Bill Text: TX HCR13 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Comm Sub

Texas House Concurrent Resolution 13 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Designating San Marcos as the official Mermaid Capital of Texas for a 10-year period beginning in 2021.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-05-08 - Laid on the table subject to call [HCR13 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HCR13-Comm_Sub.html

	87R18211 KSM-D

	By: Zwiener	H.C.R. No. 13

	Substitute the following for H.C.R. No. 13:

	By: Israel	C.S.H.C.R. No. 13



	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, For thousands of years, the mermaid has been one of
	the most striking symbols of humanity's connection with the natural
	world, and over the past century, this legendary figure has come to
	represent the city of San Marcos and its special relationship to the
	water resources of Central Texas; and
	WHEREAS, The story of the mermaid in San Marcos begins with
	the abundant springs that every day release 100 million gallons of
	freshwater from the Edwards Aquifer into the San Marcos River;
	considered a sacred place by Native Americans and regarded as the
	creation site of the Coahuiltecans, the springs have drawn people
	to their banks for more than 11,500 years, making this area what is
	thought to be one of the oldest continually inhabited sites in North
	America; and
	WHEREAS, In 1849, Edward Burleson, a former vice president of
	the Republic of Texas, dammed the headwaters of the San Marcos,
	thereby creating Spring Lake; over the ensuing years, the water
	from the lake powered gristmills, sawmills, an ice factory, and an
	electric light works; the San Marcos River also constituted an
	important water stop along the Chisholm Trail; and
	WHEREAS, A. B. Rogers bought the Burleson homestead in the
	1920s and built a resort hotel on the shore of the lake; he later
	began offering rides in glass-bottomed boats that allowed visitors
	to see through the crystal clear water to the bubbling springs
	beneath; his son Paul, who succeeded him, established the Aquarena
	Springs amusement park on the property, and in 1950 he built an
	underwater theater, where young women known as "aquamaids" staged
	exhibitions of synchronized swimming and underwater ballet; at the
	peak of its popularity, the park drew up to 350,000 visitors every
	year and was featured in Life magazine, with the submerged theater
	making it to the cover of Popular Mechanics; in time, the show came
	to include Glurpo, a pipe-smoking clown, and a swimming pig named
	Ralph; and
	WHEREAS, The performances continued until the 1990s, when
	Texas State University acquired the park and set a new course for
	the property; today, the site hosts the Meadows Center for Water and
	the Environment, which conducts research and educational programs
	focused on promoting sustainable water management and
	environmental stewardship; the critical nature of its work is
	underscored by the fact that the Edwards Aquifer supplies drinking
	water to nearly two million people and serves as the principal
	source of water for agriculture, industry, and recreation
	throughout the region; the aquifer system sustains over 40 highly
	adapted species, a number of which are either threatened or
	endangered, including several found in the San Marcos springs and a
	stretch of river just below; and
	WHEREAS, In 2016, the Mermaid Society of Texas, headquartered
	in San Marcos, was created to foster harmony between environmental
	sustainability, the arts, and economic growth; the society has
	established an annual Mermaid SPLASH festival, which includes a
	parade, the Mermaid Art Ball, and the riverside Aqua Faire
	celebration; moreover, the city has funded mermaid-themed public
	art through a program supported by the hotel occupancy tax; among
	the works underwritten by this initiative are murals and a series of
	seven-foot-tall statues, each one decorated by a different artist;
	and
	WHEREAS, By adopting the mermaid as a symbol of the city, the
	people of San Marcos are encouraging public interest in the natural
	environment and highlighting the central role their community is
	playing in preserving the water resources of the Lone Star State;
	now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
	hereby designate the city of San Marcos as the official Mermaid
	Capital of Texas; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
	391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
	until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally
	passed by the legislature.