|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Texas Technology Week is being celebrated February |
|
13-19, 2011, to increase public awareness of the extraordinary |
|
achievements of the state's technology and life sciences industries |
|
and research institutions and the vital role they play in the |
|
prosperity of the Lone Star State; and |
|
WHEREAS, This worthwhile event is sponsored by TechAmerica |
|
Texas, the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute, TechNet |
|
Texas, the Texas Coalition for Capital, and the Metroplex |
|
Technology Business Council; and |
|
WHEREAS, The state's technology and life sciences industries |
|
and research institutions are revolutionizing the world in which we |
|
live through leading-edge advances in medicine, space exploration, |
|
computing, communications, energy, and transportation; within the |
|
state, these industries employ more residents of Texas than the |
|
oil, natural gas, and agricultural industries combined, and their |
|
high-wage, highly skilled jobs contribute to a diverse and growing |
|
economy; and |
|
WHEREAS, People around the globe have benefited immeasurably |
|
from medical treatments and devices developed by Texas businesses; |
|
the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute, whose membership |
|
includes universities, private research institutions, and |
|
biotechnology, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies, helps |
|
foster the cycle of innovation that makes Texas a leader in the life |
|
sciences arena; and |
|
WHEREAS, The life sciences industry generates a significant |
|
economic impact in the state, as companies and institutions |
|
purchase equipment and inputs and well-paid employees spend money |
|
in their home communities; the industry's total impact on Texas |
|
each year is estimated at $75 billion in economic activity, 236,000 |
|
jobs, $31 billion in payroll, and an estimated $2 billion in annual |
|
revenue for state and local governments; moreover, for every job |
|
created in the life sciences industry, another 2.3 jobs are created |
|
elsewhere in the Texas economy; and |
|
WHEREAS, In the Cyberstates study conducted by TechAmerica, |
|
Texas ranked second in the country in high-tech employment, with |
|
approximately 492,400 jobs; moreover, 57 out of every 1,000 |
|
private-sector workers in the state are employed by high-tech |
|
firms; Texas placed 12th in the nation in terms of high-tech average |
|
wage, with that figure being nearly double the wage earned by the |
|
average private-sector worker, and the industry provides an |
|
aggregate payroll of $41.8 billion; the importance of this industry |
|
is further underscored by the fact that Texas is the nation's |
|
second-largest tech-exporting state, with more than one-fifth of |
|
its exported products originating in the tech industry; these |
|
exports total more than $35.8 billion each year, providing |
|
high-wage jobs for Texans in all parts of the state; and |
|
WHEREAS, All sectors of the high-tech and life sciences |
|
communities are joining together this week to discuss the major |
|
issues facing their industries and to affirm their support for a |
|
strong system of public and higher education, a critical factor in |
|
providing the highly skilled workforce on which these industries |
|
depend; and |
|
WHEREAS, The technology and life sciences industries have |
|
become a tremendous engine of economic growth in the State of Texas, |
|
and the benefits of their research and production enhance the lives |
|
of people the world over; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
|
Legislature hereby recognize February 13-19, 2011, as Texas |
|
Technology Week and commend its sponsors for their outstanding |
|
efforts in promoting research, development, products, services, |
|
and manufacturing in the Lone Star State. |
|
|
Shelton |
|
Pena |
|
J. Davis of Harris |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 410 was adopted by the House on |
|
February 16, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|