By Lucio, et al. S.C.R. No. 21 77R5193 MKS-D CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Border health conditions not only pose an immediate 1-2 risk to those who live along either side of the United 1-3 States-Mexico border, but also are a health concern for all of the 1-4 United States, and unaddressed health concerns in this region will 1-5 only continue to worsen as the border population and its mobility 1-6 increase, thereby escalating the risks to other areas of exposure 1-7 and transmission of disease; and 1-8 WHEREAS, While the State of Texas has attempted to address 1-9 many of the health issues facing the border population in Texas, 1-10 binational cooperation at the federal level is essential to 1-11 addressing these health concerns; and 1-12 WHEREAS, In 1999, the Texas Legislature called for an 1-13 in-depth study of the public health infrastructure and barriers to 1-14 a cooperative effort between Texas and Mexico; results of the study 1-15 indicate that differences in technology and limitations on the 1-16 exchange of technology, disparities in methods of collecting data 1-17 and confidentiality provisions that restrict information sharing, 1-18 and cultural differences that affect interaction between local and 1-19 state health departments all combine to inhibit collaboration on 1-20 health issues of mutual concern; and 1-21 WHEREAS, An example of the consequences of such barriers to 1-22 cooperation occurred in 1999, when an outbreak of dengue fever in 1-23 South Texas was traced back to Mexican cities and was thought to 1-24 have been brought from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to Laredo, Texas; and 2-1 WHEREAS, Despite the implications for an outbreak across the 2-2 border, Mexican health officials were limited in their ability to 2-3 confirm cases of the mosquito-borne illness, and provisions in the 2-4 Mexican Constitution restricted them from sharing the results of 2-5 tests performed on Mexican citizens with Texas' health officials; 2-6 and 2-7 WHEREAS, Similar instances have occurred where incidences of 2-8 tuberculosis, salmonella, and malaria around the United States were 2-9 found to have started in the Texas-Mexico border region; and 2-10 WHEREAS, It is in the interest of the United States to 2-11 control the spread of diseases, beginning in the places where they 2-12 originate, and poverty and poor health conditions along the United 2-13 States-Mexico border region provide a large incubation ground for 2-14 diseases; however, the efforts of one state or country alone will 2-15 not address conditions that are present on both sides of the 2-16 border, or legal issues that create incompatibilities between 2-17 approaches, making a cooperative binational effort vitally 2-18 important; and 2-19 WHEREAS, The United States and Mexico have worked in concert 2-20 in forming NAFTA and related side agreements that address 2-21 environmental infrastructure issues, creating the Border 2-22 Environment Cooperation Commission and establishing the North 2-23 American Development Bank; the success of these joint ventures 2-24 suggests that forming similar international agreements to improve 2-25 the public health infrastructure and finding ways to address the 2-26 exchange of technology and information will improve the quality of 2-27 life for residents of the border region as well as reduce the 3-1 public health risks in the spread of disease; and 3-2 WHEREAS, Establishing an agreement between the United States 3-3 and Mexico will show a commitment to the issue of public health and 3-4 acknowledge that the spread of disease is an international problem 3-5 without boundaries; now, therefore, be it 3-6 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 3-7 hereby urge the Congress of the United States to initiate the 3-8 development of an agreement or treaty with Mexico to address health 3-9 issues of mutual concern; and, be it further 3-10 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 3-11 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 3-12 the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of 3-13 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of 3-14 the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this 3-15 resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a 3-16 memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.