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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud citizens of South Texas are visiting Austin to |
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celebrate Coastal Bend Day at the State Capitol on March 7, 2007; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, This dynamic and scenic region is home to four |
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notable institutions of higher learning, including Texas A&M |
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University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, |
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Coastal Bend College, and Del Mar College, and together they serve |
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more than 29,000 students; and |
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WHEREAS, A&M-Corpus Christi has benefited recently from the |
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creation of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico |
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Studies, which was founded with a $46 million endowment from Edward |
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H. Harte; at A&M-Kingsville, the Rangel College of Pharmacy, the |
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first professional school in the state south of San Antonio, opened |
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its doors in fall 2006 to its first 70 students; at Coastal Bend |
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College, a nursing school is in the early planning stages; and |
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WHEREAS, The Coastal Bend region is a strategic deployment |
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area for the United States military; the Naval Air Station in |
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Kingsville is the Navy's largest advanced jet-training base, and |
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the Naval Air Stations in Corpus Christi and Ingleside have helped |
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to fuel the area's economy; moreover, Robstown is the site of a |
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950,000-square-foot, humidity-controlled warehouse for the U.S. |
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Army Reserve, one of only eight such facilities in the nation; and |
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WHEREAS, A popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts as |
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well, the Coastal Bend is home to Mustang Island State Park and |
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Padre Island National Seashore, where a beach stretching 68 miles |
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constitutes the longest undeveloped shoreline in the nation; in |
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addition, the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge draws some 75,000 |
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visitors a year; and |
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WHEREAS, Known to many as the "Sparkling City by the Sea," |
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Corpus Christi is the sixth largest port in the nation; it is slated |
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to play an even more prominent role in international trade with the |
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development of La Quinta Gateway Terminal Project, a proposed |
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1,100-acre facility in San Patricio County; and |
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WHEREAS, Already a center for oil refining, food processing, |
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fishing, and tourism, Nueces County has in recent years diversified |
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its workforce, leading to enhancements in the areas of tourism, |
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health care, and education; Robstown boasts a newly completed, $32 |
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million regional fairground and the city is the future home of the |
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Inland Port of the Americas, a trade processing center for |
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containers, agricultural products, and other goods; and |
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WHEREAS, Aransas County is also raising its profile as a site |
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for tourism and education; currently under construction is a |
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19,000-square-foot visitors center on the harbor that will include |
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an expansive deck for strolling near the water, and the Texas |
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Maritime Museum in Rockport draws more than 1,000 visitors a month; |
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with an eye to the future, communities in the county are working |
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together to increase educational opportunities for area residents |
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through the establishment of the Technical College Foundation; and |
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WHEREAS, Traditionally a region of ranching and farming, Bee |
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County is also home to the 1,500-acre Chase Field Industrial |
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Complex, which services Black Hawk helicopters for the military, |
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bringing the county an estimated $117 million in five years; and |
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WHEREAS, Jim Wells County is largely a rural county and has a |
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significant economic segment devoted to oil production, with major |
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companies such as Halliburton and Weatherford US located there; the |
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county has increasingly gained importance in the trading industry |
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and in the health and science fields with the recent development of |
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a $15 million preclinical pharmaceutical research facility managed |
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by Covance Research Products; and |
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WHEREAS, Kleberg County has been diversifying from its |
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original economy based on agriculture and the petrochemical |
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industry to an economy based on natural resources, geographical |
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location, and research and development opportunities provided by |
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the university in Kingsville; its renowned King Ranch continues to |
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bring modern cattle breeding and range management to new levels of |
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excellence in American ranching; the county also benefits from the |
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presence of such major corporations as Rolls Royce, L3.com, Boeing, |
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and Lockheed Martin; and |
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WHEREAS, San Patricio County provides deepwater port |
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facilities, access to intercoastal traffic, and Union Pacific rail |
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service; Interstate Highway 37, U.S. Highway 77, and State Highway |
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181 link the county as well to the Rio Grande Valley and to northern |
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markets; and |
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WHEREAS, Calhoun County is rich in history, natural |
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resources, and cultural and ethnic diversity; its extensive system |
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of bays and waterways is ideal for fishing, and the county offers |
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several public piers and access to the Gulf of Mexico at Port |
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O'Connor; Indianola was once an entry port for immigrants until the |
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late 19th century and is now a ghost town with a historic cemetery; |
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the county also draws lighthouse enthusiasts who visit its Half |
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Moon Reef and Matagorda Island Lighthouses; and |
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WHEREAS, Replete with tradition, attractive landscapes, and |
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cultural treasures, the Coastal Bend region of the Lone Star State |
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serves as a thriving center for industry, agriculture, trade, and |
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tourism; its unique history is outdone only by the potential of its |
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bright future; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 7, 2007, as Coastal Bend Day at |
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the State Capitol and extend to the visitors from the region best |
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wishes for a rewarding and entertaining stay in Austin. |