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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Federal Aviation Administration has announced |
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its intention to designate six test sites for unmanned aircraft |
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systems (UAS), and the Texas aviation industry stands to benefit |
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greatly if the state is selected for such a site; and |
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WHEREAS, The United States Congress has allocated $1 billion |
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for UAS pilot sites, where the FAA will test procedures to integrate |
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drones into the National Air Space; each of the sites is also |
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expected to become a hub for UAS research and manufacturing, with |
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orders projected to total $94 billion over the next decade; the |
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Pentagon alone has budgeted almost $37 billion to buy 730 medium and |
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large drones by 2020; and |
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WHEREAS, The Texas aviation industry enjoys numerous |
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advantages, including advanced research capacity and industrial |
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resources that are poised to utilize UAS technologies; moreover, |
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the state's geography, featuring vast airspace, a long coastline, |
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and ample uncluttered landscapes, is exceptionally well suited to |
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the requirements of the FAA program; and |
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WHEREAS, The Federal Aviation Administration's UAS testing |
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program holds tremendous potential for economic development, and |
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Texas should vigorously promote its outstanding qualifications to |
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serve as a UAS test site; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby express its strong support for a Federal |
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Aviation Administration unmanned aircraft systems test site in |
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Texas and urge the office of the governor, The Texas A&M University |
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System, Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi, the Texas |
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Engineering Experiment Station, and other state offices, agencies, |
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and institutions to join in the effort to pursue this FAA |
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designation; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward official copies of |
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this resolution to the governor, to the chancellor of The Texas A&M |
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University System, to the president of Texas A&M University--Corpus |
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Christi, and to the director of the Texas Engineering Experiment |
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Station. |