By:  Truan, Lucio, Zaffirini                           S.C.R. No. 2
              Shapleigh
                            SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, Bottlenecks at customs inspection lanes have
 1-2     contributed to traffic congestion at Texas-Mexico border crossing
 1-3     areas, slowing the flow of commerce and detracting from the
 1-4     economic potential of the North American Free Trade Agreement
 1-5     (NAFTA); and
 1-6           WHEREAS, Smuggling of drugs inside truck parts and cargo
 1-7     containers compounds the problem, necessitating lengthy vehicle
 1-8     searches that put federal customs officials in a crossfire between
 1-9     their mandate to speed the movement of goods and their mandate to
1-10     reduce the flow of illegal substances; and
1-11           WHEREAS, At the state level, the Texas comptroller of public
1-12     accounts has released a report titled Bordering the Future,
1-13     recommending among other items that U.S. customs inspection
1-14     facilities at major international border crossings stay open around
1-15     the clock; and
1-16           WHEREAS, At the federal level, the U.S. General Accounting
1-17     Office is conducting a similar study of border commerce and NAFTA
1-18     issues, and the U.S. Customs Service is working with a private
1-19     trade entity to review and analyze the relationship between its
1-20     inspector numbers and its inspection workload; and
1-21           WHEREAS, Efficiency in the flow of NAFTA commerce requires
1-22     two federal customs-related funding commitments:  (1) improved
1-23     infrastructure, including additional customs inspection lanes; and
1-24     (2) a concurrent expansion in customs personnel and customs
 2-1     operating hours; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, Section 1119 of the federal Transportation Act for
 2-3     the 21st Century (TEA-21), creating the Coordinated Border
 2-4     Infrastructure Program, serves as a funding source for border area
 2-5     infrastructure improvements and regulatory enhancements; and
 2-6           WHEREAS, Domestic profits and income increase in tandem with
 2-7     exports and imports, generating federal revenue, some portion of
 2-8     which deserves channeling into the customs activity that supports
 2-9     increased international trade; and
2-10           WHEREAS, Texas legislators and businesses, being close to the
2-11     situation geographically, are acutely aware of the fixes and
2-12     upgrades that require attention if NAFTA prosperity is truly to
2-13     live up to the expectations of this state and nation; now,
2-14     therefore, be it
2-15           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-16     hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to
2-17     provide funding for infrastructure improvements, more customs
2-18     inspection lanes and customs officials, and 24-hour customs
2-19     operations at border crossings between Texas and Mexico; and, be it
2-20     further
2-21           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
2-22     copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
2-23     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of
2-24     the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of
2-25     the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
2-26     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
 3-1     memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.