89R12766 AMB-D
By: Hunter H.C.R. No. 63
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The cruise operations in the home port of Galveston
have an enormous economic impact on Texas; the city hosted
approximately 1.5 million passenger and crew visits in 2024, and in
2023, the industry was responsible for generating more than 4,500
Texas jobs, $291 million in personal income, $733 million in local
business revenues, and $25 million in state and local taxes; and
WHEREAS, South of Galveston, between Calhoun and Cameron
Counties, from the tip of the Golden Crescent, along the Coastal
Bend, to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas is home to several
growing cities, robust tourism, and a wealth of natural resources;
the area, with more than 150 miles of Gulf shoreline, also harbors a
number of major deepwater ports, any of which might be a viable site
for a cruise line headquarters or a port of embarkation; and
WHEREAS, Florida and California, respectively, benefit the
most from the North American cruise industry, and each state
operates multiple cruise ports; and
WHEREAS, An additional Texas cruise ship port between Calhoun
and Cameron Counties could offer an attractive vacation option for
a significant portion of the state's residents and be an economic
boon to the state as a whole; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby request the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House
of Representatives to create a joint interim committee to conduct a
study regarding the development of a cruise industry on the Texas
coast between Calhoun and Cameron Counties, including its potential
economic impact and options for incentives to attract the cruise
industry to South Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be
governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim
committees as the 89th Texas Legislature may adopt; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including
findings and recommendations, to the 90th Texas Legislature before
it convenes in January 2027.