Bill Text: TX HCR62 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Comm Sub

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Designating the second week in October as Indigenous Peoples' Week for a 10-year period beginning in 2021.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Passed) 2021-06-18 - Signed by the Governor [HCR62 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HCR62-Comm_Sub.html

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87R11525 BPG-D
By: Hunter, Pacheco H.C.R. No. 62

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Since the early 1990s, dozens of cities and a
growing number of states have adopted the observance of Indigenous
Peoples' Day to celebrate the history and contributions of Native
Americans; and
WHEREAS, Indigenous Peoples' Day was first proposed in 1977
as part of the International Conference on Discrimination Against
Indigenous Populations in the Americas; coinciding with Columbus
Day, the observance has become an important means of focusing
attention on the native peoples of the Americas, past and present;
and
WHEREAS, More than 14,000 years ago, ancient peoples arrived
in North America from Asia and migrated south; over the millennia,
they built empires, constructed sophisticated cities, and
developed elaborate trade networks and complex social systems; the
area now known as Texas became home to numerous indigenous tribes
with their own unique cultures and ways of life; and
WHEREAS, Early inhabitants of our state's Gulf Coast included
the semi-nomadic Atakapa, Karankawa, Mariame, and Akokisa, who
lived on the shore for part of the year and moved some 30 to 40 miles
inland on a seasonal basis; the Caddo in East Texas and Jumano in
West Texas were farmers and traders, with economic ties to other
tribes and, later, to Europeans; the Comanche and Apache were
bison-hunting warriors who traversed large regions of the Southern
Plains on horseback; a host of other groups inhabited the Plains
area as well, among them Coahuiltecans, Cocoimes, Chisos, Tobosos,
Tawakonis, Wacos, and Kiowas; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Lone Star State is home to Native
Americans from diverse tribal nations, and the effort to retain
ancestral memories, languages, and cultures is ongoing and vital;
the observation of Indigenous Peoples' Day raises awareness of this
rich heritage and the wide-ranging contributions Native Americans
have made and continue to make to our state and nation; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate the second Monday in October as Indigenous
Peoples' Day; 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 that this resolution finally
is passed by the legislature.