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79S30555 SMC-D

By:  Janek, Jackson, Mike                                       S.C.R. No. 3  



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, No structure or road in Texas commemorates the tens 
of thousands of U.S. military men and women from Texas who have been 
awarded the Order of the Purple Heart for Military Merit, commonly 
known as the Purple Heart, for sacrifices made on the battlefield; 
and
	WHEREAS, Similarly, Texas has no fitting tribute to the 
thousands of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who have 
received the Purple Heart for service to America in the current war 
against terrorism; and
	WHEREAS, Specifically a combat decoration, the Purple Heart 
is awarded in the name of the president of the United States to 
members of the armed forces who are wounded in conflict with an 
enemy force or while held by an enemy force as a prisoner of war; and
	WHEREAS, Established in 1782 during the Revolutionary War, 
the Purple Heart is also awarded posthumously to the next of kin of 
members of the armed forces who are killed or who die of a wound 
received in conflict with an enemy force; and
	WHEREAS, Other states have named a state highway or bridge to 
memorialize members of the U.S. armed forces who have been awarded 
the Purple Heart; a bridge over Interstate Highway 59 in 
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for example, is known as The Military 
Order of the Purple Heart Memorial Bridge; New Mexico has 
designated the entire length of Interstate 40 from the Texas state 
line to the Arizona state line as the Purple Heart Trail; and
	WHEREAS, Designating a roadway or road structure in Texas 
would pay tribute to patriotic Americans who were wounded or killed 
in defense of our nation and encourage all Texans to learn about the 
history of the Purple Heart and to honor the recipients of this 
distinguished combat award; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas, 
3rd Called Session, hereby request the Texas Department of 
Transportation to designate the new causeway bridge connecting 
Galveston Island and the Texas mainland as the Purple Heart 
Memorial Bridge; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 
copy of this resolution to the chair of the Texas Transportation 
Commission and to the executive director of the Texas Department of 
Transportation.