Bill Text: TX HCR88 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Urging Congress to enact an overhaul of the immigration system to promote economic prosperity and national security.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 8-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-02 - Committee report sent to Calendars [HCR88 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HCR88-Comm_Sub.html
| By: Garza, Pena, Torres, Margo, Aliseda, | H.C.R. No. 88 | |
| et al. | ||
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| WHEREAS, Our nation's immigration system is inefficient and | ||
| badly flawed, and a complete overhaul is urgently needed to protect | ||
| our borders and ensure our future economic prosperity; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The United States Congress last passed major | ||
| immigration legislation a quarter-century ago; the Immigration | ||
| Reform and Control Act of 1986 failed to solve the problem of | ||
| illegal immigration, and subsequent piecemeal attempts at reform | ||
| have failed to create a rational and effective system; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Current immigration channels are rigid and | ||
| cumbersome, and as a consequence, smugglers enjoy a thriving market | ||
| that puts great pressure on our borders; not only do too many people | ||
| enter the country illegally, but there is no way to track whether | ||
| the millions who enter on valid visas actually depart when those | ||
| visas expire; moreover, employers are burdened by a complicated and | ||
| inflexible system for verifying the immigration status of potential | ||
| employees, and unscrupulous employers who recruit and exploit | ||
| undocumented workers have little fear of punishment; immigration | ||
| enforcement often targets ordinary workers and their families, | ||
| diverting resources and personnel from efforts to protect against | ||
| genuine threats to national security; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Today, the U.S. economy is inextricably linked to | ||
| the global economy, and globalization has increased the importance | ||
| of labor mobility; businesses need to be able to plan for growth as | ||
| world economic conditions improve, but obsolete immigration | ||
| policies make it difficult to prepare to compete in the global | ||
| marketplace; furthermore, while the American workforce has become | ||
| older and better educated, industries such as agriculture continue | ||
| to require large numbers of workers able and willing to perform | ||
| physically demanding jobs; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Two recent studies, by the Cato Institute and the | ||
| Center for American Progress with the Immigration Policy Center, | ||
| indicate that a complete overhaul of our system of immigration | ||
| would boost the economy by $180 billion or more annually by raising | ||
| the productivity of immigrant workers and expanding activity | ||
| throughout the economy; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A true 21st-century immigration system would focus | ||
| on both the border and the workplace, establishing smart | ||
| enforcement policies and safeguards while creating legal | ||
| immigration channels that are flexible and serve our economic | ||
| interests; a complete overhaul should address the terms and | ||
| conditions of admission to and presence in this country, promote | ||
| the use of reliable and verifiable forms of worker identification, | ||
| and eliminate country of origin preferences; the violation of | ||
| immigration laws should be disincentivized, and employers and | ||
| prospective immigrants who have followed laws and procedures should | ||
| be rewarded; in addition, this overhaul must protect the rights and | ||
| equality of all United States citizens, including children; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Our national interests are poorly served by our | ||
| broken, embattled, and outdated immigration system, and patchwork | ||
| attempts to mend its deficiencies will not secure our borders or | ||
| prepare us to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex global | ||
| economy; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby urge the United States Congress to swiftly enact a complete | ||
| overhaul of our system of immigration that promotes our economic | ||
| prosperity and national security; 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 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. | ||
