Bill Text: TX HR1936 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Texas Rangers.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-05-28 - Reported enrolled [HR1936 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR1936-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1936 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers is celebrating the 200th | ||
| anniversary of its founding in 2023, providing a fitting | ||
| opportunity to pay tribute to one of the most legendary law | ||
| enforcement organizations in the world; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the early 1820s Stephen F. Austin saw a need to | ||
| protect the families of settlers he was bringing to Texas, and in | ||
| 1823, he established a minuteman-style guard called the Rangers; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1835 an official corps of 60 men was created, | ||
| called the Texas Rangers, to safeguard settlements from Indian | ||
| attack during the Texas Revolution; after the defeat of General | ||
| Santa Anna's army at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the Republic | ||
| of Texas raised a battalion of 280 mounted riflemen to defend the | ||
| frontier; more companies were soon added, and Rangers began to | ||
| patrol along the border and throughout Texas; and | ||
| WHEREAS, During the latter part of the 19th century, Rangers | ||
| were organized in companies under the command of a captain, | ||
| lieutenant, or sergeant, and over time, their duties changed from | ||
| serving as soldiers to becoming law enforcement officers, tracking | ||
| train robbers, highwaymen, horse thieves, cattle rustlers, and | ||
| other outlaws; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1935, the Texas Rangers became part of the new | ||
| Texas Department of Public Safety, and today it is an elite unit | ||
| with statewide responsibility for investigating major crimes, | ||
| unsolved and serial crimes, public corruption, and officer shooting | ||
| incidents; the group also plays a role in border security, and it | ||
| maintains a special weapons and tactics team, a regional special | ||
| response team, and a crisis negotiation unit, among others; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers has often been portrayed in | ||
| popular culture, as the exploits of Rangers during the Texas | ||
| Revolution, the frontier era of the Old West, and the age of | ||
| gangsters and bank robbers in the 1930s have become the stuff of | ||
| countless books, films, and television programs; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco has | ||
| been designated as the official historical center of the Rangers by | ||
| the Texas Legislature and the Texas Public Safety Commission, and | ||
| in 2023, the museum will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the | ||
| oldest police agency on the North American continent; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the course of two centuries, the Texas Rangers | ||
| has become one of the most iconic institutions of the Lone Star | ||
| State, and the Rangers' reputation for courage, determination, and | ||
| dedication to duty remains unparalleled in the history of law | ||
| enforcement; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Texas | ||
| Rangers and extend to its members sincere best wishes for continued | ||
| success with their important work; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for the Texas Rangers as an expression of high regard by | ||
| the Texas House of Representatives. | ||
| Raymond | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1936 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 24, 2019, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
