By Solis                                             H.C.R. No. 307
         77R17528 MKS-D                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, Nutrition plays a significant role in determining
 1-2     the health of an individual, and scientific research has shown that
 1-3     what and how much we eat affects growth, development, aging, and
 1-4     quality of life; and
 1-5           WHEREAS, The nutritional requirements of infants, children,
 1-6     adolescents, pregnant and nursing women, adults, and the elderly
 1-7     are all different, and learning about and meeting nutritional
 1-8     requirements at different stages of development is essential to
 1-9     maintaining good health throughout life; and
1-10           WHEREAS, The adequacy of dietary intake is linked to the
1-11     degree of risk for developing a variety of common chronic diseases
1-12     that are disabling or life-threatening, and understanding the
1-13     body's nutritional requirements early in life may lead to the
1-14     prevention of chronic disease; and
1-15           WHEREAS, Continued research in nutrition is needed to further
1-16     our understanding of the nutritional needs of individuals that
1-17     differ on the basis of gender, race, genetics, the environment, and
1-18     behavior and other lifestyle factors, as well as to identify and
1-19     determine optimal diet and nutrient intake and the nutritional
1-20     constituents of foods and diets that sustain and promote health
1-21     throughout the life cycle; and
1-22           WHEREAS, The Agricultural Research Service of the United
1-23     States Department of Agriculture is committed to continuing
1-24     research in the field of nutrition and has found success in a
 2-1     program that combines science with public outreach to promote
 2-2     better nutrition education for residents of Arkansas, Louisiana,
 2-3     and Mississippi through the Delta Nutritional Intervention Research
 2-4     Initiative (NIRI); and
 2-5           WHEREAS, The Delta NIRI surveys the three-state region to
 2-6     identify and monitor cultural practices, dietary habits, and public
 2-7     health concerns relating to nutrition, such as low-birth-weight
 2-8     babies, infant mortality, high blood pressure, cardiovascular
 2-9     disease, and diabetes; and
2-10           WHEREAS, The U.S.-Mexico border region shares many of the
2-11     characteristics of the three states in the Delta NIRI, and because
2-12     the U.S.-Mexico border region is home to a diverse group of people,
2-13     this area is an excellent location for the Agricultural Research
2-14     Service to continue its research while meeting the need for
2-15     nutrition education and outreach among the region's residents; and
2-16           WHEREAS, The creation of a U.S. Hispanic Nutrition Education
2-17     and Research Center, through the Agricultural Research Service and
2-18     the United States Department of Agriculture, and in conjunction
2-19     with The University of Texas-San Antonio Health Sciences-Regional
2-20     Academic Health Center in Harlingen, Texas, would serve people of
2-21     all races, ethnic groups, backgrounds, and lifestyles and expand
2-22     the benefits of good health through proper nutrition to an area of
2-23     the state in need of this effort; and
2-24           WHEREAS, The success of the Delta NIRI program makes it an
2-25     ideal model for the creation of a U.S. Hispanic Nutrition Education
2-26     and Research Center to improve the health of the region's families
2-27     by surveying the area's needs, measuring outcomes in nutritional
 3-1     improvement, and conducting nutrition and health programs for men,
 3-2     women, and children in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region; now,
 3-3     therefore, be it
 3-4           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
 3-5     hereby respectfully request the Congress of the United States to
 3-6     create the United States Department of Agriculture U.S. Hispanic
 3-7     Nutrition Education and Research Center to improve the nutrition of
 3-8     residents of the U.S.-Mexico border region; and, be it further
 3-9           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
3-10     copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
3-11     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of
3-12     the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of
3-13     the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
3-14     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
3-15     memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.