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HJM018..............................................by AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS
TRADE AGREEMENTS - Stating findings of the Legislature and urging the
federal government, in negotiating any national trade agreements, to
recognize the economic impact of such trade agreements on the states, with
an emphasis on fair trade, rather than free trade, and to renegotiate the
provisions of the Central American Free Trade Area (CAFTA) to limit sugar
exports from the Central American countries to fairly protect sugarbeet and
cane growers in the United States.
02/13 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/16 Rpt prt - to Agric Aff
02/27 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/01 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/04 3rd rdg - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Bolz
Title apvd - to Senate
03/05 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to Agric Aff
03/10 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 10th Ord
03/15 10th Ord - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Noble
Title apvd - to House
03/16 To enrol
03/17 Rpt enrol - Sp signed
03/18 Pres signed - To Secretary of State
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]]
Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session - 2004
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 18
BY AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS
3 ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF
4 IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
5 We, your Memorialists, the House of Representatives and the Senate of the
6 State of Idaho assembled in the Second Regular Session of the Fifty-seventh
7 Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
8 WHEREAS, the state of Idaho is the second leading producer of sugarbeets
9 in the United States, producing eighteen percent of the nation's market share;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, the United States is already the world's fourth largest sugar-
12 importing nation and has existing World Trade Organization commitments to
13 import at least 1,250,000 tons of foreign sugar every year, duty free, from
14 forty-one foreign nations including the Central American Free Trade Area
15 (CAFTA) countries; and
16 WHEREAS, the United States sugar producers are already holding over
17 700,000 tons of United States sugar off the market this year under the market-
18 ing allocation system in the U.S. Farm Bill in order to properly manage the
19 program, stabilize prices and prevent a glut on the market; and
20 WHEREAS, the nation's sugarbeet industry is facing one of the gravest
21 threats in its history in the form of the CAFTA agreement, as well as other
22 trade agreements currently under negotiation, which seek to provide unneeded
23 additional foreign access to the United States sugar market; and
24 WHEREAS, in January 2002, the federal government announced that it was
25 initiating negotiations on a free trade agreement involving the countries of
26 El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. That negotiation concluded in
27 December 2003. The United States is also seeking to include Costa Rica and the
28 Dominican Republic in the agreement. Congress must now decide whether to rat-
29 ify CAFTA; and
30 WHEREAS, CAFTA would allow the Central American countries to export over
31 100,000 additional tons of sugar to the United States, harming the United
32 States sugar industry in the process; and
33 WHEREAS, the United States sugar industry is efficient by world standards
34 but cannot be expected to compete with these foreign countries under free
35 trade agreements due to the labor practices, lack of environmental regulations
36 and subsidized agricultural production of these foreign countries; and
37 WHEREAS, concerns over free trade agreements face the sugar industry at a
38 time when the domestic consumption of sugar is declining, forcing domestic
39 sugar producers to store extremely high quantities of sugar; and
40 WHEREAS, the state of Idaho stands to lose thousands of jobs and millions
41 of dollars if these free trade agreements are implemented, potentially devas-
42 tating the state's sugarbeet industry, moving production into other supply-
43 sensitive crops, and severely harming the state's economy as a whole; and
44 WHEREAS, the economic impact of any trade agreement on the states must be
2
1 recognized and considered to maintain viable economic health of agricultural
2 industries, as well as all industries, with an emphasis on fair trade, rather
3 than free trade; and
4 WHEREAS, the provisions of CAFTA should be renegotiated to limit exports
5 from Central American countries to a needs-based access, allowing the United
6 States sugar policy to properly function and fairly treat sugarbeet and cane
7 growers in the United States.
8 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-
9 sion of the Fifty-seventh Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and
10 the Senate concurring therein, that in negotiating any national trade agree-
11 ments, the federal government is urged to recognize the economic impact of
12 such trade agreements on the states and consider those impacts to maintain
13 viable economic health of agricultural industries, as well as all industries,
14 with an emphasis on fair trade, rather than free trade. The government is fur-
15 ther urged to renegotiate the provisions of CAFTA to limit sugar exports from
16 the Central American countries to fairly protect sugarbeet and cane growers in
17 the United States.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representa-
19 tives be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this
20 Memorial to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Repre-
21 sentatives of Congress, and the congressional delegation representing the
22 State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 13964C1
The purpose of this House Joint Memorial is to convey to the
United States Senate and House of Representatives and the
Congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho that the
Idaho Legislature desires that all potential trade agreements
recognize and consider economic impact. This consideration is to
include the economic impact to all of the state's industries.
Emphasis for trade agreements should be on "fair trade" rather
than "free trade".
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact from this legislation on the General
Fund.
Contact
Name: Representative Darrell Bolz
Phone: 332-1207
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE HJM 018