Assistance for Farmers Harmed by Tariffs on Exports Act

Trade Assistance for Farmers Act of 2018

This bill extends eligibility for trade adjustment assistance to farmers affected by a reduction in exports resulting from retaliation to tariffs imposed by the United States. Such farmers may apply to the Department of Agriculture for trade adjustment assistance.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3258 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3258

  To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to provide adjustment assistance to 
 farmers adversely affected by reduced exports resulting from tariffs 
  imposed as retaliation for United States tariff increases, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 24, 2018

 Ms. Heitkamp introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to provide adjustment assistance to 
 farmers adversely affected by reduced exports resulting from tariffs 
  imposed as retaliation for United States tariff increases, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Assistance for Farmers Harmed by 
Tariffs on Exports Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In recognition that trade policy can result in 
        disparate and disruptive changes to the economy, the trade 
        adjustment assistance program under title II of the Trade Act 
        of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2251 et seq.) was enacted to help workers 
        adversely impacted by the trade policy decisions of the Federal 
        Government.
            (2) Federal trade statutes, including section 232 of the 
        Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 1862), section 301 of 
        the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2411), and potentially the 
        International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 
        seq.), are being used aggressively to increase tariffs on 
        selected imports.
            (3) Foreign countries affected by such tariff increases 
        have, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, already 
        raised tariffs on United States agricultural exports or have 
        indicated that they intend to respond by raising tariffs on 
        such agricultural exports.
            (4) Increased tariffs on such agricultural exports threaten 
        to cost United States agricultural producers global market 
        share and reduce the income of producers in affected 
        commodities.
            (5) Farmers adversely impacted by the effects of increased 
        tariffs on such agricultural exports deserve adjustment 
        assistance.

SEC. 3. ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE FOR RETALIATORY TARIFF INCREASES.

    Section 292(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2401a(c)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
            ``(2) either--
                    ``(A) the volume of imports of articles like, or 
                directly competitive with, the agricultural commodity 
                produced by the group in the marketing year with 
                respect to which the group files the petition increased 
                compared to the average volume of such imports during 
                the 3 marketing years preceding such marketing year; or
                    ``(B)(i) the volume of exports of the agricultural 
                commodity produced by the group in the marketing year 
                with respect to which the group files the petition 
                decreased compared to the average volume of such 
                exports during the 3 marketing years preceding such 
                marketing year; and
                    ``(ii) the decrease in exports described in clause 
                (i) resulted in whole or in part from duties imposed on 
                such exports by a foreign country in response to duties 
                imposed by the United States on imports from such 
                country pursuant to action taken under the authority 
                of--
                            ``(I) section 232 of the Trade Expansion 
                        Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 1862);
                            ``(II) section 301 of this Act (19 U.S.C. 
                        2411); or
                            ``(III) the International Emergency 
                        Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); 
                        and
            ``(3) the increase in imports described in paragraph (2)(A) 
        or the decrease in exports described in paragraph (2)(B) 
        contributed importantly to the decrease in the national average 
        price, quantity of production, or value of production of, or 
        cash receipts for, the agricultural commodity, as described in 
        paragraph (1).''.
                                 <all>