BILL ANALYSIS

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Directing the Texas Facilities Commission to name the new transit amenity center at 207 W. 14th Street in the Capitol Complex the "Lead On! Transit Amenity" in honor of Justin Dart.

Justin Dart Jr. made a lasting, positive difference in the lives of countless Americans through his work to empower people with disabilities.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1930, Justin Dart contracted polio in 1948; he found his purpose after beating a grim prognosis of imminent death. His legs paralyzed, he relied on a wheelchair for mobility and gained a deep understanding of the challenges faced by others as well. After graduating from the University of Houston, where he earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in history, he embarked on a business career.

After working with Tupperware Japan, Mr. Dart settled in Texas in 1974, and six years later, he was named to the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities. He served as its inaugural chair, and in 1981, he was also appointed vice chair of the National Council on Disabilities (council) by President Ronald Reagan. The council drafted a policy to end centuries of discrimination, laying the groundwork for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At the end of the decade, as chair of the Congressional Task Force on the Rights and Empowerment of Americans with Disabilities, Mr. Dart helped craft the language of the ADA. He then barnstormed across the country to galvanize support for the legislation, visiting each state five times and addressing crowds in his trademark cowboy hat and boots. President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990.

Along the way, Mr. Dart further served as commissioner of the Education Department's Rehabilitation Service Administration, as chair of the president's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, as president-elect of the National Rehabilitation Association, and as a member of the council. In 1998, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. He died on June 22, 2002, at the age of 71.

Often called one of the fathers of the ADA, Justin Dart was widely known for his rallying cry, "Lead On!" His visionary activism effected transformative change for people with disabilities, and it would be most fitting to name the new transit amenity center at 207 W. 14th Street in the Capitol Complex the "Lead On! Transit Amenity" in his honor.

RESOLVED

That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby direct the Texas Facilities Commission to name the new transit amenity center at 207 W. 14th Street in the Capitol Complex the "Lead On! Transit Amenity" in honor of Justin Dart.

That the secretary of state forward an official copy of this resolution to the chair and executive director of the Texas Facilities Commission.