Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HCR76 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		89R12852 TBO-D
2		-	By: Louderback~~, Leo Wilson~~ H.C.R. No. 76
	2	+	By: Louderback H.C.R. No. 76
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7	7		CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
8	8		WHEREAS, The shrimp industry plays a vital role in the
9	9		nation's economy and in the prosperity of Gulf Coast communities,
10	10		where domestic shrimp are harvested and processed; and
11	11		WHEREAS, In Texas, the industry supports more than 14,000
12	12		jobs, generating approximately $850 million in economic value;
13	13		however, a glut of foreign shrimp imports threatens this industry
14	14		with collapse; and
15	15		WHEREAS, Imports of frozen warmwater shrimp nearly doubled
16	16		between 2013 and 2021 to an unprecedented 1.8 billion pounds; data
17	17		from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicates
18	18		that Texas shrimpers harvested 6.8 million pounds of shrimp in the
19	19		first five months of 2023, compared to 800 million pounds of
20	20		imported shrimp in the first half of the year; and
21	21		WHEREAS, Much of the foreign shrimp is farm-raised and
22	22		subsidized in order to let producers sharply undercut the price of
23	23		domestic shrimp; the problem has been well documented since 2005,
24	24		when the International Trade Commission determined that imports
25	25		from certain countries were selling at less than fair value, and
26	26		this continues to occur, despite antidumping regulations; and
27	27		WHEREAS, While the influx of imported shrimp has driven
28	28		prices to record lows, Gulf Coast fishermen must contend with the
29	29		forces of inflation, including historically high fuel prices; it
30	30		typically costs a trawler tens of thousands of dollars to go out to
31	31		sea, so many remained tied up at the docks; a severe labor shortage
32	32		has exacerbated the crisis; and
33	33		WHEREAS, Imported shrimp pose a significant risk to public
34	34		health; a 2015 investigation by Consumer Reports found dangerous
35	35		bacteria, antibiotics, and drug residues in more than half of the
36	36		shrimp they tested from Ecuador and India; however, the Food and
37	37		Drug Administration inspects less than one percent of imported
38	38		seafood for banned substances; in addition, many seafood products
39	39		that fail inspections at U.S. ports of entry are simply rerouted by
40	40		suppliers to other ports where they might not be inspected; and
41	41		WHEREAS, The sustainability of the domestic shrimp industry
42	42		is crucial to the survival of many small, family-owned businesses
43	43		and to the stability of Gulf Coast communities, but this important
44	44		economic engine is currently imperiled by unfair foreign
45	45		competition and other rising challenges; now, therefore, be it
46	46		RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
47	47		hereby urge the federal government to curb the mass importation of
48	48		foreign shrimp into the United States to protect the Gulf Coast
49	49		shrimping industry from unfair competition and to protect consumers
50	50		from substandard shrimp that does not meet U.S. health standards;
51	51		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 Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and to the
55	55		Assistant Administrator for Fisheries National Oceanic and
56	56		Atmospheric Administration.