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.