Bill Text: TX HR154 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: In memory of former state senator Joe J. Bernal of San Antonio.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-03 - Filed [HR154 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HR154-Introduced.html
| 89R12443 BPG-D | ||
| By: Martinez Fischer | H.R. No. 154 | |
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| WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a trailblazing champion of | ||
| education and civil rights with the passing of former state senator | ||
| Joe J. Bernal of San Antonio on January 25, 2025, at the age of 97; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, Born in San Antonio on March 1, 1927, Joe Bernal was | ||
| the son of Jose and Antonia Bernal; he grew up with eight siblings | ||
| on the city's west side and graduated from Lanier High School; | ||
| coming of age during World War II, he joined the U.S. Army and | ||
| served with the Headquarters Squadron, Pacific Air Command in | ||
| Tokyo, attaining the rank of sergeant; discharged in December 1946, | ||
| he immediately enrolled at Trinity University on the GI Bill and | ||
| completed his bachelor's degree in sociology; he taught in the | ||
| Kosciusko, Edgewood, and San Antonio Independent School Districts | ||
| and earned a master's degree in education with a minor in social | ||
| work from Our Lady of the Lake College; for four years, he was | ||
| employed as a social worker by the Inman Christian Center; and | ||
| WHEREAS, On June 2, 1956, Senator Bernal married the former | ||
| Mary Esther Martinez; the couple became the proud parents of four | ||
| children, Bernard "Barney", Richard, Patrick, and Rebecca, and | ||
| their treasured family later grew to include eight grandchildren | ||
| and five great-grandchildren; Barney Bernal passed away in 2016 and | ||
| Mrs. Bernal in 2022; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Joe Bernal was elected to the Texas House of | ||
| Representatives in 1964 and to the Texas Senate in 1966; a fierce | ||
| advocate for public education, he played a key role in passing | ||
| legislation regarding school finance, educational initiatives, | ||
| scholarships, and access to higher education; in an era when | ||
| teachers could lose their certifications or incur fines for using | ||
| Spanish in the classroom, he secured passage of the state's first | ||
| bilingual education act, and he helped obtain federal funding for | ||
| bilingual learning as well; in addition, he authored bills that | ||
| provided free kindergarten statewide for five-year-olds and that | ||
| created a 45-minute planning period for elementary teachers; | ||
| fighting to expand opportunities for San Antonio residents, he | ||
| sponsored bills that established The University of Texas at | ||
| San Antonio and brought dental and nursing schools to the UT Health | ||
| Science Center; his other impactful legislation included the | ||
| state's first minimum wage law and funding for a criminal justice | ||
| council; he led the Senate Mexican American Caucus and chaired the | ||
| Federal Programs and Relations, Poverty in Texas, and Claims | ||
| Committees; and | ||
| WHEREAS, During his tenure in the legislature, Senator Bernal | ||
| was employed as executive director for the Guadalupe Community | ||
| Center and then for the Commission for Mexican American Affairs; in | ||
| 1972, he returned to private life and became director of the | ||
| Bilingual Cost Analysis Project of the Intercultural Development | ||
| Research Association; he further served as a regional director of | ||
| ACTION, a federal agency that coordinated volunteer opportunities, | ||
| and he earned a doctoral degree in cultural foundations in | ||
| education from UT Austin; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Senator Bernal served as principal of Emma Frey | ||
| Elementary School in Edgewood ISD and then as assistant | ||
| superintendent for instructional services for Harlandale ISD; | ||
| elected to the State Board of Education in 1996, he spent the next | ||
| decade promoting bilingual education; he served a term as vice | ||
| chair and chaired the committee on instruction, and he facilitated | ||
| the advent of University Interscholastic League mariachi band | ||
| competitions; in recognition of his myriad contributions, | ||
| Northside ISD named the Dr. Joe J. Bernal Middle School in his | ||
| honor; and | ||
| WHEREAS, For more than half a century, Senator Bernal was a | ||
| stalwart supporter of the Mexican American Legal Defense and | ||
| Educational Fund; he was a founding member of its board, and during | ||
| 10 years in that role, he was lead plaintiff in White v. Regester, a | ||
| major national victory for Latino representation and minority | ||
| voting rights; in 2009, MALDEF presented a Lifetime Achievement | ||
| Award to Joe and Mary Esther Bernal, who was one of the state's | ||
| first bilingual education teachers, for their shared commitment to | ||
| civil rights and educational equity; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A man of great integrity, courage, and | ||
| determination, Joe Bernal worked selflessly throughout his career | ||
| to improve the lives of his fellow Texans, and although he will be | ||
| deeply missed, his many outstanding achievements will continue to | ||
| resonate for years to come; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable Joe | ||
| J. Bernal and extend sincere condolences to all who mourn his | ||
| passing; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of | ||
| Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Joe Bernal. | ||
