H.R. No. 1279

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Proud residents of House District 39 are gathering
	in Austin on March 27, 2007, to celebrate House District 39 Day at
	the State Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, Including the cities of Alamo, Donna, Mercedes,
	Progreso, Progreso Lakes, San Juan, and Weslaco, this region of the
	lower Rio Grande Valley was settled by cattle ranchers and sheep
	ranchers under grants from the Spanish and Mexican governments; in
	recent years it has been a center for farming and agribusiness, with
	such important crops as cotton, sugarcane, citrus fruit, grain, and
	vegetables; and
	WHEREAS, Alamo is in the midst of an ambitious and successful
	revitalization plan; the city has a new city hall, public library,
	and public works center and is making significant improvements in
	city streets, parks, and utility infrastructure; there is a new
	Sports Complex and Community Park, and a new fire station, police
	substation, and 500,000-gallon water tower are planned; and
	WHEREAS, Widely known as "the City with a Heart in the Heart
	of the Rio Grande Valley," the city of Donna looks forward to the
	long-awaited Donna International Bridge to Mexico; when completed,
	the eight-lane toll bridge will bring in $3 million a year in tolls,
	as well as bolstering the city's economy with the traffic of
	shoppers and tourists going to and from Mexico; and
	WHEREAS, Known as the Boot Capital of Texas, Mercedes has
	long been a major center for the processing and marketing of
	livestock, cotton, and vegetables; the annual Rio Grande Valley
	Livestock Show and Rodeo draws 150,000 people, with over 3,000
	exhibitors; in recent years it has raised $14,000 in scholarship
	money for 4-H and FFA students; and
	WHEREAS, With their long history as centers for the sugarcane
	business, Progreso and Progreso Lakes are also a gateway to the Rio
	Grande Valley thanks to the new Progreso/Nuevo Progreso
	International Bridge, completed in 2003; approximately 1.25
	million pedestrians cross the bridge each year, and a million cars
	make the southbound crossing; and
	WHEREAS, Celebrating the 90th anniversary of its
	incorporation, San Juan has become one of the fastest-growing
	cities in the Rio Grande Valley; it is the home of the Virgen de San
	Juan del Valle Shrine, which draws between 20 and 30 thousand
	visitors a week from all over the nation and Mexico, as well as a
	flagpole paying tribute to the men and women who have served in the
	nation's armed forces; and
	WHEREAS, The city of Weslaco has become a favorite
	destination for tourists, golfers, retirees, and birders; it is
	also home to two important Texas A&M research stations; the annual
	Onion Fest celebrates the development of the famous Texas 1015
	Onion in Weslaco and draws 12,000 visitors to the city; and
	WHEREAS, The public schools of District 39 provide
	educational opportunities to the region's diverse population;
	Donna ISD may take pride in its 1,500 elementary students who
	participated in Read Across America, in the recent impressive
	improvement in reading scores of third and fifth graders, and in the
	notable performance of its Bilingual/ESL students on state
	assessment tests, which have made it a model school district; and
	WHEREAS, Home of the Mercedes Tigers, Mercedes ISD is proud
	of its many accomplished graduates, including Congressman Ruben
	Hinojosa, Hidalgo County Judge J. D. Salinas, District Clerk Laura
	Hinojosa, Tejano singer Elida Reyna, musicians Ruben Vela and
	Gilberto Perez, authors Eddie Howell and Michael Salinas,
	songwriter Amanda McBroom, Weslaco ISD Superintendent Ricardo
	Rivera, and physician Dr. Eduardo Caballero; and
	WHEREAS, The Progreso Early College High School Academy
	offers an opportunity for high school students to get an early start
	on college by earning 60 college credit hours or an associate
	degree; beginning in the fall of 2007 and provided free of charge,
	this innovative program has already received 300 applications; and
	WHEREAS, Weslaco ISD has been a TEA "Recognized" school
	district for 10 years, and it has also been recognized by the
	National Center for Educational Accountability for exhibiting
	outstanding performance by comparison with other schools in Texas;
	and
	WHEREAS, Eight schools in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD have
	been featured in Texas Monthly magazine as being among the best
	public schools in Texas by exhibiting outstanding performance
	across several grades and years on the TAKS test; another three
	campuses in the district have been recognized as exemplary
	campuses; and
	WHEREAS, The residents of this dynamic and rapidly growing
	region of the Lone Star State are justifiably proud of their hard
	work, civic commitment, and innovative spirit; a fine place to live
	and work, it celebrates its rich past while looking forward to an
	exciting future; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize March 27, 2007, as House District 39
	Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation best
	wishes for an informative and enjoyable stay in Austin.
	Martinez
	Flores
	Gonzales
	Pena
	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. 1279 was adopted by the House on March
	28, 2007, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House