IV 
House Calendar No. 99 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 746 
[Report No. 116–614] 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States 
should reaffirm its commitment as a member of the World Trade Organi-
zation (WTO) and work with other WTO members to achieve reforms 
at the WTO that improve the speed and predictability of dispute settle-
ment, address longstanding concerns with the WTO’s Appellate Body, 
increase transparency at the WTO, ensure that WTO members invoke 
special and differential treatment reserved for developing countries only 
in fair and appropriate circumstances, and update the WTO rules to 
address the needs of the United States and other free and open econo-
mies in the 21st century. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 6, 2019 
Mr. KIND (for himself, Mr. SCHWEIKERT, Mr. BEYER, Mr. MARCHANT, Ms. 
DELBENE, Mr. SMITH of Missouri, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, and Mr. 
ESTES) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Ways and Means 
DECEMBER 2, 2020 
Additional sponsors: Mr. REED, Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Mrs. WALORSKI, 
Mr. EVANS, Mr. HILL of Arkansas, Mr. SMITH of Nebraska, Mr. KIL-
DEE, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. BROWN of Mary-
land, Mr. CASE, and Mrs. MILLER 
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•HRES 746 RH 
DECEMBER 2, 2020 
Reported with amendments; referred to the House Calendar and ordered to 
be printed 
[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the United States should reaffirm its commitment as 
a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and 
work with other WTO members to achieve reforms at 
the WTO that improve the speed and predictability of 
dispute settlement, address longstanding concerns with 
the WTO’s Appellate Body, increase transparency at the 
WTO, ensure that WTO members invoke special and 
differential treatment reserved for developing countries 
only in fair and appropriate circumstances, and update 
the WTO rules to address the needs of the United States 
and other free and open economies in the 21st century. 
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•HRES 746 RH 
Whereas the United States is an original member of the World 
Trade Organization (WTO) and a key architect of the in-
stitution; 
Whereas the WTO is a critical forum for strengthening the 
multilateral rules-based trading system and a bedrock of 
United States trade policy; 
Whereas the United States has provided the leadership and po-
litical will to advance the goal of the WTO to raise stand-
ards of living, expand the production of and trade in goods 
and services, create and enforce rules that reduce obstacles 
to international trade that help ensure a level playing 
field; 
Whereas sustained United States leadership in the WTO pro-
vides best paths to achieve necessary WTO reforms, create 
new trade rules that enhance opportunities for all, and ad-
dress the needs and challenges of the United States and all 
other free and open economies in the 21st century; 
Whereas the WTO is the preferred forum in which member 
economies resolve disputes that arise among them; 
Whereas the United States has consistently supported having 
a functional, efficient dispute settlement mechanism at the 
WTO that strictly follows the Dispute Settlement Under-
standing as agreed by all WTO members and remains ac-
countable to WTO members; 
Whereas the United States, for decades, has sought to strength-
en the WTO dispute settlement system by advocating for 
necessary, thoughtful and prudent reforms; 
Whereas the United States has expressed longstanding concerns 
that the WTO Appellate Body, through its findings and 
procedural liberties, is improperly adding to or dimin-
ishing the rights or obligations of WTO members; 
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•HRES 746 RH 
Whereas the United States has consistently urged the WTO to 
improve transparency by requiring that all dispute settle-
ment hearings at the WTO be open to the public, and all 
submissions by the parties be publicly available; 
Whereas, while several WTO members have joined the United 
States in agreeing to open hearings to the public and in 
making public submissions, most WTO Members continue 
to insist on closed hearings and confidential submissions; 
Whereas transparent WTO dispute settlement enhances WTO 
members’ understanding of the dispute settlement system, 
particularly for those who do not participate often in the 
system; 
Whereas open dispute settlement promotes the accountability, 
professionalism, and impartiality of WTO adjudicators, to 
the benefit of the dispute settlement system as a whole; 
Whereas many WTO members have failed to meet basic notifi-
cation obligations making it difficult and, in some cases, 
impossible to monitor or determine their compliance with 
WTO obligations, including subsidies disciplines; 
Whereas the United States has encouraged, by proposing var-
ious incentives and administrative measures, better com-
pliance with notification obligations; 
Whereas the WTO allows members to self-identify as developing 
countries in order to receive special and differential treat-
ment; 
Whereas some self-declared developing countries that are now 
advanced continue to demand the same special and dif-
ferential treatment intended for much smaller, less devel-
oped members, creating asymmetries that hinder the WTO 
from achieving meaningful outcomes in current and future 
negotiations; 
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Whereas for over a decade, most WTO members have refused 
to engage in serious efforts to address longstanding United 
States calls for reform of dispute settlement and other im-
portant aspects of the WTO system; and 
Whereas WTO members are engaged in negotiations to reform 
the WTO and create new rules, including with respect to 
fisheries subsidies and e-commerce: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) the United States should continue to lead re-
form efforts to ensure that the World Trade Organiza-
tion (WTO) functions as agreed by the membership 
and is updated appropriately for the 21st century; 
and 
(2) the United States should continue to urge 
other WTO members to work with the United States 
to achieve needed reforms so that the WTO and its 
members can address unjustified barriers to trade and 
promote economic norms that improve the standard of 
living across the world; and 
(3) the United States Trade Representative 
should continue to lead and work with other countries 
to pursue reforms at the WTO that— 
(A) address concerns with the WTO’s Appel-
late Body; 
(B) improve the efficiency and transparency 
of dispute settlement proceedings; 
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