83R8388 BPG-D
By: Hinojosa S.C.R. No. 24
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The cruise operations in the homeport of Galveston
have an enormous economic impact on Texas; the city hosted some
655,000 passenger and crew visits in 2011, which accounted for
$1.13 billion in direct spending; in addition, the industry was
responsible for generating over 17,300 Texas jobs and paying $917
million in wage income; and
WHEREAS, South of Galveston, between Calhoun and Cameron
Counties, Texas is home to several growing cities, robust tourism,
and a wealth of natural resources; the area also hosts three major
deepwater ports, any of which might be a viable site for a cruise
line headquarters or a port of embarkation; and
WHEREAS, Florida and California, respectively, benefit the
most from the North American cruise industry; Florida operates five
cruise ports, including Port Canaveral, Port Everglades,
Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa, and California is home to four, in
Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, and San Francisco; an
additional Texas cruise ship port between Calhoun and Cameron
Counties could offer an attractive vacation option for a
significant portion of the state's residents and be an economic
boon to the state as a whole; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house
of representatives to provide for a joint interim legislative study
regarding the development of a cruise industry on the Texas coast
between Calhoun and Cameron Counties, including its potential
economic impact and options for incentives to attract the cruise
industry to South Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be
governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim
committees as the 83rd Legislature may adopt.