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