SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 177

WHEREAS, The Texas Senate is pleased to recognize February 12 and 13, 2013, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol; and

WHEREAS, Located in the westernmost tip of the great State of Texas, the City of El Paso combines a modern metropolis with the charm born of its Spanish origins; the area was named El Paso by the Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Onate for the shallow place in the river where the colonists crossed on their way to Santa Fe, New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, The arrival of the railroads in 1881 ushered in an era of prosperity, and El Paso became a flourishing frontier community that has developed into a significant industrial, commercial, and transportation city; and

WHEREAS, Today, semitrailers, trains, and airplanes transport manufactured goods through the border cities at the Pass, just as Spanish traders did in the 16th century when they guided ox-drawn carts along the Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe; and

WHEREAS, With a population of three quarters of a million people, El Paso is the state's sixth-largest city and the nation's 22nd-largest; the largest American city on the 2,000-mile United States-Mexico border, it lies north of and across the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's fifth-largest city, which has a population of over a million people; and

WHEREAS, Nearby Fort Bliss, which celebrates its 165th anniversary this year, has just completed the biggest transformation in its history, with a 300 percent increase in its population since 2005 and an investment of $5 billion in construction for new, top-of-the-line facilities for the incoming personnel and their families, including a new billion-dollar military hospital; this installation is at the forefront of the United States Army's Transformation plan, having transitioned from a Training and Doctrine post to a Forces Command post; and

WHEREAS, El Paso voters in November 2012 approved all three propositions included in the 2012 Quality of Life Bond, making it the largest bond passed in the city's history at $473,250,000, and the propositions passed with one of the largest voting margins for similar bonds across the nation; and

WHEREAS, El Paso is a vibrant, bilingual community, and many of its residents are fluent in Spanish; its residents enjoy a thriving fine arts community, exemplary educational institutions, and many cultural and historical resources and museums; and

WHEREAS, El Paso Days at the State Capitol provide an opportunity for friends and families to honor El Paso and its rich heritage, which today is enjoyed by residents and vacationers of all ages; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd Legislature, hereby recognize February 12 and 13, 2013, as El Paso Days at the State Capitol and join the citizens of this historic and vibrant region in paying tribute to this wonderful city; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared as a memento of this special occasion.

Rodriguez

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 13, 2013.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate