III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 20 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should immediately 

approve the United States–Korea Free Trade Agreement, the United 

States–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, and the United States– 

Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 25 (legislative day, JANUARY 5), 2011 

Mr. JOHANNS (for himself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. ROBERTS, 

Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. ENZI, Mr. 

LUGAR, Mr. WICKER, and Mr. CHAMBLISS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States 

should immediately approve the United States–Korea 

Free Trade Agreement, the United States–Colombia 

Trade Promotion Agreement, and the United States– 

Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. 

Whereas the United States has signed free trade agreements 

with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, but Congress 

has not approved those agreements; 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, the gross domestic product of the United 

States will likely increase by $10,100,000,000 to 

$11,900,000,000 as a result of increased access to the 


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•SRES 20 IS 

market of South Korea under the provisions of the 

United States–Korea Free Trade Agreement; 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, implementing the United States–Korea Free 

Trade Agreement will increase exports from the United 

States by an estimated $9,700,000,000 to 

$10,900,000,000 each year; 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, implementing the United States–Korea Free 

Trade Agreement would create 20,000 to 24,000 jobs in 

the United States; 

Whereas the implementation of the United States–Korea 

Free Trade Agreement will ensure that agricultural products exported from the United States to South Korea receive treatment equivalent to the treatment provided by 

the United States to agricultural products exported from 

South Korea and will significantly increase exports of agricultural products from the United States to South 

Korea; 

Whereas the American Farm Bureau estimates an increase of 

$1,800,000,000 in United States agricultural trade per 

year after the United States–Korea Free Trade Agreement is fully implemented; 

Whereas increased trade will help to strengthen ties between 

the United States and South Korea and advance important national security goals; 

Whereas the United States and Colombia negotiated and 

signed the United States–Colombia Trade Promotion 

Agreement on November 22, 2006; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, Colombia is currently the 27th largest 


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trading partner of the United States with respect to 

goods; 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, implementation of the United States–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will increase exports 

from the United States by an estimated $1,100,000,000 

each year; 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, implementation of the United States–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will create 3,693 

jobs; 

Whereas, in 2010, more than 90 percent of exports from Colombia to the United States entered the United States 

duty-free under the Andean Trade Preference Act (19 

U.S.C. 3201 et seq.) and the Generalized System of Preferences under title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 

U.S.C. 2461 et seq.); 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, goods valued at $11,400,000,000 were exported from the United States to Colombia in 2008, an 

increase from $3,600,000,000 in 2002; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, more than 80 percent of consumer and 

industrial products exported from the United States to 

Colombia will enter Colombia duty-free as soon as the 

United States–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement enters into force and all remaining tariffs on such products 

will be eliminated within 10 years after the Agreement 

enters into force; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, the primary exports from the United 


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States to Colombia in 2008 were $2,600,000,000 in machinery, $10,000,000,000 in mineral fuel, $974,000,000 

in organic chemicals, $969,000,000 in corn and wheat cereals, and $950,000,000 in electrical machinery; 

Whereas, according to the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative, Colombia is the 15th largest market for 

farm products exported from the United States, with the 

United States exporting almost $1,700,000,000 worth of 

farm products to Colombia in 2008; 

Whereas, according to the Department of Agriculture, 99.9 

percent of agricultural products imported into the United 

States from Colombia already enter the United States 

duty-free, but no agricultural products exported from the 

United States to Colombia currently enter Colombia 

duty-free; 

Whereas, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the United States–Colombia Trade Promotion 

Agreement would increase sales of agricultural products 

produced in the United States by $910,000,000 each 

year; 

Whereas, according to the Department of Agriculture, more 

than half of agricultural products exported from the 

United States to Colombia will enter Colombia duty-free 

as soon as the United States–Colombia Trade Promotion 

Agreement enters into force and all remaining tariffs on 

such products will be phased out over time; 

Whereas the United States and Panama, after 10 rounds of 

negotiations, signed the United States–Panama Trade 

Promotion Agreement on December 16, 2006; 

Whereas the United States values its long-standing bilateral 

relationship with Panama; 


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Whereas the National Assembly of Panama ratified the 

United States–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement by a 

vote of 58 to 4 on July 11, 2007; 

Whereas 88 percent of United States commercial and industrial exports will enter Panama duty-free immediately 

after the United States–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement enters into force and all remaining tariffs on such 

exports will be phased out over 10 years; 

Whereas more than 60 percent of exports of agricultural 

products from the United States will enter Panama dutyfree immediately after the United States–Panama Trade 

Promotion Agreement enters into force and all remaining 

tariffs on agricultural products will be phased out over 

20 years; 

Whereas, according to the United States International Trade 

Commission, the primary effect of the implementation of 

the United States–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement 

will be to increase exports from the United States to 

Panama because 96 percent of imports from Panama already enter the United States duty-free; and 

Whereas concerns about Panama’s alleged position as a ‘‘tax 

haven’’ have been addressed with the November 30, 

2010, signing of a United States–Panama Tax Information Exchange Agreement, which permits the competent 

authorities of the United States and Panama to request 

information on most taxes to better increase transparency in an attempt to combat illegal financial transactions, including those linked to drug smuggling and 

money laundering: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 


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1 (1) the Senate recognizes that the implementa2 tion of the United States–Korea Free Trade Agree3 ment, the United States–Colombia Trade Promotion 

4 Agreement, and the United States–Panama Trade 

5 Promotion Agreement will— 

6 (A) create jobs in the United States; 

7 (B) increase export opportunities for busi8 nesses and agricultural producers in the United 

9 States; and 

10 (C) further develop cross-cultural business 

11 relationships between the United States and 

12 South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, respec13 tively; and 

14 (2) it is the sense of the Senate that it is in the 

15 security, economic, and diplomatic interests of the 

16 United States to enhance relationships with South 

17 Korea, Colombia, and Panama, respectively, by im18 mediately approving the United States–Korea Free 

19 Trade Agreement, the United States–Colombia 

20 Trade Promotion Agreement, and the United 

21 States–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. 

Æ 


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