Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR221 Compare Versions

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1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 221
2	2	WHEREAS, February 16 through 20, 2009, is being celebrated
3	3	as Texas Technology Week in order to increase public awareness of
4	4	the extraordinary achievements of these industries and the vital
5	5	role they play in the prosperity of the Lone Star State; and
6	6	WHEREAS, Sponsoring Texas Technology Week are TechAmerica,
7	7	the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute, TechNet Texas,
8	8	the Metroplex Technology Business Council, the Texas Association
9	9	of Business, the Texas Coalition for Capital, and the Solar
10	10	Alliance; and
11	11	WHEREAS, The technology and life-sciences industries and
12	12	research institutions of Texas are achieving leading-edge
13	13	advances in medicine, space exploration, computing,
14	14	communications, energy, and transportation, revolutionizing the
15	15	world we live in; within the state, these industries employ more
16	16	Texans than do the oil, natural gas, and agriculture industries
17	17	combined, and their high-wage, highly skilled jobs contribute to
18	18	a diverse and growing economy; and
19	19	WHEREAS, People around the globe have benefitted
20	20	immeasurably from the medical treatments and devices developed
21	21	by Texas companies, and the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience
22	22	Institute, whose membership includes research institutions,
23	23	regional economic development entities and communities, and
24	24	biotechnology, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies,
25	25	acknowledges that in 2006, one of almost every 23 U.S.
26	26	biotechnology employees worked in Texas; nine recipients of
27	27	biotechnology-related Nobel Prizes, National Medals of Science,
28	28	or National Medals of Technology are based in this state; in
29	29	2007, the National Institutes of Health awarded more than $1
30	30	billion in grants and awards to entities in the State of Texas;
31	31	and Texas biotechnology-related patent growth is outpacing the
32	32	national average; and
33	33	WHEREAS, The life-sciences industry constitutes a
34	34	significant pillar of the Texas economy, including approximately
35	35	3,200 establishments employing over 85,400 Texans, with the
36	36	promise of continued job growth for many years to come; and
37	37	WHEREAS, TechAmerica, the nation's largest high-technology
38	38	trade group, reports that Texas ranks second in the country in
39	39	high-tech employment, with some 459,000 jobs, and 56 of every
40	40	1,000 private sector workers in our state are employed by
41	41	high-tech firms; moreover, Texas ranks second among all states in
42	42	terms of its high-tech employment, and ninth among all the states
43	43	in terms of its high-tech average wage, a wage nearly double that
44	44	of the average private sector worker, which allows the industry
45	45	to provide an aggregate high-tech payroll of $37.5 billion; the
46	46	importance of this industry to Texans is further underscored by
47	47	the fact that high-tech product exports exceed $35.9 billion and
48	48	account for 21 percent of the state's international exports; and
49	49	WHEREAS, All sectors of the high-technology and
50	50	life-sciences community are joining together this week to
51	51	discuss the major issues facing their industries and to affirm
52	52	their support for a strong system of public and higher education,
53	53	a critical factor in providing the highly skilled workforce on
54	54	which these industries depend; and
55	55	WHEREAS, The technology and life-sciences industries have
56	56	become a tremendous engine of economic growth in the State of
57	57	Texas, and the benefits of their research and production enrich
58	58	people the world over; now, therefore, be it
59	59	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 81st
60	60	Legislature, hereby recognize February 16 through 20, 2009, as
61	61	Texas Technology Week and commend its sponsors for their
62	62	outstanding efforts in promoting research, development,
63	63	products, services, and manufacturing in the State of Texas; and,
64	64	be it further
65	65	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in
66	66	honor of Texas Technology Week.
67	67	Shapiro
68	68	________________________________
69	69	President of the Senate
70	70	I hereby certify that the
71	71	above Resolution was adopted by
72	72	the Senate on February 18, 2009.
73	73	________________________________
74	74	Secretary of the Senate
75	75	________________________________
76	76	Member, Texas Senate