2026 SESSION
INTRODUCED
26109134D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 397
Offered March 11, 2026
Celebrating the life of Abby L. Block.
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Patron—Tran
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WHEREAS, Abby L. Block, an esteemed public servant who improved health care and benefits for millions of Americans over the course of her distinguished career in federal health policy and administration, died in 2025; and
WHEREAS, Abby Block's father, Irving Barbanell, had been an insurance salesman who worked door-to-door during the Great Depression, a background that gave her early insights into the value of financial security and affordable insurance; and
WHEREAS, after receiving a master's degree in social work from Columbia University in the early 1960s, Abby Block began her career working with underprivileged youth in New York City, helping young people in inner-city neighborhoods understand the dangers of drug abuse and addiction; and