1-1  By:  Hunter of Taylor (Senate Sponsor - Haywood)     H.C.R. No. 178
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 1995;
    1-3  May 15, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on State
    1-4  Affairs; May 24, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
    1-5  Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 24, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                      HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-7        WHEREAS, The State of Texas traditionally has recognized a
    1-8  variety of official state symbols as tangible representations of
    1-9  the proud spirit and heritage of our state; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, The bluebonnet, the pecan tree, the Guadalupe bass,
   1-11  and the lightning whelk are examples of some natural specimens that
   1-12  serve to symbolize the great diversity of the Texas landscape,
   1-13  while the state dish, chili, fittingly represents another aspect of
   1-14  our shared culture as Texans; and
   1-15        WHEREAS, In keeping with this custom, the designation of an
   1-16  Official State Mammal of Texas has been the subject of an extensive
   1-17  statewide mock election participated in by hundreds of elementary
   1-18  school children throughout our state; and
   1-19        WHEREAS, The two front-runners in this race have been the
   1-20  armadillo and the longhorn; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, Once the cornerstone of the Texas cattle industry,
   1-22  an estimated 10 million longhorns were herded from Texas to
   1-23  midwestern and western markets during the quarter century that
   1-24  followed the Civil War, providing invaluable stability to the
   1-25  state's postwar economy; and
   1-26        WHEREAS, The longhorn's distinctive profile commands an
   1-27  immediate association with the State of Texas nationwide and is
   1-28  fittingly used as a visual symbol by businesses from the Rio Grande
   1-29  Valley to the Panhandle; and
   1-30        WHEREAS, The other candidate for designation as Official
   1-31  State Mammal, the armadillo, is a hardy, pioneering creature that
   1-32  chose to begin migrating here at about the time that Texas became a
   1-33  state; and
   1-34        WHEREAS, the armadillo possesses many remarkable and unique
   1-35  traits, some of which parallel the attributes that distinguish a
   1-36  true Texan, such as a deep respect and need for the land, the
   1-37  ability to change and adapt, and a fierce undying love for freedom;
   1-38  and
   1-39        WHEREAS, As proud and indomitable as the state from which
   1-40  they hail, both the longhorn and the armadillo will serve as
   1-41  fitting symbols of Texas' unique heritage; now, therefore, be it
   1-42        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   1-43  hereby designate the longhorn the official Large State Mammal of
   1-44  Texas and the armadillo the official Small State Mammal of Texas.
   1-45                               * * * * *