Read first time 02/21/2005.   Referred to Committee on International Trade & Economic Development.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE, AMBASSADOR ROB PORTMAN:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, The trade liberalization efforts of the early 1990s and trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization Uruguay Round agreements have increased the role of state policymakers in international trade decisions; and
     WHEREAS, Trade liberalization has transformed the historical state-federal division of power and taxed state agency resources in dealing with the world marketplace; and
     WHEREAS, Recent trade agreements have proceeded beyond discussion of tariffs and quotas and now address government regulation, taxation, procurement, and economic development policies that are implemented at state and local levels; and
     WHEREAS, States often lack a clearly defined institutional trade policy structure, making it difficult to handle requests from trading partners and federal agencies and to articulate a unified state stance on trade issues; and
     WHEREAS, International lawsuits may be brought against states and governments found to be in violation of trade agreements; and
     WHEREAS, There is a need for a stronger federal-state trade policy consultation mechanism; and
     WHEREAS, Many state and local executive, legislative, and judicial branch officials have voiced the need for an informed, nonpartisan trade policy dialogue on a national level; and
     WHEREAS, Federal-state communication and cooperation in the implementation of trade agreements is needed now more than ever before; and
     WHEREAS, In August 2004, the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee, a state-appointed advisory committee to the United States Trade Representative, recommended that a Federal-State International Trade Policy Commission would be an ideal resource for objective trade policy analysis and would foster communication among federal and state trade policy officials; and
     WHEREAS, The creation of a federal-state trade policy infrastructure would assist states in understanding the scope of federal trade efforts and would assist federal agencies in understanding the various state trade processes;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully request that the United States Trade Representative create a Federal-State International Trade Policy Commission with membership to be drawn from federal and state trade policy officials.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the Ambassador Rob Portman, United States Trade Representative, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.