H.C.R. No. 65 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Enacted by the United States Congress in 1973, the 1-2 Endangered Species Act was designed to promote the laudable goal of 1-3 protecting threatened and endangered plant and animal species; and 1-4 WHEREAS, The act was widely viewed at the time as the most 1-5 comprehensive environmental protection law in history but has 1-6 evolved into a well-meaning but misguided federal policy; and 1-7 WHEREAS, Due for reauthorization by the Congress of the 1-8 United States, the Endangered Species Act should strike a balance 1-9 between environmental and resource protection and the social and 1-10 economic consequences resulting from the listing of threatened or 1-11 endangered species; and 1-12 WHEREAS, The current Endangered Species Act does not 1-13 adequately consider the role of states in species protection, nor 1-14 does it consider the social and economic implications of critical 1-15 habitat designation or recovery plan development and 1-16 implementation; and 1-17 WHEREAS, The Endangered Species Act has resulted in complete 1-18 and partial takings of private property and has threatened the 1-19 rights of Americans to own and control their own property; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Such intrusion by the federal government poses a 1-21 real and substantial economic and social threat to Texans and all 1-22 citizens of the United States; and 1-23 WHEREAS, It is imperative that the Congress of the United 1-24 States re-open the debate on the Endangered Species Act and apply a 2-1 more balanced, common sense approach to habitat and species 2-2 protection that does not jeopardize this nation's economic and 2-3 social well-being or endanger the constitutional rights of property 2-4 owners; now, therefore, be it 2-5 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-6 hereby strongly urge the Congress of the United States to amend the 2-7 Endangered Species Act to require a stronger role for the states, 2-8 consideration of private property rights, and consideration of the 2-9 social and economic consequences in the listing and delisting of 2-10 species, in the designation of critical habitats, and in the 2-11 development and implementation of recovery programs for threatened 2-12 or endangered species; and, be it further 2-13 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 2-14 copies of this resolution to the speaker of the house of 2-15 representatives and president of the senate of the United States 2-16 Congress and to all members of the Texas delegation to the congress 2-17 with the request that it be officially entered in the Congressional 2-18 Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of 2-19 America.