1-1     By:  Lucio, et al.                                    S.C.R. No. 25
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 12, 2001; February 13, 2001,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Business and Commerce;
 1-4     February 26, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas
 1-5     6, Nays 0; February 26, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                        SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-7           WHEREAS, The current presidential administration has
 1-8     indicated that it will allow Mexican trucks at least partial access
 1-9     to U.S. highways beyond the commercial border zone that was
1-10     established in 1993 to limit the movement of Mexican trucks until
1-11     certain basic infrastructure and safety concerns had been
1-12     addressed; and
1-13           WHEREAS, The opening of the Texas border to Mexican trucks
1-14     will unfairly impact the three border transportation  districts in
1-15     Pharr, Laredo, and El Paso without a commensurate increase in the
1-16     commitment of money by the federal government; and
1-17           WHEREAS, The Texas Senate Special Committee on Border Affairs
1-18     was given several study charges during the 1999-2000 interim,
1-19     including assessing the long-term intermodal transportation needs
1-20     of the Texas-Mexico border region, evaluating the planning and
1-21     capacity resources of the three Texas Department of Transportation
1-22     (TxDOT) border districts, and overseeing the implementation of
1-23     federal and state one-stop inspection stations to expedite trade
1-24     and traffic; and
1-25           WHEREAS, The senate committee reported that Texas border
1-26     crossings account for approximately 80 percent of United
1-27     States-Mexico truck traffic, but the state is awarded only 15
1-28     percent of the federal funds allocated for trade corridors;
1-29     information from TxDOT indicates that Texas receives considerably
1-30     less than its fair share of discretionary funds allocated by the
1-31     federal government; recent estimates by TxDOT indicate that, even
1-32     though Texas is the second largest state in the nation, the state
1-33     currently receives only 49 cents on the dollar in federal highway
1-34     discretionary program funds; and
1-35           WHEREAS, The border ports of entry are the primary gateway
1-36     for commerce for Texas and the nation but have become an economic
1-37     choke point as a result of the staggering volume of traffic they
1-38     must handle; in 1997, more than 2.8 million trucks crossed into and
1-39     from Mexico; and
1-40           WHEREAS, In July 1999, the General Accounting Office (GAO)
1-41     reported that NAFTA-related traffic along the border region has
1-42     taxed the local and regional transportation infrastructure and that
1-43     the resulting lines of traffic, which can run up to several miles
1-44     during peak periods, are associated with air pollution caused by
1-45     idling vehicles; and
1-46           WHEREAS, The GAO also cited federal and local officials'
1-47     concerns about congestion affecting safety around the ports of
1-48     entry and noted that congestion can have a negative impact on
1-49     businesses that operate on a just-in-time schedule and rely on
1-50     regular cross-border shipments of parts, supplies, and finished
1-51     products; and
1-52           WHEREAS, The senate committee reported that in the last
1-53     decade total northbound truck crossings, from Mexico into Texas,
1-54     increased by 215.8 percent, while vehicle crossings increased by 59
1-55     percent and pedestrian crossings by 18.5 percent; in that same
1-56     period, southbound truck crossings from Texas to Mexico increased
1-57     by 278.1 percent to 2.1 billion crossings, vehicle crossings by
1-58     53.9 percent to 37.9 million crossings, and pedestrian crossings by
1-59     30.8 percent to 18.5 million crossings; and
1-60           WHEREAS, According to some estimates, heavy truck traffic is
1-61     expected to increase by 85 percent during the next three decades
1-62     and severely degrade existing roads and bridges; according to TxDOT
1-63     officials, one fully loaded 18-wheel truck causes as much damage as
1-64     9,600 cars; with such a significant increase of trade and
 2-1     cross-border activity in the border ports of entry and the border
 2-2     transportation districts, state and federal leaders have cause for
 2-3     concern about whether the current infrastructure can continue to
 2-4     support Texas' economic growth and, in particular, trade with
 2-5     Mexico; and
 2-6           WHEREAS, The Texas Department of Economic Development (TDED)
 2-7     reported last year that Mexico is Texas' largest export destination
 2-8     and has been a chief contributor to the state's export growth; in
 2-9     1999, exports to Mexico accounted for 45.5 percent of the state
2-10     total and were valued at $41.4 billion; and
2-11           WHEREAS, The TDED has concluded that Texas accounts for 20.8
2-12     percent of the total U.S. exports to the North American market,
2-13     largely because of very high export levels to Mexico; in recent
2-14     years, Mexico has become the nation's second largest market, and
2-15     Texas' ties to Mexico are the primary contributors to the state's
2-16     high share of overall U.S. exports; and
2-17           WHEREAS, The comptroller of public accounts of the State of
2-18     Texas has reported that exports account for 14 percent of our gross
2-19     state product, up from six percent in 1985; in 1999, $100 billion
2-20     in two-way truck trade passed through the Texas-Mexico border;
2-21     NAFTA economic activity has tripled on the border, and trade with
2-22     Mexico accounts for one in every five jobs in Texas; now,
2-23     therefore, be it
2-24           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-25     hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States and the
2-26     president of the United States, in light of the proposed change in
2-27     federal policy that will further open the border areas to Mexican
2-28     truck travel, to recognize the unique planning, capacity, and
2-29     infrastructure needs of Texas' border ports of entry and the
2-30     high-priority transportation corridors; and, be it further
2-31           RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature request the congress and
2-32     the president to recognize the impact of this policy by earmarking
2-33     $3 billion to fund the construction of one-stop federal and state
2-34     inspection facilities that are open 24 hours per day along the
2-35     Texas border region, as well as to fund infrastructure improvements
2-36     and construction projects at border ports of entry; and, be it
2-37     further
2-38           RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature urge the congress to
2-39     rectify the funding imbalance that Texas has historically
2-40     experienced from the federal government, as evident in the fact
2-41     that, although Texas handles 80 percent of all NAFTA-related
2-42     traffic and is the second largest state in the nation, it has been
2-43     awarded only 15 percent of the federal funds allocated for
2-44     high-priority trade corridors; and, be it further
2-45           RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature request that the
2-46     congress and the president also increase the percentage in federal
2-47     discretionary money that Texas has historically received by
2-48     earmarking $4 billion for critical NAFTA-related planning,
2-49     capacity, and right-of-way acquisition needs and $3 billion for
2-50     immediate construction, maintenance, and planning needs for rural
2-51     roadways that are impacted by NAFTA-related traffic, as well as
2-52     those of emerging NAFTA-related corridors; and, be it further
2-53           RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature urge the congress and
2-54     the president to reaffirm their commitment to public safety in
2-55     Texas as well as in the United States by earmarking $1 billion for
2-56     law enforcement needed to prepare for the influx of Mexican trucks
2-57     with access to travel throughout the border and beyond; and, be it
2-58     further
2-59           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
2-60     copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
2-61     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of
2-62     the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of
2-63     the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
2-64     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
2-65     memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.
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