IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 298

Calling on the President to abstain from renegotiating international

agreements governing antidumping and countervailing measures.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 22, 1999

Mr. VISCLOSKY (for himself, Mr. NEY, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. REGULA, Mr.

MURTHA, Mr. QUINN, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. BONIOR, Mr.

NORWOOD, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Mr. MATSUI, Mr.

HOUGHTON, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. CALLAHAN, Mr. COYNE, Mr. KASICH, Mr.

NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. WISE, Mr. KLINK, Mr. MOLLOHAN, Mr.

ADERHOLT, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. COBURN, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr. SKEEN,

Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. BACHUS, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. MANZULLO,

Mr. MASCARA, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. MCINTOSH, Mr. EVANS, Mr.

BUYER, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr.

WALSH, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. GEKAS, Mr. FROST, Mr. EHRLICH, Mr.

HALL of Texas, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. HORN, Mr.

LIPINSKI, Mr. COOK, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mrs. JONES of

Ohio, Mr. PITTS, Mr. KUCINICH, Mrs. CHENOWETH, Mr. STUPAK, Mr.

MCHUGH, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. CANNON, Mr. SPRATT, Mr. SHOWS,

Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. RILEY, Mr. HOEFFEL,

Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. BOYD, Mr. WEYGAND, Mr. HILLIARD,

Mr. SANDLIN, Mr. BORSKI, Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut, Mr.

CUMMINGS, Ms. DANNER, Mr. TURNER, Mr. ROEMER, Ms. DELAURO,

Mr. PALLONE, Mr. FILNER, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. BARCIA, Mr. DAVIS of

Illinois, Mr. CAPUANO, Mrs. THURMAN, Mr. BISHOP, Mr. SAWYER, Mr.

JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. BROWN of Florida,

Ms. LEE, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. BERRY, Mr.

DELAHUNT, Mr. HAYES, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. RUSH, Mr. LAMPSON, Ms.

KILPATRICK, Mr. TIERNEY, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr.

WEXLER, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. VENTO, Mr. MINGE, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, and Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA) submitted the following resolution; which

was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
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•HRES 298 IH

RESOLUTION

Calling on the President to abstain from renegotiating international agreements governing antidumping and countervailing measures.

Whereas the House of Representatives is deeply concerned

that, in connection with the World Trade Organization

(‘‘WTO’’) Ministerial meeting to be held in Seattle,

Washington, and the multilateral trade negotiations expected to follow, a few countries are seeking to circumvent the agreed list of negotiating topics and reopen

debate over the WTO’s antidumping and antisubsidy

rules;

Whereas strong antidumping and antisubsidy rules are a cornerstone of the liberal trade policy of the United States

and are essential to the health of the manufacturing and

farm sectors in the United States;

Whereas it has long been and remains the policy of the

United States to support its antidumping and antisubsidy

laws and to defend those laws in international negotiations;

Whereas the WTO antidumping and antisubsidy rules concluded in the Uruguay Round have scarcely been tested

since they entered into effect and certainly have not

proved defective;

Whereas opening these rules to renegotiation could only lead

to weakening them, which would in turn lead to even

greater abuse of the world’s open markets, particularly

that of the United States;

Whereas, conversely, avoiding another divisive fight over

these rules is the best way to promote progress on the
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•HRES 298 IH

other, far more important, issues facing WTO members;

and

Whereas it is therefore essential that negotiations on these

antidumping and antisubsidy matters not be reopened

under the auspices of the WTO or otherwise: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives calls

2 upon the President—

3 (1) not to participate in any international nego4 tiation in which antidumping or antisubsidy rules

5 are part of the negotiating agenda;

6 (2) to refrain from submitting for congressional

7 approval agreements that require changes to the

8 current antidumping and countervailing duty laws

9 and enforcement policies of the United States; and

10 (3) to enforce the antidumping and counter11 vailing duty laws vigorously in all pending and fu12 ture cases.

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