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.

Bill: 118-hres-165
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17]
Introduced: 2023-02-27
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Congressional tributes

Law enforcement officers

Texas

U.S. history
Latest action: action_date: 2023-02-27
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-02-27
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Texas Rangers.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 165 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

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.