By: Lucio, et al. S.C.R. No. 21 1-1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-2 WHEREAS, Border health conditions not only pose an immediate 1-3 risk to those who live along either side of the United 1-4 States-Mexico border, but also are a health concern for all of the 1-5 United States, and unaddressed health concerns in this region will 1-6 only continue to worsen as the border population and its mobility 1-7 increase, thereby escalating the risks to other areas of exposure 1-8 and transmission of disease; and 1-9 WHEREAS, While the State of Texas has attempted to address 1-10 many of the health issues facing the border population in Texas, 1-11 binational cooperation at the federal level is essential to 1-12 addressing these health concerns; and 1-13 WHEREAS, In 1999, the Texas Legislature called for an 1-14 in-depth study of the public health infrastructure and barriers to 1-15 a cooperative effort between Texas and Mexico; results of the study 1-16 indicate that differences in technology and limitations on the 1-17 exchange of technology, disparities in methods of collecting data 1-18 and confidentiality provisions that restrict information sharing, 1-19 and cultural differences that affect interaction between local and 1-20 state health departments all combine to inhibit collaboration on 1-21 health issues of mutual concern; and 1-22 WHEREAS, An example of the consequences of such barriers to 1-23 cooperation occurred in 1999, when an outbreak of dengue fever in 1-24 South Texas was traced back to Mexican cities and was thought to 2-1 have been brought from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to Laredo, Texas; and 2-2 WHEREAS, Despite the implications for an outbreak across the 2-3 border, Mexican health officials were limited in their ability to 2-4 confirm cases of the mosquito-borne illness, and provisions in the 2-5 Mexican Constitution restricted them from sharing the results of 2-6 tests performed on Mexican citizens with Texas' health officials; 2-7 and 2-8 WHEREAS, Similar instances have occurred where incidences of 2-9 tuberculosis, salmonella, and malaria around the United States were 2-10 found to have started in the Texas-Mexico border region; and 2-11 WHEREAS, It is in the interest of the United States to 2-12 control the spread of diseases, beginning in the places where they 2-13 originate, and poverty and poor health conditions along the United 2-14 States-Mexico border region provide a large incubation ground for 2-15 diseases; however, the efforts of one state or country alone will 2-16 not address conditions that are present on both sides of the 2-17 border, or legal issues that create incompatibilities between 2-18 approaches, making a cooperative binational effort vitally 2-19 important; and 2-20 WHEREAS, The United States and Mexico have worked in concert 2-21 in forming NAFTA and related side agreements that address 2-22 environmental infrastructure issues, creating the Border 2-23 Environment Cooperation Commission and establishing the North 2-24 American Development Bank; the success of these joint ventures 2-25 suggests that forming similar international agreements to improve 2-26 the public health infrastructure and finding ways to address the 3-1 exchange of technology and information will improve the quality of 3-2 life for residents of the border region as well as reduce the 3-3 public health risks in the spread of disease; and 3-4 WHEREAS, Establishing an agreement between the United States 3-5 and Mexico will show a commitment to the issue of public health and 3-6 acknowledge that the spread of disease is an international problem 3-7 without boundaries; now, therefore, be it 3-8 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 3-9 hereby urge the Congress of the United States to initiate the 3-10 development of an agreement or treaty with Mexico to address health 3-11 issues of mutual concern; and, be it further 3-12 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 3-13 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 3-14 the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of 3-15 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of 3-16 the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this 3-17 resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a 3-18 memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.