than twelve months after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
(d) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION BY USIA.—In
order to assist in carrying out the purposes of the Forum,
the United States Information Agency shall disseminate
regularly, through multiple media, economic information
in support of the free market economic reforms described
in this Act.
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this section.
(f) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—None of the
funds authorized under this section may be used to create
or support any nongovernmental organization for the pur-
pose of expanding or facilitating trade between the United
States and sub-Saharan Africa.
SEC. 
6. 
UNITED 
STATES–SUB-SAHARAN 
AFRICA 
FREE
TRADE AREA.
(a) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—The Congress de-
clares that a United States–Sub-Saharan Africa Free
Trade Area should be established, or free trade agree-
ments should be entered into, in order to serve as the cata-
lyst for increasing trade between the United States and
sub-Saharan Africa and increasing private sector develop-
ment in sub-Saharan Africa.
(b) PLAN REQUIREMENT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President, taking into
account the provisions of the treaty establishing the
African Economic Community and the willingness of
the governments of sub-Saharan African countries to
engage in negotiations to enter into free trade agree-
ments, shall develop a plan for the purpose of enter-
ing into one or more trade agreements with sub-Sa-
haran African countries eligible under section 4 in
order to establish a United States–Sub-Saharan Af-
rica Free Trade Area (hereafter in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Free Trade Area’’).
(2) ELEMENTS OF PLAN.—The plan shall in-
clude the following:
(A) The specific objectives of the United
States with respect to the establishment of the
Free Trade Area and a suggested timetable for
achieving those objectives.
(B) The benefits to both the United States
and sub-Saharan Africa with respect to the
Free Trade Area.
(C) A mutually agreed-upon timetable for
establishing the Free Trade Area.
(D) The implications for and the role of
regional and sub-regional organizations in sub-
Saharan Africa with respect to the Free Trade
Area.
(E) Subject matter anticipated to be cov-
ered by the agreement for establishing the Free
Trade Area and United States laws, programs,
and policies, as well as the laws of participating
eligible African countries and existing bilateral
and multilateral and economic cooperation and
trade agreements, that may be affected by the
agreement or agreements.
(F) Procedures to ensure the following:
(i) Adequate consultation with the
Congress and the private sector during the
negotiation of the agreement or agree-
ments for establishing the Free Trade
Area.
(ii) Consultation with the Congress re-
garding all matters relating to implementa-
tion of the agreement or agreements.
(iii) Approval by the Congress of the
agreement or agreements.
(iv) Adequate consultations with the
relevant African governments and African
regional and subregional intergovernmental
organizations during the negotiations of
the agreement or agreements.
(c) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 12
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
President shall prepare and transmit to the Congress a
report containing the plan developed pursuant to sub-
section (b).
SEC. 7. ELIMINATING TRADE BARRIERS AND ENCOUR-
AGING EXPORTS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following
findings:
(1) The lack of competitiveness of sub-Saharan
Africa in the global market, especially in the manu-
facturing sector, make it a limited threat to market
disruption and no threat to United States jobs.
(2) Annual textile and apparel exports to the
United States from sub-Saharan Africa represent
less than 1 percent of all textile and apparel exports
to the United States, which totaled $54,001,863,000
in 1997.
(3) Sub-Saharan Africa has limited textile man-
ufacturing capacity. During 1999 and the suc-
ceeding 4 years, this limited capacity to manufacture
textiles and apparel is projected to grow at a modest
rate. Given this limited capacity to export textiles
and apparel, it will be very difficult for these exports
from sub-Saharan Africa, during 1999 and the suc-
ceeding 9 years, to exceed 3 percent annually of
total imports of textile and apparel to the United
States. If these exports from sub-Saharan Africa re-
main around 3 percent of total imports, they will not
represent a threat to United States workers, con-
sumers, or manufacturers.
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of
the Congress that—
(1) it would be to the mutual benefit of the
countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the United
States to ensure that the commitments of the World
Trade Organization and associated agreements are
faithfully implemented in each of the member coun-
tries, so as to lay the groundwork for sustained
growth in textile and apparel exports and trade
under agreed rules and disciplines;
(2) reform of trade policies in sub-Saharan Af-
rica with the objective of removing structural im-
pediments to trade, consistent with obligations under
the World Trade Organization, can assist the coun-
tries of the region in achieving greater and greater
diversification of textile and apparel export commod-
ities and products and export markets; and
(3) the President should support textile and ap-
parel trade reform in sub-Saharan Africa by, among
other measures, providing technical assistance, shar-
ing of information to expand basic knowledge of how
to trade with the United States, and encouraging
business-to-business contacts with the region.
(c) TREATMENT OF QUOTAS.—
(1) KENYA AND MAURITIUS.—Pursuant to the
Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, the United
States shall eliminate the existing quotas on textile
and apparel exports to the United States—
(A) from Kenya within 30 days after that
country adopts an efficient visa system to guard
against unlawful transshipment of textile and
apparel goods and the use of counterfeit docu-
ments; and
(B) from Mauritius within 30 days after
that country adopts such a visa system.
The Customs Service shall provide the necessary
technical assistance to Kenya and Mauritius in the
development and implementation of those visa sys-
tems.
(2) OTHER
SUB-SAHARAN
COUNTRIES.—The
President shall continue the existing no quota policy
for countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The President
shall submit to the Congress, not later than March
31 of each year, a report on the growth in textiles
and apparel exports to the United States from coun-
tries in sub-Saharan Africa in order to protect
United States consumers, workers, and textile manu-
facturers from economic injury on account of the no
quota policy.
(d) CUSTOMS PROCEDURES AND ENFORCEMENT.—
(1) ACTIONS BY COUNTRIES AGAINST TRANS-
SHIPMENT
AND
CIRCUMVENTION.—The President
should ensure that any country in sub-Saharan Afri-
ca that intends to export textile and apparel goods
to the United States—
(A) has in place a functioning and effective
visa system and domestic laws and enforcement
procedures to guard against unlawful trans-
shipment of textile and apparel goods and the
use of counterfeit documents; and
(B) will cooperate fully with the United
States to address and take action necessary to
prevent circumvention, as provided in Article 5
of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing.
(2) PENALTIES AGAINST EXPORTERS.—If the
President determines, based on sufficient evidence,
that an exporter has willfully falsified information
regarding the country of origin, manufacture, proc-
essing, or assembly of a textile or apparel article for
which 
duty-free 
treatment 
under 
section
503(a)(1)(C) of the Trade Act of 1974 is claimed,
then the President shall deny to such exporter, and
any successors of such exporter, for a period of 2
years, duty-free treatment under such section for
textile and apparel articles.
(3) APPLICABILITY OF UNITED STATES LAWS
AND PROCEDURES.—All provisions of the laws, regu-
lations, and procedures of the United States relating
to the denial of entry of articles or penalties against
individuals or entities for engaging in illegal trans-
shipment, fraud, or other violations of the customs
laws shall apply to imports from Sub-Saharan coun-
tries.
(4) MONITORING
AND
REPORTS
TO
CON-
GRESS.—The Customs Service shall monitor and the
Commissioner of Customs shall submit to the Con-
gress, not later than March 31 of each year, a report
on the effectiveness of the visa systems described in
subsection (c)(1) and paragraph (1) of this sub-
section and on measures taken by countries in Sub-
Saharan Africa which export textiles or apparel to
the United States to prevent circumvention as de-
scribed in Article 5 of the Agreement on Textiles
and Clothing.
(e) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
term ‘‘Agreement on Textiles and Clothing’’ means the
Agreement on Textiles and Clothing referred to in section
101(d)(4) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (19
U.S.C. 3511(d)(4)).
SEC. 8. GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES.
(a) PREFERENTIAL TARIFF TREATMENT FOR CER-
TAIN ARTICLES.—Section 503(a)(1) of the Trade Act of
1974 (19 U.S.C. 2463(a)(1)) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as sub-
paragraph (D); and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES IN SUB-SAHA-
RAN AFRICA.—The President may provide duty-
free treatment for any article set forth in para-
graph (1) of subsection (b) that is the growth,
product, or manufacture of an eligible country
in sub-Saharan Africa that is a beneficiary de-
veloping country, if, after receiving the advice
of the International Trade Commission in ac-
cordance with subsection (e), the President de-
termines that such article is not import-sen-
sitive in the context of imports from eligible
countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This subpara-
graph shall not affect the designation of eligible
articles under subparagraph (B).’’.
(b) RULES OF ORIGIN.—Section 503(a)(2) of the
Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2463(a)(2)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
‘‘(C) ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES IN SUB-SAHA-
RAN AFRICA.—For purposes of determining the
percentage referred to in subparagraph (A) in
the case of an article of an eligible country in
sub-Saharan Africa that is a beneficiary devel-
oping country—
‘‘(i) if the cost or value of materials
produced in the customs territory of the
United States is included with respect to
that article, an amount not to exceed 15
percent of the appraised value of the arti-
cle at the time it is entered that is attrib-
uted to such United States cost or value
may be applied toward determining the
percentage referred to in subparagraph
(A); and
‘‘(ii) the cost or value of the materials
included with respect to that article that
are produced in any beneficiary developing
country that is an eligible country in sub-
Saharan Africa shall be applied in deter-
mining such percentage.’’.
(c) WAIVER OF COMPETITIVE NEED LIMITATION.—
Section 503(c)(2)(D) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C.
2463(c)(2)(D)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(D) 
LEAST-DEVELOPED
BENEFICIARY
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND ELIGIBLE COUN-
TRIES
IN
SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA.—Subpara-
graph (A) shall not apply to any least-developed
beneficiary developing country or any eligible
country in sub-Saharan Africa.’’.
(d) EXTENSION OF PROGRAM.—Section 505 of the
Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2465) is amended to read
as follows:
‘‘SEC. 505. DATE OF TERMINATION.
‘‘(a) COUNTRIES
IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.—No
duty-free treatment provided under this title shall remain
in effect after June 30, 2009, with respect to beneficiary
developing countries that are eligible countries in sub-Sa-
haran Africa.
‘‘(b) OTHER COUNTRIES.—No duty-free treatment
provided under this title shall remain in effect after June
30, 1999, with respect to beneficiary developing countries
other than those provided for in subsection (a).’’.
(e) DEFINITION.—Section 507 of the Trade Act of
1974 (19 U.S.C. 2467) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
‘‘(6) ELIGIBLE COUNTRY IN SUB-SAHARAN AF-
RICA.—The terms ‘eligible country in sub-Saharan
Africa’ and ‘eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa’
mean a country or countries that the President has
determined to be eligible under section 4 of the Afri-
can Growth and Opportunity Act.’’.
(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section take effect on July 1, 1999.
SEC. 9. INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND
DEBT REDUCTION.
(a) BETTER MECHANISMS TO FURTHER GOALS FOR
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.—It is the sense of the Congress
that the Secretary of the Treasury should instruct the
United States Executive Directors of the International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-
national Monetary Fund, and the African Development
Bank to use the voice and votes of the Executive Directors
to encourage vigorously their respective institutions to de-
velop enhanced mechanisms which further the following
goals in eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa: