Bill Text: TX SR117 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing February 5, 2019, as Rio Grande Valley Day.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-05 - Reported enrolled [SR117 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SR117-Enrolled.html
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| WHEREAS, A distinguished delegation from South Texas is | ||
| visiting Austin on February 5, 2019, to celebrate Rio Grande | ||
| Valley Day at the State Capitol; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Enjoying a strategic location on the Gulf of | ||
| Mexico and along the Mexican border, the Rio Grande Valley was an | ||
| important ranching region when Texas became the nation's 28th | ||
| state in 1845; over time, the economy shifted from ranching to | ||
| agriculture, and the Valley became the state's center of citrus | ||
| and vegetable production; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the 1960s, industry flourished and | ||
| international trade became increasingly prominent; the region | ||
| has contributed significantly to the tremendous increase in | ||
| commerce across the United States-Mexico border; each year, more | ||
| than 946,000 trucks, 11.7 million cars with 24.3 million | ||
| passengers, thousands of buses and bus passengers, and 6.2 | ||
| million pedestrians cross Rio Grande Valley ports of entry; an | ||
| average of over $51 billion of commercial trade per year, | ||
| amounting to more than $140 million in goods and services per | ||
| day, flows across the region's 13 land ports of entry; the Rio | ||
| Grande Valley is an economic powerhouse for the State of Texas, | ||
| with approximately $12.5 billion in taxable sales recorded in | ||
| Reporting Year 2018; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Valley has over 1.5 million residents, and | ||
| approximately 600,000 of these are individuals under the age of | ||
| 25; local and state officials have focused on the need to expand | ||
| access to higher education and health care, strengthen the | ||
| workforce, increase transportation and ports of entry | ||
| infrastructure, and increase funding for public education; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley serves | ||
| over 28,600 students; the School of Medicine is in its third year | ||
| of operation and has 155 medical students and 169 medical | ||
| residents in 10 Graduate Medical Education programs and over 20 | ||
| patient care sites; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Texas A&M University System recently opened | ||
| its Higher Education Center in McAllen, which will be linked to | ||
| the campus in College Station and will offer programs in | ||
| engineering, technology, biomedical sciences, agriculture, and | ||
| the laboratory sciences; and | ||
| WHEREAS, There are six higher education institutions in | ||
| the Rio Grande Valley, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, | ||
| Texas A&M University Higher Education Center, Texas A&M | ||
| University Health Science Center McAllen, South Texas College, | ||
| Texas Southmost College, and Texas State Technical College, and | ||
| they serve a combined student population of over 70,000; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The focus for today's special legislative event is | ||
| to advocate for additional investments in public education and | ||
| workforce development through industry-driven youth | ||
| apprenticeship programs in Texas high schools, transportation | ||
| and port of entry infrastructure, economic and business | ||
| development, funding for The University of Texas Rio Grande | ||
| Valley School of Medicine, access to health care and other | ||
| community services, and securing a Level 1 trauma center; major | ||
| sponsors include The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas | ||
| A&M University, Texas Southmost College, the City of McAllen, the | ||
| City of Edinburg, the City of Weslaco, the City of Pharr, the City | ||
| of Brownsville, the Port of Brownsville, the Lower Rio Grande | ||
| Valley Development Council, the Starr County Industrial | ||
| Foundation, Willacy County, and the Rio Grande Valley | ||
| Partnership, as well as several private sector businesses, such | ||
| as Pathfinder Public Affairs, Atlas, Hall and Rodriguez, IBC | ||
| Bank, Texas Gas Service, UBER, and Coca-Cola, all of which are | ||
| promoting greater regional cooperation in the 21st century; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A vibrant region with a rich heritage, the Rio | ||
| Grande Valley is poised to take advantage of tremendous | ||
| opportunities for continued economic development, and it is | ||
| indeed most fitting to honor Valley residents for their | ||
| dedication to building a bright and prosperous future for the | ||
| area; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th | ||
| Legislature, hereby recognize February 5, 2019, as Rio Grande | ||
| Valley Day at the State Capitol and extend to all participants | ||
| sincere best wishes for a productive and enjoyable visit. | ||
| Hinojosa, Lucio, Zaffirini | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| President of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that the | ||
| above Resolution was adopted by | ||
| the Senate on February 5, 2019. | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Member, Texas Senate | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Member, Texas Senate | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Member, Texas Senate | ||
