85R2261 BPG-D
By: Anchia H.C.R. No. 33
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, After more than five decades of diplomatic tensions,
the United States and Cuba began to normalize relations in December
2014, and this process is opening the way for economic opportunity
and other advancements benefiting our state and nation; and
WHEREAS, Economists, government officials, business leaders,
and scholars all recognize that U.S. and Cuban markets are
complementary, with natural trade ties; in fact, Cuba was once a
major trading partner, and before the imposition of initial
U.S. restrictions in 1960, it ranked as our nation's
seventh-largest export market; and
WHEREAS, A 2016 report by the United States International
Trade Commission found that restrictions on trade with Cuba and
travel to the country had shut U.S. suppliers out of a very valuable
market; although Cuban imports of goods totaled $9.3 billion in
2014, imports from the U.S. were valued at a mere $299 million;
Fortune magazine in 2015 provided a conservative estimate that the
embargo policy was costing the U.S. $1.2 billion annually, and that
lifting the embargo would add 6,000 new U.S. jobs; and
WHEREAS, According to the USITC, the agricultural sector
stands to recognize enormous gains from the removal of
U.S. restrictions on Cuban trade, with exports of wheat alone,
projected to increase by almost $170 million as a result of
moderately reduced trade costs; other significant beneficiaries
would include the chemicals and chemical products industry,
encompassing a wide array of products, from fertilizers and
pesticides to paint, soap, and detergents, as well as smaller
industries, such as paper products and office and computing
machinery; overall, the USITC anticipates that U.S. manufactured
goods exports to Cuba could increase to more than $1.2 billion; and
WHEREAS, The end of trade restrictions would not only
strengthen the economy and boost job creation, but it also would
allow U.S. residents to access certain medical advances available
in Cuba, including breakthroughs in oncology and new medications
such as Heberprot-P, which aids in the treatment of
diabetes-related conditions; and
WHEREAS, The United States and Cuba reopened their embassies
in each other's capitals in 2015, signaling the restoration of full
diplomatic ties; in August 2016, commercial airlines began offering
service between the U.S. and Cuba for the first time in over a half
century, and new rules now permit a variety of economic activity,
including banking transactions, investment by U.S. companies in
some small businesses, and shipment of building materials to
private Cuban firms; Congress has not yet lifted other economic
sanctions, however, and delays in the full renewal of trade
relations are permitting other countries to reap the benefits of
doing business in Cuba; and
WHEREAS, The lifting of the trade embargo against Cuba will
reopen an important market less than 100 miles from our shores and
create tremendous economic opportunities for American citizens;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to consider the
removal of trade, financial, and travel restrictions relating to
Cuba; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.