By Chavez H.R. No. 1005 77R15648 MTD-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, El Paso County has traditionally been and continues 1-2 to be underfunded with regard to graduate and professional 1-3 education programs relative to its population; and 1-4 WHEREAS, This lack of funding for advanced degree education 1-5 programs in the region is evident from the fact that El Paso is the 1-6 only major city in Texas without a full-time, three-year law school 1-7 and is the largest city in the United States that is not within 1-8 commuting distance of a law school; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Consequently, while Texas has one lawyer for every 1-10 342 people, El Paso has fewer lawyers per capita with one for every 1-11 645 people, and nearly one-fourth of El Paso County lawyers are 1-12 imported from out-of-state law schools; and 1-13 WHEREAS, There is a direct correlation between a population's 1-14 level of education and its lifelong income, which in turn 1-15 determines the prosperity of the region; and 1-16 WHEREAS, An individual with a professional or graduate degree 1-17 is estimated to earn $2 million more over a lifetime than a person 1-18 with only a high school degree and $1 million more than a person 1-19 with only a bachelor's degree; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Texas residents are best served when a range of 1-21 institutions of higher education are available within reasonable 1-22 proximity, and the overwhelming majority of El Paso County voters 1-23 are in favor of establishing a full-time, three-year law school at 1-24 The University of Texas at El Paso; and 2-1 WHEREAS, To improve the graduate and professional educational 2-2 opportunities in the border region and to maintain the economic 2-3 prosperity and civic vitality of El Paso, efforts should be made to 2-4 establish a full-time, three-year law school at The University of 2-5 Texas at El Paso; now, therefore, be it 2-6 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 2-7 Legislature hereby urge the Texas Higher Education Coordinating 2-8 Board to approve the establishment of a law school at The 2-9 University of Texas at El Paso; and, be it further 2-10 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 2-11 copy of this resolution to the commissioner of higher education and 2-12 the chair of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.