S.C.R. No. 19
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, In recognition of both the direct and indirect
revenues that could be generated for the state by a robust wine
industry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst charged the Senate
Committee on Intergovernmental Relations of the 78th Legislature to
study and make recommendations relating to the development of the
Texas wine industry, assess the impact of state and federal laws on
the shipment and delivery of wine, and make recommendations for
increasing the economic impact of the wine industry in Texas; and
WHEREAS, The Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
found that Texas has all the elements necessary to be a competitive
force in the national and international wine industries; the Texas
wine industry could prove to be a stellar economic generator for the
state, and with the proper policies in place, the industry is
positioned to boom within the next five to 10 years; and
WHEREAS, Although progress has been made through the years,
insufficient funding and budget reductions for new and existing
education, training, and research hinder the development of the
industry; moreover, the lack of a consistent, coordinated, and
centralized effort among industry stakeholders and public policy
makers to develop appropriate programs and policies, to explore,
develop, and access relevant funding streams, and to communicate
concerns and needs to appropriate parties impedes the development
of this industry to its full potential; and
WHEREAS, It is difficult to compete successfully in a market
if there is no clear picture of the status of the competition; and
WHEREAS, Although there is a great deal of data available
regarding wine industries throughout the United States, there are
also great inconsistencies in the data that is collected, how the
data is collected and compiled, the resources and standards that
are applied, the time frames that are employed, and the form in
which the data is published; and
WHEREAS, An annual posting of comparable data from those
states in closest competition with Texas would prove to be a
valuable tool to our wine industry; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully request the Texas Wine Marketing Research
Institute at Texas Tech University to include in its data
collection and reporting, as funding and information resources
allow, a basic comparison of the economic impacts of the Texas,
California, New York, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina,
Virginia, and other closely competitive wine industries and that
the data be published annually and include for each state: (1) the
number of wineries permitted by the United States Alcohol and
Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureaus; (2) the amount of wine produced, as
reported to the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade
Bureaus; (3) total wine sales; (4) excise, sales, and franchise
taxes paid; (5) the number of wine grape growers; (6) total wine
grape acreage; (7) grape production as reported by the United
States Department of Agriculture; (8) the value of the wine grapes
grown; (9) the number of full-time equivalent wine industry jobs;
(10) total wages paid; (11) revenues from wine-related tourism;
(12) the estimated number of visitors; (13) charitable
contributions made; (14) the total economic impact; and (15) any
other information that would prove valuable to the Texas wine
industry; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward an
official copy of this resolution to the chairman of the board of
regents of the Texas Tech University System.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 19 was adopted by the Senate
on May 3, 2005.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 19 was adopted by the House
on May 25, 2005.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
______________________________
Date
______________________________
Governor