Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HCR79 Compare Versions

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1	1	H.C.R. No. 79
2	2
3	3
4	4	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
5	5	WHEREAS, Border communities, such as Laredo, contend with
6	6	heightened responsibilities in the world today, and since the
7	7	advent of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, Laredo
8	8	has become the busiest United States port of entry from Mexico and
9	9	the sixth-largest customs district in the country, with more than
10	10	$167 billion in total trade in 2007; while the heavy flow of
11	11	international commerce is a boon to the local economy, it presents
12	12	tremendous challenges to the first responders who protect the state
13	13	and the nation as well as their own community; and
14	14	WHEREAS, The Bureau of Transportation Statistics calculated
15	15	that more than 1.5 million trucks and 300,000 rail containers
16	16	crossed through Laredo in 2006, and according to Texas Department
17	17	of Transportation estimates, truck tonnage will increase by some
18	18	250 percent by 2030; about half of this cargo includes hazardous
19	19	material, and more than 60 million square feet of warehouse space in
20	20	the city also contains significant amounts of hazardous materials,
21	21	creating a tempting target for terrorists and enormous potential
22	22	for a disaster that could not only endanger public health but also
23	23	disrupt major transportation systems and negatively impact the
24	24	national economy; and
25	25	WHEREAS, Relatively isolated on its side of the border,
26	26	Laredo is 150 miles from the nearest sizable U.S. city, and its
27	27	police, fire, and public health personnel are the primary emergency
28	28	responders for a region of more than 3,000 square miles; this
29	29	includes a long stretch of the Rio Grande, which is the primary
30	30	drinking water source for Laredo, Nuevo Laredo, and other
31	31	communities in the Rio Grande Valley, making swift response to any
32	32	contamination extremely critical; in addition, the United
33	33	States-Mexico Border Health Commission has recognized the region as
34	34	among those most vulnerable to perils such as bioterrorism and
35	35	epidemics; and
36	36	WHEREAS, The Laredo Police Department has increased
37	37	vigilance over border activity since the attacks of September 11,
38	38	2001, and confronts an escalating threat from violent international
39	39	drug traffickers, who have been linked to terrorism; the fire
40	40	department responds to a wide range of emergencies along the Rio
41	41	Grande, from the rescue or recovery of individuals who have
42	42	attempted to cross into the United States to bomb threats; and
43	43	WHEREAS, The emergency response system in Laredo requires a
44	44	higher level of funding to ensure public safety and meet homeland
45	45	security imperatives; for instance, the city has only one hazardous
46	46	materials response unit, purchased in 1991 and long overdue for
47	47	upgrades; it lacks a detection system for chemical, biological,
48	48	radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive weapons, as well as
49	49	for quick assessment and management of industrial accidents; among
50	50	other urgent needs are enhanced police staffing, improved radio
51	51	coverage in remote areas, and construction of a secure regional
52	52	emergency operations center where safety personnel and local,
53	53	state, and federal government officials can coordinate decisions
54	54	and resources in a crisis; and
55	55	WHEREAS, With an estimated population of 217,000, Laredo is a
56	56	much smaller city than other major United States ports; its own
57	57	budget is accordingly limited, and at the same time, its size has
58	58	been an impediment in the pursuit of federal assistance; homeland
59	59	security funding formulas currently use census figures rather than
60	60	threat risk in determining eligibility for such programs as the
61	61	Urban Areas Security Initiative and Targeted Infrastructure
62	62	Capability Grants Program, and, as a land port, Laredo is likewise
63	63	ineligible for the Port Security Grant Program, even though it
64	64	processes more international shipments than such grant recipients
65	65	as Mobile, Alabama, and Lake Charles, Louisiana; and
66	66	WHEREAS, Laredo, as the nation's second-busiest land
67	67	gateway, shoulders unique law enforcement, public safety, and
68	68	national security burdens far out of proportion to the size of its
69	69	population; increased federal funding is necessary to strengthen
70	70	first response where local agencies with strained budgets are
71	71	responsible for protecting our nation's critical infrastructure
72	72	and addressing international threats; now, therefore, be it
73	73	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
74	74	hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to refine
75	75	Department of Homeland Security policy to consider risk levels as
76	76	well as population size in assessing the financial needs of first
77	77	responders in border communities along the international boundary
78	78	created by the Rio Grande; and, be it further
79	79	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
80	80	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
81	81	the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
82	82	senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the
83	83	Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
84	84	resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
85	85	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.
86	86	Guillen
87	87	Raymond
88	88	______________________________ ______________________________
89	89	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
90	90	I certify that H.C.R. No. 79 was adopted by the House on April
91	91	9, 2009, by a non-record vote.
92	92	______________________________
93	93	Chief Clerk of the House
94	94	I certify that H.C.R. No. 79 was adopted by the Senate on May
95	95	26, 2009, by a viva-voce vote.
96	96	______________________________
97	97	Secretary of the Senate
98	98	APPROVED: __________________
99	99	Date
100	100	__________________
101	101	Governor