TITLE: Commemorating the bicentennial of the establishment of the office of constable in Texas.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the bicentennial of the establishment of the office of constable in Texas.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The year 2023 marks the bicentennial of the establishment of the office of constable in Texas, and this milestone anniversary provides a welcome opportunity to recognize the outstanding contributions that have been made by these law enforcement professionals through the decades; and WHEREAS, The office of constable dates back at least to the 11th century in England and was later established in the British colonies in North America; constables remained an integral component of local law enforcement following the American Revolution, and though their duties varied over time, constables were often responsible for serving warrants, arresting offenders, and generally upholding law and order; and WHEREAS, The distinguished legacy of constables in Texas began in 1823, when the area was still part of Mexico; on March 5 of that year, John Tumlinson, the alcalde of the Colorado District in Stephen F. Austin's first colony, appointed Thomas V. Alley as constable, with Tumlinson stating that Alley's duties were "to summon witnesses and bring offenders to justice"; when independence was won in 1836, the Constitution of the Republic of Texas provided for the election in each county of a sheriff and "a sufficient number of constables," and 38 constables were eventually elected in 12 counties; and WHEREAS, After Texas became a state in 1845, legislation passed by state lawmakers declared that the constable should be "the conservator of the peace throughout the county"; among their other duties, constables were required to quell "riots, routs, affrays, fighting, and unlawful assemblies" and to make arrests; during the early statehood of Texas, constables were the most active law enforcement officials in many counties; and WHEREAS, Following the Civil War, the election of county officials virtually ceased, but a major change came with the Texas Constitution of 1876, which reinstated the election of constables at the precinct level; today, constables are elected from precincts in most Texas counties, and these licensed peace officers carry out a range of essential functions, including serving warrants and civil papers, such as subpoenas and temporary restraining orders, issuing traffic citations, and serving as bailiffs for justice of the peace courts; and WHEREAS, Continuing to build on a proud and storied tradition, Texas constables play an important role in enforcing the rule of law, and it is a pleasure to join in celebrating this significant anniversary; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the bicentennial of the establishment of the office of constable in Texas and extend sincere appreciation to all constables in the state for their exceptional work. Harris of Williamson Phelan Guerra Murr Allen Guillen Neave Criado Allison Harless Noble Anch a Harris of Anderson Oliverson Anderson Harris of Williamson Ordaz Ashby Harrison Orr Bailes Hayes Ortega Bell of Kaufman Hefner Patterson Bell of Montgomery Hernandez Paul Bernal Herrero Perez Bhojani Hinojosa Plesa Bonnen Holland Price Bowers Howard Ramos Bryant Hull Raney Buckley Hunter Raymond Bucy Isaac Reynolds Bumgarner Jetton Rogers Burns Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr. Burrows A. Johnson of Harris Rose Button J. Johnson of Harris Rosenthal Cain Jones of Dallas Schaefer Campos Jones of Harris Schatzline Canales Kacal Schofield Capriglione King of Hemphill Shaheen Clardy King of Uvalde Sherman, Sr. Cole Kitzman Shine Collier Klick Slaton Cook Kuempel Slawson Cortez Lalani Smith Craddick Lambert Smithee Cunningham Landgraf Spiller Darby Leach Stucky Davis Leo-Wilson Swanson Dean Longoria Talarico DeAyala Lopez of Bexar Tepper Dorazio Lopez of Cameron Thierry Dutton Lozano Thimesch Flores Lujan Thompson of Brazoria Frank Manuel Thompson of Harris Frazier Martinez Tinderholt Gamez Martinez Fischer Toth Garcia Metcalf Troxclair Gates Meyer Turner Gerdes Meza VanDeaver Geren Moody Vasut Gervin-Hawkins Morales of Harris Vo Goldman Morales of Maverick Walle Gonz lez of Dallas Morales Shaw Wilson Gonz lez of El Paso Morrison Wu Goodwin Mu oz, Jr. Zwiener Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 169 was adopted by the House on March 7, 2023, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House