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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The United States is home to nearly two million |
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| 6 | 7 | | immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, more than half of whom arrived |
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| 7 | 8 | | in the U.S. from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Africa; |
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| 8 | 9 | | and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Typically, these African immigrants have higher |
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| 10 | 11 | | levels of educational attainment than the nation's population as a |
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| 11 | 12 | | whole, and they are more likely to hold degrees in the in-demand |
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| 12 | 13 | | fields of science, technology, engineering, or math; moreover, they |
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| 13 | 14 | | are well-represented in such vital sectors of the economy as the |
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| 14 | 15 | | health care industry, which faces unprecedented levels of demand |
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| 15 | 16 | | for qualified professionals; and |
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| 16 | 17 | | WHEREAS, A 2018 report by the Partnership for a New American |
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| 17 | 18 | | Economy Research Fund notes the large number of African |
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| 18 | 19 | | entrepreneurs residing in the U.S.; of some 90,000, many are |
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| 19 | 20 | | involved in the broader transportation sector, and 5,700 are |
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| 20 | 21 | | employed in real estate and accounting; and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, While the U.S.-born population is aging, nearly |
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| 22 | 23 | | three-quarters of African immigrants are in the prime of their |
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| 23 | 24 | | working years; they also naturalize at high rates, and accordingly, |
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| 24 | 25 | | these individuals are well-positioned to fill gaps that are being |
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| 25 | 26 | | created by the retirement of baby boomers; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, African immigrants also support numerous |
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| 27 | 28 | | U.S. businesses as consumers, especially in states that have |
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| 28 | 29 | | experienced high rates of immigration; in Texas, African immigrants |
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| 29 | 30 | | hold $4.7 billion in spending power, and the total for the country |
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| 30 | 31 | | exceeds $40 billion; they are an important source of revenue for |
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| 31 | 32 | | governments in many areas, and in just nine states, among them |
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| 32 | 33 | | Texas, Georgia, and Virginia, their state and local tax payments |
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| 33 | 34 | | exceeded half a billion dollars in 2015 alone; and |
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| 34 | 35 | | WHEREAS, Although the Sub-Saharan African immigrant |
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| 35 | 36 | | population is relatively small compared to other foreign-born |
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| 36 | 37 | | groups in the U.S., its members have an outsize impact in the |
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| 37 | 38 | | economy and the tax base, and they provide key support in the health |
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| 38 | 39 | | care sector and other industries in need of skilled professionals; |
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| 39 | 40 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 40 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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| 41 | 42 | | Legislature hereby recognize the contributions of Sub-Saharan |
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| 42 | 43 | | African immigrants. |
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