Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HCR166 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R7192 BPG-D
2	2	By: Chavez H.C.R. No. 166
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5	5	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, Since 1960, the relationship between the United
7	7	States and Cuba has been one of tension and conflict, most notably
8	8	marked by the longest-standing trade embargo in modern history; but
9	9	with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the recent resignation of
10	10	Fidel Castro, Cuba today is far less a threat than a potentially
11	11	significant trade partner for American businesses; and
12	12	WHEREAS, According to the United States International Trade
13	13	Commission (USITC), Cuba imports up to two-thirds of its
14	14	agricultural staples, much of it from the United States; even with
15	15	current trade restrictions, United States agriculture accounts for
16	16	24 percent of Cuba's imported rice, 65 percent of its imported
17	17	poultry, 42 percent of its imported pork, and 100 percent of its
18	18	imported soybeans; however, while Cuba is the largest single grain
19	19	market in the Caribbean, annually importing an estimated 2.5
20	20	million metric tons of corn, rice, and wheat, much of this imported
21	21	grain comes from producing countries other than the United States;
22	22	and
23	23	WHEREAS, Despite clear advantages to trading with the United
24	24	States, such as lower freight costs and better shipping schedules,
25	25	the trade embargo has forced Cuba to import many of the products it
26	26	needs from other sources; in recent years, the European Union has
27	27	supplied Cuba with virtually all of the country's wheat and
28	28	wheat-based products while Vietnam delivered the majority of Cuba's
29	29	rice, and Cuba's trade with China doubled in only one year, between
30	30	2005 and 2006; and
31	31	WHEREAS, The likely outcome of unfettered trade with Cuba is
32	32	evidenced by the dramatic increase in exports from American
33	33	agricultural producers after congress adopted the Trade Sanctions
34	34	Reform and Export Enhancement Act in 2000 to expand the list of
35	35	products eligible to be sold to the island nation; since the act
36	36	took effect in February 2001, Cuba has moved from the bottom 20th
37	37	percentile to the top 20th percentile of United States grain export
38	38	markets; and
39	39	WHEREAS, In fact, in the seven years since the changes in law
40	40	took effect, Cuba consistently has ranked among the top 10 export
41	41	markets for United States soybean oil, dry peas, lentils, dry
42	42	beans, powdered milk, and poultry meat; moreover, between 2004 and
43	43	2006, United States agricultural exports to Cuba averaged more than
44	44	$350 million, and the USITC estimates that American agricultural
45	45	sales to Cuba would double if the embargo were lifted; and
46	46	WHEREAS, Even under the current rules, the Lone Star State
47	47	already has factored significantly in the increased trade between
48	48	the United States and Cuba with more than $90 million in
49	49	agricultural goods shipping from Texas and through Texas ports in
50	50	2007; clearly, the State of Texas would profit greatly from
51	51	unrestricted trade with Cuba; and
52	52	WHEREAS, Agriculture is the second-largest resource-based
53	53	industry in Texas, employing one of every seven working Texans, and
54	54	the food, fiber, and horticulture industry generates approximately
55	55	$103 billion for the state's economy; Texas also ranks second in the
56	56	nation for market value of agricultural products sold, according to
57	57	the 2007 United States Department of Agriculture Census of
58	58	Agriculture; and
59	59	WHEREAS, Indeed, before the trade embargo took effect, Texas
60	60	was the lead exporter of rice to Cuba; seeking to renew that
61	61	economic partnership, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples
62	62	recently led a 24-member delegation of ranchers, farmers, port
63	63	officials, and entrepreneurs to Cuba to discuss contracts with
64	64	Texas producers; and
65	65	WHEREAS, While the trade embargo may have once been a
66	66	political and security necessity, it now serves only to drive Cuba
67	67	to trade with competitors in countries that have no such
68	68	restrictions and hinder American businesses from gaining access to
69	69	a lucrative market; now, therefore, be it
70	70	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
71	71	hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to
72	72	prioritize diplomatic relations with Cuba leading to an end of the
73	73	embargo and normalized trade relations; and, be it further
74	74	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
75	75	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
76	76	the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
77	77	senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the
78	78	Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
79	79	resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
80	80	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.