[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2372 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
2d Session
S. 2372
To amend the Trade Act of 1974 regarding identifying trade expansion
priorities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 29, 2004
Mr. Corzine (for himself, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Daschle, and Mr. Lautenberg)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Trade Act of 1974 regarding identifying trade expansion
priorities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. IDENTIFICATION OF TRADE EXPANSION PRIORITIES.
Section 310 of the Trade Act of 1974 is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 310. IDENTIFICATION OF TRADE EXPANSION PRIORITIES.
``(a) Identification.--
``(1) Identification and report.--Within 30 days after the
submission in each of calendar year 2005 through 2009 of the
report required by section 181(b), the Trade Representative
shall--
``(A) review United States trade expansion
priorities;
``(B) identify priority foreign country practices,
the elimination of which is likely to have the most
significant potential to increase United States
exports, either directly or through the establishment
of a beneficial precedent; and
``(C) submit to the Committee on Finance of the
Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House
of Representatives and publish in the Federal Register
a report on the priority foreign country practices
identified.
``(2) Factors.--In identifying priority foreign country
practices under paragraph (1), the Trade Representative shall
take into account all relevant factors, including--
``(A) the major barriers and trade distorting
practices described in the National Trade Estimate
Report required under section 181(b);
``(B) the trade agreements to which a foreign
country is a party and its compliance with those
agreements;
``(C) the medium- and long-term implications of
foreign government procurement plans; and
``(D) the international competitive position and
export potential of United States products and
services.
``(3) Contents of report.--The Trade Representative may
include in the report, if appropriate--
``(A) a description of foreign country practices
that may in the future warrant identification as
priority foreign country practices; and
``(B) a statement about other foreign country
practices that were not identified because they are
already being addressed by provisions of United States
trade law, by existing bilateral trade agreements, or
as part of trade negotiations with other countries and
progress is being made toward the elimination of such
practices.
``(b) Initiation of Consultations.--By no later than the date that
is 21 days after the date on which a report is submitted to the
appropriate congressional committees under subsection (a)(1), the Trade
Representative shall seek consultations with each foreign country
identified in the report as engaging in priority foreign country
practices for the purpose of reaching a satisfactory resolution of such
priority practices.
``(c) Initiation of Investigation.--If a satisfactory resolution of
priority foreign country practices has not been reached under
subsection (b) within 90 days after the date on which a report is
submitted to the appropriate congressional committees under subsection
(a)(1), the Trade Representative shall initiate under section 302(b)(1)
an investigation under this chapter with respect to such priority
foreign country practices.
``(d) Agreements for the Elimination of Barriers.--In the
consultations with a foreign country that the Trade Representative is
required to request under section 303(a) with respect to an
investigation initiated by reason of subsection (c), the Trade
Representative shall seek to negotiate an agreement that provides for
the elimination of the practices that are the subject of the
investigation as quickly as possible or, if elimination of the
practices is not feasible, an agreement that provides for compensatory
trade benefits.
``(e) Reports.--The Trade Representative shall include in the
semiannual report required by section 309 a report on the status of any
investigations initiated pursuant to subsection (c) and, where
appropriate, the extent to which such investigations have led to
increased opportunities for the export of products and services of the
United States.''.
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