TITLE: Congratulating State Representative Harold V. Dutton, Jr., on his 80th birthday and his 40th anniversary with the Texas House.

SUMMARY: Congratulating State Representative Harold V. Dutton, Jr., on his 80th birthday and his 40th anniversary with the Texas House.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, State Representative Harold V. Dutton, Jr., of Houston is celebrating his 80th birthday on February 17, 2025, providing a fitting opportunity to honor this exemplary legislator for his four decades of service in the Texas House; and WHEREAS, A native of the Fifth Ward neighborhood in Houston, Harold Dutton graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School, and he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Texas Southern University and a juris doctor degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law; and WHEREAS, Mr. Dutton enjoyed a rewarding career at Conoco, where he held an executive management position in corporate planning and economic analysis; he also served as executive director of the Julia C. Hester House and as president of Four Star Broadcasting, and he later obtained a license to operate an independent UHF-TV station, TV-67, which began airing in the Houston area in 1986; a skilled attorney, he operates a Houston-based law firm, and he is a former adjunct professor at the TSU Law School; his professional affiliations include the Texas Bar Association, the Houston Bar Association, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association for Justice; and WHEREAS, A lifelong Democrat, Mr. Dutton began his tenure in the Texas House of Representatives on January 8, 1985, and he is currently serving his 21st term at the statehouse; a dedicated champion for his constituents in House District 142, he has supported a number of important causes, such as establishing the first statutory program to assist women and minority-owned businesses, enhancing public education, and creating incentives to improve the availability and affordability of property insurance in traditionally underserved areas; he has also sponsored bills to establish the state's annual sales tax holiday, compensate individuals who are wrongfully convicted, and revamp the juvenile justice system; and WHEREAS, Over the years, Representative Dutton has held a number of leadership roles, including chair of the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee, the Urban Affairs Committee, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, and the 25-member Harris County Legislative Delegation; during the 87th Legislative Session, he became the first African American chair of the Committee on Public Education; most recently, he has been assigned to the Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee and the Public Education Committee; and WHEREAS, Representative Dutton has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Urban Enrichment Institute, and he was named Legislator of the Year by the Texas Municipal League as well as a Distinguished Alumnus by the TSU School of Business; he has been involved in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and he is a 32nd Degree Mason and a member of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, where he serves as an usher; and WHEREAS, Above all else, Representative Dutton treasures time spent with his loved ones; he is the proud father of seven children, Melonie, Harold, Melissa, Peter, Jon Harold, Nicholas, and Jeremy, and he has had the pleasure of seeing his family grow to include eight grandchildren, Tatum, Therron, Aya, Allen, Artis, Peter, Peyden, and Pierce; and WHEREAS, Harold Dutton has made a positive difference in the lives of countless Texans through his outstanding contributions as a legislator and civic leader, and it is truly a pleasure to join in marking this significant milestone; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate State Representative Harold V. Dutton, Jr., on the occasion of his 80th birthday and extend to him sincere appreciation for his four decades of service in the Texas House; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Representative Dutton as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Thompson Burrows Guerra Morales Shaw Alders Guillen Morgan Allen Harless Mu oz Anch a Harris Noble Ashby Harris Davila Olcott Barry Harrison Oliverson Bell of Kaufman Hayes Ordaz Bell of Montgomery Hefner Orr Bernal Hernandez Patterson Bhojani Hickland Paul Bonnen Hinojosa Perez of El Paso Bowers Holt Perez of Harris Bryant Hopper Phelan Buckley Howard Pierson Bucy Hull Plesa Bumgarner Hunter Raymond Button Isaac Reynolds Cain Johnson Richardson Campos Jones of Dallas Rodr guez Ramos Canales Jones of Harris Romero Capriglione Kerwin Rose Cole King Rosenthal Collier Kitzman Schatzline Cook LaHood Schofield Cortez Lalani Schoolcraft Craddick Lambert Shaheen Cunningham Landgraf Shofner Curry Leach Simmons Darby Leo Wilson Slawson A. Davis of Dallas Little Smithee Y. Davis of Dallas Longoria Spiller Dean Lopez of Bexar Swanson DeAyala Lopez of Cameron Talarico Dorazio Louderback Tepper Dutton Lowe Thompson Dyson Lozano Tinderholt Fairly Lujan Toth Flores Luther Troxclair Frank Manuel Turner G mez Martinez VanDeaver Garcia of Bexar Martinez Fischer Vasut Garcia of Dallas McLaughlin Villalobos Garcia Hernandez McQueeney Virdell Gates Metcalf Vo Gerdes Meyer Walle Geren Meza Ward Johnson Gervin-Hawkins Money Wharton Gonz lez of Dallas Moody Wilson Gonz lez of El Paso Morales of Harris Wu Goodwin Morales of Maverick Zwiener Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 303 was adopted by the House on February 19, 2025, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House