When it comes to haberdashery, the Lone Star State is all hat, no codifying legislation.

That could change when the Legislature convenes later this month. Rep. Marsha Farney, R-Burnet, has introduced a bill to make the cowboy hat the official State Hat of Texas.

The idea has a certain bipartisan appeal, even in our state, where the white Stetson worn by the Texas Rangers, or Willie Nelson's trademark black one, or the plain old straw topper with the sides curled up just so, would be equally acceptable at a tea party rally or a Sierra Club barbecue.

Texas already has a state vegetable, a state flying mammal, a state fiber, even a state molecule. But as far as an official hat, we may as well be Rhode Island.

Now in addition to tackling the budget, tax reform and other big-ticket issues during the upcoming session, cowboy hats have also made the agenda.

In her bill filed Monday, Farney cites the significance of the cowboy headgear in Texas' history as well as its prevalence in modern Texas culture.

"The cowboy hat symbolizes both the state's iconic western culture and the uniqueness of its residents, and it is indeed appropriate that this stylish and dignified apparel receive special legislative recognition," the resolution reads.

Farney, who owns a couple of cowboy hats herself, said she drafted the resolution after one of her constituents said he was surprised the cowboy hat was not the State Hat.

"I was also surprised to see it wasn't there," Farney said. "It's such an iconic Texas symbol. This is something that is already widely accepted ..."

Matthew Range, director of Marketing for Stetson Hats, which owns a factory in Garland - unanimously voted the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas by the state House - said he hopes Farney's resolution passes.

"I don't think it hurts to make it the official hat," Range said. "It's giving recognition to the people that settled Texas. I mean, when you go overseas and you say America or Texas, the first thing they think of is cowboys."

According to Range, there are several different styles and varieties of cowboy hat, but they all meet general qualifications.

"It used to be that you could tell where a cowboy was from based on the type of crease he had (in his hat)," Range said. "I would say a general definition would be a wide brimmed hat worn by a cowboy. Our hats are either made of straw and dipped in lacquer or they're made from felt from beaver or rabbit."

If the resolution passes, the cowboy hat will join a stupefyingly long list of other official state symbols - including the pecan tree (State Tree), the jalapeño (State Pepper), the Dutch Oven (State Cooking Implement), and Sideoats grama (State Grass).

Texas has two separate state shrubs (the crape myrtle and the Texas sage) and two separate state pastries (strudel and sopaipillas). There are three state mammals (the Longhorn, the Mexican free-tailed bat, and the armadillo) - and that's not counting the official state dog breed (Blue Lacy) and horse (American quarter horse). There's a state domino game (42), a state squash (pumpkin), and a state waterlily (Nymphaea Texas Dawn).