Florida Senate - 2022 (NP) SR 1064
By Senator Garcia
37-01225-22 20221064__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution opposing the removal of the Revolutionary
3 Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) from the United States
4 Department of State’s list of Foreign Terrorist
5 Organizations.
6
7 WHEREAS, Colombia is among the oldest standing democracies
8 in Latin America, and
9 WHEREAS, the United States established diplomatic relations
10 with Colombia in 1822, and
11 WHEREAS, Colombia is a constitutional republic where the
12 people of Colombia hold the power and elect representatives to
13 exercise that power, and
14 WHEREAS, the United States Department of State placed the
15 Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) on the list of Foreign
16 Terrorist Organizations in 1997, and
17 WHEREAS, after many years of violence and armed conflict,
18 in 2021, Colombia is the United States’ strongest ally in Latin
19 America, and
20 WHEREAS, with the support of the United States and the
21 State of Florida, Colombia has transformed itself from a
22 volatile and near-failed state in 2001 into a rich democracy
23 with a growing free market in 2021, and
24 WHEREAS, May 15, 2022, will mark the 10-year anniversary of
25 the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which has
26 supported economic growth and employment opportunities in
27 Colombia, the United States, and the State of Florida, and
28 WHEREAS, the State of Florida is responsible for roughly a
29 quarter of all trade between the United States and Colombia, and
30 WHEREAS, the United States, the State of Florida, and
31 Colombia share a commitment to promoting security, prosperity,
32 human rights, and democracy in Colombia and across the Western
33 Hemisphere, and
34 WHEREAS, in recent years, the Colombian government has
35 taken courageous steps to enforce the law, stop drug
36 traffickers, and rein in foreign terrorist organizations like
37 the National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC, and
38 WHEREAS, the State of Florida continues to support the
39 efforts of the Colombian government for peace, its support for
40 human rights defenders, its provision of greater educational
41 opportunities, its increases in public and private investments,
42 and its respect for human rights and the rule of law, and
43 WHEREAS, the United States maintains a strong commitment to
44 cooperating with the Colombian government to investigate,
45 arrest, and prosecute members of transnational criminal
46 organizations and to dismantle terrorist groups like the ELN,
47 FARC, and Hezbollah, whose illicit activities, specifically
48 narcotrafficking, devastate Colombian and other Latin American
49 societies, and
50 WHEREAS, Colombia is an essential partner with the United
51 States in continuing efforts to support the courageous people of
52 Venezuela in their fight for freedom, democracy, and economic
53 prosperity against the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro, and
54 WHEREAS, enemies of freedom, such as the communist regime
55 in Cuba and the Maduro regime in Venezuela, exploit and abuse
56 vulnerable individuals and promote violent unrest, vandalism,
57 and destruction of property against individuals simply asking to
58 be heard, and
59 WHEREAS, there have been reports that the Biden
60 Administration plans to remove FARC from the designated list of
61 foreign terrorist organizations, and
62 WHEREAS, FARC has murdered, tortured, and kidnapped
63 innocent Colombians and committed gross violations of human
64 rights, and
65 WHEREAS, FARC opposes democratic institutions and those who
66 have fought for them, and
67 WHEREAS, FARC has committed and supported terrorism and
68 continues to do so, NOW, THEREFORE,
69
70 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
71
72 That the Florida Senate declares its firm commitment to
73 Colombia, the United States’ strongest ally in Latin America,
74 and opposes any effort by the Biden Administration or any other
75 governmental entity to remove FARC from the list of Foreign
76 Terrorist Organizations.
77 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate does not
78 condone or support the removal of FARC as a designated foreign
79 terrorist organization.
80 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate condemns any
81 regime in any country, such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran, which
82 gives aid to terrorist groups in Colombia by providing training,
83 weapons, or funding or by hosting those groups within its
84 borders.
85 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate will use all
86 means possible, including divestiture, to impede ties,
87 commercial or otherwise, with FARC.
88 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate recognizes
89 that a stable and prosperous Colombia serves the Colombian
90 people first and foremost, but also serves the State of
91 Florida’s interests in Latin America.