H.R. No. 551

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting Austin
	on February 27, 2019, 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 was
	impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of the city's residents
	and chose Lubbock for the college's location; and
	WHEREAS, Today, the city with its surrounding area has a
	population of more than 300,000 people, and it is home to the Texas
	Tech University System and its flagship institution, Texas Tech
	University, a school well deserving of its 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 health university in the nation by the SR
	Education Group; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock's three universities and one public
	community college annually draw more than 50,000 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, Texas Tech's athletic programs have recently
	achieved historic successes; the men's basketball team reached its
	first Elite Eight last season, and the baseball team has appeared
	three times in the College World Series in the past five years,
	while the track and field team has won indoor and outdoor Big 12
	championships; in addition, the women's basketball team at Lubbock
	Christian University won a national championship in 2016; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock's metropolitan area labor force numbers
	more than 165,000, and the cost of doing business continues to rank
	as one of the lowest in the nation, due to low costs for electric and
	natural gas utilities, as well as affordable land, wage rates, and
	cost of living; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national
	organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere, and it has been
	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 the city's low
	cost of living, its cultural offerings, and the strength of its
	business community; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock enjoys a diverse economy that draws its
	strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce, as well as
	from educational and health care services, and the city boasts 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; the area is home to the world's largest contiguous
	cotton-growing region and also features several major,
	award-winning wineries and vineyards, which produce more than 80
	percent of all the state's wine grapes; the region north of Lubbock
	also has the highest density of cattle in the entire country; and
	WHEREAS, Lubbock offers a wealth of cultural institutions and
	recreational opportunities, including the Lubbock Symphony
	Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Museum and Planetarium and
	other offerings at Texas Tech University, and the Silent Wings
	Museum; a new, state-of-the-art performing arts center is under
	construction and is to be named after local legend and Rock 'n' Roll
	Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Holly; Lubbock County voters have also
	approved the construction of the new Lubbock County Expo Center to
	serve as a multipurpose event center for the region; and
	WHEREAS, Through meticulously planned infrastructure, city
	leaders have created a low-traffic community with the number one
	ranked commute in the state and more neighborhood parks per capita
	than any other city in Texas; 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, Many talented musicians have come from the Lubbock
	area; they include Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines family,
	Virgil Johnson and the Velvets, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Joe
	Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Pat Green, and Josh
	Abbott; their rich and diverse contributions have earned Lubbock
	and West Texas recognition as the "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; and
	WHEREAS, Early major achievements propelled 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, working to bring the railroad
	to Lubbock, 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, and the area's outstanding
	transportation infrastructure, and it recently introduced an
	Association Health Plan for its small-business members in 34 West
	Texas counties and is the first chamber in Texas to launch such a
	plan; and
	WHEREAS, Among the delegation visiting the Capitol today are
	proud members of the chamber's 43rd Leadership Lubbock Class, who
	represent the 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 86th Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize February 27, 2019, 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.
	Frullo
	Burrows
	Clardy
	Meyer
	Bonnen of Brazoria Guerra Oliverson
	Allen Guillen Ortega
	Allison Gutierrez Pacheco
	Anchia Harless Paddie
	Anderson Harris Parker
	Ashby Hefner Patterson
	Bailes Hernandez Paul
	Beckley Herrero Perez
	Bell of Kaufman Hinojosa Phelan
	Bell of Montgomery Holland Price
	Bernal Howard Ramos
	Biedermann Huberty Raney
	Blanco Hunter Raymond
	Bohac Israel Reynolds
	Bonnen of Galveston E. Johnson of Dallas Rodriguez
	Bowers J. Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr.
	Buckley Johnson of Harris Rose
	Bucy Kacal Rosenthal
	Burns King of Hemphill Sanford
	Burrows King of Parker Schaefer
	Button King of Uvalde Shaheen
	Cain Klick Sheffield
	Calanni Krause Sherman, Sr.
	Canales Kuempel Shine
	Capriglione Lambert Smith
	Clardy Landgraf Smithee
	Cole Lang Springer
	Coleman Larson Stephenson
	Collier Leach Stickland
	Cortez Leman Stucky
	Craddick Longoria Swanson
	Cyrier Lozano Talarico
	Darby Lucio III Thierry
	Davis of Dallas Martinez Thompson of Brazoria
	Davis of Harris Martinez Fischer Thompson of Harris
	Dean Metcalf Tinderholt
	Deshotel Meyer Toth
	Dominguez Meza Turner of Dallas
	Dutton Middleton Turner of Tarrant
	Farrar Miller VanDeaver
	Fierro Minjarez Vo
	Flynn Moody Walle
	Frank Morrison White
	Frullo Muñoz, Jr. Wilson
	Geren Murphy Wray
	Gervin-Hawkins Murr Wu
	Goldman Neave Zedler
	González of Dallas Nevárez Zerwas
	González of El Paso Noble Zwiener
	Goodwin
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 551 was adopted by the House on February
	27, 2019, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House