Bill Text: TX HCR49 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Designating July as Train Safety Awareness Month for a 10-year period beginning in 2017.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-15 - Signed by the Governor [HCR49 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HCR49-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 49 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Train safety is a vital issue that affects all | ||
| Texans, and promoting awareness of correct safety procedures around | ||
| railroads can potentially save many lives; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Texas Department of Insurance reports that a | ||
| train hits someone in the United States every 115 minutes, often | ||
| with fatal results, and the nonprofit Operation Lifesaver | ||
| calculates that an average of nearly 1,200 Americans are killed or | ||
| injured each year on highway-rail grade crossings; according to the | ||
| Federal Railroad Administration, in 2015, Texas led the nation in | ||
| highway-rail grade collisions with 224 such incidents and suffered | ||
| 42 pedestrian rail trespass injuries and 27 pedestrian rail | ||
| trespass fatalities, the second most of any state; and | ||
| WHEREAS, An average train consisting of 100 cars can weigh 12 | ||
| million pounds and can take up to one mile to halt after first | ||
| applying its brakes; because the average weight ratio of a train to | ||
| a car is 4,000 to 1, collisions between the two usually result in | ||
| tragedy for motor vehicle drivers, and a motorist is 20 times more | ||
| likely to die in a train/vehicle collision than in a collision with | ||
| another vehicle; and | ||
| WHEREAS, It is important to always use caution near railroad | ||
| crossings, including slowing down, looking both ways, yielding to | ||
| flashing lights and other signals, and keeping a safe distance from | ||
| the railroad when stopped; train safety is equally important for | ||
| pedestrians, and the only safe and legal place to cross railroad | ||
| tracks is at a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing; and | ||
| WHEREAS, It is imperative that motorists and pedestrians | ||
| throughout the Lone Star State better understand the dangers that | ||
| exist around railroads and the necessity of following proper train | ||
| safety practices; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate July as Train Safety Awareness Month; and, be it | ||
| further | ||
| RESOLVED, That in accordance with the provisions of Section | ||
| 391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect | ||
| until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally | ||
| passed by the legislature. | ||
| Anderson of McLennan | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 49 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 9, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 6, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 49 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
