H.R. No. 530

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Amarillo and Lubbock and
	their outstanding and supportive neighbors from other communities
	located in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains are visiting Austin
	on February 27, 2007, to pay tribute to their region's rich heritage
	and to celebrate Panhandle and South Plains Day at the State
	Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, A thriving region of the state, the Panhandle and
	South Plains are home to one of the oldest inhabited places in
	Texas, the Lubbock Lake Site, a national historic and state
	archeological landmark where evidence of some 12,000 years of
	continuous habitation has been discovered; and
	WHEREAS, Stretching through the northern part of the region
	is Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the country, which
	boasts spectacular views and reveals, through its exposed strata, a
	geologic record spanning 250 million years; and
	WHEREAS, Rich in history, this remarkable region of vast
	scenic plains is known for its traditional ranch lands, crop and
	meat production, large stretches of oil and gas reserves, major
	industry, and nationally recognized employees with a work ethic
	that is beyond reproach; and
	WHEREAS, Amarillo, the northern principal city of the
	Panhandle and South Plains, is a dynamic urban center with a
	population of more than 180,000 and affords its residents and
	visitors a wide array of cultural amenities; contributing to
	Amarillo's economic vitality are a Bell Helicopter tilt-rotor
	assembly center, where the V-22 Osprey and the US101 presidential
	helicopters are assembled, as well as the only assembly/disassembly
	plant for the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal, a facility operated
	by BWXT Pantex for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear
	Security Administration; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock is the southern principal city of the
	Panhandle and South Plains; today, with a population of
	approximately 210,000, the community is home to the largest medical
	infrastructure between Dallas and Los Angeles and enjoys a
	diversified economy that draws its strength from agribusiness,
	manufacturing, and commerce; with the growth of cotton culture on
	the High Plains, Lubbock has become one of the world's primary
	centers for the processing of cottonseed; the city's economy is
	further bolstered by numerous small businesses that were the first
	in the state to band together to make insurance more affordable for
	employers, resulting in almost 7,000 covered employees, 1,500 of
	which were previously without major medical coverage; and
	WHEREAS, The Panhandle and South Plains are also home to
	excellent educational institutions whose successes ensure that the
	area will continue to prosper; the Texas Tech University System,
	including its medical, law, and pharmacy schools, and West Texas
	A&M University are among the premier institutions in Texas and
	boast ever-increasing enrollments, nationally recognized programs
	and faculty, and outstanding graduates; Amarillo College and South
	Plains College, which continue to be among the finest community
	colleges in the country, and Lubbock Christian University, Wayland
	Baptist University, Frank Phillips College, Western Texas College,
	and Clarendon College, are other outstanding educational
	institutions in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains; and
	WHEREAS, Area attractions include the Panhandle-Plains
	Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state, located
	on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, and Texas Tech
	University is home to many restored structures at the National
	Ranching Heritage Center, a 15-acre site tracing the evolution of
	ranch architecture and the history of the cattle industry in Texas;
	and
	WHEREAS, The citizens of the Panhandle and South Plains
	regions are renowned for their friendliness and warmth; they have
	helped to build vital urban centers that serve not only a large part
	of Texas but also of eastern New Mexico, and it is indeed
	appropriate to take this opportunity to pay tribute to them; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize February 27, 2007, as Panhandle and
	South Plains Day at the State Capitol and extend to the delegation
	in attendance today, and to all their fellow citizens, sincere
	appreciation for the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State.
	Isett
	Swinford
	Smithee
	Jones
	Chisum
	Heflin
	Craddick Gattis Miles
	Allen Geren Miller
	Alonzo Giddings Moreno
	Anchia Gonzales Morrison
	Anderson Gonzalez Toureilles Mowery
	Aycock Goolsby Murphy
	Bailey Guillen Naishtat
	Berman Haggerty Noriega
	Bohac Hamilton O'Day
	Bolton Hancock Oliveira
	Bonnen Hardcastle Olivo
	Branch Harless Orr
	Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
	Brown of Brazos Hartnett Otto
	Burnam Heflin Parker
	Callegari Hernandez Patrick
	Castro Herrero Paxton
	Chavez Hilderbran Pena
	Chisum Hill Phillips
	Christian Hochberg Pickett
	Cohen Hodge Pierson
	Coleman Homer Pitts
	Cook of Navarro Hopson Puente
	Cook of Colorado Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
	Corte Howard of Travis Raymond
	Crabb Hughes Riddle
	Creighton Isett Ritter
	Crownover Jackson Rodriguez
	Darby Jones Rose
	Davis of Harris Keffer Smith of Tarrant
	Davis of Dallas King of Parker Smith of Harris
	Delisi King of Taylor Smithee
	Deshotel King of Zavala Solomons
	Driver Kolkhorst Strama
	Dukes Krusee Straus
	Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
	Dutton Latham Talton
	Eiland Laubenberg Taylor
	Eissler Leibowitz Thompson
	Elkins Lucio III Truitt
	England Macias Turner
	Escobar Madden Van Arsdale
	Farabee Mallory Caraway Vaught
	Farias Martinez Veasey
	Farrar Martinez Fischer Villarreal
	Flores McCall Vo
	Flynn McClendon West
	Frost McReynolds Woolley
	Gallego Menendez Zedler
	Garcia Merritt Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 530 was adopted by the House on
	February 27, 2007, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House