By:  Shapleigh                                        S.C.R. No. 40
                            SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, Texas legislators participate in the National
 1-2     Conference of State Legislatures, the Southern Legislative
 1-3     Conference, and certain other interstate forums as a means of
 1-4     discussing issues and exchanging information on issues common to
 1-5     this state and counterpart U.S. state governments; and
 1-6           WHEREAS, Collaboration with Texas' other neighbors, the four
 1-7     Mexican states along the Rio Grande border, has likewise been a
 1-8     part of our governing tradition, and yet those conferrals have been
 1-9     less formalized and have occurred less frequently than has been the
1-10     case with our domestic legislative colleagues; and
1-11           WHEREAS, With the advent of NAFTA, the governments of Texas
1-12     and the Mexican border states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon,
1-13     and Tamaulipas share challenges relating to education, health,
1-14     infrastructure, trade and economic development, workforce
1-15     development, and environmental protection, and it is consequently
1-16     imperative that international relations be cemented not just at the
1-17     federal but at the state level; and
1-18           WHEREAS, The foreseeable goal of such legislative discourse
1-19     would be to establish a multilevel governmental framework through
1-20     which the five states could launch, coordinate, and complete
1-21     projects to develop the border region and improve the quality of
1-22     life for residents of both countries; and
1-23           WHEREAS, The Texas Legislature finds such a goal to be
1-24     commendable and consequently beckons its presiding officers to
 2-1     approach their Mexican border state counterparts to explore a forum
 2-2     for productive international legislative discussion; now,
 2-3     therefore, be it
 2-4           RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
 2-5     hereby request the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
 2-6     representatives to initiate efforts toward convening joint sessions
 2-7     among members of the appropriate legislative committees in this
 2-8     state and their counterparts in the legislatures of Chihuahua,
 2-9     Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas to establish communications on
2-10     issues pertinent to the region.