[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2200 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2200
To extend nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations
treatment) to the products of Laos.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 11, 2004
Mr. Baucus (for himself and Mr. Grassley) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To extend nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations
treatment) to the products of Laos.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS TO LAOS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the Lao People's Democratic Republic is pursuing a
broad policy of adopting market-based reforms to enhance its
economic competitiveness and achieve an attractive climate for
investment;
(2) extension of normal trade relations treatment would
assist the Lao People's Democratic Republic in developing its
economy based on free market principles and becoming
competitive in the global marketplace;
(3) establishing normal commercial relations on a
reciprocal basis with the Lao People's Democratic Republic will
promote United States exports to the rapidly growing southeast
Asian region and expand opportunities for United States
business and investment in the Lao People's Democratic Republic
economy;
(4) United States and Laotian commercial interests would
benefit from the bilateral trade agreement between the United
States and the Lao People's Democratic Republic, signed in
2003, providing for market access and the protection of
intellectual property rights;
(5) the Lao People's Democratic Republic has taken
cooperative steps with the United States in the global war on
terrorism, combating the trafficking of narcotics, and the
accounting for American servicemen and civilians still missing
from the Vietnam war; and
(6) expanding bilateral trade relations that include a
commercial agreement may promote further progress by the Lao
People's Democratic Republic on human rights, religious
tolerance, democratic rule, and transparency, and assist that
country in adopting regional and world trading rules and
principles.
(b) Extension of Nondiscriminatory Treatment to the Products of the
Lao People's Democratic Republic.--
(1) Harmonized tariff schedule amendment.--General note
3(b) of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States is
amended by striking ``Laos''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)
applies with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from
warehouse for consumption, on or after the effective date of a
notice published in the Federal Register by the United States
Trade Representative that a trade agreement obligating
reciprocal most-favored-nation treatment between the Lao
People's Democratic Republic and the United States has entered
into force.
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