73R10910 SMC-D
          By Turner of Coleman, et al.                         H.C.R. No. 145
                              HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, Rapidly rising health care costs, which now consume
    1-2  14 percent of the gross national product, threaten to destroy our
    1-3  nation's employment base and economic security; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, American workers have shown a genuine willingness to
    1-5  cooperate with business owners in efforts to confront the problems
    1-6  that are at the root of rising medical costs and health care
    1-7  spending; and
    1-8        WHEREAS, In recognition of the cooperative spirit that
    1-9  characterizes America's approach to the problem of health care,
   1-10  members of the 102nd Congress have sponsored legislation that would
   1-11  create medical savings accounts; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, Built up by contributions from employees and
   1-13  employers, these medical savings accounts would allow complete
   1-14  freedom in choices of routine health care while offering protection
   1-15  against the costs of catastrophic illnesses; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, By giving American workers true control over their
   1-17  medical finances, administrative costs would be substantially
   1-18  reduced, and normal market incentives would apply to decisions in
   1-19  health care spending; now, therefore, be it
   1-20        RESOLVED, That the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas
   1-21  hereby request the Congress of the United States to enact the
   1-22  appropriate changes in the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers
   1-23  to set up tax-free medical savings accounts that would enable
   1-24  consumers to control medical care spending; and, be it further
    2-1        RESOLVED, That medical savings accounts be included as a part
    2-2  of the national health care initiative being developed by the
    2-3  congress; and, be it further
    2-4        RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
    2-5  copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
    2-6  the speaker of the house of representatives of the United States
    2-7  Congress, to the president of the senate of the United States
    2-8  Congress, and to all members of the Texas delegation to the
    2-9  congress, with the request that this resolution be officially
   2-10  entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress
   2-11  of the United States.