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.