HLS 21RS-585 ORIGINAL 2021 Regular Session HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 64 BY REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Continues the Joint Subcommittee on International Trade to study how to best capitalize on Louisiana's international trade potential 1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION 2To continue the Joint Subcommittee on International Trade of the House Committee on 3 Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and 4 International Affairs that was created pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution No. 5 69 of the 2020 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana to study what 6 legislative measures should be taken to best capitalize on Louisiana's competitive 7 advantage in international trade by 2030 and to report the findings of the joint 8 committee to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 Regular Session of 9 the Legislature of Louisiana. 10 WHEREAS, Louisiana contains three of the most important waterways in the world: 11the Mississippi River, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and the Calcasieu Ship Channel; and 12 WHEREAS, Louisiana's port and rail connections are considered among the top 13global freight transportation hubs; and 14 WHEREAS, international trade, including exports and imports, supports more than 15one in five jobs; and 16 WHEREAS, more than ninety-five percent of the world's population and eighty 17percent of the world's purchasing power lie outside of the United States; and 18 WHEREAS, the future economic growth and jobs for Louisiana and America 19increasingly depend on expanding United States trade and investment opportunities in the 20global marketplace; and Page 1 of 3 HLS 21RS-585 ORIGINAL HCR NO. 64 1 WHEREAS, export growth increases jobs by generating new business for Louisiana's 2manufacturers, service providers, and farmers; and 3 WHEREAS, imports lower prices and increase choices for Louisiana companies and 4families; and 5 WHEREAS, trade-supported jobs are not just at companies that export and import; 6and 7 WHEREAS, trade supports higher wages for workers and lower costs for companies 8and consumers, providing them with more money to spend on other things; and 9 WHEREAS, this spending supports additional jobs throughout the economy in 10sectors like entertainment, education, and construction; and 11 WHEREAS, Louisiana ranks among the top U.S. state exporters in various industries, 12including grain and oilseed milling products, farmed fish, petroleum and coal products, and 13basic chemicals; and 14 WHEREAS, a purposeful and strategic approach to trade regulation, agreements, and 15investments would benefit Louisiana's economic future and the future of Louisiana families. 16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 17extend the Joint Subcommittee on International Trade of the House Committee on 18Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International 19Affairs to meet and to study the best international trade practices to implement in order to 20capitalize on Louisiana's competitive advantage in international trade and to report the 21findings of the joint committee to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 Regular 22Session of the Legislature of Louisiana. 23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana further directs the 24joint subcommittee to solicit input, information, data, recommendations, and advice from 25the following agencies and organizations: 26 (1) The Department of Economic Development. 27 (2) The Department of Transportation and Development. 28 (3) Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. 29 (4) The Committee of 100. 30 (5) The Louisiana Chemical Association. Page 2 of 3 HLS 21RS-585 ORIGINAL HCR NO. 64 1 (6) Ports Association of Louisiana. 2 (7) Louisiana Association of Waterways and Shipyards. 3 (8) Louisiana Rail Association. 4 (9) Louisiana Motor Transportation Association. 5 (10) Any persons, agencies, entities, or stakeholders that it deems necessary to fulfill 6the purposes of the joint subcommittee. DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HCR 64 Original 2021 Regular Session Wright Continues the Joint Subcommittee on International Trade to meet and to study the best practices to implement in order to capitalize on Louisiana's international trade potential. Page 3 of 3