Bill Text: TX HR99 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 88th anniversary of his birth.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2017-01-17 - Reported enrolled [HR99 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-HR99-Introduced.html

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85R6727 SMJ-D
By: Giddings H.R. No. 99

R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, January 15, 2017, marks the 88th anniversary of the
birth of the great civil rights leader and humanitarian Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Dr. King joined the NAACP at an early age, and by
1954 he held a seat on the organization's executive committee; he
rose to national prominence in 1955-1956, when he served as a
spiritual and moral leader of the historic bus boycott in
Montgomery, Alabama; a watershed event, the boycott led to the
banning of segregation in local and interstate travel in the United
States and simultaneously helped to launch the civil rights
movement; and
WHEREAS, In 1957, Dr. King and a number of other ministers
founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; an
influential civil rights organization, the SCLC coordinated mass
protest campaigns and voter registration drives across the South;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. King served as president of the SCLC from its
inception until his death on April 4, 1968; during those tumultuous
years, he wrote five books and numerous articles, traveled more
than six million miles, and spoke at over 2,500 events; frequently
jailed for peaceful protest, he endured numerous personal threats
and attacks over the course of his career; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of his immeasurable influence and
moral stature, Time magazine named Dr. King its Man of the Year in
1963, and in 1964, at the age of 35, he was awarded the Nobel Prize
for Peace; he donated the money that accompanied the prize, more
than $54,000, to further the civil rights movement; and
WHEREAS, The birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became a
federal holiday when President Ronald Reagan signed historic
legislation in 1983, and the holiday was formally observed for the
first time on January 20, 1986; and
WHEREAS, Through his courageous, unflinching pursuit of
social and economic justice, Dr. King helped to shatter a deeply
entrenched system of second-class citizenship and highlight, here
in this country and across the globe, the liberating ideals of
freedom, equality, and human dignity; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and
call on all Texans to join in carrying forward his dream of a more
just, tolerant, and inclusive society.