HBA-JLV S.C.R. 21 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.C.R. 21
By: Lucio
Public Health
5/14/2001
Engrossed



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Border health conditions not only pose an immediate risk to those who live
along either side of the United States-Mexico border, but also are a health
concern for all of the United States, and unaddressed health concerns in
this region could continue to worsen as the border population and its
mobility increase.  If such issues remain unaddressed this could result in
escalating the risks to other areas of exposure and transmission of
disease. The State of Texas has attempted to address many of the health
issues facing the border population in Texas, but binational cooperation at
the federal level is essential to addressing these health concerns.  

In 1999, the Texas Legislature called for an in-depth study of the public
health infrastructure and barriers to a cooperative effort between Texas
and Mexico.  The results of the study indicate that differences in
technology and limitations on the exchange of technology, disparities in
methods of collecting data and confidentiality provisions that restrict
information sharing, and cultural differences that affect interaction
between local and state health departments all combine to inhibit
collaboration on health issues of mutual concern. An example of the
consequences of such barriers to cooperation occurred in 1999 when an
outbreak of dengue fever in South Texas was traced back to Mexican cities
and was thought to have been brought from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to Laredo,
Texas. Despite the implications for an outbreak across the border, Mexican
health officials were limited in their ability to confirm cases of the
mosquito-borne illness, and provisions in the Mexican Constitution
restricted them from sharing the results of tests performed on Mexican
citizens with Texas health officials.  Similar instances have occurred in
which incidences of tuberculosis, salmonella, and malaria around the United
States were found to have started in the Texas-Mexico border region.  

It is in the interest of the United States to control the spread of
diseases, beginning in the places in which they originate, and poverty and
poor health conditions along the United States-Mexico border region provide
a large incubation ground for diseases.  However, the efforts of one state
or country alone will not address conditions that are present on both sides
of the border, making a cooperative binational effort vitally important.
Establishing an agreement between the United States and Mexico will show a
commitment to the issue of public health and acknowledgment that the spread
of disease is an international problem without boundaries.  Senate
Concurrent Resolution 21 urges the Congress of the United States to
initiate the development of an agreement or treaty with Mexico to address
health issues of mutual concern. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this resolution
does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

Senate Concurrent Resolution 21 urges the Congress of the United States to
initiate the development of an agreement or treaty with Mexico to address
health issues of mutual concern.