[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4488]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              FOURTH ANNUAL U.S./MEXICO BORDER CONFERENCE

  (Mr. REYES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, today and tomorrow I, along with my 
colleagues that represent districts along the border, are cohosting the 
Fourth Annual U.S./Mexico Border Conference. Each year we bring 
together leaders on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border to look at the 
problems that exist along our border, to develop solutions, and to 
convey these solutions to policymakers of our Nation.
  The border today looks much how the rest of the Nation will look in 
20 years. We are a young, growing, dynamic population that is facing 
problems and experiencing unique issues that perhaps the rest of the 
Nation needs to focus on.
  If our problems are not addressed now in the border region, we run 
the risk of impacting the entire Nation as well as affecting the 
critical tourism and trade relationship between the United States and 
Mexico.
  At the conference, we are focusing on four major areas: education and 
the workforce, health and environment, economic development and 
infrastructure, and border security.
  I urge my colleagues to join me and our other colleagues in learning 
more about the border and provide the direction and leadership that is 
needed.

                          ____________________