Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR116 Compare Versions

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1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 116
2	2	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
3	3	proclaim February 4, 2009, as Brownsville Day at the State
4	4	Capitol and to welcome citizens of Brownsville to the State
5	5	Capital and to the Texas Legislature; and
6	6	WHEREAS, Accompanying this distinguished group are
7	7	representatives of the City of Brownsville, the Brownsville
8	8	Chamber of Commerce, The University of Texas at Brownsville and
9	9	Texas Southmost College, the Brownsville Independent School
10	10	District, the Brownsville Navigation District, the Brownsville
11	11	Public Utilities Board, the Greater Brownsville Incentives
12	12	Corporation, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation,
13	13	the Brownsville Economic Development Council, the Brownsville
14	14	Urban System, the Brownsville South Padre Island International
15	15	Airport, the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the
16	16	Port of Brownsville, Workforce Solutions Cameron, and Cameron
17	17	County; and
18	18	WHEREAS, The site of Brownsville was originally
19	19	established as part of the Espiritu Santo land grant in 1781 from
20	20	Spain; when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the
21	21	area became part of Mexico; the region was settled in 1826 as part
22	22	of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico; it then became part of the
23	23	Republic of Texas in 1836, and, briefly, in 1840, part of the
24	24	Republic of the Rio Grande; the area around Brownsville became
25	25	part of the United States in 1845 when Texas became a state, but
26	26	the national sovereignty of the area was still disputed; and
27	27	WHEREAS, In 1846, President Polk sent General Zachary
28	28	Taylor south to the Rio Grande and established Fort Texas, later
29	29	Fort Brown, as the first permanent United States fort in Texas;
30	30	its purpose was to defend the Rio Grande as the boundary of the
31	31	United States after Texas became a state; this action resulted in
32	32	the Mexican War of 1845, and subsequently the Treaty of Guadalupe
33	33	Hidalgo permanently established the north bank of the Rio Grande
34	34	as being in Texas and the United States; and
35	35	WHEREAS, The town was first chartered as a city in Texas
36	36	and the United States in 1848, by Charles Stillman; it was named
37	37	in honor of Major Jacob Brown, who was killed in the initial
38	38	action leading to the Mexican War; and
39	39	WHEREAS, Brownsville was considered to be vital to both the
40	40	South and the North during the American Civil War; it was the only
41	41	port available to the Confederacy to ship its cotton to Europe in
42	42	exchange for war supplies, and it was the site of the battle of
43	43	Palmito Ranch, the last battle of the Civil War, which was fought
44	44	on May 13, 1865, six weeks after the surrender of the Confederacy
45	45	at Appomattox, after which the Union Army regained control of
46	46	Fort Brown in order to control the cotton supply and custom
47	47	house; and
48	48	WHEREAS, Brownsville is the county seat of Cameron County,
49	49	the largest city in the lower Rio Grande Valley, and the
50	50	southernmost city in Texas; Brownsville has a variety of
51	51	businesses, including international trade at the international
52	52	sea and land ports, offshore and marine services, ecotourism and
53	53	heritage tourism, shrimping, electronics, food processing, and
54	54	warehouse distribution, which serve as a vital economic base; and
55	55	WHEREAS, The destination of thousands of visitors every
56	56	year, the Brownsville area offers numerous historical sites and
57	57	museums; it is a birdwatcher's utopia because of its location at
58	58	the convergence of two major migratory flyways; the Gladys Porter
59	59	Zoo boasts several endangered species, including the white
60	60	rhinoceros and the lowland gorilla; and the 557-acre Sabal Palm
61	61	Sanctuary harbors native plants and animals that do not occur
62	62	elsewhere in the United States; all of these attractions make
63	63	Brownsville a desirable destination for tourists and winter
64	64	Texans; now, therefore, be it
65	65	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st
66	66	Legislature, hereby welcome the noteworthy visitors from the
67	67	City of Brownsville; and, be it further
68	68	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
69	69	the Brownsville delegation as an expression of the highest regard
70	70	and esteem of the Texas Senate.
71	71	Lucio
72	72	________________________________
73	73	President of the Senate
74	74	I hereby certify that the
75	75	above Resolution was adopted by
76	76	the Senate on February 4, 2009.
77	77	________________________________
78	78	Secretary of the Senate
79	79	________________________________
80	80	Member, Texas Senate