TITLE: Directing the Texas Facilities Commission to rename the State Insurance Building in the Capitol Complex in honor of former president George H. W. Bush.

SUMMARY: Directing the Texas Facilities Commission to rename the State Insurance Building in the Capitol Complex in honor of former president George H. W. Bush.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, has served the American people with honor and distinction over the course of an exemplary career in public life; and WHEREAS, Born in Milton, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1924, to U.S. Senator Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush, George H. W. Bush hailed from a family with a proud tradition of government and business leadership; he attended Phillips Academy in Andover, and on his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy; on earning his wings at the completion of flight school, he was among the youngest pilots serving in World War II, and he eventually flew a total of 58 combat missions in the war and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery in action; and WHEREAS, George Bush attended Yale University, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society; after graduating with a degree in economics in 1948, he found success working in the oil industry in West Texas; his entrance into politics came in 1963, when he was named chair of the Harris County Republican Party, and he was later elected to two terms in the U.S. Congress as a representative from Texas; highly respected by his peers in public service, he received appointments to a series of high-level positions, including ambassador to the United Nations, chair of the Republican National Committee, chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China, and director of the Central Intelligence Agency; and WHEREAS, This accomplished leader was selected as Ronald Reagan's running mate during the 1980 presidential campaign, and in his role as vice president of the United States from 1981 to 1989, he focused on federal deregulation, antidrug programs, and other domestic policy areas; in 1988, he became the Republican nominee for president, and following his victory in the November election, he took office as the nation's chief executive; and WHEREAS, His presidency coincided with a time of many significant changes in the world, including the end of the Cold War, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the fall of the Berlin Wall; noted for his skillful handling of foreign affairs, President Bush worked toward improved relations with Russia and oversaw the U.S. military's removal of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega; in response to the invasion of Kuwait directed by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 1990, he assembled an unprecedented coalition of 32 nations to drive out the Iraqi forces, an action that is widely viewed as his greatest presidential achievement; and WHEREAS, During and after his time in office, President Bush has championed the cause of public and community service; in 2011, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in recognition of his efforts to inspire volunteerism in communities across the country, and Points of Light, the foundation that he established in 1990, continues to engage millions of people to become agents of positive change; in 2005, he joined forces with former president Bill Clinton to lead a fund-raiser for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the initiative collected more than $100 million in donations in a matter of months; and WHEREAS, By his side in all his endeavors has been his wife, Barbara Bush, whom he married in 1945; the couple are the parents of six children, and they have proudly supported the political careers of their sons George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009, and Jeb Bush, who was governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007, as well as that of their grandson George P. Bush, who was elected Texas land commissioner in 2014; and WHEREAS, In President George H. W. Bush's own words, "Any definition of a successful life must include serving others," and this esteemed statesman has exemplified this ideal through his myriad contributions in the public realm; his patriotism and principled leadership have made him a revered figure in his adopted home state, and the renaming of the State Insurance Building in the Capitol Complex would indeed provide a fitting tribute to his legacy; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby direct the Texas Facilities Commission to rename the State Insurance Building in the Capitol Complex as the George H. W. Bush State Office Building in honor of former president George H. W. Bush and his steadfast commitment to our state and nation; and, be it further RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official copy of this resolution to the chair and to the executive director of the Texas Facilities Commission.