85R10819 RMA-D     By: Gutierrez H.R. No. 408       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Since its ratification in 1994, the North American   Free Trade Agreement has produced great opportunities for economic   growth and development in the United States and our bordering   countries; and          WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Census Bureau, American trade   with Canada and Mexico has tripled under NAFTA, reaching an annual   total of $1 trillion in 2015; Mexico is America's third-largest   export market for agricultural products, including corn, soybeans,   dairy, pork, and beef, and each year Texas sends about 36 percent of   the state's total exports to Mexico; and          WHEREAS, NAFTA has significantly benefited American workers   by creating myriad new avenues for employment; a 2014 study   conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce showed that nearly five   million U.S. jobs, including some 350,000 in Texas, are supported   by increased trade from NAFTA; in addition, 90 percent of Fortune   500 companies have investments in Mexico; and          WHEREAS, Any increase in tariffs on Mexican imports would   also raise U.S. prices for American-made goods, because the cost of   parts produced in Mexico and shipped to manufacturing facilities in   the United States would rise steeply; this fallout from a change in   our trade policy would have an especially great impact on consumers   of automobiles and electronics; and          WHEREAS, Through NAFTA, Canada and Mexico have become   America's largest and third-largest trading partners,   respectively, and a major change to this historic agreement would   place the continued growth of our economy at risk; now, therefore,   be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas   Legislature hereby respectfully urge Congress to preserve the North   American Free Trade Agreement and work toward expanding economic   opportunity through international commerce for the betterment of   our country; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the house 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.