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79R13654 CME-F

By:  Allen of Dallas                                            H.C.R. No. 144



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, On September 11, 2001, acts of treacherous violence 
were committed against the United States and its citizens by 
foreign terrorists; these cowardly acts rendered it both necessary 
and appropriate that the United States exercise its right to 
self-defense and protect its citizens at home and abroad; and
	WHEREAS, Terrorism poses a fundamental threat to the ordered 
liberty that is the essence of our constitutional democracy; as a 
key part of our nation's response to these terrorist acts, the 
United States Congress spent six weeks negotiating and debating law 
enforcement provisions that protect our civil liberties and help 
detect, disrupt, and prevent further terrorism; and
	WHEREAS, With broad, bipartisan support, the congress passed 
the USA PATRIOT Act on October 25, 2001, and the Act was signed into 
law by President George W. Bush the following day; and
	WHEREAS, Passage of the USA PATRIOT Act strengthened the 
nation's criminal laws against terrorism, enhanced the capacity of 
law enforcement to gather and analyze intelligence on terrorist 
activities, and aided law enforcement agencies in their efforts to 
defend against sophisticated tactics employed by modern terrorists 
by updating the law to reflect new technologies and new threats; and
	WHEREAS, The USA PATRIOT Act has accomplished these goals 
without altering the tangible legal protections that exist to 
preserve the privacy of law-abiding citizens; and
	WHEREAS, The United States Congress, in performing its 
constitutional role of oversight, has found no instance of any 
abuse under the USA PATRIOT Act and, in fact, has praised the United 
States Department of Justice for its efforts to fight terrorism and 
defend the lives and liberties of the American people; the security 
provided by the USA PATRIOT Act has been a successful, necessary, 
and constitutionally appropriate means to the greater end of 
liberty for all Americans; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby express its support for the president of the United States 
and the congress in their continued efforts to defend the homeland 
against further terrorist attacks; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby earnestly and resolutely express its support for the USA 
PATRIOT Act and its vital role in aiding the president and congress 
in their effort to fight terrorism while preserving American civil 
liberties in a way that is respectful of the legal and 
constitutional safeguards of those liberties; 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 
entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of 
the United States of America.

Expressing legislative support for the USA PATRIOT Act.