TITLE: Directing the State Preservation Board to allow a variance from its rules pertaining to performances at the State Capitol in order to allow reenactments of the "Cry of Independence" at midnight on the evenings of September 15, 2013, and September 15, 2014.

SUMMARY: Directing the State Preservation Board to allow a variance from its rules pertaining to performances at the State Capitol in order to allow reenactments of the "Cry of Independence" at midnight on the evenings of September 15, 2013, and September 15, 2014.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Mexican Independence Day, "Diez ySeis de Septiembre," is an important event in the history of Texas, and a commemoration of the occasion on the grounds of the State Capitol is a fitting way to celebrate the date; and WHEREAS, On September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo yCostilla, a Mexican priest in the town of Dolores, ignited the first uprising in what would become the Mexican War of Independence; after securing the forced release of prisoners from the local jail on the night of September 15, Father Hidalgo addressed his parishioners on the morning of the 16th, exhorting them to join him in a movement against the colonial government; the ensuing struggle soon became a fight for full independence from Spain, a goal that was ultimately achieved in 1821; and WHEREAS, "Diez ySeis" celebrations take place in a number of Texas cities, including San Antonio and Goliad, where they have been held for well over a century and a half, and reenactments of Father Hidalgo's clarion call, the "Grito de Dolores" or the "Grito de la Independencia," are important features of the festivities; and WHEREAS, The struggle for freedom is a noble endeavor, and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus is calling for a performance of the "Grito" on the State Capitol grounds to serve as a reminder of the heroism of those individuals who threw off colonial bonds and who made great sacrifices in order to forge an independent nation, one that from 1821 to 1836 included the area that is today the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby direct the State Preservation Board to allow a variance from its rules pertaining to performances at the State Capitol in order to allow reenactments of the "Cry of Independence" at midnight on the evenings of September 15, 2013, and September 15, 2014; and, be it further RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official copy of this resolution to the executive director and members of the State Preservation Board.