Bill Text: TX HR1608 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring Heider Garcia for his service as Tarrant County elections administrator.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-19 - Reported enrolled [HR1608 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HR1608-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1608 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Heider Garcia is concluding his exemplary tenure as | ||
| Tarrant County elections administrator on June 23, 2023; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Widely recognized as a leader in his field, | ||
| Mr. Garcia was hired by Tarrant County in 2018; he implemented the | ||
| new Electronic Poll Book platform, advanced the process for | ||
| purchasing new voting equipment, and successfully advocated for | ||
| adoption of the Vote Centers model of voting, also known as | ||
| countywide polling; in 2020, Tarrant County earned an Achievement | ||
| Award from the National Association of Counties in the category of | ||
| Information Technology for Modernizing Election Systems; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Under Mr. Garcia's leadership as administrator, the | ||
| county also received positive reviews from a state audit of the 2020 | ||
| voting process, and former Texas Secretary of State John B. Scott | ||
| praised his performance as a model for all to emulate; Mr. Garcia | ||
| has demonstrated a great willingness to address the concerns of | ||
| citizens, answering their questions and welcoming them to tour | ||
| elections facilities and review records; he serves as vice | ||
| president of the Texas Association of Elections Administrators; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Previously, Mr. Garcia was the elections manager | ||
| for Placer County, California, and he served as election systems | ||
| manager for the project team that ran the 2010 automated elections | ||
| in the Philippines, a country of more than 50 million registered | ||
| voters; he was responsible for customizing the technology, | ||
| certifying the solution under VVSG standards in the United States, | ||
| and ensuring total compliance with local legislation; at the end of | ||
| the project, he responded to the information requests from the | ||
| nation's legislative oversight committees; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Born in Pennsylvania, Mr. Garcia earned his | ||
| bachelor's degree in computer engineering from Simon Bolivar | ||
| University in his parents' native Venezuela; he began working as a | ||
| software developer for a company that entered the elections | ||
| business, and he was placed in charge of voting machine deployment | ||
| and certification for 12 nationwide election processes; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Heider Garcia has greatly benefited residents of | ||
| Tarrant County through his skill, expertise, and steadfast | ||
| dedication to the efficiency, accuracy, and transparency of the | ||
| elections process, and his contributions have earned the admiration | ||
| of citizens and professional colleagues alike, in Tarrant County | ||
| and beyond; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby honor Heider Garcia for his outstanding service | ||
| as Tarrant County elections administrator and extend to him sincere | ||
| best wishes for continued success in his endeavors; and, be it | ||
| further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for Mr. Garcia as an expression of high regard by the Texas | ||
| House of Representatives. | ||
| Turner | ||
| Geren | ||
| Romero, Jr. | ||
| Collier | ||
| Bhojani | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1608 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 19, 2023, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
