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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Since its ratification in 1994, the North American |
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Free Trade Agreement has produced great opportunities for economic |
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growth and development in the United States and our bordering |
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countries; and |
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WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Census Bureau, American trade |
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with Canada and Mexico has tripled under NAFTA, reaching an annual |
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total of $1 trillion in 2015; Mexico is America's third-largest |
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export market for agricultural products, including corn, soybeans, |
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dairy, pork, and beef, and each year Texas sends about 36 percent of |
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the state's total exports to Mexico; and |
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WHEREAS, NAFTA has significantly benefited American workers |
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by creating myriad new avenues for employment; a 2014 study |
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conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce showed that nearly five |
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million U.S. jobs, including some 350,000 in Texas, are supported |
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by increased trade from NAFTA; in addition, 90 percent of Fortune |
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500 companies have investments in Mexico; and |
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WHEREAS, Any increase in tariffs on Mexican imports would |
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also raise U.S. prices for American-made goods, because the cost of |
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parts produced in Mexico and shipped to manufacturing facilities in |
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the United States would rise steeply; this fallout from a change in |
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our trade policy would have an especially great impact on consumers |
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of automobiles and electronics; and |
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WHEREAS, Through NAFTA, Canada and Mexico have become |
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America's largest and third-largest trading partners, |
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respectively, and a major change to this historic agreement would |
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place the continued growth of our economy at risk; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby respectfully urge Congress to preserve the North |
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American Free Trade Agreement and work toward expanding economic |
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opportunity through international commerce for the betterment of |
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our country; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the house forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |