Bill Text: TX HCR42 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Designating the cowboy hat as the official State Hat of Texas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-02 - Referred to Culture, Recreation & Tourism [HCR42 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HCR42-Introduced.html
| 84R2394 RA-D | ||
| By: Bohac | H.C.R. No. 42 | |
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| WHEREAS, The cowboy hat has long been one of the defining | ||
| symbols of the culture and history of Texas, representative of the | ||
| state's wide open spaces and its spirit of freedom and | ||
| self-reliance; and | ||
| WHEREAS, For centuries, horsemen have worn broad-brimmed | ||
| hats to keep the sun off their faces, but the distinctive American | ||
| cowboy hat, with its high crown and wide brim, dates from the | ||
| mid-19th century, when John Batterson Stetson invented the hat | ||
| known as the "Boss of the Plains" in 1865; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Since then, the cowboy hat has been made of felt, | ||
| straw, and even leather, and it has been adapted into many different | ||
| styles as well as adorned with bows, buckles, decorative hat bands, | ||
| and feathers; some hats feature turned-up brims to make using a | ||
| lariat easier, while others feature "stampede strings" to keep them | ||
| from being blown off when riding at speed; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the past 150 years, the hat has become the | ||
| ultimate symbol of the Lone Star State in popular culture, worn | ||
| proudly by native Texans such as Tommy Lee Jones in Lonesome Dove, | ||
| or by stars playing iconic Texans, such as John Wayne in The | ||
| Searchers, Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger, and Taylor Kitsch | ||
| in Friday Night Lights; Texas musicians from Bob Wills to Willie | ||
| Nelson to Selena have all taken the stage in cowboy hats, and the | ||
| hat has likewise been worn by a host of prominent Texas politicians, | ||
| including Lyndon Johnson, Ann Richards, and George W. Bush; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The cowboy hat is worn to work every day by countless | ||
| cowboys and ranchers, as well as Texas Rangers and county sheriffs; | ||
| a unique expression of Lone Star style, the cowboy hat can also be | ||
| seen atop the Kilgore Rangerettes, high school students dressed up | ||
| for the senior prom, and professionals from all walks of life; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Around the world, whenever people picture a Texan, | ||
| they see a man or a woman wearing a cowboy hat, and that image has | ||
| become as emblematic of the Lone Star State as slow-roasted | ||
| brisket, the Texas two-step, and the Alamo; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate the cowboy hat as the official State Hat of Texas. | ||
