SRC-AMY S.C.R. 20 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.C.R. 20
78R3607 CLE-DBy: Shapleigh
International Relations and Trade
3/25/2003
As Filed


DIGEST 

Mexico is the United States' second-largest trading partner, and,
according to the Center for Transportation Research at the University of
Texas at Austin, 76 percent of all United States' trade with Mexico passes
through Texas.  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records
confirm that Texas has seven of the nation's 10 busiest southern border
crossings, with 12,000 trucks transporting $290 million in goods through
Texas ports of entry and border commercial zones, daily.  Under the North
American Free Trade Agreement the border is open to Mexican long-haul
carriers for travel within the United States, and the United States
Department of Transportation reports a direct correlation between the
condition of Mexican trucks and the level of inspection resources at the
border.  Texas does not have permanent border safety inspection facilities
that ensure compliance with state and federal safety standards, only
temporary state facilities and federal customs lots.  In 1999 the 77th
Texas Legislature passed legislation regarding the establishment of
one-stop border inspection stations for federal, state, and municipal
agencies that regulate cross-border traffic, providing a single point of
contact between motorcarriers and government regulators and information on
regulatory requirements. The onestop stations would also prevent
duplication of inspections, facilitate links in government information
systems, and reduce crossing times by up to 10 minutes.  Decisions made in
Washington in the coming months will define border commerce for the next
10 years, affecting trade, highway damage prevention, environmental
protection, and drug interdiction. 


PURPOSE

As proposed, SCR 20 submits the following resolutions:

That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas urges the Congress of the
United States to fund one-stop border vehicle inspection facilities. That
the Texas secretary of state forward official copies of this resolution to
the president of the United States, to the speaker of the house of
representatives, the president of the United States Congress, and all the
members of the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial
to the Congress of the United States of America.