Senate Resolution 116 - Introduced
PAG LIN
S.R. ________ H.R. ________
1 1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO.
1 2 BY BOLKCOM
1 3 A Resolution urging the United States Congress to
1 4 address the trade in goods manufactured with
1 5 toxic materials.
1 6 WHEREAS, it is in our society's best interest to
1 7 protect the health, safety, and standard of living of
1 8 its citizens; and
1 9 WHEREAS, many people have already directly
1 10 experienced the negative effects of a free trade
1 11 system including job losses, depopulation of
1 12 communities, and increasing national deficits; and
1 13 WHEREAS, the advantages of free trade are
1 14 outweighed by disadvantages such as lost and
1 15 outsourced jobs, a lower quality of life, lower wages,
1 16 damage to the environment, and threats to public
1 17 health and safety; and
1 18 WHEREAS, the negative effects of trade deals and
1 19 goods manufactured with toxic materials are felt not
1 20 only in the United States but in developing countries
1 21 such as China and India where there are more lenient
1 22 labor and environmental laws; and
1 23 WHEREAS, our economy has seen an influx of harmful
1 24 products such as toys made with toxic materials,
1 25 defective passenger tires, poisoned pet foods, and
1 26 other tainted goods, manufactured in and imported from
1 27 countries without adequate regulatory systems; and
1 28 WHEREAS, the federal government has failed to
1 29 adequately enforce existing health, safety, labor, and
1 30 environmental laws on imported products that may cause
2 1 harm to Americans and has not adequately addressed the
2 2 risk of such harm by requiring importers to show that
2 3 they have sufficient financial resources to cover the
2 4 costs of product recalls or the damages caused to the
2 5 public by the defective products they have imported;
2 6 and
2 7 WHEREAS, companies producing and importing products
2 8 should be held accountable if they place greater value
2 9 on profits than on the health and safety of the
2 10 public, or if companies export jobs to take advantage
2 11 of lower labor and environmental standards in
2 12 developing countries; and
2 13 WHEREAS, more stringent trade laws are needed to
2 14 prevent the further loss of American jobs and the
2 15 further erosion of our standard of living; and
2 16 WHEREAS, the federal government has failed to
2 17 adequately enforce trade laws and protect jobs and
2 18 communities from the negative effects of imports from
2 19 developing countries that do not comply with fair
2 20 competition laws; NOW THEREFORE,
2 21 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate urges
2 22 the United States Congress to meaningfully address
2 23 unsafe imports of goods made with toxic materials that
2 24 threaten the health and safety of the public; and
2 25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the United States
2 26 Congress is urged to take immediate action to protect
2 27 all the American public from the dangers of imported
2 28 goods made with toxic materials; and
2 29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this
2 30 Resolution be delivered to the majority and minority
3 1 leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker of
3 2 the United States House of Representatives, the
3 3 Minority Leader of the United States House of
3 4 Representatives, and to each member of Iowa's
3 5 Congressional delegation.
3 6 LSB 6592SS 82
3 7 tw/nh/5