By Noriega                                             H.C.R. No. 9
         77R2081 RVH-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, The governments of Texas and Mexico are facing a
 1-2     serious challenge in reducing the costly delays of commercial
 1-3     vehicle congestion occurring at international border crossings as a
 1-4     result of record-breaking trade activity under the North American
 1-5     Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); and
 1-6           WHEREAS, Because of the mutual benefits derived from this
 1-7     international trade, there is a need for a cooperative approach to
 1-8     alleviating such delays on both sides of the border and thus
 1-9     expediting commercial traffic, and the development of technology
1-10     represents one of the most feasible and promising avenues for a
1-11     joint venture in this regard; and
1-12           WHEREAS, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
1-13     technologies are now being used at border crossings on the north
1-14     side of the Rio Grande to automate the regulatory processes that
1-15     govern trade under NAFTA, such as vehicle, driver, and cargo
1-16     certification requirements; and
1-17           WHEREAS, The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is
1-18     guiding the implementation of ITS technology to screen this data
1-19     electronically as trucks approach border checkpoints, thus
1-20     eliminating the need to halt the flow of trans-border commerce and
1-21     reducing the miles  of idling, gas-guzzling, freight-bearing trucks
1-22     waiting to be inspected by border officials; and
1-23           WHEREAS, ITS technologies have been successfully demonstrated
1-24     under the Texas Regional International Border Crossing (TRIBEX)
 2-1     operational test; the TRIBEX system was implemented in 1998 at the
 2-2     Ysleta-Zaragosa Bridge between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico,
 2-3     and at the Columbia-Solidarity and Lincoln-Juarez bridges between
 2-4     Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; and
 2-5           WHEREAS, The TRIBEX system uses weigh-in motion technology,
 2-6     other electronic sensors, and communications equipment to support
 2-7     an initiative called the North American Trade Automation Prototype
 2-8     (NATAP); the system electronically collects vehicle and cargo data
 2-9     and transmits the data to officers of the Texas Department of
2-10     Public Safety and U.S. Customs officials, who then inform truck
2-11     drivers whether to continue or stop for an inspection; and
2-12           WHEREAS, NAFTA provisions require participating countries to
2-13     cooperate in efforts to standardize data elements, set an
2-14     international data syntax, facilitate the exchange of information,
2-15     and generally harmonize customs processes; and
2-16           WHEREAS, The concept of a "seamless" border crossing to
2-17     expedite the processing of commercial vehicles and people can only
2-18     be realized through the binational planning of infrastructure
2-19     projects that complement the coordinated use of ITS technologies;
2-20     and
2-21           WHEREAS, The creation of a complementary ITS environment on
2-22     both sides of the border is an imperative that also addresses the
2-23     issue of road safety for Texas and the nation because Mexican
2-24     trucks, which will soon have access to travel beyond the border
2-25     region, are far too heavy for our roads to support; and
2-26           WHEREAS, Based on its leadership role in formulating
2-27     strategies to develop and implement ITS projects, TxDOT has
 3-1     acquired the qualifications to work with the Mexican government and
 3-2     the Mexican business sector to establish complementary technologies
 3-3     for their respective border clearance stations; now, therefore, be
 3-4     it
 3-5           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
 3-6     hereby request the Texas Department of Transportation to
 3-7     collaborate with Mexico to develop and implement an electronic
 3-8     check and clearance system at border crossings in Mexico using
 3-9     state-of-the-art Intelligent Transportation System technologies,
3-10     including weigh-in motion technology; and, be it further
3-11           RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
3-12     copy of this resolution to the executive director of the Texas
3-13     Department of Transportation and to the chair of the Texas
3-14     Transportation Commission.