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H.R. No. 240
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, February 17-21, 2003, is being celebrated as Texas
Technology and Life-Sciences Week in order to increase public
awareness of the extraordinary achievements of these industries and
the vital role they play in the prosperity of the Lone Star State;
and
WHEREAS, Sponsoring Texas Technology and Life-Sciences Week
are the AeA Texas Council, the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience
Institute, the Metroplex Technology Business Council, and TechNet
Texas; and
WHEREAS, The technology and life-sciences industries and
research institutions of Texas are achieving leading-edge advances
in medicine, space exploration, computing, communications, energy,
and transportation, revolutionizing the world we live in; within
the state, these industries employ more Texans than do the oil,
natural gas, and agriculture industries combined, and their
high-wage, highly skilled jobs contribute to a diverse and growing
economy; and
WHEREAS, People around the globe have benefitted
immeasurably from the medical treatments and devices developed by
Texas companies, and the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute,
whose membership includes universities, private research
institutions, and biotechnology, medical device, and
pharmaceutical companies, estimates that nearly 400 new products
are currently under development in the state; and
WHEREAS, The life-sciences industry constitutes a
significant pillar of the Texas economy; in 1997 alone,
life-science companies and institutions produced more than $11
billion of the gross state product, and the industry employs some
50,000 Texans, with the promise of continued job growth for many
years to come; and
WHEREAS, AeA, the nation's largest high-tech trade group,
reports that Texas ranks second in the country in high-tech
employment, with some 460,000 jobs; moreover, the state enjoys a
high-tech payroll of $31.6 billion, which places it 10th among all
the states in terms of its high-tech average wage; the importance of
this industry to Texans is further underscored by the fact that the
number of high-tech jobs increased 47 percent between 1995 and
2001, and by the finding that high-tech products account for 30
percent of the state's international exports; and
WHEREAS, All sectors of the high-technology and
life-sciences community are joining together this week to discuss
the major issues facing their industries and to affirm their
support for a strong system of public and higher education, a
critical factor in providing the highly skilled workforce on which
these industries depend; and
WHEREAS, The technology and life-sciences industries have
become a tremendous engine of economic growth in the State of Texas,
and the benefits of their research and production enrich people the
world over; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize February 17-21, 2003, as Texas
Technology and Life-Sciences Week and commend its sponsors for
their outstanding efforts in promoting research, development, and
manufacturing in the State of Texas.
McCall
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 240 was adopted by the House on
February 18, 2003, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House