[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 206 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 206

   Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should 
   immediately implement the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 
                               Agreement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 25, 2009

Mr. Johanns (for himself, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Roberts, Mr. 
 Martinez, and Mr. Bond) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should 
   immediately implement the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 
                               Agreement.

Whereas, since his election in 2002, the President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, 
        has been overwhelmingly successful in strengthening the institutions of 
        Colombia, fighting terrorism, improving the economy of Colombia, and 
        extending the authority of the central government, the social support 
        network, and security to most of Colombia;
Whereas, during President Uribe's term, the economy of Colombia grew at an 
        average rate of more than 5 percent per year between 2002 and 2007;
Whereas, according to the World Bank, the total gross domestic product of 
        Colombia increased from $93,000,000,000 in 2002 to $207,800,000,000 in 
        2007;
Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, 
        approximately 10,000,000 people in Colombia have been lifted out of 
        poverty during the past 5 years;
Whereas, according to the Ministry of Defense of Colombia, between 2002 and 
        2007, kidnappings in Colombia decreased by 83 percent, murders decreased 
        by 40 percent, and terrorist attacks decreased by 76 percent;
Whereas police are now present in all 1,099 municipalities in Colombia, 
        including areas previously held by various criminal and terrorist 
        groups;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, more than 30,000 paramilitaries 
        have been demobilized and disarmed since 2002;
Whereas, in July 2008, the security forces of Colombia successfully rescued 15 
        prisoners held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia 
        (FARC), including French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt and 3 citizens of 
        the United States, Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Thomas Howes;
Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, 
        unemployment in Colombia fell from 16 percent in 2002 to 9.9 percent in 
        2007;
Whereas, partially in recognition of the impressive economic, political, and 
        diplomatic advances Colombia has made during the past decade, the United 
        States negotiated and signed the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion 
        Agreement on November 22, 2006, and a protocol of amendment to the 
        Agreement on June 28, 2007;
Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, 
        Colombia is currently the 27th largest trading partner of the United 
        States with respect to goods;
Whereas, according to the United States International Trade Commission, goods 
        valued at $11,400,000,000 were exported from the United States to 
        Colombia in 2008, an increase from $3,600,000,000 in 2002;
Whereas, according to the United States International Trade Commission, 
        implementing the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement would 
        boost exports from the United States by an estimated $1,100,000,000;
Whereas, more than 90 percent of exports from Colombia to the United States 
        already enter the United States duty-free under the Andean Trade 
        Preference Act (19 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.) and the Generalized System of 
        Preferences under title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et 
        seq.);
Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, more 
        than 80 percent of consumer and industrial products exported from the 
        United States to Colombia will enter Colombia duty-free as soon as the 
        United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement enters into force and 
        all remaining tariffs on such products will be eliminated within 10 
        years after the Agreement enters into force;
Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the 
        primary exports from the United States to Colombia in 2008 were 
        $2,600,000,000 in machinery, $997,000,000 in mineral fuel, $974,000,000 
        in organic chemicals, $969,000,000 in corn and wheat cereals, and 
        $950,000,000 in electrical machinery;
Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, 
        Colombia is the 15th largest market for farm products exported from the 
        United States, with the United States exporting almost $1,700,000,000 
        worth of farm products to Colombia in 2008;
Whereas, since 2006, the quantity of agricultural products exported from the 
        United States to Colombia has increased by approximately 40 percent per 
        year;
Whereas, according to the Department of Agriculture, 99.9 percent of 
        agricultural products imported into the United States from Colombia 
        enter the United States duty-free, but no agricultural products exported 
        from the United States to Colombia currently enter Colombia duty-free;
Whereas, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the United States-
        Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement would increase sales of agricultural 
        products produced in the United States by $910,000,000,000 each year;
Whereas, according to the Department of Agriculture, more than half of 
        agricultural products exported from the United States to Colombia will 
        enter Colombia duty-free as soon as the United States-Colombia Trade 
        Promotion Agreement enters into force and all remaining tariffs on such 
        products will be phased out over time;
Whereas the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will level the 
        playing field for workers, businesses, and farmers in the United States 
        by making duty-free treatment a 2-way street between the United States 
        and Colombia for the first time;
Whereas, in the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, Colombia 
        agreed to exceed commitments made by Colombia as a member of the World 
        Trade Organization and to dismantle significant barriers to services and 
        investment from the United States; and
Whereas, in the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, the United 
        States and Colombia reaffirm their obligations as members of the 
        International Labour Organization: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the Senate--
                    (A) recognizes the historic successes achieved by 
                the President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, in rebuilding 
                the Government of Colombia, strengthening the 
                institutions of Colombia, and solidifying the rule of 
                law in Colombia;
                    (B) congratulates President Uribe, the Government 
                of Colombia, and the security forces of Colombia for 
                significant successes in fighting the Revolutionary 
                Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC);
                    (C) recognizes the close ties between the United 
                States and Colombia in the fight against illicit 
                narcotics, terrorism, and transnational crime; and
                    (D) recognizes that the United States-Colombia 
                Trade Promotion Agreement is enormously advantageous 
                for workers, businesses, and farmers in the United 
                States, who would be able to export goods to Colombia 
                duty-free for the first time; and
            (2) it is the sense of that Senate that--
                    (A) it is in the security, economic, and diplomatic 
                interests of the United States to deepen the 
                relationship between the United States and Colombia; 
                and
                    (B) the United States should implement the United 
                States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement immediately.
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