TITLE: Recognizing February 21-23, 2017, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol.

SUMMARY: Recognizing February 21-23, 2017, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to recognize February 21-23, 2017, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol; and WHEREAS, Located in the westernmost tip of the great state of Texas, the city of El Paso combines a modern metropolis with the charm born of its Spanish origins; the area was named El Paso by the Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Onate because of the shallow place in the river where the colonists crossed en route to Santa Fe, New Mexico; and WHEREAS, The arrival of the railroads in 1881 ushered in an era of prosperity, and El Paso became a flourishing frontier community that has developed into a significant industrial, commercial, and transportation city; and WHEREAS, Today, semitrailers, trains, and planes transport manufactured goods through the border cities at the Pass, just as Spanish traders did in the 16th century when they guided ox-drawn carts along the Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe; and WHEREAS, With three quarters of a million people, El Paso is the state's 6th-largest city and the 19th-largest city in the United States; one of the largest American cities on the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, it lies on the Rio Grande north of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's 5th-largest city; and WHEREAS, Nearby Fort Bliss, which celebrates its 167th anniversary this year, has completed the biggest transformation in its history with an investment of $6 billion in construction for new, top-of-the-line facilities, including a new billion-dollar military hospital; at the forefront of the U.S. Army's transformation plan, the post has transitioned from a TRADOC to the largest FORSCOM installation in the army, and it now has a population of more than 166,000 military personnel and their families, as well as retirees and other civilians; and WHEREAS, El Paso is a vibrant, bilingual community with many of its residents fluent in Spanish; the populace enjoys a thriving fine arts community, exemplary educational institutions, and many cultural and historical resources and museums; and WHEREAS, The people of El Paso are working to preserve their rich heritage while building a future of expanding opportunity, and it is indeed fitting that they be honored for their contributions to the story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby recognize February 21-23, 2017, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes for an enjoyable stay in Austin. Pickett Straus Goldman Oliverson Allen Gonzales of Williamson Ortega Alonzo Gonz lez of El Paso Paddie Alvarado Gooden Parker Anchia Guerra Paul Anderson of Dallas Guillen Perez Anderson of McLennan Gutierrez Phelan Ar valo Hefner Phillips Ashby Hernandez Pickett Bailes Herrero Price Bell Hinojosa Raney Bernal Holland Raymond Biedermann Howard Reynolds Blanco Huberty Rinaldi Bohac Hunter Roberts Bonnen of Brazoria Isaac Rodriguez of Bexar Bonnen of Galveston Israel Rodriguez of Travis Burkett Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr. Burns Johnson of Harris Rose Burrows Kacal Sanford Button Keough Schaefer Cain King of Hemphill Schofield Canales King of Parker Schubert Capriglione King of Uvalde Shaheen Clardy Klick Sheffield Coleman Koop Shine Collier Krause Simmons Cook Kuempel Smithee Cortez Lambert Springer Cosper Landgraf Stephenson Craddick Lang Stickland Cyrier Larson Stucky Dale Laubenberg Swanson Darby Leach Thierry Davis of Dallas Longoria Thompson of Brazoria Davis of Harris Lozano Thompson of Harris Dean Lucio III Tinderholt Deshotel Martinez Turner Dukes Metcalf Uresti Dutton Meyer VanDeaver Elkins Miller Villalba Faircloth Minjarez Vo Fallon Moody Walle Farrar Morrison White Flynn Mu oz, Jr. Wilson Frank Murphy Workman Frullo Murr Wray Geren Neave Wu Gervin-Hawkins Nev rez Zedler Giddings Oliveira Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 175 was adopted by the House on February 22, 2017, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House