Bill Text: TX HR545 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-15 - Reported enrolled [HR545 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR545-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 545 |
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WHEREAS, For the past quarter century, the Austin LGBT | ||
Chamber of Commerce has been a voice and an advocate for the | ||
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender business owners of Austin; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, Originally established in 1994 as the Stonewall | ||
Chamber of Commerce, after the Stonewall demonstrations in New York | ||
City in 1969, the chamber was renamed the Austin Gay and Lesbian | ||
Chamber of Commerce in 1997; it became one of the founding members | ||
of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) in 2004, | ||
and in 2017, it changed its name to the Austin LGBT Chamber of | ||
Commerce, in recognition of the contributions of the bisexual and | ||
transgender communities to the local economy; and | ||
WHEREAS, Over the years, the Austin chamber has grown in | ||
membership and influence; milestones have included the publication | ||
of its first magazine, Forward Austin, in 2007, its attainment of | ||
300 members in 2009, and the first publication of its quarterly | ||
magazine, the Agenda, in 2012; it received the Rising Star Chamber | ||
of the Year Award from the NGLCC in 2013, and that same year, it was | ||
named Best Shop-Local Portal in the Austin Chronicle's Best of | ||
Austin poll; and | ||
WHEREAS, In addition, the chamber has become a powerful force | ||
for inclusion and diversity in the community; it sponsored its | ||
first Pride Parade in Austin in 2001 and continued to host the | ||
parade and festival until 2010, drawing more than 50,000 | ||
participants each year; on the first day of the 2013 SXSW | ||
Interactive Festival, it organized the first #BigGay Kickoff Party, | ||
attracting more than 1,500 attendees, and in 2015, it was | ||
recognized with the Excellence in Community Impact Award from the | ||
NGLCC; and | ||
WHEREAS, Each June, the chamber hosts the Proud! Gala, an | ||
annual business awards ceremony and scholarship fund-raiser for | ||
LGBT students; over the past year, the chamber has launched an | ||
Employee Resource Groups program and created an advocacy committee; | ||
it is also one of the founding chambers of the Texas LGBT Chambers | ||
of Commerce, a statewide advocacy group that is holding its first | ||
legislative day at the State Capitol in 2019; and | ||
WHEREAS, By empowering LGBT businesses and their allies, the | ||
Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce is working to develop a supportive, | ||
diverse, and prosperous environment throughout the Capital City; | ||
now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby honor the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce for | ||
its first 25 years and extend to the chamber and its members sincere | ||
best wishes for continued success; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce as an expression of | ||
high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. | ||
Israel | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 545 was adopted by the House on March | ||
13, 2019, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||