from the City of Santa Cruz, CA
WHEREAS The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) would be essentially an extension of the NAFTA to the entire western hemisphere....
WHEREAS The negotiations surrounding the FTAA have been held secretly, without allowing for any effective public evaluation or input....
WHEREAS NAFTA's Chapter 11 Investor to State Lawsuits, which will be included and strengthened in the FTAA directly threaten the sovereignty of local and state governments...
WHEREAS This sort of corporate power would diminish the efficacy of local environmental laws and regulations...
WHEREAS The FTAA will undermine the Social Services that are essential for a thriving community....
WHEREAS The strict intellectual property laws within the FTAA will have devastating impacts on the people living in the global south...
WHEREAS Local businesses and workers would be harmed by the increasing powers granted to large corporations...
WHEREAS Local resolutions like this one have been instrumental in defeating other destructive trade agreements such as the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI).
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Santa Cruz:
- Is in direct opposition to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas;
- Petitions the federal government to refuse to sign any new trade and investment agreements, such as the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas, that include investor-state provisions similar to the ones included in NAFTA;
- Urges the U. S. Trade Representative withdraw any further negotiation on the FTAA;
- Requests U. S. Trade Representative to release their proposals for the agreement and their written submissions to the nine negotiating groups of the FTAA. We also request the release a comprehensive list of the representatives to the FTAA negotiating groups from all 34 countries involved;
- Urges the U. S. Congress to adopt stronger sovereignty safeguards in implementing legislation for the FTAA and other trade agreements, now and in the future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution be forwarded to the U.S. Trade Representative, to the state Congressional delegation, and to the Congressional committees with trade jurisdiction, and be made known to the people of Santa Cruz.