HM 189

1	House Memorial
2	A memorial to the Congress of the United States in support
3	of the establishment of Free Trade Agreements between the
4	United States and Colombia, Panama, and the Republic of
5	Korea.
6
7	WHEREAS, Florida, the United States' fifth-largest exporter
8	in 2008, with goods exports totaling $50.4 billion, has a global
9	reputation as a gateway to the Americas and a vital stake in
10	global markets, and
11	WHEREAS, Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama, and
12	the Republic of Korea offer valuable opportunities for the
13	United States to enhance its competitive edge in the global
14	economy by lowering the barriers that its own exporters face in
15	these markets, and
16	WHEREAS, state and local officials around the United States
17	have signaled their support for Congressional approval of these
18	Free Trade Agreements, and
19	WHEREAS, manufactured exports translate into the creation
20	of jobs for Florida workers, including 128,400 of them as of
21	2005, and
22	WHEREAS, agriculture exports, services exports, foreign
23	investment, and imports all contribute significantly to
24	Florida's economy and employment base, and
25	WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of
26	Agriculture, Florida's agricultural exports reached $1.96
27	billion in 2007, maintaining 17,420 Florida jobs, both on and
28	off farmlands, and
29	WHEREAS, in 2007, Florida's exports to Colombia surpassed
30	$2 billion, increasing by 31 percent over the previous year, and
31	WHEREAS, Florida is the second-leading United States
32	exporter to each of its pending Latin American Free Trade
33	Agreement partners, Panama and Colombia, and approval of Free
34	Trade Agreements with those countries will ensure that those
35	nations continue to make progress in reducing violence while
36	improving economic stability, and
37	WHEREAS, a Free Trade Agreement with the Republic of Korea
38	would substantially increase access to the South Korean market
39	and both the United States and the Republic of Korea would
40	benefit from increased exports, economic growth, and job
41	creation, NOW, 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 Free Trade Agreements between the United
47	States and Colombia, Panama, and the Republic of Korea.
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.