TITLE: Recognizing February 12 and 13, 2013, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol.

SUMMARY: Recognizing February 12 and 13, 2013, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to recognize February 12 and 13, 2013, 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 a population of more than 665,000, El Paso is the state's sixth-largest city and the 19th-largest city in the United States; it lies on the Rio Grande north of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's fifth-largest city, with a population of over a million; and WHEREAS, Nearby Fort Bliss, which celebrates its 165th anniversary this year, has just completed the biggest transformation in its history, with a 300 percent increase in its population since 2005 and an investment of $5 billion in construction for new, top-of-the-line facilities for incoming personnel and their families, 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 a FORSCOM installation; and WHEREAS, Dedicated to making their city an even better place to live and work, El Paso citizens voted in favor of three "quality of life" bond propositions in 2012, approving $473,250,000 for projects by one of the largest voting margins for such proposals in any city in the nation; and WHEREAS, El Paso is a vibrant, bilingual community; its residents enjoy a thriving fine arts community, exemplary educational institutions, and many cultural and historical resources and museums; and WHEREAS, El Paso Days at the State Capitol provide an opportunity to honor El Paso and its rich heritage, which today is enjoyed by residents and vacationers of all ages; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby recognize February 12 and 13, 2013, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere best wishes for an enjoyable and memorable visit to Austin. Pickett Marquez N. Gonzalez of El Paso Moody M. Gonzalez of El Paso Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr Alonzo Gooden Otto Alvarado Guerra Paddie Anchia Guillen Parker Anderson Gutierrez Patrick Ashby Harless Perez Aycock Harper-Brown Perry Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips Bohac Herrero Pickett Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price Branch Huberty Raney Burkett Hughes Ratliff Burnam Hunter Raymond Button Isaac Reynolds Callegari Johnson Riddle Canales Kacal Ritter Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis Clardy King of Parker Rose Coleman King of Taylor Sanford Collier King of Zavala Schaefer Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell Creighton Krause Simmons Crownover Kuempel Simpson Dale Larson Smith Darby Laubenberg Smithee Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland Deshotel Longoria Strama Dukes Lozano Taylor Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris Elkins Martinez Toth Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin Farias McClendon Turner of Harris Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant Farrar Miles Villalba Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo Frank Moody Walle Frullo Morrison White Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman Giddings Murphy Wu Goldman Naishtat Zedler Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 369 was adopted by the House on February 12, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House