1-1     By:  Oliveira (Senate Sponsor - Lucio)                H.C.R. No. 19
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 9, 1999;
 1-3     April 12, 1999, read first time and referred to Special Committee
 1-4     on Border Affairs; May 7, 1999, reported favorably by the following
 1-5     vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 7, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                         HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-7           WHEREAS, Mexican commercial trucks carry approximately 80
 1-8     percent of all overland trade commodities that are destined for the
 1-9     United States from Mexico through 23 ports of entry in Texas, and
1-10     the trucks must satisfy a wide range of Texas' regulatory and
1-11     licensing requirements at these border crossings before continuing
1-12     to travel in Texas; and
1-13           WHEREAS, Because the laws of Texas and Mexico generally set
1-14     different standards relating to the regulatory and licensing
1-15     requirements for motor carrier operations, as evidenced by Mexico's
1-16     higher maximum load limits for its trucks, the North American Free
1-17     Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established the Land Transportation
1-18     Standards Subcommittee to develop certain international trading
1-19     standards that would facilitate the flow of overland trade; and
1-20           WHEREAS, The amount of regulatory and licensing inspections
1-21     by Texas state agencies is expected to increase as NAFTA expands;
1-22     such enforcement activities can include size and weight inspections
1-23     by the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas, issuance
1-24     and review of vehicle registration and insurance by the Texas
1-25     Department of Transportation and the Texas Department of Insurance,
1-26     issuance of fuel permits and assessment of state taxes by the Texas
1-27     comptroller of public accounts, and inspection of hazardous waste
1-28     shipments by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission;
1-29     and
1-30           WHEREAS, In response to the significant increase in trade
1-31     activity along Texas highways since the implementation of NAFTA,
1-32     the Texas Legislature has increased the funding for the Department
1-33     of Public Safety's motor carrier safety enforcement activities and
1-34     for new weigh stations along major Texas truck routes; and
1-35           WHEREAS, The new federal transportation spending bill, the
1-36     Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), has
1-37     authorized $140 million annually until the year 2003 to fund two
1-38     programs to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or
1-39     across the border between the United States and Mexico; and
1-40           WHEREAS, Texas is the major conduit for trade with Mexico and
1-41     increased commercial truck traffic is expected; Texas easily meets
1-42     the eligibility requirements of TEA-21's National Corridor Planning
1-43     and Development Program and the Coordinated Border Infrastructure
1-44     Program; now, therefore, be it
1-45           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
1-46     hereby urge the United States Department of Transportation to fund
1-47     "one-stop" truck inspection facilities at Texas-Mexico border sites
1-48     under the National Corridor Planning and Development Program and
1-49     the Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program to more efficiently
1-50     process commercial vehicles entering from Mexico; and, be it
1-51     further
1-52           RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
1-53     copy of this resolution to the secretary of the United States
1-54     Department of Transportation.
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