Resolution in Support of Expansion of Foreign Markets for America's Small Businesses Exposed

The Resolution in Support of Expansion of Foreign Markets for America's Small Businesses was adopted by ALEC's Trade and Transportation Task Force at the Annual Meeting on July 30, 2004, approved by the full ALEC Board of Directors August, 2004. ALEC has attempted to distance itself from this piece of legislation after the launch of ALECexposed.org in 2011, but it has done nothing to get it repealed in the states where it previously pushed for it to be made into law.

CMD's Bill Summary

From its 1998 resolution in support of "Fast Track" Trade Promotion Authority, which was used to push a permanent normal trading relationship with China through Congress in 2000 with little discussion or debate, to more recent resolutions in support of the proposed Colombia, Panama and Korea Free Trade Agreements, ALEC has consistently urged its members to support a radical "free trade" agenda. This free trade agenda has cost America millions of jobs as factories closed and moved overseas in search of cheaper labor. Since 2001, an estimated 2.4 million American jobs have been lost to China alone. Now a diverse array of service sector jobs, from accounting and tax preparation to health care and credit card servicing are being off-shored under these agreements. Such free trade agreements also allow public health, consumer, environmental and worker safety rules to be challenged as "barriers to trade" in trade tribunals that operate outside the constraints of U.S. law.

ALEC has also been a major promoter of the U.S. tobacco industry, which seeks to hook new generations of smokers on their products around the world. Reynolds Tobacco was the corporate co-chair of the International Relations Task Force of ALEC. ALEC has a trade resolution specifically targeting the European Union ban on Snus, a moist tobacco product often marketed to the young with fruit flavors. Reynolds produces Camel Snus in four flavors and is not happy that this dangerous product is banned in most of Europe. Note that ALEC maintains a list of "International Delegates," which are elected government officials around the world.

ALEC Bill Text

Summary

This resolution endorses efforts of the United States that are designed to enhance and develop foreign markets for goods and services, through enumerated programs.

Model Resolution

WHEREAS, small businesses are the foundation from which American builds its economic strength; and

WHEREAS, there are over 7 million small businesses in the United States, and America's small businesses employ over 85% of all American workers; and

WHEREAS, this body endorses measures designed to ease increase the success of small businesses, by easing the regulatory burden on the small business community through such legislative initatives as the model state Regulatory Flexibility Act; and

WHEREAS, approximately 200,000 American small businesses export their goods or services for consumption outside the borders of the United States; and

WHEREAS, workers in export-related jobs received wages 13 to 18 percent higher than the national average and exports of goods and services from the United States support nearly 12 million domestic jobs; and

WHEREAS, one of every five domestic manufacturing jobs is closely tied to exportation and 25 percent of American agricultural products are sold to foreign markets; and

WHEREAS, the United States government has numerous export promotion and finance programs designed to benefit local businesses, such as those offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Service, the U.S Export-Import Bank, the U.S. Small Business Administrration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service; and

WHEREAS, these programs work to develop foreign markets for goods and services and provide financing for export sales at little or no risk to the domestic business entity;

BE IT RESOLVED that as economic growth and job security can be found through the development of new markets overseas, the legislature of the state of [insert state] endorses the efforts of the United States government to support the export of goods and services by the small businesses of our state; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to each Member of [insert state]'s Congressional Delegation.