_add-on b)Add-on item b)
Sponsored by Comm. Edmond
5/5/15 City Commission meeting
Page 1 of 3
RESOLUTION NO. _________________ 1
2
Resolution of the Mayor and Commission of the City of South Miami 3
opposing the fast-track of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. 4
5
WHEREAS, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”) is a “trade agreement” that has been 6
negotiated in secret and that Congress is now considering “fast-tracking”; and 7
8
WHEREAS, it appears that even members of Congress do not have access to the full 9
agreement; and 10
11
WHEREAS, this extreme level of secrecy is unacceptable in a democracy; and 12
13
WHEREAS, “[o]nly 5 of [the TPP’s] 29 chapters cover traditional trade matters 1
17
” and 14
thus the remaining 2 dozen chapters may be creating sweeping new "rights" and escape hatches 15
to protect multinational corporations from accountability; and 16
WHEREAS, much of the TPP grants new multi-national corporate rights including: 18
“safeguards to ease job offshoring and loss of our sovereign rights to control our natural 19
resources, and limit our sovereign right to regulation of financial services, land use, food safety, 20
natural resources, energy, tobacco, healthcare 2
22 ”; and 21
WHEREAS, it would appear that the TPP will lead to an increase the production of 23
fossil fuels that contribute to global warming that in turn contributes to increased sea level, 24
extreme weather events, and more that impact South Miami's people, property and environment 25
without the normal checks and balances afforded by court challenge; and 26
27
WHEREAS, news of the TPP thus far indicates that it will encompass 40% of the 28
world’s population and 60% of global GDP and that the TPP is less about trade than about a 29
massive expansion of transnational corporate control, establishing rules which are enforced by 30
corporate challenges to domestic laws before unaccountable tribunals, thus stripping decision-31
making from citizens and usurping democracy locally and globally; and 32
33
WHEREAS, it appears that the TPP would rob local governments of economic 34
protections by (1) invalidating “Sweatshop Free” ordinances and “Buy Local” policies that help 35
local economies and workers, (2) empowering foreign corporations to sue governments over any 36
regulation in violation of the TPP which could impede profit, (3) depriving governments of the 37
ability to represent constituents' interests in lawsuits brought by corporations, and (4) requiring 38
that secret, foreign tribunals decide such cases, potentially awarding exorbitant taxpayer 39
compensation to corporations; and 40
41
1 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/opinion/obamas-covert-trade-deal.html?_r=0
2 http://www.thenation.com/article/168627/nafta-steroids
Add-on item b)
Sponsored by Comm. Edmond
5/5/15 City Commission meeting
Page 2 of 3
WHEREAS, if the TPP grants immunity to the members of the TPP concerning US, state 1
and local food safety rules, it could endanger lives; and 2
3
WHEREAS, local governments and organizations throughout the U.S. are opposing the 4
fast-tracking of these trade policies; and 5
6
WHEREAS, anti-TPP or anti-fast-track resolutions have been passed in New York City; 7
Pittsburgh, PA; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Paul, MN; Madison, WI; 8
Berkeley, CA; Tompkins County, NY; Fort Bragg, CA; Mahoning County, OH; Bellingham, 9
WA, Richmond, CA; Hollywood, CA; Oak Park Township, IL; Dane County, WI; Guadalupe, 10
AZ; and Columbus, OH 3
12 ”; and 11
WHEREAS, the South Miami City Commission believes that the public has the right to 13
know as much information as possible about the affairs of government, especially a trade 14
agreement with far reaching ramifications like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 15
16
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY 17
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, THAT: 18
19
Section 1.
23
The City of South Miami (“City”) Commission does hereby call upon its 20
congressional delegation to oppose the “fast-track” of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other 21
similar trade policies; and 22
Section 2.
30
The City Clerk is directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the 24
National League of Cities, the US Conference of Mayors, US Representative Ileana Ros-25
Lehtinen, US Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio, President Barack Obama and US Trade 26
Representative Michael Froman, with this request to cease TPP, to make all related text and 27
processes public immediately and to refrain from “Fast Tracking” any trade agreement, in the 28
interests of democracy, the people and the planet. 29
Section 3.
34
Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is 31
for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding 32
shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution. 33
Section 4.
37
Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon 35
adoption by vote of the City Commission. 36
PASSED AND ADOPTED this ____ day of _____________, 2015. 38
39
40
ATTEST: APPROVED: 41
42
43
3 http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2015/04/nyc-goes-tpp-free
Add-on item b)
Sponsored by Comm. Edmond
5/5/15 City Commission meeting
Page 3 of 3
_____________________ ______________________ 1
CITY CLERK MAYOR 2
3
4
READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM, COMMISSION VOTE: 5
LANGUAGE, LEGALITY AND Mayor Stoddard: 6
EXECUTION THEREOF Vice Mayor Harris: 7
Commissioner Edmond: 8
_____________________________ Commissioner Liebman: 9
CITY ATTORNEY Commissioner Welsh: 10
11
12
13