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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life of an esteemed lawmaker and public servant |
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drew to a close with the passing of the Honorable Sylvester Turner |
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on March 5, 2025, at the age of 70; and |
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WHEREAS, Congressman Turner's monumental career encompassed |
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service as a state legislator, as the mayor of Houston, and as a |
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member of the United States House of Representatives, and the |
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ideals that guided all of his work were forged in the Bayou City's |
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Acres Homes neighborhood, where he was raised; born on |
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September 27, 1954, he shared a two-bedroom house with his parents |
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and eight siblings in his early years; while watching the |
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Kennedy-Nixon debates with his family as a small boy, he resolved to |
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become a lawyer and public servant, beginning his lifelong |
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commitment to helping others; his father, a commercial painter, |
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died when he was just 13, and his mother continued to support the |
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family as a housekeeper at the Rice Hotel; although neither of his |
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parents received a diploma, he became student body president and |
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valedictorian at Klein High School, and he went on to graduate from |
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the University of Houston and Harvard Law School; and |
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WHEREAS, Congressman Turner began his career as a trial |
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lawyer with the Fulbright & Jaworski firm and later cofounded |
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Barnes & Turner, a practice focused on commercial law and personal |
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injury litigation; in addition, he taught at the Texas Southern |
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University Thurgood Marshall School of Law, at the South Texas |
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College of Law, and in the University of Houston Law School |
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continuing legal education program; and |
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WHEREAS, First elected to the Texas House of Representatives |
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in 1988, Congressman Turner was returned to office 13 times and |
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served three terms as speaker pro tempore; he helped shape fiscal |
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policy during more than two decades on the House Appropriations |
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Committee and multiple terms as chair of its Subcommittee on |
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Criminal Justice; moreover, he distinguished himself in his duties |
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as a member of the Legislative Budget Board and as chair of the |
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Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Greater Houston Area |
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Legislative Delegation; known for his eloquence and his ability to |
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work across the aisle, he secured passage of such important |
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legislation as a 2007 children's health insurance measure; his |
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passion for health care, education, human services, consumer |
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rights, and juvenile justice earned him recognition as "the |
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conscience of the House"; and |
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WHEREAS, Congressman Turner was elected to the first of two |
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terms as Houston mayor in 2015; he guided the city through a period |
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of unprecedented challenges, among them Hurricane Harvey and six |
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other federally declared disasters, as well as the COVID-19 |
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pandemic; early in his tenure, he strengthened finances by crafting |
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a solution for the mounting pension debt crisis; he also promoted |
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sustainability, bolstering the city's status as the energy capital |
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of the world; addressing violent crime and mental health, he |
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launched the One Safe Houston initiative, and other important |
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programs included Hire Houston Youth, One Clean Houston, and |
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Complete Communities, which fostered economic advancement through |
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revitalization of underserved areas; in addition to his other |
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responsibilities, he provided national leadership in urban policy |
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as chair of the Global Resilient Cities Network, Climate Mayors, |
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and the African American Mayors Association, and he was a trustee of |
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the U.S. Conference of Mayors; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2024, citizens elected him to Congress to |
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represent the historically significant 18th Congressional |
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District, and he served as a member of the Homeland Security and the |
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Science, Space, and Technology Committees; during his time in |
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office, he maintained the incomparable work ethic and whirlwind |
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pace that defined his entire career, devoting himself to the |
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lawmaking process, staying in close touch with constituents, and |
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participating in numerous neighborhood and community-wide events |
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in Houston; he also set aside time to attend the Church Without |
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Walls, where he worshipped for well over three decades, and he |
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rarely missed a Sunday service, even while undergoing cancer |
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treatment; he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, |
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Incorporated, and remained a proud Acres Homes resident; and |
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WHEREAS, Dedicated to bridging divisions and creating |
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vibrant communities for all, Sylvester Turner demonstrated |
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visionary leadership that greatly benefited the city of Houston and |
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the wider State of Texas, and his legacy will continue to inspire |
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all those who seek to follow in his footsteps; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature |
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hereby honor the memory of Congressman Sylvester Turner and extend |
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sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his daughter, |
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Ashley Turner Captain, and her husband, Jimmie; to his grandson, |
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Jameson Captain; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns this |
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day, it do so in memory of Congressman Turner. |