Enact legislation that is based on need and not on census or national formulas for public health preparedness programs on the border.

More than $50 million is earmarked for public health preparedness for the State of Texas. The distribution, of these funds is still based on formulas that make it difficult for border cities to compete and receive proper funding for all potential public health hazards. This formula does not take into account the hundreds of thousands of citizens that live in our sister city of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. This is characteristic of most border cities on the US-Mexico border. During 9/11, the City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) had citizens from Nuevo Laredo bringing specimens to get inspected and tested for anthrax. Any health hazard that exists in our city exists in our sister city. Whether it is small pox, anthrax, tuberculosis or West-Nile virus, the threat and the response has to be local and immediate and yet the resources are not there for surveillance, communication, testing and response. In addition, new challenges in chemical, radiological, as well as agricultural, food, water and other environmental exposures have increased the demand for protection, response and preparedness, not just for the United States side but bi-nationally as well. Today, the CLHD continues to provide services that both the state and federal levels should provide. Some of the services provided are training and early disease detection and response, yet resources have remained at the same level and based on formula. We need to create formulas that are based on the specific needs of our border cities.