1-1 By: Lucio, et al. S.C.R. No. 21 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 1, 2001; February 5, 2001, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Business and Commerce; 1-4 March 8, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6, 1-5 Nays 0; March 8, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Border health conditions not only pose an immediate 1-8 risk to those who live along either side of the United 1-9 States-Mexico border, but also are a health concern for all of the 1-10 United States, and unaddressed health concerns in this region will 1-11 only continue to worsen as the border population and its mobility 1-12 increase, thereby escalating the risks to other areas of exposure 1-13 and transmission of disease; and 1-14 WHEREAS, While the State of Texas has attempted to address 1-15 many of the health issues facing the border population in Texas, 1-16 binational cooperation at the federal level is essential to 1-17 addressing these health concerns; and 1-18 WHEREAS, In 1999, the Texas Legislature called for an 1-19 in-depth study of the public health infrastructure and barriers to 1-20 a cooperative effort between Texas and Mexico; results of the study 1-21 indicate that differences in technology and limitations on the 1-22 exchange of technology, disparities in methods of collecting data 1-23 and confidentiality provisions that restrict information sharing, 1-24 and cultural differences that affect interaction between local and 1-25 state health departments all combine to inhibit collaboration on 1-26 health issues of mutual concern; and 1-27 WHEREAS, An example of the consequences of such barriers to 1-28 cooperation occurred in 1999, when an outbreak of dengue fever in 1-29 South Texas was traced back to Mexican cities and was thought to 1-30 have been brought from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to Laredo, Texas; and 1-31 WHEREAS, Despite the implications for an outbreak across the 1-32 border, Mexican health officials were limited in their ability to 1-33 confirm cases of the mosquito-borne illness, and provisions in the 1-34 Mexican Constitution restricted them from sharing the results of 1-35 tests performed on Mexican citizens with Texas' health officials; 1-36 and 1-37 WHEREAS, Similar instances have occurred where incidences of 1-38 tuberculosis, salmonella, and malaria around the United States were 1-39 found to have started in the Texas-Mexico border region; and 1-40 WHEREAS, It is in the interest of the United States to 1-41 control the spread of diseases, beginning in the places where they 1-42 originate, and poverty and poor health conditions along the United 1-43 States-Mexico border region provide a large incubation ground for 1-44 diseases; however, the efforts of one state or country alone will 1-45 not address conditions that are present on both sides of the 1-46 border, or legal issues that create incompatibilities between 1-47 approaches, making a cooperative binational effort vitally 1-48 important; and 1-49 WHEREAS, The United States and Mexico have worked in concert 1-50 in forming NAFTA and related side agreements that address 1-51 environmental infrastructure issues, creating the Border 1-52 Environment Cooperation Commission and establishing the North 1-53 American Development Bank; the success of these joint ventures 1-54 suggests that forming similar international agreements to improve 1-55 the public health infrastructure and finding ways to address the 1-56 exchange of technology and information will improve the quality of 1-57 life for residents of the border region as well as reduce the 1-58 public health risks in the spread of disease; and 1-59 WHEREAS, Establishing an agreement between the United States 1-60 and Mexico will show a commitment to the issue of public health and 1-61 acknowledge that the spread of disease is an international problem 1-62 without boundaries; now, therefore, be it 1-63 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-64 hereby urge the Congress of the United States to initiate the 2-1 development of an agreement or treaty with Mexico to address health 2-2 issues of mutual concern; and, be it further 2-3 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 2-4 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 2-5 the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of 2-6 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of 2-7 the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this 2-8 resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a 2-9 memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. 2-10 * * * * *