Bill Text: TX SR251 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing February 24, 2015, as Lubbock Day.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-02-24 - Reported enrolled [SR251 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SR251-Enrolled.html
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| WHEREAS, Many notable citizens of Lubbock are visiting | ||
| Austin on February 24, 2015, to pay tribute to their city's rich | ||
| heritage and to celebrate Lubbock Day at the State Capitol; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A thriving region of the state, the Lubbock area | ||
| is one of the oldest inhabited places in Texas; archeologists | ||
| have discovered evidence of some 12,000 years of continuous | ||
| habitation at the Lubbock Lake Landmark site, a national historic | ||
| and state archeological preserve; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The City of Lubbock was incorporated on March 16, | ||
| 1909, and railroads stimulated the city's growth as a trade | ||
| center; residents also wanted the benefits of an institution of | ||
| higher learning, and when legislation creating Texas | ||
| Technological College was passed in 1923, the site selection | ||
| committee, impressed by the enthusiasm and hospitality of local | ||
| citizens, chose Lubbock for its location; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Today a community of almost 240,000 people, | ||
| Lubbock is home to the Texas Tech University System and its | ||
| flagship campus as well as to two other universities and a | ||
| community college; together, they draw more than 53,000 students | ||
| to the city each year, making a significant impact on the local | ||
| economy; approximately 10,000 young Texans graduate in Lubbock | ||
| each year, and 30 percent of residents over the age of 25 hold at | ||
| least a bachelor's degree; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Fostering a dynamic business environment, Lubbock | ||
| has a regional labor force of more than 207,000, and the cost of | ||
| doing business continues to rank as one of the lowest in the | ||
| nation, due to affordable land, wage rates, electric and natural | ||
| gas utilities, property taxes, and living expenses; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Lubbock is consistently recognized by national | ||
| organizations for its business-friendly atmosphere; it was | ||
| ranked seventh in the 2014 Forbes list of "Opportunity Cities" | ||
| based on low cost of living, cultural offerings, and the strength | ||
| of the business community; in addition, it has been named a top | ||
| city for professional women and for young entrepreneurs seeking | ||
| to start a business; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Noted for its diverse economy, the city draws its | ||
| strength from agribusiness, manufacturing, and commerce, as well | ||
| as from educational facilities and medical infrastructure | ||
| considered the most extensive to be found between Dallas and | ||
| Phoenix; with the growth of cotton culture on the High Plains, | ||
| Lubbock has become one of the world's primary centers for the | ||
| processing of cottonseed and hybrid grain sorghum seed; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The economy is deeply rooted in cotton farming, | ||
| and Lubbock remains home to the world's largest contiguous cotton | ||
| patch; the area also features several major, award-winning | ||
| wineries and vineyards, which produce more than 70 percent of all | ||
| the state's wine grapes; and | ||
| WHEREAS, This vibrant city also offers a wealth of | ||
| recreational opportunities and cultural institutions, among them | ||
| the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, the Lubbock Civic Ballet, the | ||
| Museum and Planetarium of Texas Tech University, and the Silent | ||
| Wings Museum; plans are well advanced for a new, state-of-the-art | ||
| performing arts center to be named after local legend and Rock | ||
| and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Holly; and | ||
| WHEREAS, City leaders meticulously planned infrastructure | ||
| to create neighborhood parks and ensure the smooth flow of | ||
| traffic; located at the intersection of five major highways, | ||
| Lubbock is nicknamed the "Hub City," and it aims to continue that | ||
| vital transportation function through the eventual Interstate | ||
| Highway 27 expansion, a mayoral initiative that is expected to | ||
| relieve congestion on other Texas highways; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Those desiring a glimpse of the frontier can find | ||
| it in the restored structures at the Ranching Heritage Center, a | ||
| 15-acre site that traces the evolution of ranch architecture and | ||
| the history of the cattle industry; the region's history is also | ||
| celebrated at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A host of talented musicians have hailed from the | ||
| Lubbock area, among them Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Maines | ||
| family, Virgil Johnson and the Velvets, Waylon Jennings, Tanya | ||
| Tucker, Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Pat Green, and Butch | ||
| Hancock; their rich and diverse contributions have earned | ||
| Lubbock and West Texas the state designation as the official | ||
| "Music Crossroads of Texas"; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Lubbock's thriving business community is | ||
| represented by the largest business federation on the Texas South | ||
| Plains, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, which has promoted the | ||
| prosperity of the Lubbock area for more than a century; achieving | ||
| great success from its earliest days, it recruited out-of-state | ||
| farmers to till the fertile soils of the Llano Estacado, secured | ||
| railroad service, founded the South Plains Fair, and drafted and | ||
| delivered the application that would result in the establishment | ||
| of Texas Technological College, which today thrives as the heart | ||
| of the Texas Tech University System; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The chamber was also instrumental in establishing | ||
| Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport and Reese Air Force | ||
| Base, as well as the revolutionary market-driven Chamber | ||
| Employer Health Plan, which is now a national model; its efforts | ||
| have also been key in the development of outstanding | ||
| transportation infrastructure; committed to revitalizing the | ||
| community and its downtown, the chamber oversees the efforts of | ||
| Imagine Lubbock Together, a private-public partnership; it is | ||
| the nation's first and only chamber to be twice 5-Star Accredited | ||
| and twice named Chamber of the Year; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The delegation visiting the Capitol today | ||
| includes proud members of the chamber's 40th Leadership Lubbock | ||
| Class, who represent the future business and community leaders of | ||
| Lubbock; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Truly keeping faith with the founders of their | ||
| West Texas community, the citizens of Lubbock are renowned for | ||
| their friendliness and warmth as well as their hardiness and | ||
| determination, and they have helped to build a vital urban center | ||
| that serves not only a large part of West Texas but also eastern | ||
| New Mexico; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th | ||
| Legislature, hereby recognize February 24, 2015, as Lubbock Day | ||
| at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the visiting | ||
| delegation and all their fellow citizens sincere appreciation | ||
| for the bright luster they add to the Lone Star State. | ||
| Perry | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| President of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that the | ||
| above Resolution was adopted by | ||
| the Senate on February 24, 2015. | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Member, Texas Senate | ||
