,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #aagh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #b1 #bjbj,mr4 ,sires 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,diaz-,balart1 ,mr4 ,espaillat1 and ,ms4 ,bass7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,,resolution ,opposing any inclusion of apparel1 textile1 and footwear products in the ,generalized ,system of ,preferences4 ,whereas the ,generalized ,system of ,preferences 7,,gsp7 was authorized by title ,v of the ,trade ,act of #aigd 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #bdfa et seq47 to promote economic growth in developing countries and1 from ,january #a1 #aigf1 has provided duty-free treatment to goods of designated beneficiary countries2 ,whereas the #aaeth ,congress most recently reauthorized the ,,gsp program until ,december #ca1 #bjbj2 ,whereas ,,gsp was carefully designed to exclude import-sensitive industries1 such as textiles and apparel1 to ensure that domestic producers and component suppliers would not be harmed2 ,whereas certain industry groups have proposed expanding ,,gsp-eligible products to include textile1 apparel1 and footwear products2 ,whereas in a joint letter sent to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives on ,november #bg1 #bjai1 the governments of ,colombia1 ,costa ,rica1 the ,dominican ,republic1 ,el ,salvador1 ,guatemala1 and ,honduras warned that expanding ,,gsp to include textile1 apparel1 and footwear products would lead to massive layoffs in these sectors1 which provide #b1jjj1jjj direct jobs in ,latin ,america2 ,whereas the ,united ,states trade in goods and services with the ,western ,hemisphere totaled #a1ijj1jjj1jjj1jjj in #bjah2 ,whereas according to the ,department of ,commerce1 ,united ,states exports of goods and services to the ,western ,hemisphere supported an estimated #c1hjj1jjj jobs in #bjae2 ,whereas according to data from the ,office of ,textiles and ,apparel1 the ,western ,hemisphere trade in textile and apparel products directly supports nearly #gj percent of ,united ,states textile and apparel exports and #ce1jjj1jjj1jjj in two-way trade2 ,whereas ,united ,states trade relations with other countries in the ,western ,hemisphere not only advance ,united ,states economic interests1 but also advance prosperity1 security1 and economic opportunity in these countries1 reducing the root causes of irregular migration and minimizing the conditions of poverty and unemployment that can enable drug-trafficking and other illegal economic activity2 ,whereas ,united ,states trade agreements such as the ,united ,states-,mexico-,canada ,agreement1 the ,dominican ,republic-,central ,america ,free ,trade ,agreement1 and the ,united ,states-,colombia ,trade ,promotion ,agreement include clear standards for labor and environmental rights and rules of origin2 ,whereas ,,gsp does not include any standards for environmental protection under its eligibility criteria for beneficiary developing countries2 ,whereas while ,haiti is also a beneficiary under ,,gsp1 its textile industry is heavily dependent on exports to the ,united ,states under the ,caribbean ,basin ,trade ,partnership ,act 7,,cbtpa7 and the ,haitian ,hemispheric ,opportunity through ,partnership ,encouragement ,act2 ,whereas adding textile and apparel to ,,gsp would diminish the preferences ,haiti receives under the ,,cbtpa2 ,whereas ,china1 while not ,,gsp-eligible1 would indirectly benefit from a ,,gsp expansion because it is a major supplier of textile and apparel component parts to numerous beneficiary countries under ,,gsp1 with #cf percent of ,china's global textile exports being shipped currently to ,,gsp nations2 ,whereas the ,united ,states has a strong interest in supporting trade and investment with sub-,saharan ,africa beyond the ,african ,growth and ,opportunity ,act 7,,agoa71 which is scheduled to terminate in #bjbe2 ,whereas ,,agoa has provided duty-free treatment for essentially all goods from eligible sub-,saharan ,african countries with the goal of leveraging expanded trade and investment to promote economic development and poverty alleviation across the continent while strengthening ,united ,states-,africa economic ties2 ,whereas ,,agoa's apparel imports from sub-,saharan ,africa have risen from #cee1jjj1jjj in #bjjj1 to #a1djj1jjj1jjj in #bjai1 generating an estimated #a1cjj1jjj new garment jobs in ,africa1 yet still representing less than #b percent of global ,united ,states apparel imports of #hc1hjj1jjj1jjj in #bjai2 ,whereas key apparel producers currently receiving ,,gsp benefits already export more apparel to the ,united ,states individually than all apparel exporters in the #ch ,,agoa-eligible countries combined1 including-- 7#a7 #d1djj1jjj1jjj from ,indonesia2 7#b7 #b1gjj1jjj1jjj from ,cambodia2 and 7#c7 #a1ejj1jjj1jjj from ,pakistan2 ,whereas members of the ,african ,diplomatic ,corps1 on ,september #i1 #bjbj1 requested that the ,house of ,representatives ,subcommittee on ,trade seriously consider the devastating impact to ,africa if the ,,gsp program were expanded to include duty-free treatment for apparel2 and ,whereas similar concerns about the inclusion of garments and textiles in ,,gsp were registered by the ,government of ,ghana1 the ,african ,cotton and ,textile ,industry ,federation1 and members of the ,united ,states bipartisan ,,agoa coalition3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 reiterates its support for preserving ,western ,hemisphere supply chains1 recognizing that these supply chains have provided economic benefits for the ,united ,states and its partners1 while fostering efforts to improve labor and environmental standards in the hemisphere2 7#b7 recognizes that inclusion of apparel1 textiles1 and footwear in the ,generalized ,system of ,preferences program would be detrimental to imports to the ,united ,states receiving preferential treatment under the ,african ,growth and ,opportunity ,act 7,,agoa7 and to jobs that depend on ,,agoa trade in ,africa2 and 7#c7 supports a reauthorization of the ,generalized ,system of ,preferences1 but opposes any inclusion of apparel1 textile1 and footwear products in the ,generalized ,system of ,preferences4