PRINTER'S NO. 1555
No. 276 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY BELFANTI, DiGIROLAMO, PHILLIPS, GOODMAN, EACHUS,
RAYMOND, ARGALL, FAIRCHILD, DeWEESE, CAPPELLI, ADOLPH,
BARRAR, BENNINGTON, BEYER, BIANCUCCI, BISHOP, BLACKWELL,
BRENNAN, BUXTON, CALTAGIRONE, CASORIO, CIVERA, CLYMER, COHEN,
COSTA, CRUZ, DeLUCA, DePASQUALE, DERMODY, J. EVANS, FABRIZIO,
FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GALLOWAY, GEORGE, GERBER, GERGELY, GIBBONS,
GILLESPIE, GODSHALL, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARKINS, HORNAMAN,
JAMES, JOSEPHS, W. KELLER, KENNEY, KESSLER, KING, KIRKLAND,
KORTZ, KOTIK, LEACH, LENTZ, LEVDANSKY, LONGIETTI, MANDERINO,
MANTZ, MARKOSEK, MARSHALL, McCALL, McGEEHAN, McILHATTAN,
MELIO, MICOZZIE, MOYER, MUNDY, MURT, MUSTIO, MYERS,
M. O'BRIEN, OLIVER, PAYTON, PETRARCA, PETRONE, PRESTON,
RAMALEY, READSHAW, SABATINA, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SEIP,
SIPTROTH, K. SMITH, M. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STURLA, SURRA,
TANGRETTI, J. TAYLOR, R. TAYLOR, THOMAS, VEREB, VITALI,
WAGNER, WALKO, WHEATLEY, J. WHITE, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD,
PASHINSKI, ROEBUCK, SHIMKUS AND KILLION, MAY 18, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR RELATIONS, MAY 18, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the Congress of the United States to reject extension of
2 "fast track" trade legislation to maintain the regulatory
3 authority of states and to allow consultation with
4 representatives of state and local governments and industry
5 regarding trade issues.
6 WHEREAS, The United States Trade Representative (USTR)
7 negotiates on behalf of the United States with other nations to
8 enter into trade agreements that are purportedly to help the
9 United States; and
10 WHEREAS, Past free trade agreements and policies, including
11 NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and CAFTA (Central
12 America Free Trade Agreement) have been severely detrimental to
1 industries and to many companies and employees in the
2 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
3 WHEREAS, "Fast track" trade legislation authority is due to
4 expire on July 1, 2007, and the Bush administration and the USTR
5 are urging its reauthorization; and
6 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has lost more than
7 185,000 manufacturing jobs under free trade agreements entered
8 into by the United States; and
9 WHEREAS, An extension of current Federal international trade
10 policies likely will result in further loss of viability of
11 companies and, as a result, more lost jobs in the Commonwealth
12 of Pennsylvania; and
13 WHEREAS, Foreign nations have engaged in a wide range of
14 unfair trade practices, including manipulation of currency,
15 subsidization of industries and dumping of below-cost subsidized
16 products into the United States market; and
17 WHEREAS, Manufacturers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
18 cannot compete with foreign countries and companies who pay a
19 fraction of the wages paid to Pennsylvania employees, who pay no
20 pensions and who are not required to comply with safety and
21 environmental regulations; and
22 WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States has consistently
23 recognized, respected and preserved the states' powers to
24 protect their health, welfare and environment; and
25 WHEREAS, It is vital that the Federal Government not agree to
26 proposals in the current trade negotiations that might in any
27 way preempt or undercut this reserved state authority; and
28 WHEREAS, Proposed trade negotiations should not, in the name
29 of promoting increased international trade, give insufficient
30 regard for existing Federal and state regulatory, tax and
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1 subsidy policies and the social, economic and environmental
2 values those policies promote; and
3 WHEREAS, Statutes and regulations which state and local
4 governments have validly adopted, that are plainly
5 constitutional and within their province to adopt and that
6 reflect locally appropriate responses to the needs of their
7 citizens, should not be overridden by Federal decisions solely
8 in the interests of increased trade; and
9 WHEREAS, States are concerned about retaining a proper scope
10 for state regulatory authority in actual trade commitments with
11 United States trading partners; and
12 WHEREAS, It is crucial to maintain the principle that the
13 United States may request, but not require, states to alter
14 their regulatory regimes in areas over which the states hold
15 constitutional authority; and
16 WHEREAS, If trade legislation is fast-tracked, there will be
17 little opportunity for states to have improper positions
18 reversed; and
19 WHEREAS, It is essential that the USTR take steps to enhance
20 the level of consultation with the states during negotiations on
21 any trade commitments; therefore be it
22 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
23 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress to reject
24 extension of "fast track" trade legislation and to replace it
25 with a new model for trade that maintains the regulatory
26 authority of the states and allows consultation with
27 representatives of state and local governments and industry
28 regarding trade issues; and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That this new process for developing and
30 implementing trade agreements include a mechanism for ensuring
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1 the prior informed consent of state legislatures before states
2 are bound to the nontariff terms of any trade agreement that
3 affects state regulatory authority so as to ensure that the USTR
4 respects the decisions made by states; and be it further
5 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
6 the President of the United States, to the chairmen and ranking
7 members of the United States Senate Finance Committee, the Ways
8 and Means Committee of the United States House of
9 Representatives, the Subcommittee on International Trade of the
10 United States Senate, the Subcommittee on Trade of the United
11 States House of Representatives, to the United States Trade
12 Representative and to the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation.
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