SR0138 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0138 LRB094 11843 CSA 44200 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The United States of America has always been the world leader in pushing for free trade, which is a hallmark of our capitalistic society; and

WHEREAS, Free trade only thrives where there is a level playing field of government regulations between trading partners; and

WHEREAS, Free trade agreements and policies of the United States with other nations have severely affected United States manufacturing industries and the workers the industries employ; and

WHEREAS, Participation by the United States in international trade organizations may imperil the success of United States manufacturing; and

WHEREAS, Between January 2000 and November 2004, Illinois lost approximately 143,000 manufacturing jobs; and

WHEREAS, Manufacturing jobs in the United States have plunged from 19.3 million in 1980 to only about 14.6 million today, in large part because of these types of trade issues; and

WHEREAS, Foreign nations, such as China, have engaged in a wide range of unfair trading practices, including the manipulation of currency, subsidization of industries, and the dumping of below-cost subsidized products into the United States market; and

WHEREAS, United States manufacturers cannot compete with foreign companies who pay a fraction of the salaries paid to United States manufacturing employees, provide no health benefits to their workers, do not have to comply with safety and environmental regulations, pay no pensions, and receive government subsidies; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Congress of the United States to place a moratorium on new free trade agreements, to investigate and review current free trade agreements and policies of the United States, to investigate and review participation of the United States with international trade organizations, and to ensure that the agreements, policies, and participation are in the best interests of the citizens of Illinois and the United States; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of the United States, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and to each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.