85R9285 BPG-D     By: Hinojosa, et al. S.C.R. No. 38       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, The economy of Texas depends on access to world   markets, and the state has greatly benefited by the North American   Free Trade Agreement; and          WHEREAS, Negotiated by President George H. W. Bush and signed   by President Bill Clinton in 1994, NAFTA created the world's   largest free trade zone; it eliminated most tariffs between the   United States, Mexico, and Canada and made it easier to do business   across the continent; and          WHEREAS, In 1991, the year before President Bush agreed to   the terms of NAFTA, the Lone Star State exported $15.5 billion in   goods to Mexico, according to the Texas Center's Institute for   International Trade; that figure increased to almost $92.5 billion   in 2015, and Mexico ranks as the state's top export market; and          WHEREAS, NAFTA has also facilitated cross-border   manufacturing operations and distribution centers that allow   companies to price goods effectively for worldwide markets; supply   chains that snake back and forth across international boundaries   have become important components of corporate strategies, and by   combining their comparative advantages, the United States and   Mexico have developed an ultra-competitive regional system that   improves North America's global trade standing; and          WHEREAS, The Texas business community relies heavily on   exports for its continued success; as of 2014, nearly 42,000   companies exported from Texas locations, including 39,000 small-   and medium-sized goods exporters; moreover, the Texas Railroad   Commission predicts that Mexican demand for natural gas, the   state's biggest export, will increase in the next few years, from   2.1 billion cubic feet per day in 2015 to 3.4 billion in 2020; and          WHEREAS, Today, trade with Mexico directly and indirectly   generates over 382,000 jobs in Texas and almost 5 million across the   United States, according to the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico   Institute; although some border factory jobs disappeared   immediately following the signing of NAFTA, border cities adapted   to the change by enhancing their industry mixes, and investment by   foreign companies created new jobs as well; hiring in other sectors   has more than compensated for early job losses, both in numbers and   in quality, and the unemployment rate has fallen in border cities as   per capita income has risen; and          WHEREAS, Consumers have also enjoyed lower prices thanks to   NAFTA on a wide range of products, from automobiles to foods;   notably, oil imports from Mexico are cheaper under NAFTA,   decreasing our energy reliance on the Middle East; and          WHEREAS, NAFTA has greatly enhanced our economic   relationship with Mexico, contributing significantly to the   prosperity of Texas while boosting U.S. employment, strengthening   the competitiveness of American firms, and generating cost savings   for American families; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to continue to   support the North American Free Trade Agreement; 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.