LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to oppose
ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement

WHEREAS, The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free trade agreement
between the United States, Canada, Australia, Chile, Mexico, Malaysia,
Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, New Zealand, and Japan which currently
is pending approval from the legislature of each of the mentioned coun-
tries; and
WHEREAS, Together these nations contribute 40% of the world's Gross
Domestic Product, and one third of the world's trade; and
WHEREAS, The Office of the United States Trade Representative, through
the terms of the TPP, is seeking to eliminate both tariff and non-tariff
"barriers to goods and services trade and investment" among the twelve
participating nations; and
WHEREAS, The agreement includes provisions concerning financial regu-
lations, environmental protection, prescription drug pricing and food
sanitation standards, the adoption of which could negatively affect the
public's health, safety, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, in a news
report, warns that the TPP "has the potential to undermine a wide range
of state and local laws" and cited the possibility that foreign inves-
tors could seek damages if their projects were delayed by governmental
action or could challenge consumer protection laws; and
WHEREAS, Several constituencies and public policy advocates, such as
the Economic Policy Institute, have expressed concern that our domestic
economy over the last twenty years has been hurt, causing numerous Amer-
ican jobs to be lost, due to trade agreements like the TPP which result
in American companies outsourcing and offshoring domestic jobs; and
WHEREAS, There are additional concerns that the passage of the TPP
would ban "Buy American" and "Buy Local" efforts by U.S. industries,
which could put goods and services created and based in New York State
at a competitive disadvantage; and
WHEREAS, These reservations are only a few of the very troubling
aspects of the agreement, which would undermine our own environmental
protections and does not adequately address critical issues such as food
safety; and
WHEREAS, Resolutions from the City Council of New York, Tompkins Coun-
ty, Albany County, and the Syracuse Common Council oppose the TPP; and
WHEREAS, Several other American municipal governments, such as those
of Berkeley and Los Angeles, California and Dane County and Madison,
Wisconsin have also expressed their opposition; and
WHEREAS, These local governments have recognized the harm that passage
of the TPP will create and as a result have shown commendable leadership
by opposing a treaty that would do a disservice to their citizens, as
well as to New Yorkers; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Congress of the United States be and hereby is
respectfully memorialized by this Legislative Body to oppose ratifica-
tion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the President of the Senate of the United States, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, and to each member of the Congress of
the United States from the State of New York.