Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HCR124 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R13738 MMS-D
2	2	By: Legler H.C.R. No. 124
3	3
4	4
5	5	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, A battleship familiar to countless Texans, the USS
7	7	Texas served honorably in World War I and World War II; and
8	8	WHEREAS, Built in Newport News, Virginia, the Texas was
9	9	launched in 1912 and commissioned two years later; after the United
10	10	States entered World War I, the ship was used to train gun crews for
11	11	merchant vessels and then assigned a variety of missions in the
12	12	North Sea; in 1918, it escorted the German Fleet to its surrender
13	13	anchorage, and it subsequently escorted President Woodrow Wilson to
14	14	peace talks in France; and
15	15	WHEREAS, Designated the flagship of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
16	16	in 1940, the Texas escorted Atlantic convoys and provided gunfire
17	17	support for the Allied landings in North Africa in 1942; on D-Day,
18	18	June 6, 1944, it served as the flagship for the bombardment group
19	19	supporting the Allied landing on Omaha Beach; the Texas later
20	20	shelled German positions in southern France before being
21	21	transferred to the Pacific, where it lent gunfire support and
22	22	antiaircraft fire to the landings at Iwo Jima and Okinawa; despite
23	23	seeing action in two world wars, the Texas suffered only one combat
24	24	casualty, thereby earning the nickname "the Lucky Ship"; and
25	25	WHEREAS, In addition to its proud record of naval service,
26	26	the Texas boasts a number of historic distinctions; among U.S.
27	27	battleships, it was the first to mount antiaircraft guns and the
28	28	first to launch an aircraft, and it became the first ship in the
29	29	U.S. Navy to use radar; the Texas is registered as a National
30	30	Historic Landmark and a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark;
31	31	and
32	32	WHEREAS, Three years after the end of World War II, this
33	33	venerable ship was given to the State of Texas and transformed into
34	34	the first battleship memorial museum in the country; for the past
35	35	six decades, the ship has been moored at the San Jacinto
36	36	Battleground, where it is operated as a historic site by the Texas
37	37	Parks and Wildlife Department; a private nonprofit organization,
38	38	the Battleship Texas Foundation, provides vital support by raising
39	39	funds for restoration, enhancements, and educational efforts; the
40	40	Texas was designated the flagship of the Texas Navy in 1948 and the
41	41	official State Ship in 1995; and
42	42	WHEREAS, This imposing battleship opens a window into crucial
43	43	chapters in naval and world history; more important still, it
44	44	serves as a monument to freedom and a reminder of the price that has
45	45	been paid to preserve it; now, therefore, be it
46	46	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
47	47	hereby endorse the restoration, conservation, and presentation of
48	48	the Battleship Texas at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic
49	49	Site in a permanent dry berth, thereby assuring the preservation of
50	50	this unique asset and icon of the Lone Star State for future
51	51	generations; and, be it further
52	52	RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward official copies
53	53	of this resolution to the commissioners of the Texas Parks and
54	54	Wildlife Commission and to the executive director of the Texas
55	55	Parks and Wildlife Department.