Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HCR112 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R13016 TBO-D
2	2	By: Perez of El Paso H.C.R. No. 112
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7	7	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
8	8	WHEREAS, U.S. citizens who are entering the United States by
9	9	land or sea are currently required to present a passport or other
10	10	travel document that denotes identity and citizenship; and
11	11	WHEREAS, Travel documents for arrivals at land and sea
12	12	ports-of-entry must be compliant with the Western Hemisphere Travel
13	13	Initiative, which was established in 2008 to strengthen border
14	14	security while facilitating entry into the United States for
15	15	U.S. citizens and legitimate international travelers; valid travel
16	16	documents include a U.S. passport or passport card, an enhanced
17	17	driver's license, an enhanced tribal card, Trusted Traveler Program
18	18	cards, U.S. military orders with a valid military ID, and a
19	19	U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential with an official travel letter;
20	20	and
21	21	WHEREAS, In 2005, the United States Congress passed the REAL
22	22	ID Act, which requires states to adopt and implement uniform
23	23	standards for the issuance and production of driver's licenses and
24	24	identification cards; under the law, states must obtain documentary
25	25	evidence of an applicant's lawful status, such as proof of
26	26	citizenship, before issuing a REAL ID; Texas has issued REAL ID
27	27	compliant cards since 2016, and beginning on May 7, 2025, only REAL
28	28	ID cards will be accepted for official federal government purposes,
29	29	including entering secure federal buildings or boarding domestic
30	30	flights; and
31	31	WHEREAS, As a result of the minimum issuance standards set by
32	32	the REAL ID Act, all REAL ID cards denote both identity and lawful
33	33	status; however, they are not yet recognized as compliant with the
34	34	Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, and they cannot be used to
35	35	validate entry to the United States at land and sea border crossing
36	36	points; and
37	37	WHEREAS, Each year, millions of travelers enter the United
38	38	States at the southern border of Texas, and many of them are
39	39	U.S. citizens who possess a REAL ID card; allowing those travelers
40	40	to use their REAL ID card as a travel document in lieu of a passport
41	41	would help to make the process of crossing the border more efficient
42	42	and convenient; and
43	43	WHEREAS, REAL ID cards serve as sufficient evidence of
44	44	identity and lawful status, and they should be included in the
45	45	Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative's list of travel documents
46	46	that are accepted for entry into the United States; now, therefore,
47	47	be it
48	48	RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
49	49	hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to allow
50	50	U.S. citizens to use REAL ID cards as a travel document for arrivals
51	51	at land and sea ports-of-entry; and, be it further
52	52	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
53	53	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
54	54	the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
55	55	Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
56	56	members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
57	57	this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
58	58	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.