BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.C.R. 84
87R19409 TBO-D	By: Parker; Button (Campbell)
	Administration
	5/18/2021
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 
Recent changes in the global economy have introduced new opportunities for a closer and more mutually beneficial trade relationship between Texas and the United Kingdom.
Texans have a long history of friendship with the United Kingdom. Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas, was the first state leader to send a diplomatic mission to London, and a plaque on St. James Street still marks the site of the legation of the Republic of Texas. The first British Consulate in the State of Texas was established in Galveston in 1846.
Today, the United Kingdom is the top source of foreign direct investment in Texas, and subsidiaries of British companies provide over 119,000 jobs for Texans. The United Kingdom is also one of the state's largest global export markets, with British households and businesses purchasing more than $10.2 billion in services and goods such as petroleum, aerospace products, and medical equipment from Texas each year. Moreover, high levels of tourism and business travel bring our two peoples even closer, both economically and culturally, while cooperation on major defense projects such as the F-35 fighter jet project based in Fort Worth emphasizes our shared security interests.
Represented by the British Consulate General in Houston, the government of the United Kingdom works with Texas state and municipal leaders, nongovernmental organizations, and businesses to create a more prosperous future, and together Texans and Britons share a commitment to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and recover from its economic effects, to create robust and resilient supply chains, and to build a more secure energy infrastructure.
The relationship between Texas and the United Kingdom can be strengthened by continued dialogue on issues of trade and commerce that fall within state jurisdiction, as well as the eventual passage of a comprehensive free trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.
The State of Texas takes great pride in its partnership with the United Kingdom, and the citizens of the Lone Star State look forward to many more years of fruitful cooperation with their friends across the Atlantic.

RESOLVED

That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby recognize the vital importance of the enduring friendship between Texas and the United Kingdom and commend all those individuals who are working to maintain and strengthen that relationship and the bonds of shared history, language, and culture, including British Ambassador to the United States Karen Pierce and British Consul General in Houston Richard Hyde.

That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the Consul General of the United Kingdom in Houston and the British Ambassador to the United States in Washington, D.C., as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.