In conjunction with celebrating his 67th birthday last week Rep. Jerry Madden (R-Plano) reflected on the different blessing & recognitions received during the year. Remembering that theres more to life than politics whats beyond the personal achievement of being one year older?
On January 5 2010 Madden participated in a Healthcare Committee of Collin County panel discussion on mental illness in Collin County jails. During the program the president of the committee formally presented Rep. Madden with an award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Texas.
The award was announced at the NAMI-Texas 25th Anniversary celebration on October 23 2009 in Houston however Rep. Madden was unable to attend so the actual award presentation was done at the meeting in January.
The crystal desk-top display has inscribed on it Legislative Hero Award" in recognition of Rep. Maddens efforts to create greater opportunities for treatment of mental illness in the community. These efforts help prevent having mentally ill individuals wind up in or return to prison.
His support of increased treatment programs in our prisons and youth commission sites mirrors the goals included in the Second Chance Act of 2009 and Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 at the national level.
On January 23 2010 the National Child Care Coalition presented their Champion of Texas Children" award for 2009 to Representative Madden. This presentation was in appreciation of Maddens sponsorship of House Bill 1891 during the 81st Legislative Session which contemplated allocating state funding for qualified private pre-kindergarten providers.
This plan was offered as an alternative to establishing a fully funded pre-kindergarten program statewide for public schools in an effort to contain costs while opening spaces in many neighborhoods for children who are not currently enrolled and otherwise eligible for state-funded Pre-K programs.
As a board member of the
Council of State Governments Justice Center Rep. Madden assisted in hosting the first National Summit on Justice Reinvestment and Public Safety January 26-27 2010 in Washington DC.
The summit was convened in an effort to explore how best to address recidivism crime and corrections spending. Its recommendations to be compiled in a report for state leaders practitioners Congress and the Administration drawing on the expertise of panelists and invited
presenters among which Rep. Madden was included.
While Rep. Madden was in the nations Capitol the
Texas Association of Business held its annual conference in Austin during which different legislators were honored for their record of supporting policies that contribute to our states strong business climate by maintaining a vibrant private sector during the 81st Regular Session of the Texas Legislature.
Owing to a Legislative Session rating of 82 in 2009 with a cumulative score of 88 Rep. Madden was designated a Fighter for Free Enterprise" on January 27 2010.
During a
National Conference of State Legislatures Fall Forum event in San Diego in December of 2009 Rep. Madden moderated a Conviction Integrity" break-out session as chairman of the Law and Criminal Justice Committee highlights of which can be found
by clicking here.
His contributions to a November 16 & 17 Florida Justice Summit 2009 hosted by the Collins Center are recorded in a document which can be found
by clicking here.
A video interview from that same conference
can be viewed here.
