HCR 19

89R820 KSM-D
		By: González of Dallas
  H.C.R. No. 19
  CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, Pioneering lawmaker Irma Rangel left an indelible
  imprint on the State of Texas; and
         WHEREAS, In 1976, Irma Rangel became the first Mexican
  American woman elected to the Texas Legislature; she embarked on a
  mission to dismantle structural inequities and improve the lives of
  the most vulnerable; during more than a quarter century in office,
  she secured passage of numerous bills that empowered the
  disadvantaged, including legislation extending the absentee voting
  system, creating centers for victims of domestic violence, and
  providing educational and employment programs to mothers with
  dependent children; and
         WHEREAS, Representative Rangel worked tirelessly to ensure
  access to quality instruction at all levels and transformed the
  state's higher education landscape; as chair of the Higher
  Education Committee, she expanded opportunities for low-income and
  minority youth; she was the primary sponsor of the bill that gave
  high school students in the top 10 percent of their graduating class
  automatic admission to the state's best public universities;
  moreover, she was instrumental in providing funding for the first
  professional school in South Texas; in appreciation, Texas A&M
  University-Kingsville named that school the Irma Rangel College of
  Pharmacy; also honoring her legacy are the Irma Lerma Rangel Young
  Women's Leadership School in Dallas and the Irma Rangel Public
  Policy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin; and
         WHEREAS, Born in Kingsville in 1931, Representative Rangel
  attended a segregated elementary school; she went on to earn a
  bachelor's degree in business administration from Texas A&M
  University-Kingsville and taught in Texas, California, and
  Venezuela for 14 years; determined to make a greater impact, she
  graduated from St. Mary's University School of Law and became the
  first Mexican American woman district attorney in Corpus Christi;
  she returned to Kingsville to open a law practice and became
  involved in grassroots politics; and
         WHEREAS, Representative Rangel served in the legislature
  until 2003, when she lost her battle with brain cancer; since then,
  her enormous contributions have continued to resonate, and the
  naming of a state building in her honor would be a fitting tribute
  to a trailblazer who opened avenues of advancement for all Texans;
  now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby direct the Texas Facilities Commission to name the building
  being constructed in Phase Two of the Texas Capitol Complex Master
  Plan at the northwest corner of Congress Avenue and 15th Street the
  Irma Rangel Building; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
  copy of this resolution to the chair and executive director of the
  Texas Facilities Commission.