HR1138 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1138 LRB099 21044 MST 46151 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Steel is the backbone of the modern economy, and it contributes to every level of daily life; it supports our bridges, takes our buildings to new heights, and can be found in the everyday appliances in our homes; Illinois' strong manufacturing sector relies extensively on the metal; and

WHEREAS, The steel industry and manufacturing have been significantly undermined by low price steel imports from foreign nations; companies in places like China, South Korea, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia are selling their products in the United States at predatory prices; some estimates state that certain Chinese steel firms retail their products in the United States at 75% of the domestic cost of production; a South Korean firm recently retailed its products even lower at 48% of the domestic cost of production; this unfair trade practice puts American mills, and the mines that feed them, at risk; and

WHEREAS, The economic consequences of steel dumping have begun and will have a lasting detrimental impact on the Illinois economy and the entire nation; across the Midwest, thousands of steelworkers have already been laid off in recent years, and as mills continue to operate well below their operational capacity, more steelworkers and miners are at risk; as the percentage of foreign steel used in the United States increases, the impacts on American manufacturing will only increase; this could lead to the erosion of enterprises that are critical to our economy and national defense; and

WHEREAS, The dumping of foreign steel into the United States is a violation of international trade agreements and must be halted; Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 states that products from another country shall not be introduced into the commerce of another country at a value less than the product's normal price in the destination country; the Department of Commerce has used the provisions of this article to investigate and take anti-dumping measures against nations in the past; however, this process is slow; while nations and companies are being identified, investigated, and punished, American workers are being laid off; action must be taken to more aggressively identify those violating international trade agreements and punish them accordingly; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge President Barack Obama and the United States Congress to take action to halt the illegal dumping of foreign steel into the U.S. market; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to President Barack Obama, United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan, and the members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.