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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Justin Keener
(512) 463-0108
April 25, 2002

Dallas Young Lawyers honor Shapiro

State Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) will receive the 2002 Liberty Bell Award from the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers tomorrow at their annual award luncheon. While the young lawyers will honor other attorneys at their ceremony, this annual award is reserved for a non-lawyer.

"The Liberty Bell Award recognizes an outstanding person who has made a selfless contribution to their community which strengthens the effectiveness of the American system of justice," said Christina Melton Crain, President of DAYL. "The Dallas Association of Young Lawyers is proud to honor someone of Sen. Shapiro's integrity with this year's Liberty Bell Award," said Crain. "I am honored to be able to present this prestigious award to my friend for whom I have the utmost respect for all she does for the citizens of our great state."

DAYL will recognize Shapiro for her record in making government more efficient, protecting citizens and to improve opportunities for all Texans. "I have the utmost regard for this organization and am honored at their recognition," said Shapiro.

During the award ceremony, Crain will highlight Shapiro's work to create "Ashley's Laws." These laws, named after Ashley Estell who was killed by a repeat sex offender, have improved the way our state adjudicates, punishes and tracks sex offenders. "What we found was that sex offenders whose victims are children are the most likely to re-offend and the least likely to be cured. They prey on the most innocent in our society, and our laws were ill equipped to handle this unique offender," said Shapiro. "For this reason, new laws were created to lengthen offenders' prison sentences, as well as improve sex offender registration and community notification."

Shapiro will also be recognized for her efforts to keeps kids and schools safe, through passage of Senate Bill 430 which permanently established the Texas School Safety Center as a clearinghouse and resource for schools on violence prevention and school safety. "The Texas School Safety Center has been a valuable tool for schools. With the assistance of the safety center, our schools can more effectively implement measures that encourage safety and prevent school violence," said Shapiro.

Other issues championed by Shapiro include: restoring parental rights in the fight against juvenile drug abuse; allowing children who witness a violent crime to testify via closed-circuit television outside the presence of the accused; requiring hospitals to report drug overdoses to the Health Department so that law enforcement can observe growing trends; and providing tools to victims of identity theft that allow them to return their lives to normal.