Full Text of HR0246 98th General Assembly
HR0246 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The United States government launched the Visa | 3 | | Waiver Program (VWP) in 1986 to make it easier for tourists and | 4 | | business travelers from friendly nations to visit without a | 5 | | visa, as long as their homeland met stringent security and | 6 | | law-enforcement standards; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Poland is currently one of the few European | 8 | | nations to be excluded from the VWP, despite its nearly | 9 | | century-long diplomatic relationship with the United States; | 10 | | and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The Polish government repealed its visa | 12 | | requirement for U.S. citizens traveling to Poland in 1991; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Poland has been one of the staunchest U.S. allies | 14 | | during the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, where | 15 | | 2,500 Polish soldiers are currently deployed; at least 24 | 16 | | Polish troops have been killed in action in Iraq and | 17 | | Afghanistan; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, In his December 2010 meeting with Polish President | 19 | | Bronislaw Komorowski, President Barack Obama said he would make | 20 | | Poland's admission into the VWP a "priority", and pledged to | 21 | | complete that process expeditiously; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Expansion of the VWP would bring increased revenue | 2 | | to the travel industry at a time when America's economy needs | 3 | | it the most; according to the USTA, in 2010, more than 17 | 4 | | million visitors to the U.S. were from
VWP countries, | 5 | | comprising 65% of all visitors; while visiting, they spent | 6 | | nearly $61 billion,
supporting 433,000 American jobs and | 7 | | generating $9 billion in tax revenues; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, The Secure Travel and Counterterrorism | 9 | | Partnership Program Act of 2013, currently under consideration | 10 | | in Congress, aims to update and modernize VWP requirements, | 11 | | ultimately making Poland and other U.S. allies eligible to | 12 | | participate in VWP; the Act would also enhance national | 13 | | security by encouraging information sharing between the United | 14 | | States and member countries; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 17 | | we urge Congress to pass the Secure Travel and Counterterrorism | 18 | | Partnership Program Act of 2013 in an effort to improve our | 19 | | international diplomatic relationships, create jobs, stimulate | 20 | | the economy, and strengthen national security; and be it | 21 | | further
| 22 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
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| 1 | | delivered to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United | 2 | | States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority | 3 | | Leaders of the United States Senate, and the members of the | 4 | | Illinois congressional delegation.
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