IA
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. J. RES. 105
Calling on the President to take all necessary steps under existing law and
international trade agreements to respond to the serious injury currently
being experienced by the United States textile and apparel industry,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 11, 2002
Mr. COBLE (for himself, Mr. SPRATT, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. TAY-
LOR of North Carolina, Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr.
EVERETT, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. FROST, Mr.
PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island,
Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. HAYES, Mr. THOMP-
SON of Mississippi, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. GOODE, Mr. SHOWS, Mr. CRAMER,
Mr. COLLINS, Mr. WATT of North Carolina, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr.
MCHUGH, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. CLEMENT,
Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr.
EVANS, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. HILLEARY, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr.
RILEY, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. PICKERING, and Mr. MCGOVERN) intro-
duced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Ways and Means
JOINT RESOLUTION
Calling on the President to take all necessary steps under
existing law and international trade agreements to re-
spond to the serious injury currently being experienced
by the United States textile and apparel industry, and
for other purposes.
Whereas 964,000 Americans continue to be directly employed
by the United States textile and apparel industry, result-
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ing in nearly $36,000,000,000 in annual compensation to
workers in this sector;
Whereas the United States textile and apparel sector ac-
counted for $48,300,000,000 of the nation’s gross domes-
tic product (GDP) in calendar year 2001;
Whereas according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the tex-
tile and apparel industry was one of the most productive
in the United States during the decade of the 1990s, ex-
periencing significant productivity growth in practically
all major product sectors;
Whereas the United States textile and apparel industry is a
major employer in many depressed rural areas, as well as
a key provider of jobs in a number of major inner-city
locations, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago,
and Dallas;
Whereas the United States textile and apparel industry is a
critical supplier to the United States Armed Forces, pro-
viding a stable domestic supply of vital items such as uni-
forms, parachutes, chemical and biological protective
gear, and sophisticated carbon fibers necessary for mis-
sile and satellite guidance systems;
Whereas surging imports from low-wage foreign suppliers,
along with massive currency devaluations by numerous
major exporting countries, have combined to overwhelm
trade controls established pursuant to international
agreements, resulting in the most severe and prolonged
economic crisis the United States textile and apparel in-
dustry has ever faced;
Whereas imports of textile and apparel products into the
United States have increased by 107 percent since 1993
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Whereas the substantial contraction in this industry has un-
dermined an essential source of jobs, as well as critical
health insurance benefits for women and minorities, in-
cluding immigrants;
Whereas dozens of United States textile and apparel compa-
nies have been forced into bankruptcy or liquidation, and
more than 200 plants in the United States in this sector
have permanently closed since 1997;
Whereas although overall consumer prices in the United
States rose 33 percent during the 1990’s, apparel prices
actually fell during that period, so that the United States
textile and apparel sector experienced the first decade of
deflation since the 1930s; and
Whereas many Americans recognize the need to improve the
enforcement of United States trade laws and inter-
national agreements to provide an effective response to
the injury that the textile and apparel industry has sus-
tained: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be referred to as the ‘‘Tex-
tile and Apparel Recognition Act’’.
SEC. 2. ACTION BY THE PRESIDENT.
The Congress calls upon the President—
(1) to ensure vigorous enforcement of United
States trade laws with respect to trade practices re-
sulting in harm to the United States textile and ap-
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parel industry, using all remedies available under
those laws;
(2) to ensure vigorous enforcement of current
international trade agreements with respect to the
United States textile and apparel industry, including
all existing safeguard remedies available to the
United States textile and apparel industry under the
World Trade Organization and the North American
Free Trade Agreement;
(3) to ensure vigorous enforcement of existing
quota and tariff regulations to prevent further illegal
circumvention of the United States textile import re-
straint program;
(4) to deny requests from trading partners of
the United States for unilateral liberalization by the
United States of its textile and apparel market other
than that provided for under existing international
trade agreements; and
(5) to implement strategies to open foreign
markets so as to provide equitable access for goods
exported by the United States textile and apparel in-
dustry.
SEC. 3. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
The President shall—
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(1) not later than 90 days after the date of en-
actment of this joint resolution, and
(2) not later than 1 year after such date of en-
actment,
report to the Congress on actions taken to carry out para-
graphs (1) through (5) of section 2, and on the results
of those actions.
SEC. 4. CURRENCY DEVALUATIONS.
(a) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this joint resolution, and
not later than the end of each 1-year period thereafter,
the President shall report to the Congress on the ability
of the United States textile manufacturing sector to com-
pete with the textile industry in other countries when for-
eign currencies are devalued.
(b) FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS.—The President, in con-
ducting negotiations to enter into trade agreements with
other countries, shall take into account potential foreign
currency devaluations so that such countries do not receive
the benefit of reduced tariffs while at the same time mak-
ing their exports more cost-competitive on the inter-
national market through such currency devaluations.
Æ