Enforcing Accountability and Transparency in International Trade Act
This bill requires the U.S. Trade Representative to report on its plans to pursue a U.S. strategy regarding the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Such plans must (1) facilitate the full implementation of WTO agreements, (2) enable the maximum benefits from trade to accrue to those members of the WTO that face the greatest difficulty integrating into the multilateral trading system, and (3) ensure that certain members of the WTO do not receive special and differential treatment.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3978 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3978
To require the United States Trade Representative to submit a report on
plans to facilitate the full implementation of agreements of the World
Trade Organization, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 17, 2020
Mrs. Loeffler introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the United States Trade Representative to submit a report on
plans to facilitate the full implementation of agreements of the World
Trade Organization, 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 ``Enforcing Accountability and
Transparency in International Trade Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The World Trade Organization is a 164-member
international organization that was created to oversee and
administer multilateral trade rules, serve as a forum for trade
liberalization negotiations, and resolve trade disputes.
(2) The United States was a major force behind the
establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995.
(3) The United States, along with other countries, has
sought to establish a more open, rules-based trading system in
the postwar era, with the goal of fostering international
economic cooperation and raising economic prosperity worldwide.
(4) Congress holds constitutional authority over foreign
commerce and establishes trade negotiating objectives and
principles through legislation.
(5) The statutory basis for the membership of the United
States in the World Trade Organization is the Uruguay Round
Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), and United States
priorities and objectives for the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade of the World Trade Organization have been reflected
in various legislative measures providing expedited trade
promotion authority since 1974.
(6) Congress has recognized the World Trade Organization as
the ``foundation of the global trading system'' and plays a
direct legislative and oversight role over the implementation
of World Trade Organization agreements in the United States.
(7) Ninety-eight percent of global trade is conducted among
members of the World Trade Organization.
(8) Approximately 65 percent of the United States trade is
with countries that do not have free trade agreements with the
United States, such as with the People's Republic of China, the
European Union, and India, which thus relies on the terms
provided in agreements of the World Trade Organization.
(9) About \2/3\ of the members of the World Trade
Organization, including the People's Republic of China, self-
designate as ``developing'' countries.
(10) World Trade Organization agreements allow countries to
lower trade barriers gradually, with developing countries and
sensitive sectors in particular usually given longer transition
periods to fulfill their obligations under new agreements.
(11) The World Trade Organization also supplements such
``special and differential'' treatment for developing countries
by providing capacity-building measures, providing technical
assistance for the implementation of obligations under World
Trade Organization agreements, and permitting countries to
extend non-reciprocal trade preference programs to such
developing countries.
(12) On July 26, 2019, President Donald J. Trump issued a
document entitled ``Memorandum on Reforming Developing Country
Status in the World Trade Organization''.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON UNITED STATES STRATEGY AT THE WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATION.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the United States Trade Representative shall submit to Congress a
report describing the manner in which the Trade Representative plans to
pursue a United States strategy with respect to the World Trade
Organization to--
(1) facilitate the full implementation of agreements
reached by the World Trade Organization;
(2) enable the maximum benefits from trade to accrue to
those members of the World Trade Organization that face the
greatest difficulty integrating into the multilateral trading
system of the World Trade Organization; and
(3) ensure that any member of the World Trade Organization
that meets all of the following criteria does not receive
``special and differential'' treatment under current or future
agreements of the World Trade Organization:
(A) The member is ranked by the World Bank as among
one of the top 10 economies in the world based on
nominal gross domestic product.
(B) The member is also a member of the Group of 20.
(C) The member is also a member of, or has begun
the accession process to, the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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