Recognizing Ann Richards' Extraordinary Contributions to Texas and American Public Life

RECOGNIZING ANN RICHARDS' EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEXAS AND AMERICAN PUBLIC LIFE

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, at the memorial service of Ann Richards, the former mayor of Dallas, Texas, Ron Kirk, the mayor's lifelong friend said, ``Ann Richards was as fierce a warrior and advocate for justice as any public servant I've ever known. She embraced every person she met, no matter their station in life, with dignity, and love, and compassion.'

The former Governor of Texas was a witty, flamboyant and outspoken homemaker who captured the hearts and minds of the people of Texas, as well as the Nation. She burst into national prominence as a keynote speaker to the 1988 Democratic National Convention when she uttered the famous line about the wealthy, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, and she said, ``Poor George, he can't help it; he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.' The speech set the tone for her political future as the first woman elected to treasurer, a statewide office, in Texas in 50 years.

In 1990, Ann Richards won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination against attorney general and former Congressman Jim Mattox and former Governor Mark White. Her Republican opponent was multimillionaire rancher Clayton Williams, Jr. The campaign between the two was brutal, but Richards prevailed in the election on November 6, 1990, by a margin of 49-47 percent.

As Governor, Ann Richards wanted a more inclusive Texas. She called it the ``New Texas,' where she made nearly 3,000 appointments, 46 percent were female, 15 percent were African American, 20 percent were Hispanic and 2 percent were Asian Americans. Among Governor Richards' appointment of firsts are: the first African American to the University of Texas regent; the first crime victim to join the State criminal justice board; the first disabled person to serve on human services board; and the first teacher to lead the State board of education. During her tenure, she oversaw the fabled Texas Rangers pin stars on their first African American and female officers.

Richards implemented an economic revitalization program to address the Texas economy that was in a slump since the mid-1980s, compounded by a downturn in the U.S. economy. Her policy initiatives yielded a 2 percent growth in 1991 for the Texas economy, while the U.S. economy as a whole shrank.

Ann Richards reformed the Texas prison system by establishing a substance abuse program for inmates in prison and reduced the number of violent offenders released back into society. She was a supporter of proposals to reduce the sale of semiautomatic firearms and cop killer bullets in the State.

She vetoed legislation that would allow people to carry concealed handguns and automatic weapons inside public establishments without the owner's permission. Some political analysts believe that this veto cost her her reelection bid for Governor in 1994. Richards lost her reelection bid to George W. Bush. After her unsuccessful bid for reelection, someone asked her, ``What would you have done differently if you knew you would be a one-term Governor?' Richards grinned and said, ``Oh, I would probably have raised more hell.'

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

http://thomas.loc.gov