IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 165 

Commemorating the bicentennial of the Texas Ranger Division of the Texas 

Department of Public Safety, the oldest State law enforcement agency 

in North America, and honoring the men and women, past and present, 

of the Texas Rangers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2023 

Mr. SESSIONS (for himself, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. 

ELLZEY, Mr. SELF, Mr. MORAN, and Mr. WEBER of Texas) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the bicentennial of the Texas Ranger Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the oldest 

State law enforcement agency in North America, and 

honoring the men and women, past and present, of the 

Texas Rangers. 

Whereas the Texas Ranger Division of the Texas Department 

of Public Safety was established in 1823 and will commemorate its 200th anniversary in 2023; 

Whereas the Texas Rangers are the oldest law enforcement 

organization on the North American continent with statewide jurisdiction; 


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•HRES 165 IH 

Whereas the Texas Rangers have played an influential, valiant, and honorable role from the early years of Texas to 

the present day; 

Whereas, through the centuries, the Texas Rangers have 

served as— 

(1) a citizen militia, protecting ranches, farms, and 

settlements against hostile raids; 

(2) frontier peace officers, protecting against outlaws and banditry; 

(3) law enforcement to new towns and settlements 

on burgeoning railroad routes and cattle trails; and 

(4) State police, handling lawlessness in oil boomtowns, violations of Prohibition, and gangsters; 

Whereas, in 1935, the Texas Rangers were incorporated into 

one of the first departments of public safety in the 

United States; 

Whereas the Texas Rangers are internationally respected 

for— 

(1) conducting major criminal investigations; 

(2) suppressing organized crime; 

(3) performing border reconnaissance; 

(4) expertise with respect to special weapons and 

tactics; 

(5) serving as bomb squads; 

(6) special rapid response capabilities; 

(7) crisis negotiation capabilities; 

(8) joint intelligence center management; and 

(9) investigating unsolved crimes; 

Whereas the pioneering initiatives of the Texas Rangers, such 

as the Interdiction for the Protection of Children program, have resulted in invitations from law enforcement 

agencies throughout the United States and internationVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:38 Feb 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR165.IH HR165

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•HRES 165 IH 

ally, from Australia to Great Britain, to help initiate 

similar law enforcement initiatives; 

Whereas the Texas Rangers have partnered with Federal 

agencies on numerous public safety and relief initiatives, 

such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and with 

the Federal Bureau of Investigation on numerous occasions, including the pursuit of Bonnie Parker and Clyde 

Barrow in 1934; 

Whereas the Texas Rangers have captured the imagination of 

the public and have become icons of United States popular culture; 

Whereas songs, books, and novels have been written about 

the Texas Rangers since the 1840s; 

Whereas the Texas Rangers are the largest and oldest multimedia ‘‘franchise’’ of the United States, dating back to 

the earliest years of film, radio, and television; and 

Whereas the Texas Rangers have been featured in more than 

225 movies and 7 television series: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commemorates the 200th anniversary of the 

3 Texas Rangers; 

4 (2) applauds the significant achievements of the 

5 Texas Rangers; 

6 (3) commends the thousands of men and 

7 women who have served in both field and command 

8 ranks of the Texas Rangers, both before and after 

9 Texas statehood, including the current 234 full-time 


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•HRES 165 IH 

1 employees consisting of 166 commissioned Texas 

2 Rangers and 68 support personnel; 

3 (4) remembers the 149 Texas Rangers who val4 iantly lost their lives in the performance of their du5 ties; and 

6 (5) recognizes the critical role the Texas Rang7 ers have played throughout the history of Texas, be8 ginning with Stephen F. Austin, the ‘‘Father of 

9 Texas’’, who organized the Texas Rangers for the 

10 common defense over the range of the Texas Repub11 lic. 

Æ 


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