| 1 | 1 | | 85R11687 RMA-D |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Hunter H.C.R. No. 78 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The cruise operations in the home port of Galveston |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | have an enormous economic impact on Texas; the city hosted some |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | 640,000 passengers in 2014, which accounted for more than $1.2 |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | billion in direct spending; in addition, the industry was |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | responsible for generating almost 20,000 Texas jobs and paying |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | nearly $1.1 billion in wage income; and |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, South of Galveston, between Calhoun and Cameron |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Counties, from the tip of the Golden Crescent, along the Coastal |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | Bend, to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas is home to several |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | growing cities, robust tourism, and a wealth of natural resources; |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | the area, with more than 150 miles of Gulf shoreline, also harbors |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | three major deepwater ports, any of which might be a viable site for |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | a cruise line headquarters or a port of embarkation; and |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Florida and California, respectively, benefit the |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | most from the North American cruise industry; Florida operates five |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | cruise ports, including Port Canaveral, Port Everglades, |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa, and California is home to four, in |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, and San Francisco; an |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | additional Texas cruise ship port between Calhoun and Cameron |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | Counties could offer an attractive vacation option for a |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | significant portion of the state's residents and be an economic |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | boon to the state as a whole; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | of representatives to create a joint interim committee to conduct a |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | study regarding the development of a cruise industry on the Texas |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | coast between Calhoun and Cameron Counties, including its potential |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | economic impact and options for incentives to attract the cruise |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | industry to South Texas; and, be it further |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | committees as the 85th Legislature may adopt. |
|---|