CS/HM 1483

1	House Memorial
2	A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging
3	Congress to support the establishment of a Free Trade
4	Agreement between the United States and Colombia.
5
6	WHEREAS, Florida, the United States' fifth-largest exporter
7	in 2008, with goods exports totaling $50.4 billion, has a global
8	reputation as a gateway to the Americas and a vital stake in
9	global markets, and
10	WHEREAS, a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia offers
11	valuable opportunities for the United States to enhance its
12	competitive edge in the global economy by lowering the barriers
13	that its own exporters face in these markets, and
14	WHEREAS, over 150,000 Colombians are estimated to be living
15	in Florida, and
16	WHEREAS, Colombia ranked 6th for international overnight
17	visitors to the greater Miami area in 2007, generating an
18	economic impact of $501 million, and
19	WHEREAS, in 2006, Florida's exports to Colombia accounted
20	for 23 percent of the United States' exports to Colombia, and
21	WHEREAS, goods exports from Florida increased by over 15
22	percent in 2006, leading to the gross domestic product growth of
23	4.2 percent, and totaled $38.5 billion, representing 5.4 percent
24	of Florida's gross domestic product, and
25	WHEREAS, in 2007, Florida's exports to Colombia surpassed
26	$2 billion, increasing by 31 percent over the previous year, and
27	WHEREAS, agriculture exports, service exports, foreign
28	investment, 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 $1.96
32	billion in 2007, maintaining 17,420 Florida jobs, both on and
33	off farmlands, and
34	WHEREAS, since 2002, homicides of trade unionists in
35	Colombia have fallen between 80 and 86 percent, and
36	WHEREAS, over 40,000 terrorists in Colombia have
37	demobilized under President Alvaro Uribe, and
38	WHEREAS, approval of a United States-Colombia Free Trade
39	Agreement will ensure that Colombia continues to make progress
40	in reducing violence while improving economic stability, NOW,
41	THEREFORE,
42
43	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
44
45	That the Congress of the United States is urged to support
46	the establishment of a Free Trade Agreement between the United
47	States and Colombia.
48	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
49	dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
50	President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
51	United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
52	the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.

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