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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Because of its proximity to the international border |
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with the United Mexican States, the State of Texas has a unique |
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awareness of the importance of effective migration management to |
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facilitate economic growth and promote community while minimizing |
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potential threats to the well-being of Texas residents; and |
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WHEREAS, The immigrant workforce plays a critical role in the |
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economies of the United States and Texas, filling skilled positions |
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in areas of particular need; retaining the 1.1 million immigrants |
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who are health care providers and the foreign-born professionals |
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who account for 25.2 percent of all physicians in the United States |
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is a need acutely felt by the 158 Texas counties that are federally |
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designated health professional shortage areas; immigrants also |
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comprise a significant proportion of the high-tech workforce, a key |
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component of Governor Perry's job creation and economic development |
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plans for the state; and |
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WHEREAS, The unification of Texas families is an important |
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goal and value for the State of Texas, and immigration processing |
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delays continue to separate families who are entitled to |
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immigration benefits; and |
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WHEREAS, While immigration and naturalization applications |
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must be quickly and efficiently adjudicated and processed to ensure |
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that we receive the benefit of these skilled resources and that the |
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goal of family unification is met, they must also be managed |
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carefully to ensure that the safety and security of the nation and |
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the state are maintained; the United States Citizenship and |
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Immigration Services (USCIS) has struggled with an overwhelming |
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workload for a number of years, leading to dangerous lapses in |
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processing applications; according to the United States Government |
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Accountability Office, in 2005 USCIS misplaced 111,000 files in 14 |
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of the agency's busiest district offices and granted citizenship to |
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30,000 applicants without following proper screening procedures; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The need for greater funding for the agency has led |
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the USCIS to propose a fee increase that would make application fees |
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for U.S. immigration among the highest in the world; this totally |
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fee-dependent funding strategy is ill-advised, as it creates an |
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incentive for the agency to admit more applicants to cover the cost |
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of its activities and does not create a concomitant incentive to |
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provide for improved security measures; and |
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WHEREAS, The United States Congress has previously |
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acknowledged the importance of adequate funding for the USCIS, |
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appropriating an additional $115 million in federal fiscal year |
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2006 to reduce the backlog in applications, and current |
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circumstances certainly warrant continuing congressional |
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commitment to providing for an efficient and secure immigration |
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and naturalization process; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to appropriate |
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funds to ensure that the United States Citizenship and Immigration |
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Services can provide an immigration and naturalization processing |
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system that is both efficient and secure; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, the |
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secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the director |
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of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the |
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speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, and all members of the Texas |
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delegation to the Congress with the request that this resolution be |
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officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the |
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Congress of the United States of America. |