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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Texas is the nation's leading trade state, and its |
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future prosperity depends on bolstering trade among our North |
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American partners; and |
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WHEREAS, The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), |
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which awaits ratification by the United States Congress, will |
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create a more level playing field for American workers, ensure |
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opportunities for trade in United States services, and benefit |
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farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness; moreover, it modernizes |
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protections for intellectual property, promotes collaboration in |
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tackling cybersecurity, and ensures that digital trade data can be |
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transferred cross-border with protections for the global digital |
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ecosystem; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas exports totaled $315 billion in 2018; the |
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state accounts for almost 20 percent of the nation's trade total, |
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and 45 percent of Lone Star exports are destined for Mexico and |
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Canada; more than 90 percent of Texas exporters are small |
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businesses, and the USMCA cuts red tape, making it easier for them |
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to tap into foreign markets; approximately 44 percent of our |
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state's agricultural products are exported, and the agreement |
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provides enhanced market access for eggs, poultry, dairy, and |
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certain food crops; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2017, Texas energy exports to Canada and Mexico |
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totaled almost $17 billion; the USMCA will promote the stability of |
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this industry by preserving and expanding market integration for |
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greater certainty, efficiency, and interregional investment; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas has more United States ports of entry than any |
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other state, and Laredo and El Paso are the two busiest trade |
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stations doing business with Mexico; while offering new commitments |
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for market access, the USMCA also addresses nontariff barriers |
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related to trade in remanufactured goods and import and export |
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licensing; and |
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WHEREAS, Nearly one million jobs in Texas are supported by |
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trade with Mexico and Canada; experts calculate that failure to |
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ratify the USMCA could result in the loss of as many as 300,000 of |
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those jobs; as North America has become more economically |
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integrated, a collaborative approach to trade is absolutely |
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necessary to protect American jobs and workers while fostering |
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innovation; and |
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WHEREAS, The trade landscape has shifted dramatically over |
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the past two decades, and the USMCA is designed to adapt to the new |
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terrain by strengthening our nation's export capabilities and |
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setting the standard for global trade agreements that will spur |
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continued economic dynamism for years to come; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 86th Texas Legislature |
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hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to unite in |
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bipartisan support for the ratification of the United |
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States-Mexico-Canada Agreement; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the secretary of the Texas Senate forward |
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official copies of this resolution to the president of the United |
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States, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House |
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of 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. |
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