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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of the federal government |
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to fully maintain the security of the Texas-Mexico international |
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border; and |
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WHEREAS, The federal government has neglected its duty to |
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fully maintain the security of the Texas-Mexico international |
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border; and |
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WHEREAS, An unprotected border facilitates drug smuggling |
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and human trafficking and opens the door to spillover violence from |
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criminal cartels; moreover, the ease with which members of |
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terrorist organizations can enter the country poses a grave threat |
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to homeland security; and |
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WHEREAS, The federal government's failure to prevent illegal |
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entry has shifted much of the responsibility to the State of Texas; |
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consequently, budget writers must weigh the costs of border |
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security against the expense of other state services; during the |
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2012-2013 budget cycle, Texas spent $221,600,000 on border security |
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operations, and in the 2014-2015 budget, the state appropriated |
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$343,300,000 for such expenditures; and |
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WHEREAS, Furthermore, Governor Rick Perry transferred |
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$38,700,000 from a state law enforcement fund in 2014 to pay for |
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deploying additional Department of Public Safety officers and |
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National Guard troops along the Texas-Mexico border; and |
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WHEREAS, The executive branch and the United States Congress |
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have consistently delayed meaningful action on border security, |
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forcing Texas to expend significant resources to keep the |
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international border with Mexico secure and placing an undue burden |
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on the state's taxpayers; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby express its dissatisfaction with the federal government's |
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inadequate efforts to secure the Texas-Mexico international |
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border; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Texas Legislature respectfully urge |
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the Congress of the United States to reimburse the State of Texas in |
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the amount of $603,600,000 for bearing the financial burden of the |
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federal government's responsibility to secure the Texas-Mexico |
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international border from 2012 through 2015; 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 president of the Senate and to the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |