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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Steel is the backbone of the modern economy, and
3it contributes to every level of daily life; it supports our
4bridges, takes our buildings to new heights, and can be found
5in the everyday appliances in our homes; Illinois' strong
6manufacturing sector relies extensively on the metal; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The steel industry and manufacturing have been
8significantly undermined by low price steel imports from
9foreign nations; companies in places like China, South Korea,
10India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Taiwan, and
11Saudi Arabia are selling their products in the United States at
12predatory prices; some estimates state that certain Chinese
13steel firms retail their products in the United States at 75%
14of the domestic cost of production; a South Korean firm
15recently retailed its products even lower at 48% of the
16domestic cost of production; this unfair trade practice puts
17American mills, and the mines that feed them, at risk; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The economic consequences of steel dumping have
19begun and will have a lasting detrimental impact on the
20Illinois economy and the entire nation; across the Midwest,
21thousands of steelworkers have already been laid off in recent
22years, and as mills continue to operate well below their
23operational capacity, more steelworkers and miners are at risk;

 

 

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1as the percentage of foreign steel used in the United States
2increases, the impacts on American manufacturing will only
3increase; this could lead to the erosion of enterprises that
4are critical to our economy and national defense; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The dumping of foreign steel into the United
6States is a violation of international trade agreements and
7must be halted; Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs
8and Trade 1994 states that products from another country shall
9not be introduced into the commerce of another country at a
10value less than the product's normal price in the destination
11country; the Department of Commerce has used the provisions of
12this article to investigate and take anti-dumping measures
13against nations in the past; however, this process is slow;
14while nations and companies are being identified,
15investigated, and punished, American workers are being laid
16off; action must be taken to more aggressively identify those
17violating international trade agreements and punish them
18accordingly; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
21urge President Barack Obama and the United States Congress to
22take action to halt the illegal dumping of foreign steel into
23the U.S. market; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2delivered to President Barack Obama, United States Senate
3Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the United States
4House of Representatives Paul Ryan, and the members of the
5Illinois Congressional Delegation.