[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 94 (Friday, June 9, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE REQUEST A COPY OF TEXAS CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
                BE PLACED INTO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

                                 ______


                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 8, 1995
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
commend the 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995 of the State of 
Texas for recognizing the importance of archiving our State records and 
hereby request on behalf of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker 
of the House, Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House, and the 
Secretary of the State of Texas to place a copy of the Texas House 
Concurrent Resolution into the Congressional Record.
                      House Concurrent Resolution

       Whereas, In response to an Act of Congress approved April 
     10, 1869, the 12th Legislature of the State of Texas convened 
     in Provisional Session from February 8 to February 24, 1870, 
     and ratified Amendments XIII, XIV, and XV to the United 
     States Constitution; and
       Whereas, Those federal constitutional amendments, each 
     ratified by separate joint resolutions of the 12th 
     Legislature on February 15, 1870, solidified some of the most 
     precious rights that have been guaranteed constitutionally to 
     Americans, particularly ethnic minorities who were granted 
     the blessings of equal citizenship and the beginning of an 
     end to their past oppression; and
       Whereas, Amendment XIII eliminated forever the practice of 
     slavery, Amendment XIV promised due process and the equal 
     protection of the laws, and Amendment XV prohibited denial of 
     suffrage on the grounds of race, color, or previous condition 
     of servitude; and
       Whereas, Over time, copies of the three resolutions 
     regrettably have vanished from the holdings of the Texas 
     state archives, yet others are preserved in Washington, D.C., 
     by virtue of their certification and transmittal to the 
     Secretary of State of the United States and to the presiding 
     officers of the United States Congress; and
       Whereas, The 1995 Regular Session of the 74th Legislature 
     coincides with the 125th anniversary of these historic 
     ratification actions and marks an appropriate time for the 
     conveyance to this state of replicas of the three resolutions 
     so that Texans may view and appreciate a series of documents 
     that have played such an important role in the extension and 
     elaboration of their civil rights: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas, 
     Regular Session, 1995, hereby respectfully request the 
     National Archives and Records Administration to make copies 
     of the joint resolutions of the 12th Texas Legislature 
     ratifying Amendments XIII, XIV, and XV to the United States 
     Constitution and transmit those copies to the Texas State 
     Library and Archives Commission for placement in the state 
     archives: And, be it further
       Resolved, That the Texas secretary of state forward copies 
     of this resolution to the archivist of the United States at 
     the National Archives and Records Administration, to the 
     vice-president of the United States and speaker of the United 
     States House of Representatives with a request that this 
     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record, 
     and to all members of the Texas delegation to the United 
     States Congress, as an official request to the federal 
     government by the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas: 
     And, be it further
       Resolved, That if and when such replicas are received from 
     the National Archives and Records Administration, the Texas 
     State Library and Archives Commission be hereby directed to 
     place them in the holdings of the state archives to be 
     available for public viewing and photocopying and in all 
     other respects to be treated as any other material worthy of 
     archival storage and retrieval.
     

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