SENATE JOURNAL EIGHTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE Ð REGULAR SESSION AUSTIN, TEXAS PROCEEDINGS SIXTY-FIFTH DAY (Thursday, May 25, 2017) The Senate met at 1:30 p.m. pursuant to adjournment and was called to order by the President. The roll was called and the following Senators were present:iiBettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Burton, Campbell, Creighton, Estes, Garcia, Hall, Hancock, Hinojosa, Huffines, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Lucio, MeneÂndez, Miles, Nelson, Nichols, Perry, RodrõÂguez, Schwertner, Seliger, Taylor of Galveston, Taylor of Collin, Uresti, Watson, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini. The President announced that a quorum of the Senate was present. Bishop George C. Sampleton, Inspiration Pentecostal Church, Bastrop, offered the invocation as follows: Bring an end to violence and hatred and discord. Give them, and all of us, the grace to admit when we are wrong and to seek forgiveness. Guide all those in positions of power, whether that power is political or physical or social, and give them wisdom to use their power wisely. Thank You, Lord, for peace. Senator Whitmire moved that the reading of the Journal of the proceedings of the previous day be dispensed with and the Journal be approved as printed. The motion prevailed without objection. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The President acknowledged the presence of United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. The Senate welcomed its guest. SENATE RESOLUTION 860 Senator Perry offered the following resolution: SR 860, In memory of Joseph Ray Perry. The resolution was again read. The resolution was previously adopted on Tuesday, May 23, 2017. In honor of the memory of Joseph Ray Perry, the text of the resolution is printed at the end of this day s' Senate Journal. 3144 85th Legislature Ð Regular Session 65th Day REMARKS ORDERED PRINTED On motion of Senator Bettencourt and by unanimous consent, the remarks by Senator Perry regarding SR 860 were ordered reduced to writing and printed in the Senate Journal as follows: Thank you, Mr.iPresident. Senate Resolution No.i860, in memory Joseph Ray Perry. Whereas, the Senate of the State of Texas honors and commemorates the life of Joseph Ray Perry, who died on April 27, 2017, at the age of 92. And whereas, Ray Perry was an exemplary citizen and a hardworking West Texas farmer who loved his land and was dedicated to serving his family and community. Whereas, he was born on April 22, 1925, in the Haskell County community of Paint Creek to Hoyt and Thelma Perry. A lifelong resident of Haskell County, he served the nation with distinction in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He flew 35 missions over Nazi Germany as a tail gunner in a B-17 bomber. He was awarded multiple medals for his exemplary service and whereas, he married Amelia June Holt at the Haskell Methodist Church on June 29th, 1948, and the couple enjoyed nearly 70 years of marriage together. They raised two children, Milla Perry Jones and James Richard "Rick" Perry, and they were blessed with three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. And whereas, in addition to working his land, Ray Perry was active in a wide range of political and community endeavors. He served nearly 30 years as a Haskell County Commissioner and for 10 years as a member of Paint Creek school board. He served for six years on West Central Texas Council of Governments and was instrumental in the creation of the Paint Creek Water Corporation and twice served as its president. And whereas, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, he was known for his numerous wild game trophies. One of the highlights of his hunting trips was killing an Alaskan first-class caribou that has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. And whereas, Ray Perry, a man of courage, faith, and patriotism, he gave unselfishly to others and to his community, and his enthusiasm for living each day to the fullest will not be forgotten by those who were privileged to have shared in his life. And whereas, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and he leaves behind memories that will be cherished forever by his family and many friends. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to the bereaved family of Joseph Ray Perry, and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be prepared for his family as an expression of deepest sympathy from the Texas State Senate, and when the Senate adjourns today, it do so in the memory of Joseph Ray Perry. REMARKS ORDERED PRINTED On motion of Senator Bettencourt and by unanimous consent, the remarks by the Honorable Rick Perry, U.S. Secretary of Energy, regarding SR 860 were ordered reduced to writing and printed in the Senate Journal as follows: Thursday, May 25, 2017 SENATE JOURNAL 3145 Governor, thank you. It is a great privilege to be back in this Chamber and quite an honor for the Perry family to be recognized by this esteemed group of men and women. I have many memories of the time that I ve' spent behind this dais with a gavel not unlike this. I would suggest that not one of them will be any more memorable, Senator Perry, than today. My father truly was an extraordinary father, but in 1977, when I moved back home with my mother and dad, he probably didn t' realize that he was going to end up being an instructor and a teacher for the next few years, as well, but he was, he was very adept at that. A dry land cotton farmer who truly shared that experience and taught me how to be a passable farmer, Senator Zaffirini, but he taught me how to be a cowboy. But his real impact on my life was in mentoring me in the art of politics, as you shared with your memorial resolution, of 28 years as a County Commissioner. That s' seven elections, two times to be elected to the school board and a couple of times to that council of government. And one of the great moments that I recall of, of the, of the common sense wisdom, Jane, that my dad was, although a quiet and a stoic fellow, he would pass on a little wisdom from time to time. And in Young County, Texas, in 1984, as an aspiring State Representative, Senator Estes, it had come a good rain out in our part of the country, and the spring flowers were up and it was looking good. And the man who was going to introduce me to walk up on the outdoor trailer to give my remarks, leaned over and said, Hey, Perry, you ought to take credit for this rain we just had. And my dad heard that and about the time I was walking up the steps, he kind of grabbed me by the sleeve and said, Son, I heard what that man said, and you re' certainly free to get up there on that stage and take credit for the rain. But, he said, think about where you live, and it s' dry here a lot more than it is wet, and if you take credit for the rain, they ll' blame you for the drought. And those snippets of wisdom, which may not have seemed like it was that earth-shattering, but over the course of a lifetime, I know how blessed I was to have this extraordinary individual be my father, be my mentor in the art of politics, and to truly have selflessly served his country, his state, and his county. And each of you walk in that same line, that same legacy. You all understand what your calling has been. Anita and I and the children are truly blessed to have been associated with each of you. And every day you all make me very proud to call myself a Texan because of the way that you perform your duties, the way you work together, and the way that you make Texas the best state in the nation. God bless you. SENATE RESOLUTION 795 Senator West offered the following resolution: WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to recognize the Texas Legislative Internship Program Class of the 85th Legislature; and WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Internship Program was established by Senator Rodney Ellis in December of 1990 and is administered by Texas Southern University; and 3146 85th Legislature Ð Regular Session 65th Day WHEREAS, This excellent internship program provides a unique opportunity for students from Texas colleges and universities to serve as interns in the Texas Legislature, the United States Congress, and a variety of local, state, and national governmental agencies and public policy organizations; and WHEREAS, Students receive academic credit for participating in the program, which combines academic study and research with supervised practical training; as interns, they gain firsthand knowledge of the governmental process and work experience in a political environment, as well as insight into the issues facing our communities and our state today; and WHEREAS, The participants in the Texas Legislative Internship Program are Margaret Alfred, Garrett Auzenne, John Bachinskas, Christopher Brault, Taylor Carter-Jones, Terra Coffey, Anthony Collier, Brandy Douglas, Raven Douglas, Tyler Faust, Naiyolis Garcia, Matthew Gaskin, Alejandro Guajardo, LaTreshia Hamilton, Elizabeth Hann, Casandra Johnson, Jiovanni Jones, Tamoria Jones, Bria Joshua, Brian King, Theodore Knatt, Lorrianne Lucas, Fatima Mann, D Juan' Mansfield, Taren Marsaw, Kelsey Marsh, Esperanza Martinez, Israel Martinez, Dondraius Mayhew, Josiah Mercer, Andrew Parks, Parker Patterson, Jaime Puente, Andrew Sanchez, Rachel Spotts, Angela Taylor, Laymond Wilburn, Molly Wilson, and Matthew Wurst; and WHEREAS, Program participants demonstrated resourcefulness and diligence in the performance of their multifaceted duties and contributed significantly to the ongoing operations in the offices in which they served; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th Legislature, hereby commend the participants in the Texas Legislative Internship Program on their excellent work and extend to them best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the class as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate.