H.R. No. 206R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, Any effort to improve the economic situation in the State of Texas is of utmost importance at the present time, and the tourist industry is a growth industry in which Texas has a natural competitive advantage over other regions; and WHEREAS, The TravelTex programs for economic development through tourism have had a high degree of success in job creation and socioeconomic improvement in the state; and WHEREAS, The current system of Texas Travel Trails does not address the needs of the area in what is now Texas House of Representatives District 80; and WHEREAS, A study and application for a "Conquistador Travel Trail" in what is now the Middle Rio Grande Development Council (MRGDC) Region 24 was submitted by the City of Eagle Pass in 1972 but was never formally approved; and WHEREAS, The needs identified by and various recommendations included in a South Research Associates study, which was funded by Model Cities and the United States Economic Development Agency, were addressed and implemented; among these was the creation of the Room Occupancy Tax entity, which has been collecting taxes since then and is still a viable and well-funded agency; and WHEREAS, Information in the Texas Historical Commission's Texas Heritage Trails program indicates that House District 80 and counties in the MRGDC area have been assigned to existing Texas Travel Trails regions, and the commission is not accepting applications for new Texas Travel Trails designations; and WHEREAS, This hampers economic development in the area and fails to recognize its historical significance; numerous historical documents establish that the "El Camino Real Travel Trail," which extends from the Rio Grande crossings at Paso de Francia and Pacuache in Maverick County to the Missions Trail in Bexar County and continues to the segment now known as the Independence Trail and Louisiana, had the most influential impact on the exploration, development, and settlement of the south central and southeastern United States; and WHEREAS, House of Representatives District 80 and the counties encompassed by the Middle Rio Grande Development Council can benefit greatly from the highly successful TravelTex programs and the marketing tools and resources available under the sponsorship of the Texas Department of Transportation and the Governor's Office, Economic Development and Tourism; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas Legislature, 4th Called Session, designate the route delineated in the attached map as "El Camino Real Travel Trail" for House District 80 and the counties of the Middle Rio Grande Development Council. Garza ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 206 was adopted by the House on May 17, 2004, by a non-record vote. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House