85R2261 BPG-D     By: Anchia H.C.R. No. 33       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, After more than five decades of diplomatic tensions,   the United States and Cuba began to normalize relations in December   2014, and this process is opening the way for economic opportunity   and other advancements benefiting our state and nation; and          WHEREAS, Economists, government officials, business leaders,   and scholars all recognize that U.S. and Cuban markets are   complementary, with natural trade ties; in fact, Cuba was once a   major trading partner, and before the imposition of initial   U.S. restrictions in 1960, it ranked as our nation's   seventh-largest export market; and          WHEREAS, A 2016 report by the United States International   Trade Commission found that restrictions on trade with Cuba and   travel to the country had shut U.S. suppliers out of a very valuable   market; although Cuban imports of goods totaled $9.3 billion in   2014, imports from the U.S. were valued at a mere $299 million;   Fortune magazine in 2015 provided a conservative estimate that the   embargo policy was costing the U.S. $1.2 billion annually, and that   lifting the embargo would add 6,000 new U.S. jobs; and          WHEREAS, According to the USITC, the agricultural sector   stands to recognize enormous gains from the removal of   U.S. restrictions on Cuban trade, with exports of wheat alone,   projected to increase by almost $170 million as a result of   moderately reduced trade costs; other significant beneficiaries   would include the chemicals and chemical products industry,   encompassing a wide array of products, from fertilizers and   pesticides to paint, soap, and detergents, as well as smaller   industries, such as paper products and office and computing   machinery; overall, the USITC anticipates that U.S. manufactured   goods exports to Cuba could increase to more than $1.2 billion; and          WHEREAS, The end of trade restrictions would not only   strengthen the economy and boost job creation, but it also would   allow U.S. residents to access certain medical advances available   in Cuba, including breakthroughs in oncology and new medications   such as Heberprot-P, which aids in the treatment of   diabetes-related conditions; and          WHEREAS, The United States and Cuba reopened their embassies   in each other's capitals in 2015, signaling the restoration of full   diplomatic ties; in August 2016, commercial airlines began offering   service between the U.S. and Cuba for the first time in over a half   century, and new rules now permit a variety of economic activity,   including banking transactions, investment by U.S. companies in   some small businesses, and shipment of building materials to   private Cuban firms; Congress has not yet lifted other economic   sanctions, however, and delays in the full renewal of trade   relations are permitting other countries to reap the benefits of   doing business in Cuba; and          WHEREAS, The lifting of the trade embargo against Cuba will   reopen an important market less than 100 miles from our shores and   create tremendous economic opportunities for American citizens;   now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to consider the   removal of trade, financial, and travel restrictions relating to   Cuba; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official   copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to   the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of   Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the   members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that   this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a   memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.