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                                                                  H.R. No. 206



R 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historical documents establish that the "El Camino Real Travel 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