Click Here: Why the TLA (and Others) Support This

Last update 21 June 2003
This page contains information on a Bill now passed by the Texas Legislature andd signed into law by Governor Perry, known as HB294. "Relating to recognizing March as Texas History Month".

Folks,
I take great pleasure in letting everyone know that on June 20, 2003, Governor Rick Perry signed into law HB294 making the month of March, "Texas History Month"!! CONGRATULATIONS TEXAS!!

There are, literally, hundreds of people and organizations who worked to get this bill passed and deserve a huge "Thank You" for their efforts. A small list is below:

We should never forget that Ms. Pat McCormick (and friends) of Baytown Texas was the instigator of the effort and first got he ball rolling. We owe her a debt of gratitude for building a fire under us.
Governor Rick Perry and his staff
Representaive John Davis and his staff including Ms. Edra Anderson and Ms. Julie Haeber
Senator Gonzalo Barrientos and his staff including Ms. Sylvia Brittain and Mr. Ryan Duran
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas including President General Ms. Virginia Van Cleve, Ms. Melissa Goodrich and the late Ms. "Pete" Weymeyer
The Sons of the Republic of Texas including Mr. Randy Billingsley, Mr. Scott Dunbar and his family
Celebrate Texas, Inc., including Mr. Harvey Ford IV, Mr. Roger Moore and Ms. Marsha Johnson
The Associated Republicans of Texas
The Seguin Family Historical Society
Seguin Descendants Historical Preservation
Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans
Colonial Dames of the 17th Century
San Antonio Living History Assn. including Mr. Bob Benavides and Ms. Toya Brown
Texas Army commanded by Gen. Carroll Lewis
San Antonio's Founding Heritage
The Canary Islanders Descendants Association
Mr Mike Cox, Texas Historian and Newspaper Columnist
Mr. Sam Houston IV
Mr. Terry Boothe
and many, many more.
 
There have been some questions about an official bill signing ceremony which can still take place as a photo op. I haven't had a chance to talk to the sponsors of the bill or the Governor's office, but because of the number and diversity of the groups that supported this effort and the intense interest it has generated, I think the logistics of such a ceremony need to be given a little thought. You'll be hearing more on this subject in the near future.

In the mean time, pass this on to a friend; pat yourself on the back for a job well done and let's start getting ready for the First Official Texas History Month next March.

May God Bless You and
May God Bless Texas

Charlie Yates


The Texas Legislature closed this session June 2, 2003.
We thank all Texans who contacted their Senator and/or Representative in support of these bills
click here to read the bill

Click here for Why.
Click here for a partial list of supporters.



If you wish to contact your Texas Legislators concerning this bill, look them up here:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/search/welcome.htm for your Representative
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/Members.htm#FYI for your Senator
Texas Legislature FAQ




5/22/03:
HB294 has now passed the Senate, and is on its way to the Governor for signature.
Mailing Address:
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428

Email through the Governor's Site




As of 3/26/03:
HB294 has been referred to the Senate Committee on State Affairs. This is the same committee that has SB250. For contacts, see 2/11/03 below.


 
As of 3/12/03:
HB294 (to make March, Texas History Month) has been passed by the House and is on its way to the Senate.
 
 

As of 3/11/03:
HB294 (to make March, Texas History Month) has been placed on the House Calendar for 3/12/03.
SB250 (to make March, Texas History Month) has been passed (unanimously) to the Senate Calendar by the Committee on State Affairs.



As Of 2/25/03:
HB294 (to make March, Texas History Month) has been released from the
House Committee On State Cultural and Recreational Resources,
and will soon be put on the Calendar to be voted on by the House of Representatives.
No new information today on SB250.



As Of 2/11/03:
SB250 (to make March, Texas History Month) has been submitted to the Senate Committee on State Affairs
Chair: Senator Bill Ratliff - (no Email address listed)
Vice-Chair: Senator Todd Staples - Todd.Staples@senate.state.tx.us
Members: Senator Kenneth Armbrister - Kenneth.Armbrister@senate.state.tx.us
Senator Robert Duncan - Robert.Duncan@senate.state.tx.us
Senator Rodney Ellis - Rodney.Ellis@senate.state.tx.us
Senator Troy Fraser - Troy.Fraser@senate.state.tx.us
Senator Chris Harris - Chris.Harris@senate.state.tx.us
Senator Frank Madla - Frank.Madla@senate.state.tx.us
Senator Jane Nelson - Jane.Nelson@senate.state.tx.us



1/23/03:
In addition to HB294, a parallel bill is running through the Senate. Senator Gonzalo Barrientos of Travis County (Dist. 14) has authored an identical bill, known as SB250. When contacting your Senator, use this number (SB250). When contacting your Representative in the Texas House, continue to use HB294.
****************************************************
HB294 (to make March, Texas History Month) has been referred to the
House Committee On State Cultural and Recreational Resources
Chair: Rep. Harvey Hilderbran - Harvey.Hilderbran@house.state.tx.us
Vice-Chair: Rep. Charlie Geren - Charlie.Geren@house.state.tx.us
B&O Chair: Rep. Dawnna Dukes - Dawnna.Dukes@house.state.tx.us
Members: Rep. Kevin Bailey - Kevin.Bailey@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Byron Cook - Byron.Cook@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Edmund Kuempel - Edmund.Kuempel@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Larry Phillips - Larry.Phillips@house.state.tx.us
We hope the House will take up hearings on HB294 next week. I'll keep you posted. At the end of this section is the information I sent the legislature.
Please free to pass this information on to any interested parties.
Dios y Tejas
Charlie Yates

 
The primary reason the Texian Legacy Assn. supports March as "Texas History Month" is that Texas has over 450 years of written history relating to many diverse and varied peoples.
People of all races and cultures are united in the pride of being Texans. For people who have lived here for generations or who moved here last week, "Texan" is a unique moniker and an honor that we voluntarily take upon ourselves. Like the people who came before us, we choose to put on the mantle of being a Texan and to associate ourselves with those people and ideals that make Texas such a special place.
Simply put, the people supporting these bills believe that is worth celebrating. We would like to have a period of time each year during which we can all come together as Texans to celebrate our rich history and heritage; a time when every house flies the Texas flag. A time when people in Laredo, Levelland, Austin, Cincinnati, New York, Germany, Australia and a thousand other places around the world celebrate Texas, its people and its contributions to the world.
We support the month of March, in particular, being so designated because of the major historical events that happened during that month. A very small sample of which are:
March 9, 1731, a group of fifteen Canary Island families, totaling 56 persons, arrived at the Presidio of San Antonio de Bexar forming the nucleus of the villa of San Fernando de Bexar, now known as San Antonio, and formed the first regularly organized civil government in Texas.
March 29, 1813, the Battle of Rosillo was fought nine miles southeast of San Antonio between forces fighting for the independence of Texas led by Gutierrez de and Kemper and a Spanish royalist force under Texas governor Salcedo. The Battle of Rosillo resulted in the defeat of the royalist forces, the capture of San Antonio and the establishment of a first "Republic of Texas."
March 2, 1836 at Washington-On-The-Brazos the representatives of the people of Texas voted unanimously to sever the ties which bound them to their mother country and to declare Texas a sovereign, free and independent republic based on the principles of democracy.
March 6, 1836 Lt. Col. William Barrett Travis and the garrison under his command, which included David Crockett, James Bowie and approximately 200 men of diverse backgrounds and nationalities, were put to the sword after defending Texas' freedoms and liberties during the prolonged and bloody Battle of the Alamo.
Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, Col. James Walker Fannin, Jr. and his command of approximately 400 men, after suffering a week in captivity, gave their last full measure of devotion by forfeiting their lives for their beliefs in the independence and sovereignty of Texas.
March 2 is the birthday of Sam Houston, General of the Texas Army, Hero of San Jacinto, first elected President of the Republic of Texas, Governor of the State of Texas, and Senator of the United States Congress.
The practical effect of these bills, once passed, will be to set aside the month of March for all Texans to celebrate our 'Texan-ness' and to promote all of Texas history. A well known historian friend of mine is fond of saying that "Texas Independence Day (March 2nd) should be celebrated for Texans like St. Patrick's Day is celebrated for the Irish:
For that one day of the year, everyone in the world can be a Texan!"

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Dec 2002:

It is with great pleasure I can inform you that through the efforts of Ms. Pat Goodrich of Baytown, State Representative John Davis (Dist. 129) and his staff, the Texian Legacy Association and many, many others, Representative Davis has authored and filed a bill for the 78th Legislative Session that will designate the month of March as Texas History Month . The text of HB 294 is below this message and the status of the bill can be viewed at any time by visiting this web site:

  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/legislation/bill_status.htm

The legislative offices and personnel are in a state of flux right now with the holidays upon us, the legislators moving offices, staffing their offices and generally getting ready for the session.

Starting January 6th we plan to increase our efforts to notify people around the state of the bill's status and to send out suggestions on how best to show our support as a build up to the first day of the session on Tuesday, January 14, 2003. It is our hope to have this bill passsed by two thirds majority of each house prior to this coming March so that it will take effect immediately. This is a tall order, but I believe worth the effort.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me.
Happy Holidays and May God Bless Texas,
Charlie Yates

A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to recognizing March as Texas History Month .

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 662, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 662.102 to read as follows: Sec. 662.102. TEXAS HISTORY MONTH.
(a) March is Texas History Month in honor of those Texans who helped shape the history of the State of Texas and in recognition of events throughout Texas' history.
(b) Texas History Month shall be regularly observed by appropriate celebrations and activities in public schools and other places to promote interest in and knowledge of Texas history.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2003.


Supporting Groups

Texian Legacy Association
Sons of the Republic of Texas
Daughters of the Republic of Texas
The Seguin Family Historical Society
Seguin Descendants Historical Preservation
Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans
Celebrate Texas Inc.
Colonial Dames of the 17th Century
San Antonio Living History Assn.
Texas Army
San Antonio's Founding Heritage
 Canary Islanders Descendants Association


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Please help us pass the word along. If you know a group that would be interested, send E-mail information to: webmaster@texianlegacy.com
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