IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 733 

Reaffirming the importance of the United States relationship with the 

Dominican Republic. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 22, 2019 

Mr. ESPAILLAT submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Reaffirming the importance of the United States relationship 

with the Dominican Republic. 

Whereas the Dominican Republic is a crucial partner to the 

United States in hemispheric affairs, which includes bilateral trade, diplomacy, tourism, and security cooperation, and it is vital to not only maintain but also continue 

to foster this strong and special relationship; 

Whereas the strength of the relationship between the United 

States and the Dominican Republic is rooted in political, 

economic, and cultural ties which have continuously solidified since the Dominican Republic first gained independence in 1844; 

Whereas, as the first major wave of Dominican migrants to 

the United States began in the 1960s and has continued 

throughout the decades since, there are over 2 million 


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•HRES 733 IH 

people of Dominican descent who now live in the United 

States, currently making the Dominican-American community the fifth-largest Hispanic group in the United 

States; 

Whereas support between the nations is reciprocal, and the 

United States is committed to its continued support, both 

in words and actions, to the Dominican Republic’s democratic and economic development; 

Whereas the United States greatly benefits from all the valuable contributions made by the Dominican community 

and Dominican culture, literature, music, and dance, and 

in sports; 

Whereas the sport of baseball, commonly known as ‘‘America’s favorite pastime’’, is a major source of pride and 

cultural identity for the Dominican Republic, and as one 

of the most significant contributors to Major League 

Baseball, Dominicans not only currently represent 11.6 

percent of all MLB starters, but also represent some of 

the greatest players of all time, including Hall-of-Famers 

Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, and Vladimir Guerrero; 

Whereas the Dominican Republic is the largest economy in 

both the Caribbean and Central America region, and the 

United States is the Dominican Republic’s largest trade 

partner; 

Whereas one of the top contributing factors to the Dominican 

Republic’s economy is remittances, most of which originate from the United States, accounting for 77.4 percent 

of the remittances the Dominican Republic received in 

2018; 

Whereas one of the greatest examples of both nations’ strong 

commitment is the CAFTA–DR trade agreement, resultVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:19 Nov 25, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR733.IH HR733

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•HRES 733 IH 

ing in stronger trade and investment ties, which has also 

strengthened the relationship and furthered the economic 

prosperity of both countries; 

Whereas the highest and lowest elevations in the West Indies 

are found within the Dominican Republic’s major mountain ranges and the fertile valleys which contribute to the 

country’s agricultural export sector; 

Whereas in addition to trade potential, the Dominican Republic’s mountain terrain, along with its beautiful beaches and other geographically unique landscapes, creates 

significant tourism potential; 

Whereas tourism is one of the most important sectors in the 

Dominican Republic’s economy, and Americans account 

for over 30 percent of international travelers visiting the 

country, comprising 2 million of the 6.6 million who visited in 2018; 

Whereas Americans can continue to safely enjoy all that the 

Dominican Republic has to offer, as the country has announced new safety measures, including thousands more 

tourist agents, national police, and public security cameras; and 

Whereas the Dominican Republic has also entered into a 

partnership with United States-based Ecolab, which will 

provide training and certification to all Department of 

Tourism Services and Companies inspectors: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) under the umbrella of the congressionally 

4 approved bipartisan and bicameral Friends of the 


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1 Dominican Republic Caucus, the United States Con2 gress shall continue its focus on strengthening the 

3 relationship between the United States and the Do4 minican Republic; 

5 (2) relations between the United States and the 

6 Dominican Republic have led to expanded economic 

7 prosperity, shared cultures, and increased regional 

8 stability; 

9 (3) the Dominican Republic is a safe, reliable, 

10 and hospitable tourist destination that travelers 

11 from the United States and countries around the 

12 world can enjoy without concern; and 

13 (4) the United States and the Dominican Re14 public are committed to a continued partnership, 

15 further economic prosperity, and enhanced security 

16 and stability in the region. 

Æ 


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