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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, On March 6, 2013, proud residents, businesspeople, |
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and friends of the Richardson community are meeting at the State |
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Capitol for Richardson's Telecom Corridor Legislative Day; and |
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WHEREAS, Located just north of Dallas in both Dallas and |
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Collin Counties, Richardson is home to more than 100,000 people and |
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a high concentration of technology and telecommunications |
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companies, as well as financial services firms and corporate |
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headquarters; it ranks as one of the largest employment centers in |
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North Texas and has been recognized as the international business |
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capital of the region and as a major telecommunications center with |
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global reach; and |
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WHEREAS, The collaboration between business and government |
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that characterizes the region is due in large part to the committed |
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efforts of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, a |
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U.S. Chamber-accredited five star chamber, and the City of |
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Richardson; assistance from the state's Texas Enterprise Fund and |
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Emerging Technology Fund has also figured significantly in local |
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economic development initiatives; and |
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WHEREAS, Richardson has been among the most successful cities |
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in the nation at promoting economic development, having attracted |
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such internationally renowned companies as Cisco Systems, AT&T, |
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Verizon, Fujitsu Network Communications, Samsung |
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Telecommunications America, Rockwell Collins, Boeing, Texas |
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Instruments, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and its appeal |
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was demonstrated once more with the announcement in late 2012 that |
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State Farm Insurance is coming to Richardson, where it will build a |
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1.5-million-square-foot campus, the largest constructed in the |
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Metroplex in decades; at the same time, exciting new companies in |
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the areas of telecommunications, nanotechnology, software and |
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semiconductors, and the life sciences, garnering over $2 billion in |
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venture capital investments, have been started in the city; in |
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2006, the Richardson Economic Development Partnership, a project of |
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the City of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, |
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received the prestigious Technology-Based Economic Development |
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Award from the International Economic Development Council, which |
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further recognized the partnership as one of only eight accredited |
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economic development organizations in the State of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, The exceptional quality of life in Richardson |
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contributes to making this community an especially desirable |
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location; in addition to having some of the state's best schools and |
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colleges, the city boasts more than 1,000 acres of park space, and |
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the nationally known Wildflower! arts and music festival and |
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Cottonwood Art Festival are representative of the area's |
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outstanding cultural assets; and |
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WHEREAS, Richardson is also home to The University of Texas |
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at Dallas, a dynamic public research institution that stands at the |
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forefront of scientific, technological, and medical investigation; |
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the school's state-of-the-art Natural Science and Engineering |
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Research Laboratory, an $85 million facility that was completed in |
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2007, and its highly regarded Jonsson School of Engineering and |
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Computer Science help UTD to draw and retain an exceptional faculty |
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and staff; moreover, the undergraduate and graduate business |
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programs at the Naveen Jindal School of Management are considered |
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by many to be among the best in the United States, with faculty |
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productivity rankings in the top 20 worldwide; and |
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WHEREAS, Also adding accolades is the Richardson Independent |
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School District, recognized by the Texas Education Agency for six |
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years in a row and one of the largest diverse districts in the state |
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to accomplish such a feat, with more than 9 in 10 campuses either |
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"Recognized" or "Exemplary"; all of its high schools have placed in |
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the top five percent according to the Washington Post, and the |
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Education Resource Group has called it the best academically |
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performing district in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, The Richardson Chamber of Commerce and the area's |
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technology leadership have made Richardson's Telecom Corridor one |
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of the showplaces of modern Texas, and they can take great pride in |
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their many accomplishments as they look forward to the challenges |
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and opportunities that lie ahead; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 6, 2013, as Richardson's Telecom |
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Corridor Legislative Day and extend a warm welcome to the |
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Richardson-area business and civic leaders who are visiting the |
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State Capitol. |