H.C.R. No. 51 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION WHEREAS, The brutal murder of Vanessa Guillén and the reaction on social media highlight the needed support to the military's response to sexual harassment, sexual assault, and missing persons; and WHEREAS, Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillén had been missing for more than two months before her remains were discovered, and the murder investigation received widespread attention when law enforcement identified the suspect, a fellow military member whom Guillén was planning to formally accuse of sexual harassment; this prompted countless members of the U.S. military to share their personal experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault on social media with the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen; and WHEREAS, A close look at current military laws and policies reveals concerns, including conflicts of interest and limited options for reporting sexual harassment; too many military members have been failed by this system, and immediate action is imperative to avoid another tragedy; and WHEREAS, To correct these issues, the I am Vanessa Guillén Act has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives; and WHEREAS, The brave men and women who fight for our nation deserve access to justice, and Congress should listen to the service members calling for change in the aftermath of Vanessa Guillén's murder; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to pass the I am Vanessa Guillén Act, legislation ensuring that necessary changes are made, such as preventing conflicts of interest, requiring independent investigations that are conducted by trained investigators, establishing a confidential reporting option for sexual harassment that can convert to a formal complaint, and directing the Government Accountability Office to evaluate response procedures related to missing service members; and, be it further RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. Morales of Harris Neave Minjarez Romero, Jr. Perez Allen Allison Anchia Anderson Ashby Bailes Beckley Bell of Montgomery Bell of Kaufman Bernal Biedermann Bonnen Bowers Buckley Bucy Burns Burrows Button Cain Campos Canales Capriglione Cason Clardy Cole Coleman Collier Cook Cortez Craddick Crockett Cyrier Darby Davis Dean Deshotel Dominguez Dutton Ellzey Fierro Frank Frullo Gates Geren Gervin-Hawkins Goldman González of Dallas González of El Paso Goodwin Guerra Guillen Harless Harris Hefner Hernandez Herrero Hinojosa Holland Howard Huberty Hull Hunter Israel Jetton A. Johnson of Harris J. Johnson of Harris Johnson of Dallas Kacal King of Hemphill King of Parker King of Uvalde Klick Krause Kuempel Lambert Landgraf Larson Leach Leman Longoria Lopez Lozano Lucio III Martinez Martinez Fischer Metcalf Meyer Meza Middleton Moody Morales Shaw Morales of Maverick Morrison Muñoz, Jr. Murphy Murr Noble Oliverson Ordaz Perez Ortega Pacheco Paddie Parker Patterson Paul Price Ramos Raney Raymond Reynolds Rodriguez Rogers Rose Rosenthal Sanford Schaefer Shaheen Sherman, Sr. Slaton Slawson Smith Smithee Spiller Stephenson Stucky Swanson Talarico Thierry Thompson of Brazoria Thompson of Harris Tinderholt Toth Turner of Tarrant Turner of Dallas VanDeaver Vasut Vo Walle White Wilson Wu Zwiener ______________________________ ______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 51 was adopted by the House on April 21, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, 1 present, not voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.C.R. No. 51 on May 28, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 147, Nays 0, 1 present, not voting. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 51 was adopted by the Senate, as amended, on May 26, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________ Date __________________ Governor