H.R. No. 243
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Brownsville are gathering in Austin on
January 29, 2013, to celebrate Brownsville Day at the State
Capitol; and
WHEREAS, The site of Brownsville, originally settled under a
1781 Spanish land grant, was the location of a fortification
constructed in 1846 by soldiers led by General Zachary Taylor in
preparation for the coming war with Mexico; named Fort Brown in
honor of Major Jacob Brown, who died in an attack on the United
States forces, the area became part of the State of Texas at the
signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848; and
WHEREAS, Brownsville was made county seat of the new Cameron
County in January 1849, and it soon replaced Matamoros as the
leading trade center for the area; with the 1850 Census showing
two-thirds of the residents from the Eastern United States and the
remainder from Mexico, Ireland, France, England, and Germany, the
town had already taken on a cosmopolitan and multilingual
character; and
WHEREAS, Now the largest city in the Lower Rio Grande Valley
with more than 175,000 people, Brownsville celebrates its heritage
as an active gateway between two countries that are joined by
hundreds of years of tradition, history, and family; and
WHEREAS, Building on the unique strengths of its population
and economic assets, the Brownsville community has come together to
develop the Imagine Brownsville Comprehensive Plan, and the United
Brownsville Partnership was formed to ensure the implementation of
the plan; and
WHEREAS, Members of the partnership are committed to
maximizing the advantages of their access to a deep-sea port and
international markets to create a local economy that will drive
prosperity for the region and this state; they include
representatives of the City of Brownsville, the Brownsville
Navigation District, The University of Texas at Brownsville, the
Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, Texas Southmost
College, the Greater Brownsville Improvements Corporation, the
Brownsville Independent School District, the Brownsville Public
Utilities Board, the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, the
Brownsville Economic Development Council, the Brownsville
Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Brownsville South Padre Island
International Airport, the United Way of Southern Cameron County,
Cameron County, and Workforce Solutions Cameron; and
WHEREAS, A dynamic community that draws on a rich history as
it prepares for an exciting future, Brownsville has established
itself as an outstanding place in which to live and work, and its
citizens may take great pride in the area's ongoing achievements;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby recognize January 29, 2013, as Brownsville Day
at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere
best wishes for an enjoyable stay in Austin.
Oliveira
Lucio III
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 243 was adopted by the House on
January 29, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House