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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The member-owners of the Taylor Electric |
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Cooperative are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the creation of |
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the cooperative in 2009; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1939, when less than 11 percent of the nation's |
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farms and ranches had electricity, community visionaries came |
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together in Merkel to create the Taylor Electric Cooperative; aided |
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by President Roosevelt's Rural Electrification Administration, and |
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charging five dollars for a membership, the cooperative worked to |
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bring generators, power lines, and other infrastructure to rural |
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West Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, On January 30, 1941, the cooperative's plans came to |
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fruition as 300 people gathered to watch the flip of a switch that |
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brought electricity to the homes and businesses of rural West Texas |
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and changed the lives of thousands; and |
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WHEREAS, In the years since, the cooperative has grown to |
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serve 10,000 members in 11 counties, including Taylor, Jones, |
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Fisher, Nolan, Mitchell, Coke, Runnels, Coleman, Eastland, |
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Callahan, and Shackelford, covering 96,000 square miles; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the cooperative remains committed to its |
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seven principles, which include voluntary and open membership, |
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democratic member control, member economic participation, autonomy |
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and independence, education and training for its members, |
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cooperation among cooperatives, and concern for community; and |
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WHEREAS, Remaining true to its ideal of member participation, |
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the cooperative holds annual meetings where members elect the board |
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of directors, who then meet every month; in its entire history, the |
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cooperative has held only one uncontested election; at the annual |
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meeting, members also receive capital credit refunds, which the |
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cooperative has been distributing since 1951; more than $1.1 |
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million has been refunded in the last three years alone; and |
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WHEREAS, Members of the board of directors receive training |
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and certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative |
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Association; the cooperative's linemen have worked more than one |
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million man-hours without an injury over the past eight years, |
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while traveling 182,000 miles each year in the cooperative's |
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vehicles; these skilled linemen have also assisted in the recovery |
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efforts after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, and the recent ice |
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storm in Arkansas; and |
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WHEREAS, For seven decades, the Taylor Electric Cooperative |
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has been a leader among electric cooperatives across the state and |
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nation, ensuring the prosperity and development of the areas it |
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serves, and this important anniversary is an excellent occasion to |
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celebrate the cooperative's rich history even as it works to build a |
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brighter future; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the Taylor Electric Cooperative on |
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its 70th anniversary and extend to the cooperative's members, |
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directors, and staff sincere best wishes for continued success; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Taylor Electric Cooperative as an expression of |
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high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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King of Taylor |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 948 was adopted by the House on March |
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26, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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