| 1 | 1 | | 85R7404 KSM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Flynn, King of Parker, Shine, H.C.R. No. 52 |
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| 3 | 3 | | Bonnen of Brazoria, Longoria, et al. |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 7 | 7 | | WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of the federal government |
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| 8 | 8 | | to fully maintain the security of the Texas-Mexico international |
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| 9 | 9 | | border, but Washington has neglected its duty; and |
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| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, An unprotected border facilitates drug smuggling |
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| 11 | 11 | | and human trafficking and opens the door to spillover violence from |
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| 12 | 12 | | criminal cartels; moreover, the ease with which members of |
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| 13 | 13 | | terrorist organizations can enter the country poses a grave threat |
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| 14 | 14 | | to homeland security; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, The federal government's failure to prevent illegal |
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| 16 | 16 | | entry has shifted much of the responsibility to the State of Texas; |
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| 17 | 17 | | consequently, budget writers must weigh the costs of border |
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| 18 | 18 | | security against the expense of other state services; since January |
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| 19 | 19 | | 2013, Texas has spent a total of $2.8 billion on border security, |
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| 20 | 20 | | including $463,000,000 to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice |
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| 21 | 21 | | and $416,000,000 to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission; |
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| 22 | 22 | | and |
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| 23 | 23 | | WHEREAS, Furthermore, in 2014, former governor Rick Perry |
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| 24 | 24 | | transferred $38,700,000 from a state law enforcement fund to pay |
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| 25 | 25 | | for deploying additional Department of Public Safety officers and |
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| 26 | 26 | | National Guard troops along the Texas-Mexico border; the cost |
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| 27 | 27 | | incurred by DPS alone since 2013 totals more than $1.4 billion; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, The executive branch and the United States Congress |
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| 29 | 29 | | have consistently delayed meaningful action on border security, |
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| 30 | 30 | | forcing Texas to expend significant resources to keep the |
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| 31 | 31 | | international border with Mexico secure and placing an undue burden |
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| 32 | 32 | | on the state's taxpayers; now, therefore, be it |
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| 33 | 33 | | RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 34 | 34 | | hereby express its dissatisfaction with the federal government's |
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| 35 | 35 | | inadequate efforts to secure the Texas-Mexico international |
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| 36 | 36 | | border; and, be it further |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the Congress of the United States be |
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| 38 | 38 | | respectfully urged to reimburse the State of Texas in the amount of |
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| 39 | 39 | | $2.8 billion for bearing the financial burden of the federal |
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| 40 | 40 | | government's responsibility to secure the Texas-Mexico |
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| 41 | 41 | | international border from 2013 through 2016; and, be it further |
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| 42 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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| 43 | 43 | | copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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| 44 | 44 | | the president of the Senate and to the speaker of the House of |
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| 45 | 45 | | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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| 46 | 46 | | members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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| 47 | 47 | | this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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| 48 | 48 | | memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |
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