Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I introduce this amendment to the trade package. I strongly support the bill on the floor, including the Andean Trade…”

“I introduce this amendment to the trade package. I strongly support the bill on the floor, including the Andean Trade Preference Act and the Generalized System of Preferences. These programs seek to help the Andean countries of Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru, and other developing nations, by applying preferential treatment for their exports. We want to reduce and eliminate tariffs on imports from these countries to help them develop stronger economies. These programs benefit both countries. They improve the lives of the citizens of the exporting countries through improved economic conditions. These programs give open access to the U.S. market, the best market in the world. For example, since the Andean Trade Preference Act went into effect in 1991, the Andean nations have experienced $3.2 billion in new output and $1.7 billion in new exports. This has led to the creation of more than 140,000 legitimate jobs in the region. These programs help the United States by developing better markets for our exports. If we can help developing countries increase economic growth and prosperity, they, then, will demand more imports, which will, of course, provide U.S. manufacturers with more consumers for their products. Another important benefit of the Andean Trade Preference Act is that by providing for the people of these regions employment opportunities in legitimate businesses, we hope to keep them from needing or wanting or in any way being drawn to narcotics businesses.”