HR337 - Honoring the Consulate General of France in Houston.

      H.R. No. 337       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, The outstanding endeavors of the Consulate General   of France in Houston serve to strengthen the meaningful connections   with Texas that have spanned many centuries; and          WHEREAS, In 1685, famed French explorer René-Robert   Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, landed at present-day Matagorda Bay   and built the Fort St. Louis stockade; the settlement was   short-lived, but in 1818, a friend of Napoleon Bonaparte, General   Charles Francois Antoine Lallemand, brought a band of army veterans   to establish Champ d'Asile on thinly populated Spanish territory   near modern Liberty; Spain did not take kindly to the incursion, but   the brief French presence helped to define the Sabine River as the   border between Louisiana and Texas; and          WHEREAS, France was the second country to recognize the   Republic of Texas as a sovereign nation, and the two countries   signed a commercial treaty in 1839 and opened their respective   legations in Austin and Paris; in the following decade, more than   2,000 French Alsatians flocked to Castroville under the leadership   of banker Henri Castro, and across the state, French Catholic   missionaries developed schools and hospitals; and          WHEREAS, Favorable relations continued after Texas entered   the Union and have flourished through the years; our economies   benefit by the dynamism of imports and exports, totaling $15.6   billion in 2022, making France our state's 14th-largest trade   partner; in the last decade, French companies reported more than 80   investment projects in Texas; and          WHEREAS, Led since 2021 by Consul General Valérie Baraban,   the Consulate General of France in Houston provides services to   French citizens living in the Lone Star State; it also promotes   French business, science, and technology and fosters language   learning and cultural appreciation through its Villa Albertine in   Texas program; in 2024, it partnered in the creation of the   French-American Cultural Foundation; and          WHEREAS, The friendship between France and Texas has long   been a driver of prosperity and a source of vibrant cultural   enrichment, and the efforts of the Consulate General of France in   Houston continue to invigorate this multifaceted and mutually   valuable exchange; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby honor the Consulate General of France in Houston   for its contributions and recognize the enduring bonds between   France and Texas; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for the consulate as an expression of high regard by the   Texas House of Representatives.     Hull   Johnson     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 337 was adopted by the House on   February 26, 2025, by a non-record vote.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House