00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 20                                                                                           
01 Urging modification of the North American Free Trade Agreement.                                                         
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03  WHEREAS great uncertainty exists regarding the effect of the proposed North                                            
04 American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on state laws and regulations; and                                                
05  WHEREAS environmental protection laws and regulations of Alaska and other states                                       
06 could be interpreted under NAFTA as trade barriers; and                                                                 
07  WHEREAS NAFTA could potentially preclude preferential treatment of Alaska                                              
08 residents and Alaska products in state procurement; and                                                                 
09  WHEREAS NAFTA could limit a state's flexibility when offering special programs,                                        
10 subsidies, or investment incentives to its domestic industries, such as fish hatcheries; and                            
11  WHEREAS NAFTA could allow the use of banned chemicals on food imported into                                            
12 the United States;                                                                                                      
13  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States Congress                                      
14 to obtain modifications to the North American Free Trade Agreement in order to protect the                              

01 existing rights of states, where not precluded by federal law, to manage their natural resources                        
02 and environment, to encourage their economic development, and to protect their citizens.                                
03  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the                                
04 United States; the Honorable Al Gore, Vice-President of the United States and President of                              
05 the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Robert C. Byrd, President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate;                                
06 the Honorable Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable                              
07 Ron Brown, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce; the Honorable Bruce Babbitt,                                   
08 Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior; the Honorable Mike Espy, Secretary of the                             
09 U.S. Department of Agriculture; the Honorable Carol M. Browner, Administrator of the U.S.                               
10 Environmental Protection Agency; the Honorable Mickey Kantor, U.S. Trade Representative;                                
11 and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and                                  
12 the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in                                       
13 Congress.