SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 177
WHEREAS, The Texas Senate is pleased to recognize February
12 and 13, 2013, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, Located in the westernmost tip of the great State
of Texas, the City of El Paso combines a modern metropolis with
the charm born of its Spanish origins; the area was named El Paso
by the Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Onate for the shallow
place in the river where the colonists crossed on their way to
Santa Fe, New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, The arrival of the railroads in 1881 ushered in an
era of prosperity, and El Paso became a flourishing frontier
community that has developed into a significant industrial,
commercial, and transportation city; and
WHEREAS, Today, semitrailers, trains, and airplanes
transport manufactured goods through the border cities at the
Pass, just as Spanish traders did in the 16th century when they
guided ox-drawn carts along the Camino Real from Mexico City to
Santa Fe; and
WHEREAS, With a population of three quarters of a million
people, El Paso is the state's sixth-largest city and the
nation's 22nd-largest; the largest American city on the
2,000-mile United States-Mexico border, it lies north of and
across the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's fifth-largest
city, which has a population of over a million people; and
WHEREAS, Nearby Fort Bliss, which celebrates its 165th
anniversary this year, has just completed the biggest
transformation in its history, with a 300 percent increase in its
population since 2005 and an investment of $5 billion in
construction for new, top-of-the-line facilities for the
incoming personnel and their families, including a new
billion-dollar military hospital; this installation is at the
forefront of the United States Army's Transformation plan,
having transitioned from a Training and Doctrine post to a Forces
Command post; and
WHEREAS, El Paso voters in November 2012 approved all three
propositions included in the 2012 Quality of Life Bond, making it
the largest bond passed in the city's history at $473,250,000,
and the propositions passed with one of the largest voting
margins for similar bonds across the nation; and
WHEREAS, El Paso is a vibrant, bilingual community, and
many of its residents are fluent in Spanish; its residents enjoy
a thriving fine arts community, exemplary educational
institutions, and many cultural and historical resources and
museums; and
WHEREAS, El Paso Days at the State Capitol provide an
opportunity for friends and families to honor El Paso and its
rich heritage, which today is enjoyed by residents and
vacationers of all ages; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
83rd Legislature, hereby recognize February 12 and 13, 2013, as
El Paso Days at the State Capitol and join the citizens of this
historic and vibrant region in paying tribute to this wonderful
city; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared as a
memento of this special occasion.
Rodriguez
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on February 13, 2013.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate