IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 865 

Honoring the heroic military service, sacrifices, and contributions of veterans 

from the great State of Texas. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 

Ms. CROCKETT (for herself, Mr. FALLON, Mr. ALLRED, Mr. BABIN, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. CASAR, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. 

CUELLAR, Ms. DE LA CRUZ, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. ELLZEY, Ms. ESCOBAR, 

Mrs. FLETCHER, Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas, Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. JACKSON of 

Texas, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. LUTTRELL, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. MORAN, 

Mr. NEHLS, Mr. PFLUGER, Mr. SELF, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. VEASEY, and 

Mr. WEBER of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the heroic military service, sacrifices, and 

contributions of veterans from the great State of Texas. 

Whereas the United States of America owes an immeasurable 

debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who have 

served in its Armed Forces, safeguarding liberties and 

upholding the democratic principles upon which the 

United States was founded; 

Whereas the country observes November 11 of each year as 

‘‘Veterans Day’’, a Federal holiday honoring the men and 


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•HRES 865 IH 

women who served and sacrificed for the United States 

of America; 

Whereas Texas boasts a proud tradition of producing remarkable veterans who make extraordinary contributions to 

society; 

Whereas Texas is home to more than 1,600,000 veterans; 

Whereas veterans comprise 15 percent of the population in 

the State of Texas; 

Whereas women comprise more than 11 percent of the total 

Texas veteran population; 

Whereas people of color comprise roughly one-third of the 

veterans in Texas; 

Whereas Texas has 11 veterans currently serving in the 

118th Congress as Representatives for the Lonestar 

State; 

Whereas Texans have served with distinction in all military 

conflicts involving the United States of America, including World War I, World War II, the Korean war, the 

Vietnam war, Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, 

Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom; 

Whereas more than 22,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in World War II; 

Whereas more than 1,000 Texan lives were lost while serving 

in the Korean War; 

Whereas more than 2,000 Texan lives were lost while serving 

in the Vietnam war; 

Whereas more than 100 Texan lives were lost while serving 

in Operation Enduring Freedom; 


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•HRES 865 IH 

Whereas more than 400 Texan lives were lost while serving 

in Operation Iraqi Freedom; 

Whereas veterans across the country continue to face challenges in accessing essential resources supporting their 

successful transition to civilian life; 

Whereas Texas is home to countless medical facilities of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs, including Sam Rayburn 

Memorial Veterans Center, the Michael E. DeBakey VA 

Medical Center, the Kerrville VA Hospital, Doris Miller 

Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the 

Dallas VA Medical Center; 

Whereas nearly half of patients served by the Veterans 

Health Administration have been diagnosed with a mental illness or substance use condition; 

Whereas post-traumatic stress disorder has accounted for the 

majority of disabilities women veterans suffer from as a 

result of their military service; 

Whereas veteran mental health struggles have led to staggering statistics in veteran suicide rates, where roughly 

17 veteran lives are lost per day as a result of suicide; 

Whereas, in 1994, Congress established the Center for Minority Veterans and the Advisory Committee on Minority 

Veterans under the Veterans’ Benefits Improvements Act 

of 1994 (Public Law 103–446) to advise to the Secretary 

of Veterans Affairs on administering Department of Veterans Affairs benefits for minority veterans by reviewing 

reports and studies on compensation, health care, rehabilitation, outreach, and other benefits and services administered by the Department, and ensure all veterans 

receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion, or 

gender; 


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Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that more than 31,000 veterans are 

homeless, with nearly half experiencing unsheltered 

homelessness; 

Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs has developed 

several housing assistance initiatives, including integrating increasing voucher use and accelerate housing 

placements, increasing veterans’ access to legal services 

through legal services grants and community partnerships, as well as assisting with advancing veteran employment within the labor force to address the complex problems surrounding homeless veterans; 

Whereas Texas leads the Nation in both overall veteranowned and women-veteran-owned businesses; and 

Whereas, despite gains with veteran-owned businesses, roughly two-thirds of veterans struggle with the transition from 

military service to civilian life, and note that ‘‘finding a 

job’’ is one of the greatest challenges in doing so given 

the difficulty with transferring their military skills to a 

civilian work environment: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) honors the service, sacrifice, and contribu3 tions Texas veterans and their families have made to 

4 the cause of peace and freedom around the world; 

5 (2) commits to working with, where proper, the 

6 Department of Veterans Affairs and appropriate ex7 ecutive agencies to ensure that veterans are provided 

8 timely care and are given the benefits and comVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:29 Nov 14, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR865.IH HR865

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•HRES 865 IH 

1 pensation they are entitled to as a result of their 

2 service; 

3 (3) reaffirms the commitment of Congress to 

4 assisting veterans with their transition to civilian life 

5 upon concluding their service in the Armed Forces; 

6 and 

7 (4) recognizes that Congress must continue to 

8 invest in vital programs and resources to support the 

9 brave men and women veterans who have safe10 guarded the Nation’s liberties and upheld democratic 

11 principles at home and abroad. 

Æ 


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