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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A delegation from the Port of Houston is visiting |
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Austin on February 19, 2019, in celebration of Port Authority Day at |
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the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, Established by early settlers, the Port of Houston |
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was originally located at the confluence of White Oak and Buffalo |
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Bayous, now the site of Allen's Landing historic park in downtown |
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Houston; activity expanded along Buffalo Bayou, and by the end of |
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the 19th century, the bayou had become a major shipping channel; and |
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WHEREAS, In the wake of the hurricane that devastated |
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Galveston in 1900, Harris County citizens approved the creation of |
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a new Houston port; a $1.25 million bond campaign for dredging of |
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the waterway was launched in 1911, and three years later, President |
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Woodrow Wilson presided over the official opening of the port to |
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traffic; and |
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WHEREAS, The port grew to become an economic powerhouse for |
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the region, aided by the construction of the Barbours Cut terminal |
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in 1977 and the Bayport terminal in 2006; currently ranking among |
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the world's busiest deep-sea ports, it is first in our nation for |
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foreign waterborne tonnage and second in total foreign and domestic |
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waterborne tonnage, and it processes nearly 70 percent of the |
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region's container traffic along the Gulf Coast; in addition, more |
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than 1.2 million jobs across the state can be attributed to port |
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commerce; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2016, the port received the Galveston Bay |
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Foundation's Guardian of the Bay Award for its commitment to |
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preserving and protecting natural resources; under the leadership |
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of port commission chair Ric Campo and executive director Roger |
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Guenther, the port continues to work in partnership with the |
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foundation to further this mission; and |
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WHEREAS, The Port of Houston has been an engine for economic |
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dynamism in Harris County for over a century, and through its |
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continued growth, it contributes significantly to the prosperity of |
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the entire state; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the Port of Houston on the occasion of Port |
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Authority Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting |
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delegation sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the port as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |