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 Penn-
sylvania, 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 Flor-
ida, and Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
•HRES 298 IH
RESOLUTION
Calling on the President to abstain from renegotiating inter-
national agreements governing antidumping and counter-
vailing 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 ex-
pected to follow, a few countries are seeking to cir-
cumvent 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 cor-
nerstone 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 negotia-
tions;
Whereas the WTO antidumping and antisubsidy rules con-
cluded 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
•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, there-
fore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives calls
upon the President—
(1) not to participate in any international nego-
tiation in which antidumping or antisubsidy rules
are part of the negotiating agenda;
(2) to refrain from submitting for congressional
approval agreements that require changes to the
current antidumping and countervailing duty laws
and enforcement policies of the United States; and
(3) to enforce the antidumping and counter-
vailing duty laws vigorously in all pending and fu-
ture cases.
Æ