1-1 By: Truan, Shapleigh S.C.R. No. 2 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed December 2, 1998; January 27, 1999, 1-3 read first time and referred to Special Committee on Border 1-4 Affairs; March 8, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 6, Nays 0; March 8, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Bottlenecks at customs inspection lanes have 1-8 contributed to traffic congestion at Texas-Mexico border crossing 1-9 areas, slowing the flow of commerce and detracting from the 1-10 economic potential of the North American Free Trade Agreement 1-11 (NAFTA); and 1-12 WHEREAS, Smuggling of drugs inside truck parts and cargo 1-13 containers compounds the problem, necessitating lengthy vehicle 1-14 searches that put federal customs officials in a crossfire between 1-15 their mandate to speed the movement of goods and their mandate to 1-16 reduce the flow of illegal substances; and 1-17 WHEREAS, At the state level, the Texas comptroller of public 1-18 accounts has released a report titled Bordering the Future, 1-19 recommending among other items that U.S. customs inspection 1-20 facilities at major international border crossings stay open around 1-21 the clock; and 1-22 WHEREAS, At the federal level, the U.S. General Accounting 1-23 Office is conducting a similar study of border commerce and NAFTA 1-24 issues, and the U.S. Customs Service is working with a private 1-25 trade entity to review and analyze the relationship between its 1-26 inspector numbers and its inspection workload; and 1-27 WHEREAS, Efficiency in the flow of NAFTA commerce requires 1-28 two federal customs-related funding commitments: (1) improved 1-29 infrastructure, including additional customs inspection lanes; and 1-30 (2) a concurrent expansion in customs personnel and customs 1-31 operating hours; and 1-32 WHEREAS, Section 1119 of the federal Transportation Act for 1-33 the 21st Century (TEA-21), creating the Coordinated Border 1-34 Infrastructure Program, serves as a funding source for border area 1-35 infrastructure improvements and regulatory enhancements; and 1-36 WHEREAS, Domestic profits and income increase in tandem with 1-37 exports and imports, generating federal revenue, some portion of 1-38 which deserves channeling into the customs activity that supports 1-39 increased international trade; and 1-40 WHEREAS, Texas legislators and businesses, being close to the 1-41 situation geographically, are acutely aware of the fixes and 1-42 upgrades that require attention if NAFTA prosperity is truly to 1-43 live up to the expectations of this state and nation; now, 1-44 therefore, be it 1-45 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-46 hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 1-47 provide funding for infrastructure improvements, more customs 1-48 inspection lanes and customs officials, and 24-hour customs 1-49 operations at border crossings between Texas and Mexico; and, be it 1-50 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 the president of 1-54 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of 1-55 the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this 1-56 resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a 1-57 memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. 1-58 * * * * *