Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR123 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 123
2	2	WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is being
3	3	celebrated February 7, 2017, and the Texas Senate takes great
4	4	pleasure in recognizing this region and its citizens who have
5	5	contributed to the development of the Lone Star State; and
6	6	WHEREAS, In the early 1500s, Alvar Nuñez de Cabeza de Vaca
7	7	explored the area known today as Jim Wells County, and his
8	8	records tell of tuna and prickly pear festivals held annually by
9	9	his coastal Indian captors around the present-day City of
10	10	Alice; and
11	11	WHEREAS, The area figures prominently in the early days of
12	12	Texas; the land became a part of Texas after it gained its
13	13	independence from Mexico in 1836; when early settlers to the
14	14	region arrived in 1850, N. G. Collins already had extensive
15	15	landholdings in the area and became the namesake for a town
16	16	established east of where Alice is now located; the town was
17	17	short-lived, since the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was
18	18	built two miles west of the community when landowners refused to
19	19	sell the right-of-way through the town; and
20	20	WHEREAS, In 1886, a new town developed where two rail lines
21	21	intersected; after several name changes, the new town of Alice,
22	22	named for Alice King, began to develop economically; located at
23	23	that time in the northwestern part of Nueces County, the town
24	24	eventually became the largest cattle-shipping point in the
25	25	world; and
26	26	WHEREAS, Jim Wells County was created and organized by the
27	27	Texas Legislature on March 11, 1911, and the City of Alice became
28	28	the county seat; originally a part of Nueces County, the county
29	29	was named for a prominent political figure and land developer,
30	30	James B. Wells Jr., who was also the purchasing agent for the King
31	31	Ranch; and
32	32	WHEREAS, Jim Wells County is a valuable agricultural area
33	33	that has contributed significantly to the development of the
34	34	southwestern part of the United States; since the mid-1800s, when
35	35	the famous Chisholm Trail passed through the county, the cattle
36	36	industry has played a major role in the area's economy; mesquite
37	37	brush and grasses in the western part provide ideal grazing
38	38	conditions for livestock, and coastal plains to the east produce
39	39	coastal Bermuda and vegetables; and
40	40	WHEREAS, In 1936, the first notable oil activity in the
41	41	county was initiated, and the first major oil producer, The Texas
42	42	Royalty Corporation and Lucy Petroleum Company One, was
43	43	established northeast of Alice; the oil rush brought many new
44	44	families to Jim Wells County; and
45	45	WHEREAS, The City of Alice is situated in the geographical
46	46	heart of South Texas and along the "Texas Tropical Trail" and is
47	47	known as the "Hub of South Texas" due to its strategic location at
48	48	the intersection of State Highway 44 and United States Highway
49	49	281; its proximity to primary United States-Mexico trade routes
50	50	connecting Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley with the Port of
51	51	Corpus Christi has contributed to the area's development into a
52	52	major "Hub of International Trade"; United States Highway 281 was
53	53	named in the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 as a
54	54	key link in the future I-69 NAFTA Superhighway System; and
55	55	WHEREAS, The county's economy has benefited not only from
56	56	the oil business, ranching, cattle shipping, and cotton and grain
57	57	production, but also from a fine public school system, a modern
58	58	hospital, and an expanding health-related service industry; and
59	59	WHEREAS, The history of Jim Wells County has been carefully
60	60	preserved at the South Texas Museum, which has been designated a
61	61	Texas Historical Landmark; donated by the McGill family, the
62	62	museum was the family's old ranch headquarters; and
63	63	WHEREAS, The citizens of Jim Wells County are justifiably
64	64	proud of their unique heritage and have retained the social
65	65	fabric of their culture through fiestas, county fairs, rodeos,
66	66	and outdoor activities such as hunting and water sports; and
67	67	WHEREAS, Jim Wells County Day at the State Capitol is an
68	68	appropriate occasion for the Texas Senate to recognize the
69	69	residents of Jim Wells County and to commend them for their
70	70	excellent accomplishments; now, therefore, be it
71	71	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th
72	72	Legislature, hereby declare February 7, 2017, Jim Wells County
73	73	Day at the State Capitol and join the citizens of Jim Wells County
74	74	as they celebrate their county's many assets; and, be it further
75	75	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
76	76	the citizens of Jim Wells County as an expression of esteem from
77	77	the Texas Senate.
78	78	Hinojosa
79	79	________________________________
80	80	President of the Senate
81	81	I hereby certify that the
82	82	above Resolution was adopted by
83	83	the Senate on February 7, 2017.
84	84	________________________________
85	85	Secretary of the Senate
86	86	________________________________
87	87	Member, Texas Senate