SENATE
                           Final Reading
       April 27, 2016          HOUSE
                           Final Reading
                      April 15, 2016Second Regular Session
               Seventieth General Assembly
                    STATE OF COLORADO
                                                    REVISED
                                                           
                                                           
 LLS NO. R16-1229.01 Kurt Woock x4349            HJR16-1018
                    HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
 Esgar and Vigil, 
 
                   SENATE SPONSORSHIP
 Garcia, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 House Committees
 Senate Committees
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 16-1018 
       Concerning the support for goods produced in Colorado and
            other states in the United States.
       
       
            WHEREAS, Colorado has a proud history of manufacturing and
       production, having always been defined by our independent and
       enterprising spirit and our can-do attitude toward problem solving; and
       
            WHEREAS, To connect Denver with the Western Slope by rail in
       the nineteenth century, miners carved roads into impossibly steep
       mountainsides across Colorado, and engineers blasted and drilled through
       six miles of solid rock and called it the Moffat Tunnel; and
       
            WHEREAS, Pueblo, the manufacturing hub of Colorado, also
       known as the "Steel City", has time and time again revitalized the
       economy of Colorado, with its rich natural resources and welcoming
       business climate attracting a diverse group of entrepreneurs and workers
       from across the country; and
       
            WHEREAS, A strong domestic steel industry is a point of national
       pride but has been threatened in recent years by cheaper, foreign-made
       steel; and
       
            WHEREAS, Buying and supporting American-made steel supports
       the steel industry, our nation's infrastructure, and a healthy national
       economy; and
       
            WHEREAS, Colorado companies employ Coloradans and are the
       backbone of our economy, with over 500,000 small businesses in the state
       employing nearly 1,000,000 Colorado workers; and
       
            WHEREAS, Buying American-made goods supports American
       manufacturing jobs, which in turn support the middle class and lead to
       overall prosperity, with fewer people in need; and
       
            WHEREAS, Manufacturing is crucial to the nation's economic
       recovery and sustained job growth; and
       
            WHEREAS, America's work force can out-innovate and
       out-compete the world and revive our manufacturing sector if we buy
       American-made products; and
       
            WHEREAS, Standing up for American manufacturing helps level
       the playing field with large, multinational corporations; and
       
            WHEREAS, Colorado lost about 25,000 manufacturing jobs
       between 1994 and 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, due,
       in part, to unfair competition from companies overseas; and
       
            WHEREAS, Buying American-made products not only creates
       manufacturing jobs but also leads to a ripple effect for our economy; and
       
            WHEREAS, More American manufacturing jobs not only reduce
       the unemployment rate but also expand the tax base to pay for public
       benefits such as Medicare and Social Security; and
       
            WHEREAS, Buying American-made products protects Colorado's
       natural environment, as American manufacturers follow strict
       environmental regulations that do not exist in many of the countries that
       export their goods to the U.S.; and
       
            WHEREAS, The American steel industry is a leader in recycling,
       with steel being one of the most widely recycled materials in the nation;
       and
       
            WHEREAS, Buying American products supports safe and fair
       working conditions, as many countries impose negligible regulations or
       standards on working conditions and permit unreasonably long and unsafe
       hours, child labor, and extremely low wages; and
       
            WHEREAS, Purchasing American-made goods supports fair labor
       standards and good jobs for good wages; and
       
            WHEREAS, American-made products are safe and made with high
       quality, compared to some foreign products that aren't held to the same
       safety standards and that can put our children and families in danger; and
       
            WHEREAS, Buying American-made products keeps our dollars
       in the U.S., paying workers who directly or indirectly created the product,
       who then spend their wages in the U.S.; and
       
            WHEREAS, The economic recovery has not yet reached every
       Colorado family; and
       
            WHEREAS, We have the power to support Colorado and invest
       in America by buying American- and Colorado-made goods; now,
       therefore,
       
            Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventieth
       General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:
       
            That the State of Colorado encourages the purchase of goods and
       services from Colorado-based companies, farmers, and workers, and, in
       the case of goods and services that are not available from Colorado
       companies, farmers, or workers, from U.S.-based companies, farmers,
       and workers in preference over goods and services grown, produced, or
       manufactured in foreign countries.
       
            Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent
       to: Governor John Hickenlooper, the Colorado Congressional delegation,
       President Barack Obama, the Pueblo County Commissioner, the Pueblo
       City Council, and the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.