1-1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 681 1-2 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pride in 1-3 joining the Texas Association of Counties in recognizing County 1-4 Government Day at the Capitol on April 20, 1999; and 1-5 WHEREAS, The week of April 18 through April 24 is National 1-6 County Government Week, an annual event created by the National 1-7 Association of Counties that provides an opportunity to recognize 1-8 the many contributions made by county governments to our citizens 1-9 and states; and 1-10 WHEREAS, County government is the oldest form of local 1-11 government in the United States, and 98 percent of our nation's 1-12 people reside in counties; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Counties address many of our nation's most critical 1-14 issues, including environmental protection, indigent health care, 1-15 special assistance to the elderly, job training, and public safety; 1-16 and 1-17 WHEREAS, Today in Texas, there are 254 counties providing 1-18 services to our state's citizens, and serving as an elected or 1-19 appointed county official requires dedication, hard work, and a 1-20 strong sense of purpose; and 1-21 WHEREAS, The mission of Texas county government is to meet the 1-22 needs of our state's citizens without placing undue burden on local 1-23 taxpayers and to find solutions to problems that will benefit all 1-24 Texans; and 2-1 WHEREAS, The Texas Association of Counties encourages citizens 2-2 across the state to use National County Government Week as an 2-3 opportunity to become educated on county history and on the methods 2-4 by which counties serve the public; now, therefore, be it 2-5 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 2-6 76th Legislature, hereby welcome the members of the Texas Association 2-7 of Counties to the Capitol and express appreciation to the counties 2-8 of Texas for their many contributions to our state; and, be it further 2-9 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the 2-10 Texas Association of Counties as an expression of esteem from the 2-11 Texas Senate. 2-12 Ratliff 2-13 ______________________________________ 2-14 President of the Senate 2-15 I hereby certify that the above 2-16 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 2-17 on April 19, 1999. 2-18 ______________________________________ 2-19 Secretary of the Senate 2-20 ______________________________________ 2-21 Member, Texas Senate