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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 165 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

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;
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 internationally, 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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Texas 
        Rangers;
            (2) applauds the significant achievements of the Texas 
        Rangers;
            (3) commends the thousands of men and women who have served 
        in both field and command ranks of the Texas Rangers, both 
        before and after Texas statehood, including the current 234 
        full-time employees consisting of 166 commissioned Texas 
        Rangers and 68 support personnel;
            (4) remembers the 149 Texas Rangers who valiantly lost 
        their lives in the performance of their duties; and
            (5) recognizes the critical role the Texas Rangers have 
        played throughout the history of Texas, beginning with Stephen 
        F. Austin, the ``Father of Texas'', who organized the Texas 
        Rangers for the common defense over the range of the Texas 
        Republic.
                                 <all>
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