To provide that normal trade relations treatment may not be extended to the products of any country the government of which engages in certain violations of human rights.

Prohibits nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) from being extended to the products of a country if the most recent annual report of the Secretary of State to Congress under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 states that: (1) the human rights record of the government of that country is or remains poor; (2) such government executed persons for criminal offenses after closed trials in which it is impossible to assess whether legal protections were applied; (3) such government arrested and detained persons without following the explicit legal guidelines set forth by the country's laws; (4) such government continues to restrict freedom of the press; (5) such government prohibits the establishment of opposition political parties or any type of opposition group; or (6) such government does not provide legal protection for freedom of religion, and that such freedom does not exist in practice.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 967 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 967

To provide that normal trade relations treatment may not be extended to 
the products of any country the government of which engages in certain 
                      violations of human rights.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 17, 2005

  Mr. Saxton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide that normal trade relations treatment may not be extended to 
the products of any country the government of which engages in certain 
                      violations of human rights.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REMOVAL OF NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS STATUS FROM COUNTRIES 
              WHOSE GOVERNMENTS ENGAGE IN CERTAIN HUMAN RIGHTS 
              VIOLATIONS.

    (a) Removal of Status.--Nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade 
relations treatment) may not be extended to the products of a country 
if the most recent annual report of the Secretary of State transmitted 
to the Congress under section 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d)) provides that--
            (1) the human rights record of the government of that 
        country is or remains poor;
            (2) the government of that country executed persons from 
        criminal offenses after closed trials in which it is impossible 
        to assess whether legal protections were applied;
            (3) the government of that country arrested and detained 
        persons without following the explicit legal guidelines set 
        forth by the laws of that country;
            (4) the government of that country continues to restrict 
        freedom of the press;
            (5) the government of that country prohibits the 
        establishment of opposition political parties or any type of 
        opposition group; or
            (6) the government of that country does not provide legal 
        protection for freedom of religion and that such freedom does 
        not exist in practice.
    (b) Reports to Congress.--The President shall transmit to the 
Congress, not later than April 1 of each year, a report setting forth 
the countries to which subsection (a) applies, together with the 
reasons therefor.
                                 <all>