Trade Enforcement Priorities Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise requirements for investigations by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) of priority foreign country practices which if eliminated will likely have the most significant potential to increase U.S. exports.
Urges the USTR, before initiating an investigation, to seek consultations with each foreign country identified as engaging in priority foreign country trade practices in order to reach a satisfactory resolution of such practices. Requires the USTR to initiate an investigation only if a satisfactory resolution has not been reached within 90 days after a report on the practices to the appropriate congressional committees.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6007 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6007
To amend section 310 of the Trade Act of 1974 to strengthen provisions
relating to the identification of United States trade expansion
priorities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 30, 2010
Mr. Critz (for himself, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, and Mr.
Boccieri) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend section 310 of the Trade Act of 1974 to strengthen provisions
relating to the identification of United States trade expansion
priorities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Trade Enforcement Priorities Act''.
SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION OF TRADE EXPANSION PRIORITIES.
(a) Identification of Trade Expansion Priorities.--Section 310 of
the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2420) 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 calendar year of the report required by
section 181(b), the United States 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 so
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
because 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)(C), the
Trade Representative should 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 the Trade Representative
seeks consultations under subsection (b) and a satisfactory resolution
of the priority foreign country practices involved has not been reached
within 90 days after the date on which a report is submitted to the
appropriate congressional committees under subsection (a)(1)(C), 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(3) 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.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The item relating to section 310 in the
table of contents of the Trade Act of 1974 is amended to read as
follows:
``Sec. 310. Identification of trade expansion priorities.''.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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