By J. Lyn Carl, GalleryWatch
Austin, TX –
"I've lost a brother, the members of the House have lost a colleague, and the people of Texas have lost a champion."
Those words came in a statement from Rep. Rick Noriega (D-Houston), who is serving in the military in Afghanistan, as part of a tribute to the late Rep. Joe Moreno (D-Houston) of Houston, who died last Friday in an automobile accident.
Texas House and Senate members gathered on the House floor today for a memorial service for their fellow lawmaker, following Moreno's Houston funeral mass Tuesday and burial in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
In his opening remarks, Bishop Gregory Aymond of the Diocese of Austin called Moreno "a great man" who served the Lord through his family, his church and his government. "Our family will be missing him, but we know that we have given to the Lord and it is that which gives us consolation and hope."
Sen. Mario Gallegos (D-Houston) said outside the politics, camaraderie and friendship, and "back in the hood" in Houston, Moreno was part of what Gallegos called the "Breakfast Club" of Houston lawmakers. Gallegos said the attendance and accolades for Moreno during his funeral and burial services were signs of "not only respect, but friendship" for the kind of person Moreno was. "He has left his mark not only in this body, but in Texas," he said.
Moreno's love of his family spilled over into his service in the House, said Rep. Tommy Merritt (R-Longview). "Joe had the faith. Joe was a Christian. And Joe lived a Christian life." Merritt offered anecdotes of Moreno's service to his constituents and the people of Texas. "You have to have somebody to stand with you, and Joe was the fox-hole guy," said Merritt of Moreno's service in the House. "Joe will always live on," he said. "Joe wanted to know everything about your family but he also wanted you to know everything about his family...because family was everything. He brought joy to all of us."
Rep. Jim Dunnam (D-Waco) called Moreno "part of my family" because of the closeness of his family to the late lawmaker. He said Moreno was "an example for each and every one of us" in the House. Dunnam said Moreno "had a zeal and a zest for life that I have never experienced before" and represented "the people who didn't have a voice." Dunnam said Moreno had the political courage to "do what was right for his district, and this hall would be a better place if we would follow his example more often."
"Joe was at home everywhere," said Dunnam. "I wept openly for Joe...it felt good...to love somebody that much. I'm blessed that Joe was a part of my life."
Reading a statement from her husband Rick Noriega (D-Houston), Melissa Noriega noted that her husband's district is adjacent to Moreno's district in Houston. Rep. Noriega wrote that he was "devastated" by the loss of Moreno. The lawmaker said Moreno "championed the poor," and was "fearless" in the face of that which he thought was wrong. "He was a quiet force that all of us relied upon to help with the heavy lifting."
Rep. Todd Baxter (R-Austin) remembered Moreno from when they both served as House staff. "He was there to help you when you needed help," said Baxter. "He valued all of his friendships. As big as he was in his physical stature, he was never small...he was never petty."
Moreno's deskmate, Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio), said he would miss Moreno's "moral grounding." He said Moreno "always taught us to keep it real" because that was Moreno's role as the team coach and yell leader. "He was just a modern day Renaissance man. It's hard to forget a man like Joe Moreno."
On a lighter note, Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) said she would miss Moreno "arguing with the hotel clerk that I have a reservation when I know I don't" and would also miss "eating with him when he eats two steaks, a bowl of banana pudding and ice cream."
"I'm going to miss all of the secret information about people that they don't know that I know that he's given me about them," said Thompson to laughter from the House floor.
"He was a great guy. He had a backbone. He had courage. He had commitment. He was honest. He could be depended upon and not flinch when it came to sticking together."
"The goal in politics is not just to get elected as a politician," Thompson said to Moreno's family, "but to be a statesperson. What is good for the next generation is what he looked at. You really brought to us a statesman."
Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) said Moreno "brought out the best" in fellow House members and was the "glue" that brought people together by realizing people "had more in common than they had differences."
A House resolution in Moreno's honor was read by Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) and both houses of the Legislature will adjourn their sessions in Moreno's memory today. Texas flags were presented to the late lawmaker's family members by members of the House.
Rep. Rick Hardcastle (R-Vernon), former deskmate of Moreno and representing the freshman class of the 76th Legislature of which Moreno was a member, tearfully told the Moreno family that many traditions were begun by that class, among them that all members of the freshman class stand with other freshmen when they pass their first bill or a particularly hard bill. As that class stood behind him, Hardcastle presented the family with Moreno's House floor desk chair as a "constant symbol of the process Joe loved so much."
Rep. Juan Escobar (D-Kingsville) closed the service with the Mexican tradition of music, accompanying himself on his guitar as he sang in Spanish a song he said is sung often in his church.
"As we have remembered him, we now commend him to You," said Bishop Aymond in his benediction. He prayed that the legislature will continue its work "following the courage and the example of Joe."
For more Texas Legislature and government coverage, visit KERA's Voter's Voice page.