| 1 | 1 | | 85R9086 RMA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Lucio S.C.R. No. 22 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Trade between Texas and Mexico plays a vital role in |
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| 7 | 7 | | the economic prosperity of the Lone Star State; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Each year, Texas sends about 36 percent of the |
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| 9 | 9 | | state's total exports to Mexico, and in 2015, exports to Mexico |
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| 10 | 10 | | totaled nearly $92.5 million; goods exported to Mexico include |
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| 11 | 11 | | computer and electronic products, petroleum and coal products, |
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| 12 | 12 | | chemicals, machinery, and transportation equipment, all of which |
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| 13 | 13 | | are produced by industries that supply hundreds of thousands of |
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| 14 | 14 | | jobs to the Lone Star State; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Since the ratification of the North American Free |
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| 16 | 16 | | Trade Agreement in 1994, the export of U.S. goods to Mexico has |
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| 17 | 17 | | risen 325 percent, while imports into the United States from Mexico |
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| 18 | 18 | | have increased 458 percent; in 2012, Americans spent $277.5 billion |
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| 19 | 19 | | for goods from Mexico, and Mexico is America's third-largest |
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| 20 | 20 | | supplier of oil, after Canada and Saudi Arabia; additionally, |
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| 21 | 21 | | nearly half of the tomatoes and two-thirds of the mangoes consumed |
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| 22 | 22 | | in the United States come from Mexico; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | WHEREAS, The importance of this trade to Texas border cities, |
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| 24 | 24 | | including Brownsville, Hidalgo, Laredo, and El Paso, is tremendous, |
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| 25 | 25 | | and disruption to international commerce would be economically |
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| 26 | 26 | | devastating; by placing a priority on working with the natural |
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| 27 | 27 | | landscape of the area and building barriers such as levees, the |
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| 28 | 28 | | federal government could preserve the immeasurable benefits of the |
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| 29 | 29 | | healthy trade environment while protecting the border; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | WHEREAS, Mexico is the largest trading partner of Texas and |
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| 31 | 31 | | the third-largest of the United States, and it is imperative that |
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| 32 | 32 | | our federal government take proactive steps to strengthen ties with |
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| 33 | 33 | | Mexico and build bridges of economic opportunity that will benefit |
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| 34 | 34 | | Texas and the entire nation; now, therefore, be it |
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| 35 | 35 | | RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 36 | 36 | | hereby urge the United States Congress to recognize the importance |
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| 37 | 37 | | of trade between Texas and Mexico and foster international |
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| 38 | 38 | | commerce; and, be it further |
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| 39 | 39 | | RESOLVED, That Congress and federal agencies focus border |
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| 40 | 40 | | efforts on working within the natural landscape of the region |
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| 41 | 41 | | instead of obstructing trade with a border wall; 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 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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