By:  Shapleigh, Zaffirini                              S.C.R. No. 5
 1-1                        SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-2           WHEREAS, Federal statutes require, as a condition for
 1-3     spending federal highway or transit funds in urban areas, the
 1-4     designation of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in each
 1-5     urban area with a population of more than 50,000; MPOs have primary
 1-6     responsibility for planning, programming, and coordination of
 1-7     federal highway and transit investments in their areas; and
 1-8           WHEREAS, Among Texas' MPOs are several that serve urban areas
 1-9     along the United States-Mexico border, including Brownsville, El
1-10     Paso, Harlingen-San Benito, Laredo, and Hidalgo County; and
1-11           WHEREAS, The need for continuous, comprehensive, and
1-12     cooperative planning on a regional scale, such as that carried out
1-13     by MPOs, has been recognized by advocates for an orderly
1-14     transportation planning process in this country since the early
1-15     part of the twentieth century; and
1-16           WHEREAS, MPOs along the border face special challenges
1-17     because, in their case, relationships with local governments on the
1-18     Mexican side of the border are at least as important as
1-19     relationships with other Texas political subdivisions, given the
1-20     international nature of their metropolitan areas; their regional
1-21     economies cross not only local government boundaries but also an
1-22     international border; and
1-23           WHEREAS, Processing the high volume of commercial and
1-24     passenger traffic while at the same time interdicting contraband
 2-1     and illegal immigrants has contributed to congestion and air
 2-2     pollution along the border and has placed pressure on the
 2-3     infrastructure of local communities along both sides of the border;
 2-4     traffic congestion has become the most obvious and persistent
 2-5     infrastructure challenge along the border; and
 2-6           WHEREAS, To be effective, efforts by Texas and federal
 2-7     officials to relieve congestion at the border will require close
 2-8     cooperation with Mexican officials; construction schedules and
 2-9     standards for bridges and highways, as well as procedures for the
2-10     operation of border crossing facilities, need to be planned and
2-11     coordinated in advance to ensure the efficient and safe movement of
2-12     merchandise and people; however, coordinated regional
2-13     decision-making about regional problems remains the exception
2-14     rather than the rule; and
2-15           WHEREAS, While some border MPOs currently include Mexican
2-16     border cities in their list of stakeholders to whom notice of
2-17     actions relating to transportation projects is routinely provided,
2-18     under federal law, membership in the MPO is limited to local
2-19     elected officials, officials of local public transportation
2-20     agencies, and certain state officials; there are no provisions in
2-21     the federal statute for including foreign representatives in an
2-22     MPO; and
2-23           WHEREAS, Inclusion of Mexican representatives on the
2-24     technical advisory committees of MPOs in border areas would enhance
2-25     the transportation planning process and further progress toward the
2-26     goals set out in federal law; and
 3-1           WHEREAS, Congress, while consistently upholding the need for
 3-2     MPOs, periodically has refined their functions and authority to
 3-3     address specific needs or changing circumstances; the unique
 3-4     challenges facing border MPOs have created a situation that
 3-5     certainly warrants revision of those provisions that limit border
 3-6     MPOs' ability to deal with transnational transportation issues;
 3-7     now, therefore, be it
 3-8           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
 3-9     hereby respectfully request the Congress of the United States to
3-10     amend federal law pertaining to membership on policy committees of
3-11     metropolitan planning organizations and allow inclusion of persons
3-12     representing another nation in order to enable MPOs along the
3-13     border to work closely with their counterparts in Mexico; and, be
3-14     it further
3-15           RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
3-16     copy of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
3-17     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of
3-18     the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of
3-19     the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
3-20     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
3-21     memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.