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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting |
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Austin on February 22, 2023, to pay tribute to their city's rich |
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heritage and to celebrate Lubbock Day at the State Capitol; and |
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WHEREAS, A thriving region of the state, the Lubbock area |
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is one of the oldest inhabited places in Texas; archeologists |
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have discovered evidence of some 12,000 years of continuous |
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habitation at the Lubbock Lake Landmark site, a national historic |
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and state archeological preserve; and |
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WHEREAS, The City of Lubbock was incorporated on March 16, |
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1909; railroads stimulated the city's growth as a trade center, |
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and residents also wanted the benefits of an institution of |
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higher learning; when legislation creating Texas Technological |
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College was passed in 1923, the site selection committee, |
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impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of its citizens, |
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chose Lubbock for its location; and |
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WHEREAS, Today a city and surrounding area of more than |
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300,000 people, Lubbock is home to the Texas Tech University |
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System and its flagship institution, Texas Tech University, a |
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school well-deserving of its Tier One status; and |
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WHEREAS, The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center attracts |
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nearly 5,000 students from around the world and is currently |
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ranked as the number one health university in the nation by the SR |
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Education Group, ranking higher than programs at such other |
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notable institutions as Harvard University, Stanford University, |
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and Yale University; and |
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WHEREAS, Three universities, including Texas Tech and one |
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public community college, annually draw more than 50,000 |
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students to the area and refresh the local economy with |
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approximately 10,000 new graduates each year, creating a |
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community where more than 30 percent of residents over the age of |
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25 hold a college degree or higher; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas Tech's athletic programs have recently |
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achieved historic successes; the men's basketball team has |
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recently reached the Final Four, the baseball team has appeared |
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four times in the College World Series in the past decade, and the |
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men's outdoor track and field team has earned national |
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championships, while Lubbock Christian University's women's |
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basketball team won national championships in 2016, 2019, and |
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2021; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock's metropolitan-area labor force |
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comprises 165,000 workers, and the cost of doing business ranks |
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as one of the lowest in the nation, with some of the lowest costs |
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for electric and natural gas utilities, wage rates, affordable |
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land, and cost of living; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national |
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organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere, including |
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being named the number one city for women professionals; it is |
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ranked in the top 20 cities for young entrepreneurs starting a |
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business and was named seventh in the Forbes list of top |
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"Opportunity Cities," based on its low cost of living, its |
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cultural resources, and the strength of its business |
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community; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock has a diverse economy that draws its |
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strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce as |
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well as from educational and health care services, boasting |
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the largest medical infrastructure between Dallas and Phoenix; |
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with the growth of the cotton industry on the High Plains, |
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Lubbock has become one of the world's primary centers for the |
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processing of cottonseed and hybrid-grain sorghum seed; the |
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region north of Lubbock has the highest density of cattle in |
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the entire country; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock is now the home of several major |
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award-winning wineries and vineyards that produce more than 80 |
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percent of the state's wine grapes; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock offers a wealth of cultural and |
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recreational opportunities, including the Lubbock Symphony |
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Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the Silent Wings Museum, the |
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Museum and Planetarium of Texas Tech University and many other |
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cultural offerings at Texas Tech University, and a new, |
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state-of-the-art performing arts center named after local legend |
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and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Holly; and |
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WHEREAS, The city's meticulously planned infrastructure |
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has resulted in a low-traffic community and more neighborhood |
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parks per capita than any other city in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock was nicknamed the "Hub City" because it |
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is at the intersection of five major highways; it aims to |
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continue that renown through the eventual expansion of |
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Interstate 27, which will help to relieve the traffic congestion |
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of other major Texas highways; and |
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WHEREAS, Those wanting a glimpse of frontier history can |
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find it in the restored structures at the Ranching Heritage |
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Center, a 15-acre site tracing the evolution of ranch |
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architecture and the history of the cattle industry; the |
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region's history is also celebrated at the Bayer Museum of |
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Agriculture; and |
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WHEREAS, The talented musicians who have come from the |
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Lubbock area include Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines family, |
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Virgil Johnson and the Velvets, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, |
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Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Pat Green, and Josh |
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Abbott; their rich and diverse contributions have earned Lubbock |
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recognition as the Music Crossroads of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Lubbock's thriving business community is |
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represented by the largest business federation on the Texas South |
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Plains, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, which expands and guards |
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the prosperity of the Lubbock area; and |
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WHEREAS, Early major achievements propelled by the chamber |
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of commerce during more than a century of service include |
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recruiting farmers from out of state to produce crops on the |
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fertile soils of the Llano Estacado, working to bring the |
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railroad to Lubbock, establishing the South Plains Fair, and |
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drafting and delivering to the Texas Capitol the application that |
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would result in establishing Texas Technological College, which |
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today is the heart of the Texas Tech University System; and |
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WHEREAS, The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce was instrumental |
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in establishing Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, |
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Reese Air Force Base, and outstanding transportation |
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infrastructure and was the first chamber of commerce in Texas to |
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introduce an Association Health Plan for 34 West Texas counties, |
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which became a model nationwide; and |
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WHEREAS, Among the delegation visiting the Capitol today |
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are members of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce's 47th Leadership |
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Lubbock Class who represent the business and community leaders of |
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Lubbock; and |
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WHEREAS, The citizens of Lubbock have truly kept faith |
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with the founders of their West Texas community; renowned for |
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their hospitality and warmth as well as their hardiness and |
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determination, they have helped to build a vital urban center |
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that serves not only a large part of West Texas but also the |
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surrounding regions; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize February 22, 2023, as Lubbock Day |
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at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting |
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delegation and all their fellow citizens sincere appreciation |
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for the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State. |