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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to |
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recognize February 21-23, 2017, as El Paso Days at the State |
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Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Located in the westernmost tip of the great state of |
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Texas, the city of El Paso combines a modern metropolis with the |
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charm born of its Spanish origins; the area was named El Paso by the |
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Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Onate because of the shallow place |
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in the river where the colonists crossed en route to Santa Fe, New |
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Mexico; and |
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WHEREAS, The arrival of the railroads in 1881 ushered in an |
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era of prosperity, and El Paso became a flourishing frontier |
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community that has developed into a significant industrial, |
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commercial, and transportation city; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, semitrailers, trains, and planes transport |
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manufactured goods through the border cities at the Pass, just as |
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Spanish traders did in the 16th century when they guided ox-drawn |
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carts along the Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe; and |
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WHEREAS, With three quarters of a million people, El Paso is |
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the state's 6th-largest city and the 19th-largest city in the |
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United States; one of the largest American cities on the 2,000-mile |
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U.S.-Mexico border, it lies on the Rio Grande north of Ciudad |
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Juarez, Mexico's 5th-largest city; and |
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WHEREAS, Nearby Fort Bliss, which celebrates its 167th |
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anniversary this year, has completed the biggest transformation in |
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its history with an investment of $6 billion in construction for |
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new, top-of-the-line facilities, including a new billion-dollar |
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military hospital; at the forefront of the U.S. Army's |
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transformation plan, the post has transitioned from a TRADOC to the |
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largest FORSCOM installation in the army, and it now has a |
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population of more than 166,000 military personnel and their |
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families, as well as retirees and other civilians; and |
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WHEREAS, El Paso is a vibrant, bilingual community with many |
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of its residents fluent in Spanish; the populace enjoys a thriving |
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fine arts community, exemplary educational institutions, and many |
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cultural and historical resources and museums; and |
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WHEREAS, The people of El Paso are working to preserve their |
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rich heritage while building a future of expanding opportunity, and |
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it is indeed fitting that they be honored for their contributions to |
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the story of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 21-23, 2017, as El Paso Days |
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at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere |
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best wishes for an enjoyable stay in Austin. |