81R1014 MMS-D
By: Shapleigh S.C.R. No. 10
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The efficient movement and careful surveillance of
commercial and noncommercial traffic through the United States'
ports of entry are vital to this country's economic prosperity and
security, yet serious bottlenecks are choking customs inspection
lanes on the Texas-Mexico border; and
WHEREAS, With its entry into the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade in 1986 and the implementation of the North American Free
Trade Agreement on January 1, 1994, Mexico has become one of the
United States' primary trading partners; the strength of that
partnership is evident in the combined value of U.S.-Mexico
export-import trade, which rose from $81.5 billion in 1993, the
year before NAFTA went into effect, to $183.7 billion in just the
first six months of 2008; and
WHEREAS, The overwhelming majority of U.S. trade with
Mexico--80 percent in 2002--passes through Texas ports of entry,
and over the past decade and a half these ports have seen a dramatic
increase in commercial traffic; the number of commercial vehicles
entering Texas from Mexico rose from 2.7 million in 1994 to more
than 4.3 million in 2001, and some estimates predict that
cross-border truck traffic in the Texas-Mexico border region may
increase by 85 percent between 2000 and 2030; and
WHEREAS, Neither the present border-crossing facilities nor
the current systems for inspecting and monitoring cross-border
traffic were designed to handle the volume of people, vehicles, and
goods now passing through checkpoints in Texas; compounding the
challenge posed by an inadequate infrastructure are the
increasingly detailed inspections, which are designed to reduce the
flow of illegal substances and to guard against terrorism; as a
result of these pressures, the length of the wait time at Texas
ports of entry is soaring; and
WHEREAS, Delays at the border are detrimental to economic
activity in the U.S., adding to a company's cost of shipping and
impeding production at maquiladoras, which account for the largest
segment of U.S.-Mexico trade and which depend on just-in-time
delivery service to achieve savings and greater efficiency; and
WHEREAS, Congestion caused by these delays also poses a
threat to public safety--the sheer scale of commercial traffic
means that only five percent of trucks entering Texas can be
physically inspected; in addition, pollution from idling vehicles
has harmed air quality to a marked degree and endangers the health
of border residents; and
WHEREAS, Robust foreign trade fosters domestic prosperity
and generates federal revenue, and a portion of that revenue should
be invested in support of customs operations, the smooth
functioning of which promotes the continued expansion of exports
and imports; expediting the flow of commercial traffic while
ensuring appropriately rigorous inspections will require a federal
commitment to fund improved infrastructure, including the
construction of additional customs inspection lanes and the
adoption of technology that will speed the movement of low-risk
traffic, as well as an increase in customs personnel and customs
operating hours; and
WHEREAS, In promoting the secure, swift movement of vehicle
and pedestrian traffic at U.S. land ports of entry, the border
states also have a major role to play; Section 1303 of the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users directs the U.S. secretary of transportation to
implement a coordinated border infrastructure program and serves as
a funding source for border area infrastructure improvements and
regulatory enhancements; and
WHEREAS, Texas legislators and business people are acutely
aware of the improvements that need to be made at ports of entry on
the Rio Grande, if the economic promise of NAFTA is to be fully
realized by this state and nation; these ports serve as a critical
gateway to foreign trade, and it is essential that they promote,
rather than hinder, the flow of that vital resource; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to
provide emergency funding and resources to begin immediately
addressing increasing delays at U.S. ports of entry on the
Texas-Mexico border; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the congress provide funding for 24-hour
customs operations and for infrastructure improvements, including
more customs inspection lanes and more customs inspectors, at
border crossings between Texas and Mexico; 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 speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the
Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.