H.R. No. 222
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Brownsville are gathering in Austin on
January 28, 2015, to celebrate Brownsville Day at the State
Capitol; and
WHEREAS, The site of Brownsville was originally settled under
a 1781 Spanish land grant, and in 1846, it became the location of a
fortification constructed 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 when the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848; and
WHEREAS, Brownsville was made county seat of the newly
established Cameron County in January 1849, and it soon replaced
Matamoros as the leading trade center for the area; from its early
days, the city had a cosmopolitan and multilingual character, with
the 1850 Census showing that two-thirds of the residents were from
the Eastern United States and the remainder from Mexico, Ireland,
France, England, and Germany; and
WHEREAS, Now the largest city in the Lower Rio Grande Valley
with more than 181,000 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 Incentives 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 84th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize January 28, 2015, as Brownsville Day
at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere
best wishes for an enjoyable stay in Austin.
Lucio III
Oliveira
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 222 was adopted by the House on
January 28, 2015, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House