HR 29D

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution in support of the establishment of Free Trade
3	Agreements between the United States and Peru, Colombia,
4	and Panama.
5
6	WHEREAS, Florida, the United States' seventh-largest
7	exporter in 2006, with exports of goods totaling $38.5 billion,
8	has a global reputation as a gateway to the Americas and has a
9	vital stake in global markets, and
10	WHEREAS, Free Trade Agreements with Peru, Colombia, and
11	Panama offer valuable opportunities for the United States to
12	enhance its competitive edge in the global economy by lowering
13	the barriers that its own exporters face in these markets, and
14	WHEREAS, state and local officials around the United States
15	have signaled their support for Congressional approval of the
16	Free Trade Agreements with Peru, Colombia, and Panama, and
17	WHEREAS, during the last four economic quarters, exports
18	have accounted for 40 percent of overall economic growth in the
19	United States, and
20	WHEREAS, manufactured exports translate into the creation
21	of jobs for Florida's workers, including 128,400 jobs as of
22	2005, and
23	WHEREAS, exports of goods from Florida increased by over 15
24	percent last year, resulting in a 4.2 percent increase in the
25	gross domestic product, a total of $38.5 billion, which
26	represented 5.4 percent of Florida's gross domestic product, and
27	WHEREAS, agricultural exports, services exports, foreign
28	investments, and imports all contribute significantly to
29	Florida's economy and employment base, and
30	WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of
31	Agriculture, Florida's agricultural exports reached $1.7 billion
32	in 2006, maintaining 17,420 Florida jobs, both on and off the
33	farmlands, and
34	WHEREAS, Florida is the second leading United States
35	exporter to each of its pending Latin American Free Trade
36	Agreement partners, Peru, Colombia, and Panama, and,
37	collectively, exports from Florida to those three countries
38	constitute over 7 percent of all of Florida's exports, and
39	WHEREAS, in 2006, over 250,000 Colombians visited Miami and
40	contributed $321 million to Florida's economy, and
41	WHEREAS, the security situation in Colombia has improved
42	significantly since 2000, with kidnappings down by 76 percent,
43	terror attacks down by 61 percent, and homicides down by 40
44	percent, and
45	WHEREAS, approval of the United States-Colombia Trade
46	Promotion Agreement will ensure that Colombia continues to make
47	progress in reducing violence while improving economic
48	stability,
49	WHEREAS, the passage of Free Trade Agreements between the
50	United States and Peru, Colombia, and Panama will enhance the
51	vitality of the economy in Florida, NOW, THEREFORE,
52
53	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
54	Florida:
55
56	That the House of Representatives supports the
57	establishment of Free Trade Agreements between the United States
58	and Peru, Colombia, and Panama.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.