H.R. No. 311

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting Austin
	on February 22, 2017, to pay tribute to their city's rich heritage
	and to celebrate Lubbock Day at the State Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, A thriving region of the state, the Lubbock area is
	one of the oldest inhabited places in Texas; archaeologists have
	discovered evidence of some 12,000 years of continuous habitation
	at the Lubbock Lake Landmark site, a national historic and state
	archaeological preserve; and
	WHEREAS, The City of Lubbock was incorporated on March 16,
	1909; the railroads stimulated the city's growth as a trade center,
	but residents also wanted the benefits of an institution of higher
	learning; when legislation creating Texas Technological College
	was finally passed in 1923, the site selection committee, impressed
	by the enthusiasm and hospitality of local citizens, chose Lubbock
	for its location; and
	WHEREAS, Today a city of close to 250,000 people, Lubbock is
	home to the Texas Tech University System and its flagship
	institution, Texas Tech University, a school well deserving of its
	recently acquired Tier One status; and
	WHEREAS, The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center attracts
	nearly 5,000 students from around the world, and it is currently
	ranked as the number one medical school in the nation by the SR
	Education Group, besting the programs at other notable institutions
	such as Harvard, Stanford, and Yale; and
	WHEREAS, Three universities, including Texas Tech, and one
	public community college annually draw more than 53,000 students to
	the area and refresh the local economy with around 10,000 new
	graduates each year, creating a community where 30 percent of
	residents over the age of 25 hold a college degree or higher; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock's regional labor force numbers more than
	207,000, and the cost of doing business continues to rank as one of
	the lowest in the nation, due to one of the lowest costs for
	electric and natural gas utilities, as well as affordable land,
	wage rates, cost of living, and property taxes; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national
	organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere, including
	being named the number one city for professional women, ranked in
	the top 20 for young entrepreneurs to start a business, and named
	seventh in the 2014 Forbes list of "Opportunity Cities" based on low
	cost of living, cultural offerings, and the strength of the
	business community; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock enjoys a diverse economy that draws its
	strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce, as well as
	from educational and medical facilities, boasting the largest
	medical infrastructure to be found between Dallas and Phoenix; with
	the growth of cotton culture on the High Plains, Lubbock has become
	one of the world's primary centers for the processing of cottonseed
	and hybrid grain sorghum seed; and
	WHEREAS, The Lubbock economy is deeply rooted in cotton
	farming, and the city remains home to the world's largest
	contiguous cotton patch; the area also features several major,
	award-winning wineries and vineyards, which produce more than 70
	percent of all the state's wine grapes; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock also offers a wealth of cultural
	institutions and recreational opportunities, among them the
	Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Museum
	and Planetarium and other offerings at Texas Tech University, and
	the Silent Wings Museum; moreover, plans are well under way for a
	new, state-of-the-art performing arts center to be named after
	local legend and Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Buddy Holly; and
	WHEREAS, City leaders meticulously planned infrastructure to
	create a low-traffic community with more neighborhood parks per
	capita than any other city in Texas; Lubbock is nicknamed the "Hub
	City" because it is surrounded by five major highways, and it aims
	to continue that legacy through the eventual expansion of
	Interstate 27 that will assist in relieving congestion on other
	major Texas highways; and
	WHEREAS, Those wanting a glimpse of the frontier can find it
	in the restored structures at the Ranching Heritage Center, a
	15-acre site tracing the evolution of ranch architecture and the
	history of the cattle industry; the region's history is also
	celebrated at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture; and
	WHEREAS, The talented musicians who have come from the
	Lubbock area include Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines family,
	Virgil Johnson and the Velvets, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Joe
	Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Pat Green, and Butch Hancock; their rich
	and diverse contributions have earned Lubbock and West Texas
	recognition as the official "Music Crossroads of Texas"; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock's thriving business community is
	represented by the largest business federation on the Texas South
	Plains, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, which grows and guards the
	prosperity of the Lubbock area; early major achievements by the
	chamber during more than a century of service include recruiting
	out-of-state farmers to populate the area and make productive the
	fertile soils of the Llano Estacado, securing railroad service,
	founding the South Plains Fair, and drafting and delivering the
	application to the Texas Capitol that would result in establishing
	Texas Technological College, which today thrives as the heart of
	the Texas Tech University System; and
	WHEREAS, The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce was also
	instrumental in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International
	Airport, Reese Air Force Base, outstanding transportation
	infrastructure, and a revolutionary market-driven Chamber Employer
	Health Plan that is a model nationwide; committed to revitalizing
	the community and creating a culturally sound, vibrant downtown,
	the chamber oversees the efforts of Imagine Lubbock Together, a
	private-public partnership; moreover, it is the nation's first and
	only chamber to be twice 5-Star Accredited and twice named Chamber
	of the Year; and
	WHEREAS, Among the delegation visiting the Capitol today are
	proud members of the chamber's 42nd Leadership Lubbock Class, who
	represent the future business and community leaders of Lubbock; and
	WHEREAS, The citizens of Lubbock have truly kept faith with
	the founders of their West Texas community; renowned for their
	friendliness and warmth as well as their hardiness and
	determination, they have helped to build a vital urban center that
	serves not only a large part of West Texas but also eastern New
	Mexico; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize February 22, 2017, as Lubbock Day at
	the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting
	delegation and all their fellow citizens sincere appreciation for
	the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State.
	Burrows
	Frullo
	Straus Goldman Oliverson
	Allen Gonzales of Williamson Ortega
	Alonzo González of El Paso Paddie
	Alvarado Gooden Parker
	Anchia Guerra Paul
	Anderson of Dallas Guillen Perez
	Anderson of McLennan Gutierrez Phelan
	Arévalo Hefner Phillips
	Ashby Hernandez Pickett
	Bailes Herrero Price
	Bell Hinojosa Raney
	Bernal Holland Raymond
	Biedermann Howard Reynolds
	Blanco Huberty Rinaldi
	Bohac Hunter Roberts
	Bonnen of Brazoria Isaac Rodriguez of Bexar
	Bonnen of Galveston Israel Rodriguez of Travis
	Burkett Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr.
	Burns Johnson of Harris Rose
	Burrows Kacal Sanford
	Button Keough Schaefer
	Cain King of Hemphill Schofield
	Canales King of Parker Schubert
	Capriglione King of Uvalde Shaheen
	Clardy Klick Sheffield
	Coleman Koop Shine
	Collier Krause Simmons
	Cook Kuempel Smithee
	Cortez Lambert Springer
	Cosper Landgraf Stephenson
	Craddick Lang Stickland
	Cyrier Larson Stucky
	Dale Laubenberg Swanson
	Darby Leach Thierry
	Davis of Dallas Longoria Thompson of Brazoria
	Davis of Harris Lozano Thompson of Harris
	Dean Lucio III Tinderholt
	Deshotel Martinez Turner
	Dukes Metcalf Uresti
	Dutton Meyer VanDeaver
	Elkins Miller Villalba
	Faircloth Minjarez Vo
	Fallon Moody Walle
	Farrar Morrison White
	Flynn Muñoz, Jr. Wilson
	Frank Murphy Workman
	Frullo Murr Wray
	Geren Neave Wu
	Gervin-Hawkins Nevárez Zedler
	Giddings Oliveira Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 311 was adopted by the House on February
	22, 2017, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House