R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, Interstate Route 69 has been federally certified by
 1-2     the United States Congress as a natural route for the trade that is
 1-3     flourishing under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA);
 1-4     and
 1-5           WHEREAS, In its entirety, I-69 is an 1,800-mile multistate
 1-6     highway that will connect international border crossings in the Rio
 1-7     Grande Valley and the city of Laredo to those in the Great Lakes
 1-8     region; the Texas portion of I-69, which is more than 950 miles
 1-9     long, consists of various segments of federally designated High
1-10     Priority Corridor 18 and High Priority Corridor 20; and
1-11           WHEREAS, The Texas segment of Corridor 18 will extend I-69
1-12     along north-south oriented U.S. Highways 281 and 77 in the lower
1-13     Rio Grande Valley and connect to U.S. Highway 59 east to Houston
1-14     and north to Texarkana; the Corridor 20 segment will extend I-69
1-15     along U.S. Highway 59 from its starting point at Laredo to Houston
1-16     and thence northward; and
1-17           WHEREAS, A Texas Senate interim committee on NAFTA in 1998
1-18     estimated that the region surrounding U.S. Highways 281 and 77
1-19     generates $41.6 billion in economic activity per year and that
1-20     approximately 5.5 million people live in the 34 counties directly
1-21     on the I-69 route; and
1-22           WHEREAS, The report also states that Texas border crossings
1-23     account for 80 percent of all U.S.-Mexico truck traffic and that
1-24     the northeast ports between Michigan and Maine handle nearly 87
 2-1     percent of the truck traffic between the U.S. and Canada; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, Interstate Route 69 is truly vital to the ability of
 2-3     Texas and the United States to accommodate the burgeoning
 2-4     interstate and international trade and to ensure its movement in a
 2-5     safe and efficient manner; now, therefore, be it
 2-6           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
 2-7     Legislature hereby recognize February 21, 2001, as Interstate Route
 2-8     69 Day in Texas.
                                                                      Hawley
                                             _______________________________
                                                   Speaker of the House
               I certify that H.R. No. 313 was adopted by the House on
         February 21, 2001, by a non-record vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House