SR123 - Recognizing the Consulate General of France in Houston.

          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 123          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 Senate of the State of Texas, 89th   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 from   the Texas Senate.     Huffman                 ________________________________          President of the Senate               I hereby certify that the     above Resolution was adopted by     the Senate on February 26, 2025.                 ________________________________          Secretary of the Senate                 ________________________________           Member, Texas Senate