Whereas this resolution may be cited as the Original Resolution Honoring Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee;

Whereas Sheila Jackson Lee, born in Queens, New York, at an early age demonstrated an unwavering commitment to education, public service, and the pursuit of justice;

Whereas Sheila Jackson Lee was one of the first women to earn her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, preparing her for a lifetime of principled leadership;

Whereas Sheila Jackson Lee later served in the legal profession and in local government in Houston, Texas, including as a municipal judge and city council member, earning her constituents’ trust through fairness and diligence;

Whereas, in 1994, Sheila Jackson Lee was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where she represented Texas’s 18th congressional district with distinction for nearly 3 decades;

Whereas Sheila Jackson Lee fought relentlessly for Federal disaster relief following hurricanes, floods, and public health emergencies, securing critical resources for Houston’s infrastructure, housing, medical systems, and working families;

Whereas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee championed the designation of Juneteenth as a Federal holiday, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States of America; and

Whereas, upon her passing, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee lay in state in the rotunda of Houston City Hall, an honor reflecting the profound respect and gratitude of the people she served: Now, therefore, be it