| 1 | 1 | | By: Hunter, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Hinojosa) H.C.R. No. 56 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 22, 2013; |
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| 3 | 3 | | April 29, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | 4 | | Economic Development; May 9, 2013, reported favorably by the |
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| 5 | 5 | | following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 9, 2013, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The cruise operations in the homeport of Galveston |
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| 10 | 10 | | have an enormous economic impact on Texas; the city hosted some |
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| 11 | 11 | | 655,000 passenger and crew visits in 2011, which accounted for |
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| 12 | 12 | | $1.13 billion in direct spending; in addition, the industry was |
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| 13 | 13 | | responsible for generating over 17,300 Texas jobs and paying $917 |
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| 14 | 14 | | million in wage income; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, South of Galveston, between Calhoun and Cameron |
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| 16 | 16 | | Counties, Texas is home to several growing cities, robust tourism, |
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| 17 | 17 | | and a wealth of natural resources; the area also hosts three major |
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| 18 | 18 | | deepwater ports, any of which might be a viable site for a cruise |
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| 19 | 19 | | line headquarters or a port of embarkation; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Florida and California, respectively, benefit the |
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| 21 | 21 | | most from the North American cruise industry; Florida operates five |
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| 22 | 22 | | cruise ports, including Port Canaveral, Port Everglades, |
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| 23 | 23 | | Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa, and California is home to four, in |
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| 24 | 24 | | Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, and San Francisco; an |
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| 25 | 25 | | additional Texas cruise ship port between Calhoun and Cameron |
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| 26 | 26 | | Counties could offer an attractive vacation option for a |
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| 27 | 27 | | significant portion of the state's residents and be an economic |
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| 28 | 28 | | boon to the state as a whole; now, therefore, be it |
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| 29 | 29 | | RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 30 | 30 | | hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house |
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| 31 | 31 | | of representatives to provide for a joint interim legislative study |
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| 32 | 32 | | regarding the development of a cruise industry on the Texas coast |
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| 33 | 33 | | between Calhoun and Cameron Counties, including its potential |
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| 34 | 34 | | economic impact and options for incentives to attract the cruise |
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| 35 | 35 | | industry to South Texas; and, be it further |
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| 36 | 36 | | RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be |
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| 37 | 37 | | governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim |
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| 38 | 38 | | committees as the 83rd Legislature may adopt. |
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| 39 | 39 | | * * * * * |
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