By:  Shapleigh                                                  S.C.R. No. 20 



SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, Mexico is the United States' second-largest trading 
partner, and 76 percent of all United States trade with Mexico 
passes through Texas, according to the Center for Transportation 
Research at The University of Texas at Austin; and
	WHEREAS, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records 
confirm that Texas has seven of the nation's 10 busiest southern 
border crossings, and every day 12,000 trucks transporting goods 
valued at $290 million use Texas ports of entry and border 
commercial zones; and
	WHEREAS, Mexican trucks can travel within the interior of the 
United States under terms of the North American Free Trade 
Agreement, and as of January 2003, the United States Department of 
Transportation had received more than 130 applications to exercise 
this travel authority once associated legal issues are resolved and 
the border is opened to long-haul carriers; and
	WHEREAS, The United States Department of Transportation 
reports a direct correlation between the condition of Mexican 
trucks entering the United States and the level of inspection 
resources at the border; and
	WHEREAS, Texas has no permanent border safety inspection 
facilities to ensure that vehicles and cargo entering the United 
States comply with state and federal safety standards; rather, 
inspections in Texas are confined to eight temporary state 
facilities and to federal customs lots; and
	WHEREAS, The 76th Legislature passed legislation in 1999 
relating to the establishment of one-stop border inspection 
stations where all federal, state, and municipal agencies that 
regulate cross-border traffic could be located in one place; and
	WHEREAS, One-stop inspection stations would provide a single 
point of contact between motor carriers and government regulators 
and a single point of information about regulatory requirements; 
and
	WHEREAS, The stations also would prevent duplication of state 
and federal inspections and facilitate links in government 
information systems; and
	WHEREAS, Sharing the same location, eliminating redundant 
inspections, and using modern technology should reduce truck 
crossing times to 10 minutes, which is the concept behind one-stop 
border vehicle inspection facilities; and
	WHEREAS, Each municipality where the one-stop facilities 
will be located is unique and has different concerns that must be 
addressed, such as the location of the facility, whether 
international commerce would be impeded, whether traffic 
congestion and pollution would be increased, whether all incoming 
traffic would be treated the same, and whether local participation 
would be prioritized; and
	WHEREAS, Specifically regarding the City of Laredo, federal 
and state entities should work in collaboration with municipalities 
and enter into agreements that state that the location, plans, and 
implementation strategy for the proposed facilities are acceptable 
to all parties involved; and
	WHEREAS, Decisions made in Washington, D.C., in the coming 
months will define border commerce for the next 10 years, affecting 
not only trade but also highway damage prevention, environmental 
protection, and drug interdiction; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to fund 
one-stop border vehicle inspection facilities; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, 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 and the president of the 
senate of the United States Congress, and to 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.