By Moffat H.R. No. 479 74R9069 JLZ-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, It gives the members of the Texas House of 1-2 Representatives great pleasure to recognize as our guests a 1-3 visiting delegation of students from Toyoma, Japan, who are 1-4 visiting the State Capitol during their stay in Texas as part of 1-5 the cultural exchange sponsored by Southlake Sister Cities, 1-6 Incorporated; and 1-7 WHEREAS, Since 1956, when the sister cities concept was 1-8 inaugurated by the president of the United States, communities 1-9 across the globe have reaped the benefits of this international 1-10 friendship and commerce program, and the success of this endeavor 1-11 has spawned an increasing number of mutually rewarding 1-12 relationships between participating cities; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Realizing the benefits to be derived from 1-14 participating in the Sister Cities International program, members 1-15 of the Southlake community came together to form a local chapter, 1-16 Southlake Sister Cities, Incorporated, and on September 15, 1991, 1-17 the organization signed its first pact, a friendship agreement with 1-18 the people of Toyoma, Japan; and 1-19 WHEREAS, The third Tarrant County city to participate in this 1-20 worldwide movement, Southlake has embraced the international 1-21 program's goals and actively pursued the meaningful exchange of 1-22 ideas, culture, and traditions and the establishment of commercial 1-23 ties with its Japanese friends; and 1-24 WHEREAS, Delegates from Southlake Sister Cities, 2-1 Incorporated, have travelled to Japan, where they have been exposed 2-2 to many aspects of Japanese culture through tours of Toyoma and 2-3 enjoyed the gracious hospitality of their Japanese hosts, who 2-4 warmly welcomed the visiting Texans into their homes for the 2-5 duration of the trip; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Now, in the spirit of generous reciprocity that is a 2-7 cornerstone of the sister cities concept, it is the Southlake 2-8 community's turn to host a delegation of Japanese students from 2-9 Toyoma and to give these guests a taste of the Texas hospitality 2-10 for which the Friendship State is renowned; and 2-11 WHEREAS, Among the many activities planned for the week-long 2-12 visit of these 11 Japanese students, who range from 13 to 18 years 2-13 of age, is a special trip to the State Capitol and a firsthand look 2-14 at our state government in action; and 2-15 WHEREAS, Cognizant of the important role that sister cities 2-16 exchanges play in promoting world peace and international goodwill, 2-17 the members of this body are proud to salute the members of 2-18 Southlake Sister Cities, Incorporated, and our visiting friends 2-19 from across the Pacific Ocean for their exceptional efforts in this 2-20 regard; now, therefore, be it 2-21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-22 Legislature hereby extend a warm welcome to the students from 2-23 Toyoma, Japan, visiting Austin in conjunction with the Southlake 2-24 Sister Cities, Incorporated, program and express heartfelt 2-25 appreciation for the hospitality shown by their Tarrant County 2-26 hosts; and, be it further 2-27 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-1 prepared for the Japanese delegation as an expression of high 3-2 esteem by the Texas House of Representatives.