By Gray                                               H.C.R. No. 75
       74R5036 KMP-D
                                 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, For more than a decade, the Texas oyster industry
    1-2  has led the nation in the enforcement of stringent food quality and
    1-3  food safety standards; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, Texas oyster producers have consistently implemented
    1-5  the very highest standards of quality developed by the Interstate
    1-6  Shellfish Sanitation Conference, an organization that includes
    1-7  members of state regulatory agencies, the shellfish industry, and
    1-8  the Food and Drug Administration; and
    1-9        WHEREAS, The Texas oyster industry has worked closely with
   1-10  the Texas Department of Health and the Texas Parks and Wildlife
   1-11  Department to ensure that our state maintains and enforces strict
   1-12  regulations governing oyster production, harvesting, processing,
   1-13  and distribution; as a result of these efforts, consumers of
   1-14  Texas-grown and Texas-processed oysters now enjoy the safest and
   1-15  most delicious shellfish to be found in the country; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, The stringent quality control standards currently in
   1-17  place within the Texas oyster industry have not been adopted by
   1-18  other oyster-producing states; consequently, although many states
   1-19  may produce oysters more cheaply, this state's oysters are
   1-20  recognized nationally as safe and of outstanding quality; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, The Texas oyster industry also has taken a principal
   1-22  role in protecting the health of some of our state's most
   1-23  vulnerable citizens; in recent years the industry has embarked on
   1-24  an ambitious and successful campaign to warn the public of the
    2-1  danger that raw shellfish consumption may pose to individuals with
    2-2  weakened immune systems; and
    2-3        WHEREAS, Texas oyster producers have made many significant
    2-4  contributions to the economy of the Lone Star State as well; nearly
    2-5  three million pounds of oysters worth more than $7 million were
    2-6  produced in 1991, and until 1981 the industry produced vast
    2-7  quantities of oyster shell for use in the manufacture of cement and
    2-8  concrete aggregate; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, In light of these many outstanding contributions, it
   2-10  is indeed fitting that Texas oyster producers, processors, and
   2-11  marketers be given special recognition and support for their
   2-12  successful efforts to promote high standards of quality within the
   2-13  shellfish industry; now, therefore, be it
   2-14        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   2-15  hereby commend the Texas oyster industry for developing, promoting,
   2-16  and maintaining high standards for food safety and food quality;
   2-17  and, be it further
   2-18        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-19  prepared for representatives of the Texas oyster industry as an
   2-20  expression of high regard by the Legislature of the State of Texas.