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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The efficient movement and careful surveillance of |
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commercial and noncommercial traffic through the United States' |
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ports of entry are vital to this country's economic prosperity and |
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security, yet serious bottlenecks are choking customs inspection |
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lanes on the Texas-Mexico border; and |
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WHEREAS, With its entry into the General Agreement on Tariffs |
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and Trade in 1986 and the implementation of the North American Free |
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Trade Agreement on January 1, 1994, Mexico has become one of the |
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United States' primary trading partners; the strength of that |
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partnership is evident in the combined value of U.S.-Mexico |
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export-import trade, which rose from $81.5 billion in 1993, the |
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year before NAFTA went into effect, to $183.7 billion in just the |
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first six months of 2008; and |
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WHEREAS, The overwhelming majority of U.S. trade with |
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Mexico--80 percent in 2002--passes through Texas ports of entry, |
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and over the past decade and a half these ports have seen a dramatic |
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increase in commercial traffic; the number of commercial vehicles |
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entering Texas from Mexico rose from 2.7 million in 1994 to more |
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than 4.3 million in 2001, and some estimates predict that |
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cross-border truck traffic in the Texas-Mexico border region may |
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increase by 85 percent between 2000 and 2030; and |
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WHEREAS, Neither the present border-crossing facilities nor |
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the current systems for inspecting and monitoring cross-border |
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traffic were designed to handle the volume of people, vehicles, and |
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goods now passing through checkpoints in Texas; compounding the |
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challenge posed by an inadequate infrastructure are the |
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increasingly detailed inspections, which are designed to reduce the |
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flow of illegal substances and to guard against terrorism; as a |
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result of these pressures, the length of the wait time at Texas |
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ports of entry is soaring; and |
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WHEREAS, Delays at the border are detrimental to economic |
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activity in the U.S., adding to a company's cost of shipping and |
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impeding production at maquiladoras, which account for the largest |
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segment of U.S.-Mexico trade and which depend on just-in-time |
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delivery service to achieve savings and greater efficiency; and |
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WHEREAS, Congestion caused by these delays also poses a |
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threat to public safety--the sheer scale of commercial traffic |
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means that only five percent of trucks entering Texas can be |
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physically inspected; in addition, pollution from idling vehicles |
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has harmed air quality to a marked degree and endangers the health |
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of border residents; and |
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WHEREAS, Robust foreign trade fosters domestic prosperity |
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and generates federal revenue, and a portion of that revenue should |
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be invested in support of customs operations, the smooth |
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functioning of which promotes the continued expansion of exports |
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and imports; expediting the flow of commercial traffic while |
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ensuring appropriately rigorous inspections will require a federal |
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commitment to fund improved infrastructure, including the |
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construction of additional customs inspection lanes and the |
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adoption of technology that will speed the movement of low-risk |
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traffic, as well as an increase in customs personnel and customs |
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operating hours; and |
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WHEREAS, In promoting the secure, swift movement of vehicle |
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and pedestrian traffic at U.S. land ports of entry, the border |
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states also have a major role to play; Section 1303 of the Safe, |
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Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A |
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Legacy for Users directs the U.S. secretary of transportation to |
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implement a coordinated border infrastructure program and serves as |
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a funding source for border area infrastructure improvements and |
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regulatory enhancements; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas legislators and business people are acutely |
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aware of the improvements that need to be made at ports of entry on |
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the Rio Grande, if the economic promise of NAFTA is to be fully |
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realized by this state and nation; these ports serve as a critical |
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gateway to foreign trade, and it is essential that they promote, |
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rather than hinder, the flow of that vital resource; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to |
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provide emergency funding and resources to begin immediately |
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addressing increasing delays at U.S. ports of entry on the |
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Texas-Mexico border; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the congress provide funding for 24-hour |
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customs operations and for infrastructure improvements, including |
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more customs inspection lanes and more customs inspectors, at |
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border crossings between Texas and Mexico; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the |
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Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this |
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resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |