IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 746 
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 
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 
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•HRES 746 IH 
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. 
Whereas the United States is an original member of the 
World Trade Organization (WTO) and a key architect of 
the institution; 
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 
political will to advance the goal of the WTO to raise 
standards of living, expand the production of and trade 
in goods and services, create and enforce rules that re-
duce 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, cre-
ate new trade rules that enhance opportunities for all, 
and address 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 Un-
derstanding as agreed by all WTO members and remains 
accountable to WTO members; 
Whereas the United States, for decades, has sought to 
strengthen the WTO dispute settlement system by advo-
cating for necessary, thoughtful, and prudent reforms; 
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•HRES 746 IH 
Whereas the United States has expressed longstanding con-
cerns that WTO Appellate Body, through its findings and 
procedural liberties, is improperly adding to or dimin-
ishing the rights or obligations of WTO members; 
Whereas the United States has consistently urged the WTO 
to improve transparency by requiring that all dispute set-
tlement 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 sys-
tem, 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 noti-
fication 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 devel-
oping countries in order to receive special and differential 
treatment; 
Whereas some self-declared developing countries that are now 
advanced continue to demand the same special and dif-
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•HRES 746 IH 
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; 
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 important aspects of the WTO system; and 
Whereas WTO members are engaged in negotiations to re-
form the WTO and create new rules, including with re-
spect to fisheries subsidies and e-commerce: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) the United States should continue to lead 
reform efforts to ensure that the World Trade Orga-
nization (WTO) functions as agreed by the member-
ship and is updated appropriately for the 21st cen-
tury; 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 coun-
tries to pursue reforms at the WTO that— 
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