85R7404 KSM-F     By: Flynn H.C.R. No. 52       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of the federal government   to fully maintain the security of the Texas-Mexico international   border, but Washington has neglected its duty; and          WHEREAS, An unprotected border facilitates drug smuggling   and human trafficking and opens the door to spillover violence from   criminal cartels; moreover, the ease with which members of   terrorist organizations can enter the country poses a grave threat   to homeland security; and          WHEREAS, The federal government's failure to prevent illegal   entry has shifted much of the responsibility to the State of Texas;   consequently, budget writers must weigh the costs of border   security against the expense of other state services; since January   2013, Texas has spent a total of $2.8 billion on border security,   including $463,000,000 to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice   and $416,000,000 to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission;   and          WHEREAS, Furthermore, in 2014, former governor Rick Perry   transferred $38,700,000 from a state law enforcement fund to pay   for deploying additional Department of Public Safety officers and   National Guard troops along the Texas-Mexico border; the cost   incurred by DPS alone since 2013 totals more than $1.4 billion; and          WHEREAS, The executive branch and the United States Congress   have consistently delayed meaningful action on border security,   forcing Texas to expend significant resources to keep the   international border with Mexico secure and placing an undue burden   on the state's taxpayers; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby express its dissatisfaction with the federal government's   inadequate efforts to secure the Texas-Mexico international   border; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the Congress of the United States be   respectfully urged to reimburse the State of Texas in the amount of   $2.8 billion for bearing the financial burden of the federal   government's responsibility to secure the Texas-Mexico   international border from 2013 through 2016; 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 president of the Senate and to the speaker of the House of   Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the   members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that   this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a   memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.