HR0527 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0527 LRB101 14373 MST 63259 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, United States President Donald Trump recently negotiated and signed a free trade agreement with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to update the North American Free Trade Agreement; and

WHEREAS, The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) represents a beneficial update to the three nations' already strong trade relationship and will positively impact the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Canada and Mexico are the largest trade partners of the State of Illinois, purchasing $31.8 billion in goods and services from Illinois and supporting 491,700 jobs in 2017; and

WHEREAS, One-third of the manufacturing companies in Illinois export products to Canada and Mexico, and 69,400 manufacturing jobs rely on trade to those two countries; Canada and Mexico purchase over two-fifths of the State's global manufacturing exports, and the USMCA's strengthened rules of origins will boost the manufacturing base in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Agricultural exports from Illinois to Canada and Mexico amount to $8.2 billion and support 68,500 jobs, which the USMCA will solidify as it will maintain Illinois farmers' access to the corn, soybean, and pork markets in Canada and Mexico and will also robustly expand their access to the Canadian dairy, poultry, and egg markets; and

WHEREAS, The USMCA will strengthen NAFTA's labor and environmental rules, protecting the planet and workers' rights and creating a level playing field for Illinois workers to compete with Mexico and Canada; and

WHEREAS, The USMCA's rules for small and medium-sized businesses will allow Illinois firms to tap further into the Canadian and Mexican markets; and

WHEREAS, The USMCA's strengthened digital trade and intellectual property rules will provide robust protection to Illinois businesses and help further economic progress and innovation in the State, allowing it to progress toward a prosperous future; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United States Congress to promptly ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to enhance the economies of our State and our nation and to strengthen our relationships with Canada and Mexico; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to each member of the Illinois Congressional Delegation and to Governor JB Pritzker.