HCR112 - Urging Congress to allow U.S. citizens to use REAL ID cards as a travel document for arrivals at land and sea ports-of-entry.

  89R13016 TBO-D     By: Perez of El Paso H.C.R. No. 112       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, U.S. citizens who are entering the United States by   land or sea are currently required to present a passport or other   travel document that denotes identity and citizenship; and          WHEREAS, Travel documents for arrivals at land and sea   ports-of-entry must be compliant with the Western Hemisphere Travel   Initiative, which was established in 2008 to strengthen border   security while facilitating entry into the United States for   U.S. citizens and legitimate international travelers; valid travel   documents include a U.S. passport or passport card, an enhanced   driver's license, an enhanced tribal card, Trusted Traveler Program   cards, U.S. military orders with a valid military ID, and a   U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential with an official travel letter;   and          WHEREAS, In 2005, the United States Congress passed the REAL   ID Act, which requires states to adopt and implement uniform   standards for the issuance and production of driver's licenses and   identification cards; under the law, states must obtain documentary   evidence of an applicant's lawful status, such as proof of   citizenship, before issuing a REAL ID; Texas has issued REAL ID   compliant cards since 2016, and beginning on May 7, 2025, only REAL   ID cards will be accepted for official federal government purposes,   including entering secure federal buildings or boarding domestic   flights; and          WHEREAS, As a result of the minimum issuance standards set by   the REAL ID Act, all REAL ID cards denote both identity and lawful   status; however, they are not yet recognized as compliant with the   Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, and they cannot be used to   validate entry to the United States at land and sea border crossing   points; and          WHEREAS, Each year, millions of travelers enter the United   States at the southern border of Texas, and many of them are   U.S. citizens who possess a REAL ID card; allowing those travelers   to use their REAL ID card as a travel document in lieu of a passport   would help to make the process of crossing the border more efficient   and convenient; and          WHEREAS, REAL ID cards serve as sufficient evidence of   identity and lawful status, and they should be included in the   Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative's list of travel documents   that are accepted for entry into the United States; now, therefore,   be it          RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to allow   U.S. citizens to use REAL ID cards as a travel document for arrivals   at land and sea ports-of-entry; 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.