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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Thomas T. Connally Department of Veterans |
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Affairs Medical Center was a fundamental part of the city of Marlin, |
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Texas, for more than 50 years, and its recent closure dealt a |
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significant blow to the community and surrounding area; and |
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WHEREAS, Beginning in 1943, the citizens of Marlin organized |
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a campaign to secure their city as the location for a proposed naval |
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medical facility; initially, 31 individual contributors donated |
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$2,025 to finance their preliminary effort, and two years later, |
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the city raised an additional $25,000 in small contributions from |
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the local citizenry to purchase 150 acres of land for a new naval |
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hospital; and |
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WHEREAS, Although Marlin's selection as the site for the |
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hospital had been announced in 1944, and the order approving |
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construction of the new 500-bed facility was signed by President |
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Harry S. Truman on July 1, 1945, congressional funding for the |
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project was omitted from appropriations legislation later that |
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year; and |
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WHEREAS, Undeterred, the residents focused on attracting a |
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200-bed Veterans Administration (VA) general and surgical hospital |
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and collected additional funds for the purchase of eight acres to |
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donate for the facility; the city's efforts came to fruition when |
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the Marlin VA Hospital opened on November 1, 1950, with a staff of |
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14 physicians, 42 nurses, and two dentists; during its 50 years of |
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operation, the hospital provided hundreds of jobs to area |
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residents, continuing to reward the community's early faith and |
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determination; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1992, the facility was renamed the Thomas T. |
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Connally Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center after U.S. |
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Senator Connally, who championed the city's efforts to have the |
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hospital located in Marlin; regrettably, the medical center has |
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since been closed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and |
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there currently are no plans for its reuse despite a recent |
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extensive remodeling; and |
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WHEREAS, Although the center's closure was a major economic |
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loss to the residents of Marlin, the city's spirit and goodwill have |
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yet to waver; in the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, |
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Marlin opened the Connally VA Medical Center to house medically |
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fragile evacuees from the affected areas, but, with that notable |
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exception, the complex has sat empty and will likely be razed if a |
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permanent use for the center cannot be found; and |
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WHEREAS, Fortunately, the Connally VA Medical Center |
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facilities can be easily converted for a number of uses by the |
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state, presenting a practical and beneficial use for the idle |
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buildings; precedent for the adaptation of a VA facility to state |
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use was established in 2001 when the U.S. Congress authorized the |
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conveyance, without consideration, of all real property and |
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improvements associated with the Fort Lyon VA Medical Center in Las |
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Animas, Colorado, to the state of Colorado; and |
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WHEREAS, Elected officials from Falls County and the City of |
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Marlin, as well as many civic leaders, have expressed their support |
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for the reuse of the Connally VA Medical Center, and given the City |
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of Marlin's long history with the site and the fact that it would |
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cost more to destroy the center than to convey the facility to the |
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State of Texas, it is only fitting that the state take advantage of |
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this available resource; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully request the Congress of the United States to |
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authorize the secretary of the United States Department of Veterans |
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Affairs to convey the Thomas T. Connally Department of Veterans |
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Affairs Medical Center located in Marlin, Texas, to the State of |
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Texas; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, to all members of the Texas |
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delegation to the congress, and to the secretary of the United |
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States Department of Veterans Affairs with the request that this |
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resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |