Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HCR75 Compare Versions

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1	1	81R4647 CBE-D
2	2	By: Lucio III, Alonzo, Burnam H.C.R. No. 75
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5	5	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, The Lower Rio Grande Valley region of Texas is one of
7	7	the state's treasured gems; a well-known agricultural center, the
8	8	valley also boasts a dynamic economy, a unique border culture, and
9	9	some of the most biologically diverse habitats in the country; yet
10	10	the construction of a fence along the Texas-Mexico border is
11	11	putting the very viability of the area at stake; and
12	12	WHEREAS, The Secure Fence Act of 2006 calls for "at least two
13	13	layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional
14	14	physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors" along
15	15	more than 700 miles of the southern border of the United States,
16	16	including the last 100 miles of the Rio Grande; the stated goal of
17	17	the act is to "achieve operational control over U.S. international
18	18	land and maritime borders," but even the Department of Homeland
19	19	Security concedes that fencing will not stop illegal crossings and
20	20	that, at best, it will merely slow crossers down; and
21	21	WHEREAS, A border wall would negatively impact a broad array
22	22	of valley residents; farmers would be cut off from their primary
23	23	source of water, the Rio Grande, and business owners would lose a
24	24	significant portion of their customer base, Mexican nationals who
25	25	cross the border year-round to shop; many landowners would be
26	26	forced to relinquish their property, and a considerable number of
27	27	valley residents would be separated from relatives on the other
28	28	side of the river; and
29	29	WHEREAS, Perhaps most vulnerable of all would be the natural
30	30	environment; millions of dollars and countless hours of work have
31	31	been spent restoring the river corridor; such protected sites as
32	32	the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, the Bentsen-Rio Grande
33	33	Valley State Park and World Birding Center, Sabal Palm Audubon
34	34	Center and Sanctuary, the NABA International Butterfly Park, and
35	35	the Lennox Foundation Southmost Preserve today support 20
36	36	endangered species and provide a vital stopover for millions of
37	37	migrating birds, bats, and butterflies; and
38	38	WHEREAS, The area draws nearly 200,000 wildlife tourists each
39	39	year, bringing some $150 million into otherwise impoverished
40	40	communities; the erection of a fence in this region would directly
41	41	impact critical wildlife habitat, increase soil erosion along the
42	42	floodplain, and eliminate wildlife access to the Rio Grande, the
43	43	only reliable source of fresh water around; and
44	44	WHEREAS, The Congressional Research Service estimates that a
45	45	700-mile fence, including repairs and maintenance, would cost up to
46	46	$49 billion over the course of 25 years; for a relatively
47	47	inefficient method of border security, this is simply not a sound
48	48	investment of taxpayer funds; in addition, our federal officials
49	49	must be made to realize that erecting a border fence will send a
50	50	flagrantly undiplomatic message to Mexico and will bring
51	51	irrevocable cultural, economic, and ecological losses to the Rio
52	52	Grande Valley; now, therefore, be it
53	53	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
54	54	hereby urge the Congress of the United States to explore
55	55	alternative means to border security in South Texas other than the
56	56	fencing described in the Secure Fence Act; and, be it further
57	57	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
58	58	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
59	59	the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
60	60	senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the
61	61	Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
62	62	resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
63	63	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.