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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Recent changes in the global economy have introduced |
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new opportunities for a closer and more mutually beneficial trade |
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relationship between Texas and the United Kingdom; and |
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WHEREAS, Texans have a long history of friendship with the |
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United Kingdom; Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas, |
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was the first state leader to send a diplomatic mission to London, |
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and a plaque on St. James Street still marks the site of the |
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legation of the Republic of Texas; the first British Consulate in |
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the State of Texas was established in Galveston in 1846; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the United Kingdom is the top source of |
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foreign direct investment in Texas, and subsidiaries of British |
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companies provide over 119,000 jobs for Texans; the UK is also one |
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of the state's largest global export markets, with British |
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households and businesses purchasing more than $10.2 billion in |
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services and goods such as petroleum, aerospace products, and |
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medical equipment from Texas each year; moreover, high levels of |
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tourism and business travel bring our two peoples even closer, both |
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economically and culturally, while cooperation on major defense |
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projects such as the F-35 fighter jet project based in Fort Worth |
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emphasizes our shared security interests; and |
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WHEREAS, Represented by the British Consulate General in |
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Houston, the government of the United Kingdom works with Texas |
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state and municipal leaders, nongovernmental organizations, and |
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businesses to create a more prosperous future, and together Texans |
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and Britons share a commitment to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and |
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recover from its economic effects, to create robust and resilient |
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supply chains, and to build a more secure energy infrastructure; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The relationship between Texas and the UK can be |
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strengthened by continued dialogue on issues of trade and commerce |
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that fall within state jurisdiction, as well as the eventual |
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passage of a comprehensive free trade agreement between the United |
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States and the United Kingdom; and |
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas takes great pride in its |
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partnership with the United Kingdom, and the citizens of the Lone |
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Star State look forward to many more years of fruitful cooperation |
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with their friends across the Atlantic; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby recognize the vital importance of the enduring friendship |
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between Texas and the United Kingdom and commend all those |
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individuals who are working to maintain and strengthen that |
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relationship and the bonds of shared history, language, and |
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culture, including British Ambassador to the United States Karen |
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Pierce and British Consul General in Houston Richard Hyde; and, be |
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it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Consul General of the United Kingdom in Houston and |
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the British Ambassador to the United States in Washington, D.C., as |
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an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives |
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and Senate. |