Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HR23 Compare Versions

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Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	H.R. No. 23
	1	+	86R3493 BPG-D
	2	+	By: Miller H.R. No. 23
2	3
3	4
4	5		R E S O L U T I O N
5	6		WHEREAS, The longstanding bonds of friendship between the
6	7		United States and Taiwan, embodied in the Taiwan Relations Act of
7	8		1979, continue to yield important economic, strategic, and cultural
8	9		benefits; and
9	10		WHEREAS, Taiwan ranks as our nation's 11th largest trading
10	11		partner, and in 2017, bilateral trade in goods and services reached
11	12		$68.2 billion; a particularly important market for farmers, Taiwan
12	13		imports more U.S. agricultural products on a per capita basis than
13	14		any other nation, and its biennial agricultural procurement
14	15		missions result in multibillion-dollar supply deals; and
15	16		WHEREAS, Since 1988, Texas and Taiwan have maintained a
16	17		sister-state relationship, and they enjoy particularly close
17	18		economic ties, enhanced in recent years by the tireless efforts of
18	19		Peter Chen as the director general of the Taipei Economic and
19	20		Cultural Office in Houston; Taiwan is one of our top 10 foreign
20	21		markets, and in 2017, it imported nearly $4.7 billion in
21	22		commodities from Texas, including computers and electronics,
22	23		industrial machinery equipment, chemicals, and foodstuffs; in
23	24		turn, Texas imported over $2.8 billion in Taiwanese goods,
24	25		primarily computers, electronics, metal products, transportation
25	26		equipment, and industrial machinery; and
26	27		WHEREAS, Taiwanese firms have invested more than $10 billion
27	28		in a wide range of Texas businesses, from petrochemicals and
28	29		automotive parts to electronics, banking, and hospitality; the
29	30		current president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, has traveled to Houston
30	31		twice since her election in 2016, and during her most recent visit,
31	32		in August 2018, Taiwan's CPC Corporation signed a $25 billion,
32	33		25-year purchase agreement for liquefied natural gas with
33	34		Houston-headquartered Cheniere and Formosa Plastics confirmed in
34	35		detail its $12.7 billion accumulated investment at Point Comfort;
35	36		and
36	37		WHEREAS, In June 2015, Taiwan's EVA Air launched a direct
37	38		Taipei-Houston route; travel between Taiwan and the United States
38	39		has increased by more than 50 percent since 2012, when Taiwan
39	40		commenced participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program; it joined
40	41		the U.S. Global Entry program five years later, further enhancing
41	42		commercial, investment, and tourism opportunities; moreover, in
42	43		2018, President Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act, which
43	44		encourages government officials to meet with their counterparts in
44	45		each other's countries; and
45	46		WHEREAS, Taiwan is committed to helping address global
46	47		challenges, from humanitarian crises to nontraditional security
47	48		threats; it has coordinated with the United States to combat Ebola
48	49		and other infectious diseases, and it has provided disaster relief
49	50		in many locations around the world; moreover, it has taken a
50	51		prominent role in environmental protection, and the U.S.-Taiwan
51	52		International Environmental Partnership was launched in 2014 to
52	53		collaborate in the training of experts in the field from Asia,
53	54		Africa, and Latin America; Taiwanese officials and civil society
54	55		groups partner with the United States on a range of issues through
55	56		the American Institute in Taiwan, and the AIT joined with the
56	57		U.S.-based Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to
57	58		establish the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, which
58	59		advances Taiwanese leadership in such arenas as democratization,
59	60		human rights, women's empowerment, and public health; and
60	61		WHEREAS, Texas and the United States have benefited
61	62		immeasurably through decades of unwavering friendship with Taiwan,
62	63		and the wider world is sure to reap tremendous rewards as Taiwan
63	64		works to enhance its presence in the international community; now,
64	65		therefore, be it
65	66		RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
66	67		Legislature hereby express its support for the strengthening of our
67	68		partnership with Taiwan and for the expansion of Taiwan's role on
68	69		the global stage; and, be it further
69	70		RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives hereby:
70	71		(a) express support for a bilateral trade agreement between
71	72		the United States and Taiwan;
72	73		(b) express support for Taiwan's meaningful participation
73	74		in the International Criminal Police Organization, the
74	75		International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations
75	76		Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the World Health
76	77		Assembly;
77	78		(c) commend the inclusion of Taiwan in the U.S. Global Entry
78	79		and Visa Waiver Program;
79	80		(d) honor Peter Chen for his outstanding endeavors as
80	81		director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in
81	82		Houston; and
82	83		(e) celebrate the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the
83	84		Taiwan Relations Act and the 31st anniversary of the sister-state
84	85		relationship between the State of Texas and Taiwan; and, be it
85	86		further
86	87		RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
87	88		prepared for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston as
88	89		an expression of the sentiment of the Texas House of
89	90		Representatives.
90		-	Miller
91		-	______________________________
92		-	Speaker of the House
93		-	I certify that H.R. No. 23 was adopted by the House on April
94		-	1, 2019, by a non-record vote.
95		-	______________________________
96		-	Chief Clerk of the House