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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The 80th birthday of an esteemed legislator is truly |
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cause for celebration, and State Representative Harold V. Dutton, |
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Jr., of Houston is marking this significant milestone in his life on |
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February 17, 2025, to the delight of his family, his friends, and |
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his colleagues in the Capitol community; and |
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WHEREAS, A proud son of Houston's Fifth Ward, Harold Dutton |
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was born in 1945, and he received his diploma from Phillis Wheatley |
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High School at the age of 16; after earning his bachelor's degree in |
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accounting from Texas Southern University, he went on to graduate |
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from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at TSU; he held management |
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positions with Conoco in the areas of corporate planning and |
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economic analysis before becoming president of Four Star |
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Broadcasting and opening his law practice; and |
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WHEREAS, Representative Dutton was first elected to the Texas |
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House of Representatives in 1984, and he is presently serving his |
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21st term in office; during his remarkable 40-year tenure, he has |
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served on numerous committees and in many leadership roles, |
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including as chair of the Urban Affairs and the Juvenile Justice and |
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Family Issues Committees, and he became the first African American |
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chair of the Public Education Committee during the 87th Legislative |
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Session in 2021; moreover, he has served as chair of the Texas |
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Legislative Black Caucus and the Harris County legislative |
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delegation; and |
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WHEREAS, Among his many achievements as a lawmaker, |
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Representative Dutton sponsored the state's first statutory |
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program to assist women- and minority-owned businesses, as well as |
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initiatives to enhance public education, particularly regarding |
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alternative education and early childhood literacy; he has also |
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sponsored legislation to establish the annual sales tax holiday, to |
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compensate individuals who are wrongfully convicted, and to create |
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incentives to improve the availability and affordability of |
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property insurance in traditionally underserved areas; the |
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recipient of myriad accolades, he was named Legislator of the Year |
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by the Texas Municipal League and was recognized as a Distinguished |
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Alumnus by the TSU School of Business, and he has been honored by a |
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host of organizations and publications through the years; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of his long and distinguished career |
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in the Texas Legislature, Harold Dutton has earned the deep |
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admiration of his colleagues and constituents alike, and he may |
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indeed reflect with pride on his wide-ranging contributions as he |
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celebrates eight decades of life well lived; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature |
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hereby congratulate the Honorable Harold V. Dutton, Jr., on the |
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occasion of his 80th birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes |
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for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Representative Dutton as an expression of high regard |
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by the Texas Senate. |