Bill Text: TX HCR109 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Designating the third week of September as Towing Industry Awareness Week for a 10-year period beginning in 2017.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-31 - Referred to Culture, Recreation & Tourism [HCR109 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HCR109-Introduced.html
| 85R12056 JGH-D | ||
| By: Cain | H.C.R. No. 109 | |
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| WHEREAS, Tow trucks and their drivers have become an | ||
| indispensable part of our automotive culture, providing welcome | ||
| assistance to stranded motorists and helping to clear traffic | ||
| crashes throughout the nation; and | ||
| WHEREAS, More than 35,000 towing companies operate in the | ||
| United States, and these businesses employ hundreds of thousands of | ||
| people, including dispatchers and safety advisors in addition to | ||
| tow truck operators; these dedicated individuals respond to nearly | ||
| 15 million traffic accidents each year, coming to the aid of | ||
| motorists and first responders in all types of weather, at all hours | ||
| of the day and night; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Part of our nation's transportation system for the | ||
| past century, the towing industry traces its roots to 1916, when | ||
| Ernest Holmes of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was inspired to design the | ||
| first tow vehicle after assisting in the recovery of a crashed Model | ||
| T; Mr. Holmes and the company he founded went on to pioneer numerous | ||
| innovations in towing and produced such classic wreckers as the | ||
| W-45 model used by the U.S. military in World War II; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Since the earliest days of the industry, tow truck | ||
| drivers have faced considerable dangers while performing their | ||
| jobs; working in the midst of busy traffic and often in poor weather | ||
| conditions, operators regularly put their lives on the line, and an | ||
| average of one tow truck worker is killed every six days in the | ||
| United States; and | ||
| WHEREAS, To lessen the hazards faced by these skilled | ||
| professionals, it is important for motorists to observe proper | ||
| safety precautions when they encounter tow trucks on the roadways, | ||
| including reducing their speed and moving over to provide | ||
| additional clearance between the line of traffic and the tow truck | ||
| and stranded vehicle; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The towing industry provides essential services to | ||
| the public, keeping our roadways clear and open for travel, and its | ||
| workers are truly deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, | ||
| be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate the third week of September as Towing Industry | ||
| Awareness Week; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section | ||
| 391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect | ||
| until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally | ||
| passed by the legislature. | ||
