1-1 By: Shapleigh S.C.R. No. 9 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed January 12, 2001; January 16, 2001, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Business and Commerce; 1-4 March 15, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7, 1-5 Nays 0; March 15, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, The daily flow of international trade through Texas 1-8 via the 26 international bridges and border crossings along the Rio 1-9 Grande under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) 1-10 involves a complex mix of interests and interactions among various 1-11 government agencies, private-sector businesses, and taxpaying 1-12 citizens on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border; and 1-13 WHEREAS, Each entity participating in or affected by this 1-14 burgeoning commercial traffic has its own set of short-term and 1-15 long-term goals, however similar or disparate, either in common or 1-16 in conflict with others, making it unnecessarily difficult to 1-17 coordinate these interests into a comprehensive plan that addresses 1-18 current and future needs for improvements of the infrastructure 1-19 along this 1,200 mile border; and 1-20 WHEREAS, The creation of regional authorities to identify and 1-21 administer those projects that will enhance trade activities at the 1-22 border is thus warranted; local governments should be given the 1-23 option to create border port authorities; and 1-24 WHEREAS, The Senate Interim Committee on the North American 1-25 Free Trade Agreement recommended to the 76th Texas Legislature that 1-26 it consider authorizing the creation of port authorities by 19 1-27 border area counties to identify and meet the critical 1-28 transportation infrastructure needs of the border region; and 1-29 WHEREAS, A border port authority would be empowered to build 1-30 and maintain transportation-related facilities and industrial 1-31 projects, such as warehouses, inspection stations, parking 1-32 facilities, service stations, bridges, toll roads, and toll 1-33 bridges; and 1-34 WHEREAS, A border port authority would be authorized to pay 1-35 for such projects by issuing bonds or borrowing money in addition 1-36 to collecting certain user fees; the revenue-raising powers of the 1-37 authority would be required because highway and other revenues 1-38 currently available from all levels of government are simply not 1-39 enough to expand and upgrade the border's infrastructure; and 1-40 WHEREAS, Most importantly, a border port authority with 1-41 revenue-raising powers would be able to accelerate the completion 1-42 of projects that remedy critical shortcomings of the current 1-43 infrastructure so that it can begin to support, and perhaps keep 1-44 pace with, the demands that NAFTA has placed on it and ease the 1-45 impact of NAFTA traffic on Texans living in border communities; and 1-46 WHEREAS, The border region, as it has been throughout its 1-47 history, continues to be underfunded by all levels of government in 1-48 all program areas, including education, health services, the 1-49 environment, and transportation; and 1-50 WHEREAS, Preparations for the onslaught of NAFTA have been 1-51 ill-considered since its inception in 1994; border communities have 1-52 been forced to contend with the daily fallout of free-trade 1-53 commerce and the vehicular congestion and air and noise pollution 1-54 that accompany it; the time is right to redress the negative impact 1-55 that NAFTA has had on the quality of life along the border; now, 1-56 therefore, be it 1-57 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-58 hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to take 1-59 the appropriate steps to further the creation of port authorities 1-60 along the Texas-Mexico border; and, be it further 1-61 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 1-62 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 1-63 the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of 1-64 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of 2-1 the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this 2-2 resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a 2-3 memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. 2-4 * * * * *