By:  Truan, Ellis, Shapleigh                          S.C.R. No. 19

                            SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity

 1-2     Reconciliation Act of 1996, better known as the Welfare Reform Law,

 1-3     denies Medicaid benefits, access to Supplemental Security Income,

 1-4     and food stamps to noncitizens who are legal residents of the

 1-5     United States, with certain exemptions; and

 1-6           WHEREAS, Currently there are 37,300 legal immigrants residing

 1-7     in Texas projected to lose Medicaid benefits due to welfare reform;

 1-8     removal of these benefits will result in a direct economic loss to

 1-9     the state of approximately $95 million and a negative indirect

1-10     economic impact of approximately $195 million; and

1-11           WHEREAS, There are 38,450 legal immigrants residing in Texas

1-12     projected to lose Supplemental Security Income; this change will

1-13     result in a direct economic loss of $130 million to Texas and an

1-14     indirect economic impact of $390 million; and

1-15           WHEREAS, There are a total of 141,000 legal immigrants

1-16     residing in Texas who are projected to lose their food stamp

1-17     benefits; the loss of food stamp benefits to those individuals will

1-18     result in a direct economic loss of some $122 million and an

1-19     indirect impact that could be as much as $366 million; and

1-20           WHEREAS, A conservative estimate of the total negative

1-21     indirect economic impact these losses will have on the State of

1-22     Texas is approximately $1 billion; now, therefore, be it

1-23           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

 2-1     hereby acknowledge the direct economic loss faced by legal

 2-2     immigrants due to the changes enacted by federal welfare reform;

 2-3     and, be it further

 2-4           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

 2-5     hereby acknowledge the economic loss and the economic impact

 2-6     suffered by the State of Texas due to the loss of Medicaid,

 2-7     Supplemental Security Income, and food stamp benefits by legal

 2-8     immigrants residing within the borders of this state; and, be it

 2-9     further

2-10           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

2-11     hereby respectfully request the United States Congress to amend

2-12     federal law to encourage citizenship of legal immigrants, to

2-13     encourage schools and institutions of higher education to teach and

2-14     offer citizenship courses, to provide enhanced citizenship

2-15     training, to grant citizenship to descendants and parents of

2-16     persons who served two or more years in the United States armed

2-17     services, and to provide a waiver of citizenship requirements for

2-18     the elderly and disabled who have been in the country for 10 years

2-19     or more; and, be it further

2-20           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official

2-21     copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to

2-22     the speaker of the house of representatives and president of the

2-23     senate of the United States Congress, and to all members of the

2-24     Texas delegation to the congress with the request that it be

2-25     entered officially into the Congressional Record as a memorial to

 3-1     the Congress of the United States of America.