Dallas community while tirelessly supporting human rights in
	the United States and around the globe; an esteemed Democratic
	leader and a woman of great courage and strength, Eddie Bernice
	Johnson was a devoted mother to her son, Kirk Johnson, whom she
	raised by loving example; she was a proud grandmother to her
	three grandsons and to her great-grandchildren, who all
	enriched her life immeasurably; and
	WHEREAS, Eddie Bernice Johnson's extraordinary leadership
	and dedication to public service will long be remembered by the
	people of the Lone Star State and by citizens and leaders
	throughout our great nation; her remarkable life and her
	outstanding achievements are a source of inspiration to
	countless people, and her enduring legacy is a shining example to
	current and future generations; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
	Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the memory of Eddie Bernice
	Johnson; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
	her family and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in
	memory of Eddie Bernice Johnson.
	West
	Alvarado Eckhardt Miles
	Cook Gutierrez Paxton
	Hinojosa of Hidalgo
	Patrick, President of the Senate
		________________________________
		President of the Senate
		I hereby certify that the
		above Resolution was adopted by
		the Senate on February 18, 2025,
		by a rising vote.
		________________________________
		Secretary of the Senate
		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate