85R26965 KSM-D
By: Gutierrez H.R. No. 408
Substitute the following for H.R. No. 408:
By: Ortega C.S.H.R. No. 408
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Since its ratification in 1994, the North American
Free Trade Agreement has produced great opportunities for economic
growth and development in the United States and our bordering
countries; and
WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Census Bureau, American trade
with Canada and Mexico has tripled under NAFTA, reaching an annual
total of $1 trillion in 2015; Mexico is America's third-largest
export market for agricultural products, including corn, soybeans,
dairy, pork, and beef, and each year Texas sends about 36 percent of
the state's total exports to Mexico; furthermore, Canada is the
world's leading purchaser of U.S. goods; and
WHEREAS, NAFTA has benefited American workers by creating new
avenues for employment; a 2014 study conducted by the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce showed that nearly five million U.S. jobs, including
some 350,000 in Texas, are supported by increased trade from NAFTA;
in addition, 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies have investments
in Mexico; and
WHEREAS, NAFTA has had particularly profound and positive
implications for Texas; according to the U.S. Department of
Commerce, NAFTA has created over 190,000 export-related jobs in
Texas; the state has also seen a substantial increase in exports to
Canada and Mexico since NAFTA was enacted; and
WHEREAS, Through NAFTA, Canada and Mexico have become
America's largest and third-largest trading partners,
respectively; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby respectfully urge Congress to work with the
president of the United States to improve and enhance the North
American Free Trade Agreement through modernization and the
recognition of new technological advancements in order to move
toward expanding economic opportunity for the betterment of our
country; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the house 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.