Helen Giddings facts for kids

Helen Giddings (born April 21, 1945) is an American businesswoman and former politician. She was a member of the Democratic party. She served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1993 to January 2019. She worked on important committees like Appropriations and State Affairs.

Early Life and Career

Helen Giddings studied at the University of Texas at Arlington. Before becoming a politician, she was an executive at Sears, Roebuck & Company. There, she was in charge of human resources for 11 states.

In 1989, she started her own company called Multiplex, Inc. This company specializes in concessions, like food and drink stands. She is the president of Multiplex, Inc.

Giddings also served as the board chairman for the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce. In the 1980s, she helped end a bus driver strike. She was the Vice-Chair of the Dallas Transit Board at the time. D Magazine in Dallas recognized her as one of the city's top influential people in the 1980s.

Important Legislative Work

Helen Giddings focused much of her time on making sure all children had equal chances in education. She worked hard to create laws that would help students learn and succeed.

Helping Kids Read

In 1997, she wrote the law that created the "Read to Succeed Program." This program included a reading plan from then Governor George W. Bush. The program lets Texas drivers buy a special license plate. The money from these plates helps support Texas school libraries. The "Read to Succeed" license plate was the first Texas license plate designed by a child.

Protecting Young Students

Giddings also wrote a law to stop five-year-olds from being placed in alternative education programs. These programs are usually for older students who need different learning environments. She wanted to make sure young children stayed in regular classrooms.

Safe School Zones

In 1995, Giddings authored a law to prevent businesses that sell alcohol from opening too close to schools. This helped create safer environments for students.

Supporting Students with Learning Needs

She successfully wrote laws about dyslexia and other learning disabilities. These laws helped create programs to support students with these challenges. She also worked on programs for adult education.

Fair Funding for Colleges

In higher education, Giddings worked to make funding fair for all colleges. She helped remove differences in funding based on location or background. Her efforts led to more equal funding for colleges in the Metroplex area.

Top 10% Rule

To give more opportunities to minority and rural students, Giddings helped create the Top 10% rule in 1997. This rule allows students who graduate in the top 10% of their high school class to be automatically admitted to public universities in Texas.

Protecting People from Identity Theft

During the 79th Legislature, Giddings was the chair of the Business and Industry committee. She helped write a law that created a new Worker's Compensation system. She also wrote five bills focused on preventing identity theft. These bills aimed to punish criminals and help victims of identity theft.

CPR Training for High Schoolers

In 2001, she created and passed a very important law. This law requires every child in Texas to take a CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) course in high school. This helps students learn how to save lives. The Texas Affiliate of the American Heart Association gave her the "Heart of Honor" award for this work. They also promised $1.5 million in materials and funding for the program.

Leadership and Recognition

Helen Giddings served as President of the National Foundation of Women Legislators (NFWL). She was the first woman of color and the first Texan to be elected as president of the NFWL. She is also an active member of the Women's Legislative Network. The Texas Association of Realtors added her to their 2001 Legislative Honor Roll. The Dallas Morning News called her a "Rising Star" of the Texas Legislature.

Role in 2003 Texas Legislative Walkouts

In 2003, Texas Democrats from the state House and Senate made national news. They traveled across the state border to Oklahoma and New Mexico. They did this to prevent a quorum, which means they stopped enough members from being present to vote on a new redistricting plan.

The walkout by House Democrats happened in the final weeks of the 78th Texas Legislature. Many House Democrats went to a hotel in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Helen Giddings, however, stayed behind in Texas. Even though she stayed, she publicly supported the Democrats who walked out. She was later brought to the Texas capitol.

International Relations

Helen Giddings has worked to improve trade and cultural connections between South Africa and the United States. She has traveled to South Africa many times. She received awards and recognition from former President Nelson Mandela. She also served on the Texas Host Committee when President Thabo Mbeki visited.

To honor her great work in South Africa, Prairie View A&M University created the Helen Giddings Scholarships. These are special scholarships for excellent students from South Africa.

Later Political Career

Giddings was re-nominated in the Democratic primary election on March 4, 2014. She won against her challenger, Genevieve Gregory. Giddings received 9,014 votes, which was 87.7 percent of the total votes.