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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The city of Fort Worth has evolved into a prominent |
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center for the aviation and defense sectors, attracting major |
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corporations, manufacturing facilities, and a skilled workforce |
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that continues to drive innovation and economic growth in these |
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industries; and |
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WHEREAS, Fort Worth's connection to the military dates to its |
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establishment as a frontier outpost in 1849; later, as the United |
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States mobilized for World War I, the city served as the home of |
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Camp Bowie, which trained 100,000 soldiers in the U.S. Army's 36th |
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Infantry Division; during World War II, the construction of the |
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B-24 and B-32 bombers in Fort Worth and the development of Carswell |
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Air Force Base solidified the city's longstanding partnership with |
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the U.S. armed forces, which continues to this day; and |
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WHEREAS, Beginning in the 1970s, Fort Worth became a |
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manufacturing location for the F-16, one of the world's most widely |
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used fighter jets; today, the city remains at the forefront of |
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aerospace innovation as the assembly site of the F-35 Lightning II, |
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the most advanced fifth-generation fighter jet in the world, which |
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is produced by Fort Worth-based Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; in |
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March 2025, it was announced that the global F-35 fleet had |
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surpassed one million total flight hours; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1951, Bell Textron, Inc., opened in Fort Worth |
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the first factory in the world specifically designed to manufacture |
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helicopters, and in 2018, the location was designated a Vertical |
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Flight Heritage Site by the Vertical Flight Society; the company |
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has produced and delivered more than 35,000 Bell rotorcraft, and it |
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is slated to expand its Fort Worth operations by opening a new |
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advanced manufacturing facility for the U.S. Army's Future Long |
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Range Assault Aircraft; this state-of-the-art tiltrotor is |
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designed to fly two times farther and faster than the current fleet; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Since 1974, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport |
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has served Fort Worth, the North Texas region, and the State of |
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Texas as a gateway to destinations around the globe; it has grown |
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into one of the busiest airports in the world and welcomes more than |
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86 million travelers a year and generates over $37 billion in annual |
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economic impact; and |
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WHEREAS, American Airlines relocated its corporate |
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headquarters to Fort Worth in 1979, and the carrier now maintains a |
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workforce of more than 36,000 in North Texas and operates thousands |
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of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in over 60 |
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countries; and |
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WHEREAS, Fort Worth has played an integral part in advancing |
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America's leadership in military capability and aerospace |
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technology, and these contributions have brought profound benefits |
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to our state and nation; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate Fort Worth as the official Aviation and Defense |
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Capital of Texas; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section |
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391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect |
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until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally |
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passed by the legislature. |