Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HCR13 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	~~87R18211 KSM~~-D
	1	+	87R4707 CJM-D
2	2		By: Zwiener H.C.R. No. 13
3		-	Substitute the following for H.C.R. No. 13:
4		-	By: Israel C.S.H.C.R. No. 13
5	3
6	4
7		-	~~HOUSE~~ CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	5	+	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
8	6		WHEREAS, For thousands of years, the mermaid has been one of
9	7		the most striking symbols of humanity's connection with the natural
10	8		world, and over the past century, this legendary figure has come to
11	9		represent the city of San Marcos and its special relationship to the
12	10		water resources of Central Texas; and
13	11		WHEREAS, The story of the mermaid in San Marcos begins with
14	12		the abundant springs that every day release 100 million gallons of
15	13		freshwater from the Edwards Aquifer into the San Marcos River;
16	14		considered a sacred place by Native Americans and regarded as the
17	15		creation site of the Coahuiltecans, the springs have drawn people
18	16		to their banks for more than 11,500 years, making this area what is
19	17		thought to be one of the oldest continually inhabited sites in North
20	18		America; and
21		-	WHEREAS, In ~~1849~~, Edward Burleson, a former vice president of
	19	+	WHEREAS, In 1845, Edward Burleson, a former vice president of
22	20		the Republic of Texas, dammed the headwaters of the San Marcos,
23	21		thereby creating Spring Lake; over the ensuing years, the water
24	22		from the lake powered gristmills, sawmills, an ice factory, and an
25	23		electric light works; the San Marcos River also constituted an
26	24		important water stop along the Chisholm Trail; and
27	25		WHEREAS, A. B. Rogers bought the Burleson homestead in the
28	26		1920s and built a resort hotel on the shore of the lake; he later
29	27		began offering rides in glass-bottomed boats that allowed visitors
30	28		to see through the crystal clear water to the bubbling springs
31	29		beneath; his son Paul, who succeeded him, established the Aquarena
32	30		Springs amusement park on the property, and in 1950 he built an
33	31		underwater theater, where young women known as "aquamaids" staged
34	32		exhibitions of synchronized swimming and underwater ballet; at the
35	33		peak of its popularity, the park drew up to 350,000 visitors every
36	34		year and was featured in Life magazine, with the submerged theater
37	35		making it to the cover of Popular Mechanics; in time, the show came
38	36		to include Glurpo, a pipe-smoking clown, and a swimming pig named
39	37		Ralph; and
40	38		WHEREAS, The performances continued until the 1990s, when
41	39		Texas State University acquired the park and set a new course for
42	40		the property; today, the site hosts the Meadows Center for Water and
43	41		the Environment, which conducts research and educational programs
44	42		focused on promoting sustainable water management and
45	43		environmental stewardship; the critical nature of its work is
46	44		underscored by the fact that the Edwards Aquifer supplies drinking
47	45		water to nearly two million people and serves as the principal
48	46		source of water for agriculture, industry, and recreation
49	47		throughout the region; the aquifer system sustains over 40 highly
50	48		adapted species, a number of which are either threatened or
51	49		endangered, including several found in the San Marcos springs and a
52	50		stretch of river just below; and
53	51		WHEREAS, In 2016, the Mermaid Society of Texas, headquartered
54	52		in San Marcos, was created to foster harmony between environmental
55	53		sustainability, the arts, and economic growth; the society has
56	54		established an annual Mermaid SPLASH festival, which includes a
57	55		parade, the Mermaid Art Ball, and the riverside AquaFaire
58	56		celebration; moreover, the city has funded mermaid-themed public
59	57		art through a program supported by the hotel occupancy tax; among
60	58		the works underwritten by this initiative are murals and a series of
61	59		seven-foot-tall statues, each one decorated by a different artist;
62	60		and
63	61		WHEREAS, By adopting the mermaid as a symbol of the city, the
64	62		people of San Marcos are encouraging public interest in the natural
65	63		environment and highlighting the central role their community is
66	64		playing in preserving the water resources of the Lone Star State;
67	65		now, therefore, be it
68	66		RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
69	67		hereby designate the city of San Marcos as the official Mermaid
70	68		Capital of Texas; and, be it further
71	69		RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
72	70		391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
73	71		until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally
74	72		passed by the legislature.