H.R. No. 216

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Residents of Brownsville are gathering in Austin to
	celebrate Brownsville Day at the State Capitol on February 4, 2009;
	and
	WHEREAS, Located across the Rio Grande from Matamoros,
	Mexico, the site of Brownsville originally formed part of the
	Espiritu Santo land grant, a tract of 59 leagues that was awarded to
	Salvador de la Garza in 1781; by the time Texas declared its
	independence from Mexico in 1836, a small community had developed
	in the vicinity of the future town; a decade later, U.S. troops
	under General Zachary Taylor arrived in the area and began
	constructing a defensive post that soon became known as Fort Brown,
	in honor of Major Jacob Brown, who had died during a Mexican assault
	on the post; when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the
	Mexican-American War in 1848, the Rio Grande became the recognized
	southern boundary of Texas, and that same year Charles Stillman
	platted the town of Brownsville and created the Brownsville Town
	Company to promote it; and
	WHEREAS, During the Civil War, Brownsville became the only
	port available to the Confederacy for shipping cotton to Europe in
	exchange for war provisions; Brownsville was also the site of the
	last Civil War battle, an encounter that occurred at Palmito Ranch;
	and
	WHEREAS, Designated the Cameron County seat in 1849,
	Brownsville is now the largest city in the lower Rio Grande Valley
	and the southernmost city in Texas; with international sea and land
	ports, Brownsville thrives on a mixed economy encompassing trade
	and marine services, together with electronics, food processing,
	and the warehouse distribution industry; and
	WHEREAS, Tourism also plays a major role in the local
	economy, owing to an abundance of historical and natural
	attractions; featuring more than three miles of wildlife trails,
	the Sabal Palm Audubon Center in Brownsville is a sanctuary for one
	of the most threatened ecosystems in South Texas and northern
	Mexico, and it harbors native plants and animals that cannot be
	found elsewhere in the United States; the city is also home to the
	Gladys Porter Zoo, where visitors can observe such endangered
	species as the white rhinoceros and the lowland gorilla; moreover,
	the convergence of two major flyways is located above the city, and
	most northern species pass through Brownsville as they migrate
	south for the winter, making the area a bird-watcher's paradise;
	and
	WHEREAS, The city of Brownsville is fortunate to have many
	public-spirited citizens who are committed to ensuring that their
	community and its people are prepared to meet the challenges of the
	21st century, and the Brownsville Interagency Group is a coalition
	of various organizations that are dedicated to fulfilling that
	important objective; it is indeed a pleasure to welcome members of
	this group to the State Capitol today and to recognize the entities
	that they represent: the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce,
	Brownsville Community Improvements Corporation, Brownsville
	Convention and Visitors Bureau, Brownsville Economic Development
	Council, Brownsville Independent School District, Brownsville
	Navigation District, Brownsville Public Utilities Board,
	Brownsville--South Padre Island International Airport, City of
	Brownsville, Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, Port of
	Brownsville, University of Texas at Brownsville--Southmost
	College, and Brownsville Urban System, as well as Cameron County
	and Workforce Solutions--Cameron; and
	WHEREAS, Citizens of this vibrant South Texas community
	celebrate their rich history even as they work to build a bright
	future, and they may reflect with great pride on their city's
	notable contributions to the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize February 4, 2009, as Brownsville Day
	at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere
	best wishes for an enjoyable stay in Austin.
	Oliveira
	Lucio III
	Straus Gattis Menendez
	Allen Geren Merritt
	Alonzo Giddings Miklos
	Alvarado Gonzales Miller of Comal
	Anchia Gonzalez Toureilles Miller of Erath
	Anderson Guillen Moody
	Aycock Gutierrez Morrison
	Berman Hamilton Naishtat
	Bohac Hancock Oliveira
	Bolton Hardcastle Olivo
	Bonnen Harless Orr
	Branch Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
	Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Otto
	Brown of Brazos Heflin Parker
	Burnam Hernandez Patrick
	Button Herrero Paxton
	Callegari Hilderbran Pena
	Castro Hochberg Phillips
	Chavez Hodge Pickett
	Chisum Homer Pierson
	Christian Hopson Pitts
	Cohen Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
	Coleman Howard of Travis Raymond
	Cook Hughes Riddle
	Corte Hunter Rios Ybarra
	Crabb Isett Ritter
	Craddick Jackson Rodriguez
	Creighton Jones Rose
	Crownover Keffer Sheffield
	Darby Kent Shelton
	Davis of Harris King of Parker Smith of Tarrant
	Davis of Dallas King of Taylor Smith of Harris
	Deshotel King of Zavala Smithee
	Driver Kleinschmidt Solomons
	Dukes Kolkhorst Strama
	Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
	Dutton Laubenberg Taylor
	Edwards Legler Thibaut
	Eiland Leibowitz Thompson
	Eissler Lewis Truitt
	Elkins Lucio III Turner of Tarrant
	England Madden Turner of Harris
	Farabee Maldonado Vaught
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Marquez Villarreal
	Fletcher Martinez Vo
	Flores Martinez Fischer Walle
	Flynn McCall Weber
	Frost McClendon Woolley
	Gallego McReynolds Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 216 was adopted by the House on
	February 4, 2009, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House