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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Spartan Light Metal Products has been an industry | ||||||
| 3 | leader in magnesium custom die castings for the past 4 decades; | ||||||
| 4 | the company has been owned and operated as a family business | ||||||
| 5 | since 1961 and employs over 600 people; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Spartan Light Metal Products provides die cast | ||||||
| 7 | products from magnesium alloys that reduce weight and improve | ||||||
| 8 | performance of products at competitive costs; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Magnesium die casting, such as Spartan Light Metal | ||||||
| 10 | Products, are being greatly harmed by the tariffs (731-TA-1071 | ||||||
| 11 | and 731-TA-1072) that have been placed on imported magnesium | ||||||
| 12 | alloys by the United States International Trade Commission; | ||||||
| 13 | these tariffs allow the nation's lone magnesium producer to set | ||||||
| 14 | whatever price it chooses for raw magnesium, driving many die | ||||||
| 15 | cast companies out of business; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, The tariffs have created an advantage for foreign | ||||||
| 17 | competitors, who can purchase magnesium at | ||||||
| 18 | globally-competitive prices and export finished products to | ||||||
| 19 | U.S. markets free of penalties; this practice replaces U.S. | ||||||
| 20 | manufacturing jobs and could lead to bankruptcy for the | ||||||
| 21 | industry; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The tariffs have also placed U.S. car | ||||||
| 2 | manufacturers at a cost and weight disadvantage against foreign | ||||||
| 3 | carmakers in meeting Corporate Average Fuel Economy | ||||||
| 4 | requirements; as a result, about 60% of Spartan Light Metal | ||||||
| 5 | Products' magnesium business for 2011 is disappearing at a time | ||||||
| 6 | when the demand for magnesium products is growing; therefore, | ||||||
| 7 | be it
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| 8 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 9 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 10 | urge the U.S. President and Congress to find a creative | ||||||
| 11 | solution to protect the nation's lone magnesium producer | ||||||
| 12 | without destroying the U.S. magnesium die casting industry; and | ||||||
| 13 | be it further
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| 14 | RESOLVED, That we further urge the U.S. President and | ||||||
| 15 | Congress to lift U.S. tariffs 731-TA-1071 and 731-TA-1072 on | ||||||
| 16 | die cast magnesium alloys from China and Russia or to create a | ||||||
| 17 | fair market by placing a similar tariff on imported assemblies | ||||||
| 18 | and products made from die cast magnesium alloys; and be it | ||||||
| 19 | further | ||||||
| 20 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 21 | presented to the President of the United States and the members | ||||||
| 22 | of the Illinois congressional delegation.
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