[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 349 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 349

      Encouraging the consumption of Fair Trade Certified coffee.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2003

 Mr. Stark (for himself, Ms. Lee, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. 
Farr, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Brown of 
Ohio, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Sabo, Mr. Filner, and 
 Ms. Millender-McDonald) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the 
  Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Encouraging the consumption of Fair Trade Certified coffee.

Whereas in the context of the global economy, consumer choices and institutional 
        purchases affect communities and the environment throughout the world;
Whereas since 1997 the price of coffee has declined nearly 70 percent on the 
        world market and has recently reached its lowest level in a century;
Whereas the collapse of coffee prices has resulted in a widespread humanitarian 
        crisis for 25 million coffee growers in more than 50 developing 
        countries where coffee is a critical source of rural employment and 
        foreign exchange earnings;
Whereas coffee accounts for approximately 80 percent of export revenues for 
        Burundi, 54 percent of export revenues for Ethiopia, 34 percent of 
        export revenues for Uganda, 31 percent of export revenues for Rwanda, 30 
        percent of export revenues for Nicaragua, 26 percent of export revenues 
        for El Salvador, and 25 percent of export revenues for Honduras;
Whereas according to the International Coffee Organization, coffee producing 
        countries are now only earning $5.5 billion in revenue from a $70 
        billion global coffee industry, while in 1989, coffee producing 
        countries earned $12 billion in revenue from a $30 billion global coffee 
        industry;
Whereas the International Coffee Organization reports that in Guatemala, the 
        coffee harvest labor force has been cut in half to 250,000, while in 
        Columbia the coffee harvest labor force has decreased by 200,000 jobs;
Whereas the World Bank reports that 600,000 permanent and temporary coffee 
        workers in Central America have been left unemployed in the last two 
        years;
Whereas the World Food Program estimates that low international coffee prices 
        have created 150,000 refugees, hundreds of whom have died while 
        thousands have illegally immigrated to the United States in search of 
        work;
Whereas small-scale coffee farmers who receive local market prices for their 
        harvests cannot meet their costs of production and are therefore forced 
        into a cycle of poverty, unemployment, debt, and migration;
Whereas The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal 
        report that coffee farmers are switching to cultivating illegal crops, 
        such as coca and opium poppy, because these crops are more profitable in 
        light of low international coffee prices in traditional coffee-growing 
        countries;
Whereas the Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that illegal drug 
        usage has cost the United States over $160 billion dollars;
Whereas Fair Trade Certification is a solution that ensures a minimum price per 
        pound of coffee of $1.26 for producers and grants them access to credit;
Whereas Fair Trade Certification requires the implementation of sustainable 
        environmental management plans and encourages the cultivation of organic 
        and shade grown coffee, which eliminates the use of harmful chemicals 
        and preserves the critical biodiversity and habitat for migratory birds 
        and other animals;
Whereas coffee is a cash crop and the income earned through the sale of Fair 
        Trade Certified coffee enables coffee farmers and their cooperatives to 
        invest in community development programs, such as health care and 
        education, and in environmentally sound technologies that save water, 
        protect soils, and conserve biodiversity;
Whereas Fair Trade Certification enables small-scale farmers to support their 
        families and invest in their farms and communities, thereby maintaining 
        economic and social stability in rural areas and increasing overall 
        foreign exchange earnings for their countries;
Whereas Fair Trade Certified coffee markets provide a critical economic 
        alternative for more than 675,000 coffee farmers and their families in 
        23 countries around the world who are able to bypass exploitative 
        middlemen and sell their coffee directly to markets in North America and 
        Europe;
Whereas the Fair Trade Certified coffee market is growing at a rapid rate of 
        more than 50 percent a year, and more than 160 companies, including 
        Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, Seattle's Best, Green Mountain, and Sara Lee, 
        now offer Fair Trade Certified coffee;
Whereas Fair Trade Certified coffee is now served in dining halls, cafes, and at 
        catered events on more than 200 college campuses nationwide, including 
        Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, the 
        University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Michigan, Duke 
        University, Oklahoma State University, Georgetown University, and the 
        University of Iowa;
Whereas there is an independent market for Fair Trade Certified coffee, but the 
        overall supply of Fair Trade Certified coffee far exceeds current market 
        demand by at least 130 million pounds;
Whereas the United States Agency for International Development supports several 
        Fair Trade farmer cooperatives in developing countries;
Whereas Fair Trade Certified coffee is already served in several locations in 
        the House of Representatives and the Senate, in all dining and cafe 
        venues in the World Bank, and in many European government agencies, 
        including the European Parliament, the British House of Commons, the 
        British Departments of Trade and Industry and International Development, 
        and in the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices;
Whereas Fair Trade Certified coffee is of a comparable price and taste to other 
        high-quality coffees and has been recognized as such by independent, 
        internationally respected coffee tasting experts; and
Whereas support for Fair Trade Certified coffee furthers United States foreign 
        policy goals by stemming the wave of illegal immigrants from coffee-
        growing regions, providing critical economic alternatives to the 
        planting of illegal crops, and helping to promote economic and social 
        stability and community development in rural areas: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the legislative and executive branches of the Federal 
        government have a responsibility to set a high standard of 
        ethics with regard to their economic activities, and should 
        therefore ensure that the goods and services they purchase and 
        use are produced in the fairest manner possible;
            (2) Fair Trade Certified coffee should be made available at 
        all events and food service locations in the legislative and 
        executive branches of the Federal government, including through 
        indirect purchases by food service providers; and
            (3) information should be made available to the public and 
        to State and local governments about the importance of Fair 
        Trade Certified coffee.
                                 <all>