Full Text of HR0254 102nd General Assembly
HR0254 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0254 | | LRB102 18251 MST 25919 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, In 1960, the United States government imposed a | 3 | | strict
economic, commercial, and financial embargo on the | 4 | | Republic of Cuba; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, On December 17, 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama | 6 | | and
Cuban President Raul Castro agreed to reestablish | 7 | | diplomatic relations
between the two countries, as well as | 8 | | cooperation between them on certain
matters of mutual | 9 | | interest; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Nevertheless, despite executive decisions by | 11 | | President Obama
that eased some restrictive regulations, the | 12 | | main portions of the embargo
affecting trade and travel | 13 | | continue in force; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Full restoration of trade and travel between the | 15 | | two countries
would be of great benefit to both, particularly | 16 | | in the areas of food
production, education, health care, | 17 | | tourism, the arts, music, sports, and
medical and | 18 | | biotechnological research; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois would greatly benefit by | 20 | | the
restoration of trade with the Republic of Cuba, which | 21 | | would permit the
export of industrial and agricultural |
| | | HR0254 | - 2 - | LRB102 18251 MST 25919 r |
|
| 1 | | products to the neighboring nation of 11
million people and | 2 | | the importation of Cuban products useful to Illinois, such as | 3 | | the life-saving medicines Herberprot-p and CIMAvax; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Institutions and businesses in Illinois have | 5 | | expressed a
strong interest in selling their products and | 6 | | services to Cuba, importing
Cuban products, and cooperating | 7 | | with Cuban institutions in the areas of the
development of | 8 | | pharmaceuticals and medical devices and procedures and
| 9 | | biomedical research, to the benefit of our citizens; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The people of Illinois are negatively affected by | 11 | | these
restrictions, which violate their right to travel and | 12 | | which harm economic
opportunities for our people that enhanced | 13 | | trade with Cuba would bring us; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 15 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 | | we denounce the
embargo and travel restrictions as prejudicial | 17 | | to the interests of the people
of Cuba, the United States, and | 18 | | Illinois and as a violation of the rights of
U.S. citizens and | 19 | | residents to travel and ascertain the real situation in Cuba
| 20 | | for themselves; and be it further | 21 | | RESOLVED, That we urge President Biden to renew
engagement | 22 | | with the Republic of Cuba, as initiated by the Obama
|
| | | HR0254 | - 3 - | LRB102 18251 MST 25919 r |
|
| 1 | | administration, and rescind restrictive regulations, as well | 2 | | as restaff the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. | 3 | | embassy
in Havana; and be it further | 4 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to
pass | 5 | | legislation finally ending the harmful 59-year-old economic, | 6 | | financial,
and commercial embargo, as well as the travel | 7 | | restrictions on U.S. citizens
and residents to Cuba and Cuban | 8 | | citizens to the United States; and be it further
| 9 | | RESOLVED, That this resolution be distributed to the | 10 | | Illinois Congressional Delegation and President Biden with the | 11 | | urgent request that they act upon it
as soon as possible.
|
|