Lawmakers Trying Again to Award Medal to Audie Murphy

Updated, July 19:

The Texas House unanimously approved a concurrent resolution Thursday that directs Gov. Rick Perry to posthumously award a Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Audie Murphy. The resolution now heads to the Senate.

Original story:

The Texas House plans to consider a resolution Thursday afternoon urging Gov. Rick Perry to posthumously award a Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Audie Murphy, an iconic World War II hero.

Family members and fans of Murphy, who died in 1971, have been campaigning for him to receive the recognition for years.

During this year’s regular session, the Legislature passed House Bill 1589, which allows Perry to award two Legislative Medals of Honors during a regular legislative session, up from one, to help address a backlog of worthy recipients. Under the bill, no more than one recipient can be awarded for military service after 1955. A second medal can be awarded for service between 1835 and 1956.

Perry didn’t sign the bill until after the legislative ended, which appeared to quash any chance of Murphy receiving the medal this year.

Now in their second special session of the year, House lawmakers are expected to take up House Concurrent Resolution 3, from state Rep. Scott Turner, R-Frisco. The resolution states that Murphy “repeatedly risked his life to save the lives of his fellow soldiers and to help advance their mission, and for his remarkable heroism he is most assuredly deserving of this state's supreme military award.”

Turner believes that Perry can award Murphy the medal even though lawmakers are no longer in a regular legislative session, according to his legislative director, Nick Cantrell.