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78R5287 MMS-D

By:  McCall                                                       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.