|
|
|
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
WHEREAS, The United States of America is a nation of |
|
immigrants; and |
|
WHEREAS, The immigrant's story is woven into the social and |
|
cultural fabric of this nation; and |
|
WHEREAS, Our nation requires an immigration system that |
|
provides for public safety, national security, economic |
|
prosperity, and the well-being of all who live and work in the |
|
United States; and |
|
WHEREAS, The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 is |
|
the last major piece of immigration legislation to be passed by the |
|
United States Congress; that legislation and subsequent piecemeal |
|
reforms fail to adequately address the challenges posed by |
|
immigration today; and |
|
WHEREAS, A January 2013 poll conducted by the Associated |
|
Press shows that 62 percent of Americans support reform of the |
|
immigration system; and |
|
WHEREAS, There appears to be a renewed willingness in the |
|
United States Congress to reform our immigration system; and |
|
WHEREAS, An August 2009 report by the CATO Institute found |
|
that immigration reform could lead to a $180 billion gain for United |
|
States households; and |
|
WHEREAS, A June 2012 Fiscal Policy Institute report found |
|
that immigrants owned 18 percent of all small businesses in the |
|
United States in 2010, which was a higher percentage than the |
|
immigrant share of the population or labor force; in addition, |
|
immigrant-owned businesses employed 4.7 million people and had $776 |
|
billion in receipts in 2007; and |
|
WHEREAS, The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found |
|
that undocumented immigrants contributed more than $1.6 billion in |
|
state and local taxes in 2010 alone; and |
|
WHEREAS, A 2010 report by the Economic Policy Institute found |
|
that immigration increased wages of native-born workers from 1994 |
|
to 2007; and |
|
WHEREAS, A study by The Perryman Group found that Texas would |
|
lose $69.3 billion in economic activity, $30.8 billion in gross |
|
state product, and approximately 403,000 jobs if all undocumented |
|
immigrants were removed from the state; and |
|
WHEREAS, The 77th Legislature of the State of Texas granted |
|
in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants, allowing over 22,000 |
|
students to realize their educational goals and contribute to the |
|
Texas economy; and |
|
WHEREAS, The United States requires secure borders to |
|
maintain its integrity as a sovereign nation; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas, |
|
1st Called Session, hereby urge the United States Congress to |
|
thoughtfully and swiftly enact a comprehensive reform of our |
|
immigration system that provides undocumented immigrants a clear |
|
path to citizenship and promotes public safety, national security, |
|
economic prosperity, and the well-being of all those living and |
|
working in the United States; 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 president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
|
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
|
members of the Texas delegation to 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. |