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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, The outstanding endeavors of the Consulate General |
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| 8 | 9 | | of France in Houston serve to strengthen the meaningful connections |
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| 9 | 10 | | with Texas that have spanned many centuries; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, In 1685, famed French explorer René-Robert |
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| 11 | 12 | | Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, landed at present-day Matagorda Bay |
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| 12 | 13 | | and built the Fort St. Louis stockade; the settlement was |
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| 13 | 14 | | short-lived, but in 1818, a friend of Napoleon Bonaparte, General |
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| 14 | 15 | | Charles Francois Antoine Lallemand, brought a band of army veterans |
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| 15 | 16 | | to establish Champ d'Asile on thinly populated Spanish territory |
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| 16 | 17 | | near modern Liberty; Spain did not take kindly to the incursion, but |
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| 17 | 18 | | the brief French presence helped to define the Sabine River as the |
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| 18 | 19 | | border between Louisiana and Texas; and |
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| 19 | 20 | | WHEREAS, France was the second country to recognize the |
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| 20 | 21 | | Republic of Texas as a sovereign nation, and the two countries |
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| 21 | 22 | | signed a commercial treaty in 1839 and opened their respective |
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| 22 | 23 | | legations in Austin and Paris; in the following decade, more than |
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| 23 | 24 | | 2,000 French Alsatians flocked to Castroville under the leadership |
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| 24 | 25 | | of banker Henri Castro, and across the state, French Catholic |
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| 25 | 26 | | missionaries developed schools and hospitals; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Favorable relations continued after Texas entered |
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| 27 | 28 | | the Union and have flourished through the years; our economies |
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| 28 | 29 | | benefit by the dynamism of imports and exports, totaling $15.6 |
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| 29 | 30 | | billion in 2022, making France our state's 14th-largest trade |
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| 30 | 31 | | partner; in the last decade, French companies reported more than 80 |
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| 31 | 32 | | investment projects in Texas; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Led since 2021 by Consul General Valérie Baraban, |
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| 33 | 34 | | the Consulate General of France in Houston provides services to |
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| 34 | 35 | | French citizens living in the Lone Star State; it also promotes |
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| 35 | 36 | | French business, science, and technology and fosters language |
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| 36 | 37 | | learning and cultural appreciation through its Villa Albertine in |
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| 37 | 38 | | Texas program; in 2024, it partnered in the creation of the |
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| 38 | 39 | | French-American Cultural Foundation; and |
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| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, The friendship between France and Texas has long |
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| 40 | 41 | | been a driver of prosperity and a source of vibrant cultural |
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| 41 | 42 | | enrichment, and the efforts of the Consulate General of France in |
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| 42 | 43 | | Houston continue to invigorate this multifaceted and mutually |
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| 43 | 44 | | valuable exchange; now, therefore, be it |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 45 | 46 | | Legislature hereby honor the Consulate General of France in Houston |
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| 46 | 47 | | for its contributions and recognize the enduring bonds between |
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| 47 | 48 | | France and Texas; and, be it further |
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| 48 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 49 | 50 | | prepared for the consulate as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 50 | 51 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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