2019S0688-1 05/15/19
By: Nelson, Huffman S.R. No. 760
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Texas is the nation's leading trade state, and its
future prosperity depends on bolstering trade among our North
American partners; and
WHEREAS, The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
(USMCA), which awaits ratification by the United States
Congress, will create a more level playing field for American
workers, ensure opportunities for trade in United States
services, and benefit farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness;
moreover, it modernizes protections for intellectual property,
promotes collaboration in tackling cybersecurity, and ensures
that digital trade data can be transferred cross-border with
protections for the global digital ecosystem; and
WHEREAS, Texas exports totaled $315 billion in 2018; the
state accounts for almost 20 percent of the nation's trade total,
and 45 percent of Lone Star exports are destined for Mexico and
Canada; more than 90 percent of Texas exporters are small
businesses, and the USMCA cuts red tape, making it easier for
them to tap into foreign markets; approximately 44 percent of our
state's agricultural products are exported, and the agreement
provides enhanced market access for eggs, poultry, dairy, and
certain food crops; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, Texas energy exports to Canada and
Mexico totaled almost $17 billion; the USMCA will promote the
stability of this industry by preserving and expanding market
integration for greater certainty, efficiency, and interregional
investment; and
WHEREAS, Texas has more United States ports of entry than
any other state, and Laredo and El Paso are the two busiest trade
stations doing business with Mexico; while offering new
commitments for market access, the USMCA also addresses
nontariff barriers related to trade in remanufactured goods and
import and export licensing; and
WHEREAS, Nearly one million jobs in Texas are supported by
trade with Mexico and Canada; experts calculate that failure to
ratify the USMCA could result in the loss of as many as 300,000 of
those jobs; as North America has become more economically
integrated, a collaborative approach to trade is absolutely
necessary to protect American jobs and workers while fostering
innovation; and
WHEREAS, The trade landscape has shifted dramatically over
the past two decades, and the USMCA is designed to adapt to the
new terrain by strengthening our nation's export capabilities
and setting the standard for global trade agreements that will
spur continued economic dynamism for years to come; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 86th Texas Legislature
hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to unite in
bipartisan support for the ratification of the United
States-Mexico-Canada Agreement; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the secretary of the Texas Senate 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.