I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6537 
To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to make improvements to the Generalized 
System of Preferences, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 
Mr. NUNES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to make improvements 
to the Generalized System of Preferences, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Generalized System 
of Preferences Improvement Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF BENEFICIARY DEVELOPING 
COUNTRIES. 
Section 502 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2462) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(2)— 
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(A) in subparagraph (C)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘(C)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(C)(i)’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(ii) Such country enters into an agree-
ment to afford preferential treatment to the 
products of a developed country, other than the 
United States, unless the President determines 
and certifies to Congress that it is in the na-
tional interests of the United States to des-
ignate such country as a beneficiary developing 
country under this title.’’; 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (H) 
the following: 
‘‘(I) Such country improperly uses sanitary 
and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers 
to trade, or other non-tariff trade barriers 
through a sustained or recurring course of ac-
tion or inaction, in a manner negatively affect-
ing trade between the country and the United 
States.’’; and 
(C) in the matter following subparagraph 
(I) (as added by subparagraph (B) of this para-
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graph), by striking ‘‘and (H)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(H), and (I)’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in paragraph (7), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(8) whether or not and the extent to which 
such country, in accordance with its capacity, adopts 
and follows international sanitary or phytosanitary 
standards and provides scientific justifications for 
deviations from such standards.’’. 
SEC. 3. REVIEW AND REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Section 504 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2464) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘RE-
PORT’’ and inserting ‘‘REPORTS’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘The President’’ and inserting 
‘‘(a) REPORT
ON WORKER RIGHTS
AND CHILD 
LABOR.—The President’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) REPORT ON MARKET ACCESS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall submit 
an annual report to the Congress on the status of 
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market access within each covered beneficiary devel-
oping country, including findings with respect to 
whether or not the beneficiary country, in accord-
ance with its capacity, has adopted and followed 
international sanitary and phytosanitary standards 
and provides scientific justifications for deviations 
from such standards. The report shall also include 
findings as to whether or not each covered bene-
ficiary developing country has improperly used sani-
tary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers 
to trade, and other non-tariff trade barriers. 
‘‘(2) 
COVERED
BENEFICIARY
DEVELOPING 
COUNTRY.—In paragraph (1), the term ‘covered ben-
eficiary developing country ’ means a beneficiary de-
veloping country that is one of the top 20 bene-
ficiary developing countries in terms of dollar value 
of duty-free imports of articles under this title as 
identified on an annual basis by the United States 
International Trade Commission.’’. 
Æ 
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