SRC-AMY S.C.R. 21 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.C.R. 21
78R7965 CME-DBy: Shapleigh
International Relations and Trade
4/5/2003
As Filed


DIGEST

The United States and the United Mexican States share a border of 2,000
miles, from Brownsville, Texas, to San Diego, California.  The four U.S.
states and six Mexican states along the border are home to more than 75
million residents, which is an increase of about 11 million since 1990.  A
significant percentage of these 10 states' population resides in the 23
U.S. counties and 39 Mexican municipalities adjacent to the border, where
rapid population growth is putting great pressure on an already inadequate
infrastructure and straining the border region past its economic limits
and resources, the tragic effects of which have broad repercussions on the
health of residents in both countries.  Setting the stage for many of the
health problems of the border is the standard of living of many in the
region; more than a third of U.S. border families live at or below the
federal poverty guideline, and an estimated 350,000 people live in
colonias, unzoned, semirural communities with no access to public drinking
water or wastewater facilities.  Such deficiencies in public works have
increased the risk of exposure to pollution and water-borne contaminants.
Beyond the effects of population, poverty, and pollution, many of the
health concerns endemic to the border region are exacerbated by a lack of
access to primary care and preventive medicine.  Several standard health
indicators reflect the shortcomings of the health care system along the
border, including the incidence of hepatitis A and tuberculosis which is
two to three times the national average.  Due to these and many other
concerns and in an effort to provide international leadership in
optimizing health and quality of life along the U.S.- 
Mexico border, an agreement between the U.S. secretary of health and human
services and the secretary of health of the United Mexican States created
the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission (USMBHC) in 2000.  The
crises of health along the border are myriad and profound, with
complications arising from cultural, economic, and geographic conditions
unique to the region.  Although the USMBHC has made great progress in
promoting health and reducing health disparities, strategic planning and
comprehensive study are critical for USMBHC to fulfill its mission to
provide the tools necessary for the future well-being of the border
population. 

PURPOSE 
 
As proposed, SCR 21 submits the following resolutions:

That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas memorialize the Congress
of the United States to request that the secretary of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services direct the United States-Mexico Border Health
Commission to coordinate a benchmark study conducted by universities of
each adjoining border state, in the United States and the United Mexican
States, to engage each state's health policy with respect to early
intervention and preventive strategies; water and wastewater issues;
immunization; behavioral health issues, including nutrition and exercise;
elimination of health disparities among the border population; and
response to disaster and disease outbreak.