| 1 | 1 | | 88R9150 CW-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Morales of Harris H.R. No. 48 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Members of the Houston East End Chamber of Commerce |
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| 7 | 7 | | are gathering in Austin on February 16, 2023, to celebrate East End |
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| 8 | 8 | | Day at the State Capitol; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Predating the founding of the city of Houston, the |
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| 10 | 10 | | East End can trace its origins to the 1820s, when New York |
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| 11 | 11 | | entrepreneur John Richardson Harris established Harrisburg at the |
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| 12 | 12 | | intersection of Brays and Buffalo Bayous; after briefly serving as |
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| 13 | 13 | | the capital of the Republic of Texas, the town was annexed by |
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| 14 | 14 | | Houston in 1926; today, the East End encompasses more than 234,000 |
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| 15 | 15 | | people and 7,700 businesses, and it remains a location of great |
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| 16 | 16 | | importance as the proud home of the Port of Houston, one of the |
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| 17 | 17 | | nation's foremost ports for international trade and one of the |
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| 18 | 18 | | largest port facilities in the world; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, The Houston East End Chamber of Commerce was founded |
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| 20 | 20 | | in 1991 to ensure the economic prosperity of the area; guided by |
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| 21 | 21 | | this central goal, the chamber hosts a wide range of programs and |
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| 22 | 22 | | events that encourage new commercial ventures and support existing |
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| 23 | 23 | | businesses, and in recent years, it has provided webinars and other |
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| 24 | 24 | | resources to help business leaders meet the challenges of the |
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| 25 | 25 | | COVID-19 pandemic; moreover, the group created the Strategic Vision |
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| 26 | 26 | | for the East End in 2006, and the chamber and its partners have |
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| 27 | 27 | | since made outstanding progress, establishing an Economic |
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| 28 | 28 | | Development Division in 2009 and the East End Street Fest in 2013; |
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| 29 | 29 | | the East End serves as the commercial center of the city and the hub |
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| 30 | 30 | | of its transportation systems, and an investment exceeding half a |
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| 31 | 31 | | billion dollars is bringing light rail through the heart of the |
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| 32 | 32 | | district as well as street beautification projects; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Dedicated to equipping the next generation with the |
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| 34 | 34 | | knowledge and skills necessary to succeed, the chamber foundation |
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| 35 | 35 | | has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships over the past 16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | years; in addition, the chamber started an Education Symposium and |
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| 37 | 37 | | helped organize Port of Houston Maritime Academies at Stephen F. |
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| 38 | 38 | | Austin and Jack Yates High Schools as well as a National Engineering |
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| 39 | 39 | | Academy at Chávez High School; and |
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| 40 | 40 | | WHEREAS, The Houston East End Chamber of Commerce has |
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| 41 | 41 | | remained steadfast in its mission to promote economic vitality by |
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| 42 | 42 | | establishing strong connections throughout the community, and it is |
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| 43 | 43 | | a pleasure to recognize the organization for its myriad |
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| 44 | 44 | | contributions to the East End; now, therefore, be it |
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| 45 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 46 | 46 | | Legislature hereby recognize February 16, 2023, as Houston East End |
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| 47 | 47 | | Chamber of Commerce East End Day at the State Capitol and extend a |
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| 48 | 48 | | warm welcome to the visiting delegation. |
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