By: Estes, Creighton S.C.R. No. 35       SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of the federal government   to fully maintain the security of the Texas-Mexico international   border; and          WHEREAS, The federal government has neglected its duty to   fully maintain the security of the Texas-Mexico international   border; 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; during the   2012-2013 fiscal biennium, Texas spent $222,068,318 on border   security operations, and in the 2014-2015 fiscal biennium,   $467,872,482, and in the 2016-2017 fiscal biennium, $800,038,429;   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 85th Texas Legislature respectfully urge   the Congress of the United States to reimburse the State of Texas in   the amount of $1,489,979,229 for bearing the financial burden of   the federal government's responsibility to secure the Texas-Mexico   international border from 2012 through 2017; 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.