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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, U.S. citizens who are entering the United States by |
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land or sea are currently required to present a passport or other |
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travel document that denotes identity and citizenship; and |
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WHEREAS, Travel documents for arrivals at land and sea |
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ports-of-entry must be compliant with the Western Hemisphere Travel |
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Initiative, which was established in 2008 to strengthen border |
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security while facilitating entry into the United States for |
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U.S. citizens and legitimate international travelers; valid travel |
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documents include a U.S. passport or passport card, an enhanced |
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driver's license, an enhanced tribal card, Trusted Traveler Program |
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cards, U.S. military orders with a valid military ID, and a |
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U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential with an official travel letter; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In 2005, the United States Congress passed the REAL |
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ID Act, which requires states to adopt and implement uniform |
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standards for the issuance and production of driver's licenses and |
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identification cards; under the law, states must obtain documentary |
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evidence of an applicant's lawful status, such as proof of |
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citizenship, before issuing a REAL ID; Texas has issued REAL ID |
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compliant cards since 2016, and beginning on May 7, 2025, only REAL |
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ID cards will be accepted for official federal government purposes, |
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including entering secure federal buildings or boarding domestic |
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flights; and |
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WHEREAS, As a result of the minimum issuance standards set by |
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the REAL ID Act, all REAL ID cards denote both identity and lawful |
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status; however, they are not yet recognized as compliant with the |
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Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, and they cannot be used to |
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validate entry to the United States at land and sea border crossing |
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points; and |
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WHEREAS, Each year, millions of travelers enter the United |
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States at the southern border of Texas, and many of them are |
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U.S. citizens who possess a REAL ID card; allowing those travelers |
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to use their REAL ID card as a travel document in lieu of a passport |
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would help to make the process of crossing the border more efficient |
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and convenient; and |
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WHEREAS, REAL ID cards serve as sufficient evidence of |
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identity and lawful status, and they should be included in the |
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Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative's list of travel documents |
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that are accepted for entry into the United States; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to allow |
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U.S. citizens to use REAL ID cards as a travel document for arrivals |
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at land and sea ports-of-entry; 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, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |