SRC-JXG S.C.R. 2 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.C.R. 2 76R1918 CCK-DBy: Truan Border Affairs - Special 2/24/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, bottlenecks at customs inspections lanes and smuggling of drugs inside truck parts and cargo containers contribute to traffic congestion at Texas-Mexico border crossing areas, slowing the flow of commerce and detracting from the economic potential of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Texas comptroller of public accounts released a report titled Bordering the Future, which recommends that U.S. customs inspection facilities at major international border crossings stay open around the clock. The U.S. General Accounting Office is conducting a similar study of border commerce and NAFTA issues, and the U.S. Customs Service is working with a private trade entity to review and analyze the relationship between its inspector numbers and its inspection workload. NAFTA commerce requires two federal customs-related funding commitments: improving infrastructure and concurrent expansion in customs personnel and customs operating hours. A new federal highway bill, Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), creates the Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program that provides $700 million in funding over a five-year period for border infrastructure improvements and regulatory enhancements. Domestic profits and income increase in tandem with exports and imports, generating federal revenue, which can be channeled into supporting increased international trade. This legislation would provide that Texas request additional funds from Congress for more customs inspection lanes, customs officials, and 24-hour customs operations at border crossings between Texas and Mexico. PURPOSE As proposed, S.C.R. 2 submits the following resolutions: That the Congress of the United States provide funding for infrastructure improvements, more custom inspection lanes and custom officials, and 24-hour customs operations at border crossings between Texas and Mexico. That the Texas secretary of state forward official copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.