By Cuellar                                       H.R. No. 320

      75R8051 AMB-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, Drug smuggling is a significant problem at all ports

 1-2     of entry into the United States, hindering the rapid and efficient

 1-3     movement of trade for legitimate importers and exporters; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, In 1995, 74 percent of the total United States

 1-5     border port trade with Mexico crossed through Texas; this border

 1-6     trade comprised $70 billion of goods, making measures to counter

 1-7     narcotics smuggling crucial to the economic prosperity of Texas;

 1-8     and

 1-9           WHEREAS, Businesses on the Texas-Mexico border are

1-10     demonstrating their commitment to improve the international transit

1-11     of goods and the well-being of our nation by taking an active role

1-12     in the war on drugs through the formation of the Business

1-13     Anti-Smuggling Coalition; and

1-14           WHEREAS, The coalition is one of three pilot programs

1-15     nationwide designed for the private sector to take a proactive role

1-16     in assisting the United States Customs Service in combatting drug

1-17     smuggling; this business-driven anti-smuggling coalition allows

1-18     individual companies to set self-policing standards tailored to

1-19     their economic realities while serving the interests of trade and

1-20     national policies; and

1-21           WHEREAS, The Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition is endorsed by

1-22     the Border Trade Alliance as well as numerous border trade

1-23     organizations and will be initiated at a conference in Laredo on

1-24     April 8, 1997; the conference will bring together leaders in the

 2-1     Texas import business to support this noble effort;  and

 2-2           WHEREAS, Cooperation between the government and  the private

 2-3     sector has a tremendous potential to create a barrier that could

 2-4     eventually be impenetrable to the plague of drug smuggling

 2-5     operations; now, therefore, be it

 2-6           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

 2-7     Legislature hereby support the Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition

 2-8     and commend the participants at the upcoming conference for their

 2-9     initiative and efforts in working with the United States Customs

2-10     Service to attack the problem of drug smuggling through innovative,

2-11     practical, and mutually beneficial methods.