Full Text of SR0140 102nd General Assembly
SR0140 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Steel has always been a core part of the | 3 | | industrial and manufacturing sector of the United States; in | 4 | | Illinois, the steel industry employs over 9,000 workers and
| 5 | | supports approximately 64,000 jobs; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, At its height in the 1940s and 1950s, American | 7 | | steel accounted for about
40% of production worldwide, and the | 8 | | industry employed over 650,000 workers; today,
China has taken | 9 | | over the steel market, producing 49% of the 1.7 billion metric | 10 | | tons
produced globally in 2017, while the United States ranked | 11 | | fifth with 5% of production; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, China's overwhelming grip on the industry has | 13 | | forced prices down and
pushed American companies out of | 14 | | business, leading to the layoff of thousands of
American | 15 | | workers; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Currently, there are approximately 140,000 | 17 | | Americans working in the steel
industry, a decline of over | 18 | | 500,000 from the industry's peak; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, The U.S. is the world's top importer of steel; in | 20 | | 2017, we imported 36 million
metric tons of steel, while only | 21 | | producing 10.1 million metric tons; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The total U.S. trade deficit with China was $375 | 2 | | billion in 2017; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Despite these troubling trends, public contracts | 4 | | continue to be awarded to
Chinese companies that have undercut | 5 | | our market with predatory prices; the Chicago
Transit | 6 | | Authority recently awarded a $1.3 billion contract for new | 7 | | rail cars to the Chinese
CRRC Corporation, further undermining | 8 | | U.S. steel; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, American tax dollars should be used to back | 10 | | American companies, support
American jobs, build up our | 11 | | infrastructure, and encourage long term growth in our
| 12 | | industrial and manufacturing sector; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Illinois should implement a "Buy America" policy, | 14 | | which would give
preference to American companies for publicly | 15 | | funded infrastructure projects; such a
policy would improve | 16 | | our infrastructure, create jobs, and give Illinois a tool to | 17 | | use
against unfair pricing from foreign companies; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Illinois should also institute a "Buy Illinois" | 19 | | policy, which would give further
preference to companies | 20 | | located in Illinois; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, It is within our power to fight back against | 2 | | Chinese control of the steel
market by using taxpayer dollars | 3 | | to support American jobs, families, and communities; | 4 | | therefore, be it
| 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 6 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the | 7 | | importance of steel to the manufacturing base of the United | 8 | | States, and we support American steel workers and American | 9 | | steel companies; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the State of Illinois to implement | 11 | | both a "Buy America" policy and a "Buy
Illinois" policy, which | 12 | | would help the steel industry, create jobs, build the middle
| 13 | | class, and protect American companies and workers.
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