Full Text of HR1138 99th General Assembly
HR1138 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Steel is the backbone of the modern economy, and | 3 | | it contributes to every level
of daily life; it supports our | 4 | | bridges, takes our buildings to new heights, and can be found | 5 | | in the
everyday appliances in our homes; Illinois' strong | 6 | | manufacturing sector relies extensively on the metal; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The steel industry and manufacturing have been | 8 | | significantly undermined by low price
steel imports from | 9 | | foreign nations; companies in places like China, South Korea, | 10 | | India, the
Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Taiwan, and | 11 | | Saudi Arabia are selling their products in the United States at | 12 | | predatory prices; some estimates state that certain Chinese | 13 | | steel firms retail their products in the United States at 75% | 14 | | of the domestic cost of production; a South Korean firm | 15 | | recently retailed its products even lower at 48% of the | 16 | | domestic cost of production; this unfair trade practice puts | 17 | | American mills, and the mines that feed them, at risk; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The economic consequences of steel dumping have | 19 | | begun and will have a
lasting detrimental impact on the | 20 | | Illinois economy and the entire nation; across the Midwest,
| 21 | | thousands of steelworkers have already been laid off in recent | 22 | | years, and as mills continue to
operate well below their | 23 | | operational capacity, more steelworkers and miners are at risk; |
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| 1 | | as the
percentage of foreign steel used in the United States | 2 | | increases, the impacts on American
manufacturing will only | 3 | | increase; this could lead to the erosion of enterprises that | 4 | | are critical to
our economy and national defense; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The dumping of foreign steel into the United | 6 | | States is a violation of
international trade agreements and | 7 | | must be halted; Article VI of the General Agreement on
Tariffs | 8 | | and Trade 1994 states that products from another country shall | 9 | | not be introduced into the
commerce of another country at a | 10 | | value less than the product's normal price in the destination
| 11 | | country; the Department of Commerce has used the provisions of | 12 | | this article to investigate and
take anti-dumping measures | 13 | | against nations in the past; however, this process is slow; | 14 | | while
nations and companies are being identified, | 15 | | investigated, and punished, American workers are
being laid | 16 | | off; action must be taken to more aggressively identify those | 17 | | violating international
trade agreements and punish them | 18 | | accordingly; therefore, be it
| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 20 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 21 | | urge President Barack Obama and the United States Congress to | 22 | | take action to halt the illegal dumping of foreign steel into | 23 | | the U.S. market; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 2 | | delivered to President Barack Obama, United States Senate | 3 | | Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the United States | 4 | | House of Representatives Paul Ryan, and the members of the | 5 | | Illinois Congressional Delegation.
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