By: Sibley, et al. S.C.R. No. 16 2001S0242/1 1-1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-2 WHEREAS, The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has 1-3 become a positive economic force for the United States, Mexico, and 1-4 Canada; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Trade between the United States and Mexico has 1-6 increased from $87.4 billion in 1994, the year NAFTA took effect, 1-7 to an estimated $214 billion in the year 2000, making Mexico the 1-8 second largest trading partner with the United States and the 1-9 largest for the State of Texas; and 1-10 WHEREAS, The Texas portion of the United States-Mexico land 1-11 border comprises 1,254 of the 2,000 miles of the length of the 1-12 border and handles more than 80 percent of the United States-Mexico 1-13 truck traffic, with 40 percent of this traffic continuing to other 1-14 parts of the United States and to Canada; and 1-15 WHEREAS, The daily flow of international trade through Texas, 1-16 while a boon to the United States and Texas economies, has also 1-17 resulted in a strain on border infrastructures by creating heavy 1-18 traffic congestion and causing border-crossing delays, has 1-19 increased air and noise pollution, and has had a general negative 1-20 impact on the quality of life of residents along the border; and 1-21 WHEREAS, Dozens of federal, state, local, and foreign 1-22 governmental entities are responsible for enforcing hundreds of 1-23 laws at our border crossings in order to protect the health and 1-24 safety of all citizens, yet often their duties are undermined by a 2-1 lack of coordination; and 2-2 WHEREAS, The resulting traffic congestion and border-crossing 2-3 delays are stifling trade, needlessly increasing the cost of goods, 2-4 and impeding the free trade NAFTA sought to create; now, therefore, 2-5 be it 2-6 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-7 hereby respectfully request the United States Secretary of Commerce 2-8 to appoint a federal official whose sole responsibility is to 2-9 coordinate the activities between the various government agencies, 2-10 business communities, and private citizens along the United 2-11 States-Mexico and the United States-Canada borders; and, be it 2-12 further 2-13 RESOLVED, That this federal official shall examine current 2-14 practices and look at new initatives to ease the flow of trade, to 2-15 improve the infrastructures necessary to move commerce, and to 2-16 redress the negative impacts on the health and safety of our 2-17 citizens; and, be it further 2-18 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 2-19 copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, to 2-20 the United States Secretary of Commerce, and to all the members of 2-21 the Texas delegation to the United States Congress.