SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 282

WHEREAS, On February 21, 2007, proud residents, businesspeople, and friends of the Richardson community are meeting at the State Capitol for Richardson's Telecom Corridor Legislative Day; and

WHEREAS, Located just north of Dallas in both Collin and Dallas Counties, Richardson is home to almost 100,000 people and a high concentration of technology and telecommunications firms, as well as financial services firms and corporate headquarters; and

WHEREAS, The collaboration between business and government that characterizes the region is due in large part to the committed efforts of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce and the City of Richardson; assistance from the state's Texas Enterprise Fund and Emerging Technology Fund has also greatly contributed to local economic development initiatives; and

WHEREAS, Richardson has been among the most successful cities for economic development in the nation, with its City-Chamber economic development partnership receiving the prestigious "Technology-Led Development Award" from the International Economic Development Council in 2006; after capturing the largest capital investment in the United States in 2004 made by a single company, Texas Instruments, Richardson followed up by winning the Countrywide Financial 5,000-job campus project in 2005 and the Blue Cross Blue Shield 1.1 million-square-foot headquarters in 2006; no city of its size in the state has ever attracted so many nationally significant projects of such size in such a short span of years; and

WHEREAS, Richardson's high quality of life makes it an ideal home to modern business; in addition to some of the state's best schools and colleges, the city boasts more than 1,000 acres of park space, and the nationally known Wildflower Arts and Music Festival and Cottonwood Arts Festival are apt reflections of the area's rich cultural opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Richardson is also home to The University of Texas at Dallas, a dynamic public research institution on the cutting edge of science, technology, and medicine; the site of the new $85 million Natural Science and Engineering Research Building, the university is known for its outstanding school of engineering and computer science as well as for its exceptional faculty and staff; and

WHEREAS, The Richardson Chamber of Commerce and the area's technology leadership have made Richardson's Telecom Corridor area one of the showpieces of modern Texas, and they can take great pride in their many accomplishments as they look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 80th Legislature, hereby recognize February 21, 2007, as Richardson's Telecom Corridor Legislative Day and extend a warm welcome to the area's business and civic leaders visiting the State Capitol. Carona, Shapiro

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 19, 2007.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate

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Member, Texas Senate