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H.C.R. No. 37
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The State of Texas is the second most populous state
in the United States and currently registers more than 1,000 births
per day; and
WHEREAS, Texas has a 1,254-mile international border with the
United Mexican States with millions of border crossings and
thousands of international flights arriving in Texas each year, and
10 percent of Texans living on the border with Mexico; and
WHEREAS, 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 U.S. trade with
Mexico passes through Texas; and
WHEREAS, The nation's food industry has a pivotal role in the
health and bio-security of all Americans, and Texas is the nation's
second largest agricultural producing state; and
WHEREAS, Preventing infectious livestock and plant diseases
and protecting our food supply goes a long way toward ensuring both
human health and economic stability in Texas and the United States;
and
WHEREAS, Serving as an infectious disease buffer zone for the
rest of the United States, Texas faces a significant burden
regarding a number of diseases, with the rate of waterborne
diseases such as hepatitis A and amebiasis in the Texas counties
bordering Mexico that has, as an example, been reported to be two to
three times greater than the statewide average; in 2003, the rate of
tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 in population was nearly twice
that of non-border counties; and
WHEREAS, The condition of public health within Texas,
particularly along the international border, is clearly critical to
that of the entire country; and
WHEREAS, With more than 22 million residents, Texas also
faces a number of other alarming public health issues, such as
obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes; in 2003, the Texas
Department of Health reported that 39 percent of Texas
fourth-graders, 38 percent of eighth-graders, and 61 percent of
Texas adults were overweight or obese; and
WHEREAS, Heart disease and stroke are the number one and
number three causes of death in Texas, accounting for approximately
54,000 deaths each year in Texas; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Diabetes Council estimates that more than
one million adults in Texas have been diagnosed with diabetes and
more than 500,000 adults are believed to have undiagnosed diabetes;
and
WHEREAS, An increased presence and resources from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention could help prevent
vaccine-preventable childhood and adult diseases and prevent and
control the introduction of lethal diseases such as tuberculosis
and SARS, which could potentially lead to catastrophic consequences
in terms of morbidity, mortality, health care costs, and statewide
impact; and
WHEREAS, Partnerships and coordination between the State of
Texas and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could
greatly enhance protection against the spread of infectious
disease, further obesity prevention activities, and improve early
detection, treatment, and self-management of chronic diseases such
as heart disease and diabetes; and
WHEREAS, Texas' growing population, demographic diversity,
and border with the United Mexican States present unique challenges
to providing quality health care to its citizens; as a buffer to the
remainder of the United States against infectious disease and
contamination of the country's food supply, the State of Texas
merits additional resources to provide for the health of its
residents and, ultimately, to safeguard the health of the entire
United States; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby strongly encourage the United States Congress to increase
the presence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Texas, improve coordination of Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention programs with those operated by the Texas Department of
State Health Services, and increase the amount of federal resources
coming into Texas from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, the
speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
senate of the United States Congress, and all 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 and that copies also be
forwarded to the secretary of the United States Department of
Health and Human Services and the director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
Delisi
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 37 was adopted by the House on April
18, 2005, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 37 was adopted by the Senate on May
12, 2005, by a viva-voce vote.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor