Bill Text: TX SCR13 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging Congress to oppose construction of a border wall through Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-14 - Referred to Vet Affairs & Border Security [SCR13 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SCR13-Introduced.html
| 86R4548 BPG-D | ||
| By: Hinojosa | S.C.R. No. 13 | |
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| WHEREAS, The future of Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park | ||
| is threatened by the proposed construction of a border wall through | ||
| this treasured site; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1944, the Bentsen family signed over nearly 600 | ||
| forested acres along the Rio Grande to the Texas Parks Board for the | ||
| consideration of $1, with the stipulation that the land be used | ||
| "solely for Public Park Purposes"; it opened to the public as a | ||
| state park in 1962, and while serving as a wildlife corridor that | ||
| allows native species to survive, it has drawn people from across | ||
| the country to observe its diverse fauna; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Today, as part of the World Birding Center, the park | ||
| ranks among the nation's premier bird-watching destinations; it | ||
| attracts some 30,000 visitors annually, with numbers growing by | ||
| about five percent every year, and it is an important driver of the | ||
| Rio Grande Valley's ecotourism economy; and | ||
| WHEREAS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has notified | ||
| landowners of plans to build a 33-mile barrier in Hidalgo and Starr | ||
| Counties; the section in Hidalgo County will consist of vertical | ||
| concrete river levees topped by 18-foot-tall fencing, as well as a | ||
| 150-foot-wide "enforcement zone" on the river side with a road, | ||
| around-the-clock lighting, cameras, and sensors; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Scientists have warned that the construction of such | ||
| a barrier through this sensitive natural area would devastate | ||
| wildlife habitat; a border wall would also inhibit access and deter | ||
| visitors, and it would likely result in the discontinuation of | ||
| overnight camping and nighttime wildlife viewing; moreover, the | ||
| proposed barrier would divide the park, isolating the headquarters | ||
| and visitors center from the area enjoyed by the public and creating | ||
| serious operational, management, and safety issues; further | ||
| complicating the issue, if TPWD is no longer able to safely operate | ||
| the property as a state park, under the terms of the original grant, | ||
| the land could revert to the heirs of the grantor; closure of the | ||
| park could also negatively impact the viability of the neighboring | ||
| National Butterfly Center; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is a jewel of | ||
| the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, beloved by state residents | ||
| and visitors from far and wide, and it should be protected for the | ||
| benefit of generations to come; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to oppose | ||
| construction of a border wall through Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley | ||
| State Park; 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. | ||
