Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HCR33 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R2261 BPG-D
2	2	By: Anchia H.C.R. No. 33
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5	5	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, After more than five decades of diplomatic tensions,
7	7	the United States and Cuba began to normalize relations in December
8	8	2014, and this process is opening the way for economic opportunity
9	9	and other advancements benefiting our state and nation; and
10	10	WHEREAS, Economists, government officials, business leaders,
11	11	and scholars all recognize that U.S. and Cuban markets are
12	12	complementary, with natural trade ties; in fact, Cuba was once a
13	13	major trading partner, and before the imposition of initial
14	14	U.S. restrictions in 1960, it ranked as our nation's
15	15	seventh-largest export market; and
16	16	WHEREAS, A 2016 report by the United States International
17	17	Trade Commission found that restrictions on trade with Cuba and
18	18	travel to the country had shut U.S. suppliers out of a very valuable
19	19	market; although Cuban imports of goods totaled $9.3 billion in
20	20	2014, imports from the U.S. were valued at a mere $299 million;
21	21	Fortune magazine in 2015 provided a conservative estimate that the
22	22	embargo policy was costing the U.S. $1.2 billion annually, and that
23	23	lifting the embargo would add 6,000 new U.S. jobs; and
24	24	WHEREAS, According to the USITC, the agricultural sector
25	25	stands to recognize enormous gains from the removal of
26	26	U.S. restrictions on Cuban trade, with exports of wheat alone,
27	27	projected to increase by almost $170 million as a result of
28	28	moderately reduced trade costs; other significant beneficiaries
29	29	would include the chemicals and chemical products industry,
30	30	encompassing a wide array of products, from fertilizers and
31	31	pesticides to paint, soap, and detergents, as well as smaller
32	32	industries, such as paper products and office and computing
33	33	machinery; overall, the USITC anticipates that U.S. manufactured
34	34	goods exports to Cuba could increase to more than $1.2 billion; and
35	35	WHEREAS, The end of trade restrictions would not only
36	36	strengthen the economy and boost job creation, but it also would
37	37	allow U.S. residents to access certain medical advances available
38	38	in Cuba, including breakthroughs in oncology and new medications
39	39	such as Heberprot-P, which aids in the treatment of
40	40	diabetes-related conditions; and
41	41	WHEREAS, The United States and Cuba reopened their embassies
42	42	in each other's capitals in 2015, signaling the restoration of full
43	43	diplomatic ties; in August 2016, commercial airlines began offering
44	44	service between the U.S. and Cuba for the first time in over a half
45	45	century, and new rules now permit a variety of economic activity,
46	46	including banking transactions, investment by U.S. companies in
47	47	some small businesses, and shipment of building materials to
48	48	private Cuban firms; Congress has not yet lifted other economic
49	49	sanctions, however, and delays in the full renewal of trade
50	50	relations are permitting other countries to reap the benefits of
51	51	doing business in Cuba; and
52	52	WHEREAS, The lifting of the trade embargo against Cuba will
53	53	reopen an important market less than 100 miles from our shores and
54	54	create tremendous economic opportunities for American citizens;
55	55	now, therefore, be it
56	56	RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas
57	57	hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to consider the
58	58	removal of trade, financial, and travel restrictions relating to
59	59	Cuba; and, be it further
60	60	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
61	61	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
62	62	the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
63	63	Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
64	64	members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
65	65	this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
66	66	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.