1-1 By: Truan S.C.R. No. 19 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 10, 1997; February 13, 1997, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Human 1-4 Services; April 14, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable 1-5 Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 10, Nays 1; 1-6 April 14, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.C.R. No. 19 By: Nixon 1-8 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-9 WHEREAS, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 1-10 Reconciliation Act of 1996, better known as the Welfare Reform Law, 1-11 denies Medicaid benefits, access to Supplemental Security Income, 1-12 and food stamps to noncitizens who are legal residents of the 1-13 United States, with certain exemptions; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Currently there are 37,300 legal immigrants residing 1-15 in Texas projected to lose Medicaid benefits due to welfare reform; 1-16 removal of these benefits will result in a direct economic loss to 1-17 the state of approximately $95 million and a negative indirect 1-18 economic impact of approximately $195 million; and 1-19 WHEREAS, There are 38,450 legal immigrants residing in Texas 1-20 projected to lose Supplemental Security Income; this change will 1-21 result in a direct economic loss of $130 million to Texas and an 1-22 indirect economic impact of $390 million; and 1-23 WHEREAS, There are a total of 141,000 legal immigrants 1-24 residing in Texas who are projected to lose their food stamp 1-25 benefits; the loss of food stamp benefits to those individuals will 1-26 result in a direct economic loss of some $122 million and an 1-27 indirect impact that could be as much as $366 million; and 1-28 WHEREAS, A conservative estimate of the total negative 1-29 indirect economic impact these losses will have on the State of 1-30 Texas is approximately $1 billion; now, therefore, be it 1-31 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-32 hereby acknowledge the direct economic loss faced by legal 1-33 immigrants due to the changes enacted by federal welfare reform; 1-34 and, be it further 1-35 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-36 hereby acknowledge the economic loss and the economic impact 1-37 suffered by the State of Texas due to the loss of Medicaid, 1-38 Supplemental Security Income, and food stamp benefits by legal 1-39 immigrants residing within the borders of this state; and, be it 1-40 further 1-41 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-42 hereby respectfully request the United States Congress to amend 1-43 federal law to encourage citizenship of legal immigrants, to 1-44 encourage schools and institutions of higher education to teach and 1-45 offer citizenship courses, to provide enhanced citizenship 1-46 training, to grant citizenship to descendants and parents of 1-47 persons who served two or more years in the United States armed 1-48 services, and to provide a waiver of citizenship requirements for 1-49 the elderly and disabled who have been in the country for 10 years 1-50 or more; and, be it further 1-51 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 1-52 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 1-53 the speaker of the house of representatives and president of the 1-54 senate of the United States Congress, and to all members of the 1-55 Texas delegation to the congress with the request that it be 1-56 entered officially into the Congressional Record as a memorial to 1-57 the Congress of the United States of America. 1-58 * * * * *