Bill Text: TX HCR78 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Designating "the Lone Star State" as the official nickname of Texas.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-19 - Signed by the Governor [HCR78 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HCR78-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 78 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Over the course of nearly 200 years, people all | ||
| around the world have come to know the State of Texas as "the Lone | ||
| Star State," and it is time that this universally recognized | ||
| nickname receive official recognition; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The exact origins of this colorful phrase, and the | ||
| use of a single, white, five-pointed star to represent Texas, are | ||
| unclear; some accounts trace it to a flag carried by the James Long | ||
| Expedition in 1819, an early attempt to free Texas from the Spanish | ||
| empire, while a recent discovery of coins that were minted in what | ||
| is now San Antonio, showing a five-pointed star on one side and the | ||
| year 1817 on the other, suggest that the star was already in use as a | ||
| symbol for the region; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The first official use of the Lone Star came in 1836, | ||
| when the Congress of the Republic of Texas adopted a flag with a | ||
| five-pointed gold star on a background of deep azure, known as the | ||
| David G. Burnet Flag; three years later, the Texas Congress adopted | ||
| what is commonly known as the Lone Star Flag, showing a bright white | ||
| star against deep blue on the left of the flag and two horizontal | ||
| stripes of white and red on the flag's right; this was made the | ||
| official flag of the State of Texas in 1933; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Today, the distinctive five-pointed star and the | ||
| phrase "the Lone Star State" are instantly recognizable the world | ||
| over as the primary symbol and nickname for Texas; the term "Lone | ||
| Star" has been adopted by countless enterprises, from a brand of | ||
| beer to car dealerships, restaurants, hotels, and barbecue | ||
| establishments, along with nearly every other sort of business; | ||
| over the years, at least 10 communities in Texas have been named | ||
| Lone Star, including towns in Morris, Floyd, Bastrop, Delta, Polk, | ||
| and other counties; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Whatever its origins, and whatever its uses, from | ||
| the serious to the playful, the phrase "the Lone Star State" has | ||
| achieved universal currency as a sharp and memorable way to evoke | ||
| the unique legacy of Texas and the indomitable spirit of its people; | ||
| now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate "the Lone Star State" as the official nickname of | ||
| Texas. | ||
| Guillen | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 78 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 5, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, 1 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 78 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 27, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
