Bill Text: TX HR46 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Recognizing Senator Judith Zaffirini for her contributions as a state legislator.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-11-26 - Filed [HR46 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HR46-Introduced.html
| By: Morales Shaw | H.R. No. 46 | |
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| WHEREAS, Senator Judith Zaffirini became the first female | ||
| dean of the Texas Senate on December 31, 2023; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The first Mexican American woman elected to the | ||
| chamber and now its first Latina dean, Senator Zaffirini took | ||
| office in 1987; setting a high standard of productivity, she has | ||
| cast more than 72,000 consecutive votes and passed nearly 1,400 | ||
| bills, historic records unlikely to be matched by any legislator; | ||
| her ability to work across the aisle was especially evident during | ||
| the last five Republican-dominated legislative sessions, during | ||
| which she has been the highest bill-passer; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Senator Zaffirini has held numerous leadership | ||
| roles in the Senate, including chair of the Higher Education, | ||
| Health and Human Services, and Government Organization Committees | ||
| and vice chair of the Committee on Natural Resources and Economic | ||
| Development and of Finance; she also was appointed to the special | ||
| committees on Grid Reliability Legislative Oversight and on | ||
| Hurricane and Tropical Storm Preparedness, Recovery, and | ||
| Electricity, and she has chaired the Eagle Ford Shale Legislative | ||
| Caucus; among many other committees, she has served as a member of | ||
| Business and Commerce, Finance, State Affairs, and Redistricting; | ||
| since 2015 she also has served on the Texas Judicial Council and | ||
| since 2017 in the Texas Access to Justice Commission; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 2024 the Webb County Justice Center was renamed | ||
| the Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini Justice Center, becoming the | ||
| first local Texas courthouse named for a woman; Senator Zaffirini | ||
| is the namesake of a number of other public buildings and | ||
| facilities, as well as grant programs and scholarships at | ||
| educational institutions across the state; the recipient of more | ||
| than 1,200 accolades for her legislative, civic, and professional | ||
| achievements, she most recently garnered such honors as the Star of | ||
| Justice Award from the Texas Access to Justice Commission, the | ||
| Orgullo Latino Legacy Award from Webb County LULAC Council No. | ||
| 22387, and the Champion of Medicine Award from the Texas Medical | ||
| Association Border Health Caucus; she was inducted into the Texas | ||
| Women's Hall of Fame by Governor Greg Abbott in 2018; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Senator Zaffirini is a former educator, the owner of | ||
| Zaffirini Communications, and the president of the Mr. South Texas | ||
| Foundation and the D&J Alexander Foundation; named a Distinguished | ||
| Alumna of The University of Texas at Austin in 2003, she earned her | ||
| bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the institution; | ||
| WHEREAS, Above all, she is inspired by her family, namely her | ||
| husband of 60 years, Carlos Sr.; their son, Carlos Jr., and daughter | ||
| by marriage, Audrey; and her two darling grandsons, Asher (7) and | ||
| George (5); and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the course of her remarkable legislative | ||
| career, Judith Zaffirini has made a positive difference in the | ||
| lives of countless Texans, and she has set an example of effective | ||
| public service to which all may aspire; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby recognize the Honorable Judith Zaffirini for her | ||
| contributions as a state legislator and congratulate her on being | ||
| named dean of the Texas Senate; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for Senator Zaffirini as an expression of high regard by | ||
| the Texas House of Representatives. | ||
