I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1917 
To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to establish congressional procedures for 
the termination of economically harmful free trade agreements, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 21, 2015 
Mr. LIPINSKI (for himself, Mr. NOLAN, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. 
DELAURO, Mr. TONKO, Mr. HIGGINS, and Mr. CONYERS) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, 
and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to establish congressional 
procedures for the termination of economically harmful 
free trade agreements, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Truth, Transparency, 
Accountability, and Fairness in Trade Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. REPORTING. 
Section 163(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2213(c)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) ITC REPORTS.—The United States Inter-
national Trade Commission and the Secretary of Labor 
shall submit to the Congress, not later than February 
15th of each year, a joint report on the operation of the 
trade agreements program during the preceding calendar 
year. The report shall include, with respect to each free 
trade agreement in effect on December 31st of the pre-
ceding calendar year, the following: 
‘‘(1)(A) The exports, during the preceding cal-
endar year, from the United States to the other 
countries that are parties to the free trade agree-
ment, and the imports, during the preceding cal-
endar year, from those other countries to the United 
States, of goods and services covered by the agree-
ment, by volume, by industry sector, by commodity, 
and by State, that are attributable to the free trade 
agreement or a section, chapter, or other portion of 
such trade agreement. 
‘‘(B) A comparison of the export and import 
data reported under subparagraph (A) for the pre-
ceding calendar year, with such data for the lesser 
of— 
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‘‘(i) the period of 4 calendar years ending 
on the day before the first day of such pre-
ceding calendar year; or 
‘‘(ii) the number of calendar years, occur-
ring before such preceding calendar year, in 
which the agreement has been in effect. 
‘‘(2) A comparison of the export and import 
data reported under subparagraphs (A) and (B) 
with any forecasts made by the United States Trade 
Representative, before the implementation of the 
free trade agreement, with respect to such export or 
import data for the calendar years with respect to 
which the data is reported. 
‘‘(3)(A) The number of applications filed, dur-
ing the preceding calendar year, for adjustment as-
sistance for workers and firms under title II of this 
Act, the number of such applications that were ap-
proved, and the extent to which adjustment assist-
ance has been provided under such approved applica-
tions, as a result of the free trade agreement, na-
tionwide, in each State, and by industry. 
‘‘(B) A comparison of the data reported under 
subparagraph (A) for the preceding calendar year, 
with such data for the lesser of— 
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‘‘(i) the period of 4 calendar years ending 
on the day before the first day of such pre-
ceding calendar year; or 
‘‘(ii) the number of calendar years, occur-
ring before such preceding calendar year, in 
which the agreement has been in effect.’’. 
SEC. 3. TERMINATION OF AGREEMENTS OR PORTIONS 
THEREOF. 
Section 125 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2135) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) TERMINATION OF AGREEMENTS OR PORTIONS 
THEREOF.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A free trade agreement, or 
a section, chapter, or other portion of such trade 
agreement in the case of a trade agreement that 
provides for the termination of sections, chapters, or 
other portions of the trade agreement in accordance 
with section 5 of the Truth, Transparency, Account-
ability, and Fairness in Trade Act, shall cease to be 
effective with respect to the United States if— 
‘‘(A) annual reports submitted under sec-
tion 163(c) with respect to the trade agreement 
show— 
‘‘(i) export disruption, which means 
declining exports from the United States 
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to, and rising imports into the United 
States from, a country that is party to the 
trade agreement— 
‘‘(I) in 3 consecutive calendar 
years, or 
‘‘(II) in 3 calendar years during 
a consecutive 5-calendar year period, 
overall or for a specific commodity or in-
dustry, as a result of the free trade agree-
ment, or a section, chapter, or other por-
tion of such trade agreement, as deter-
mined by the Comptroller General of the 
United States; 
‘‘(ii) labor disruption, which means an 
increase of 5 percent or more in the num-
ber of applications for adjustment assist-
ance for workers and firms under title II 
of this Act— 
‘‘(I) in each of 3 consecutive cal-
endar years, or 
‘‘(II) in each of 3 calendar years 
during a consecutive 5-calendar year 
period, 
as a result of the free trade agreement, or 
a section, chapter, or other portion of such 
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scribed in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subpara-
graph (A), is enacted into law. 
‘‘(2) TIME
LINES.—The Comptroller General 
shall, not later than 30 days after any annual report 
under section 163(c) is submitted to Congress with 
respect to a free trade agreement, make and submit 
to Congress a determination of whether or not ex-
port, labor, or trade balance disruption described in 
paragraph (1) has occurred with respect to that free 
trade agreement. 
‘‘(h) CONGRESSIONAL
TERMINATION
AUTHORITY 
AND PROCEDURES.— 
‘‘(1) RULES OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AND SENATE.—This section is enacted by the Con-
gress— 
‘‘(A) as an exercise of the rulemaking 
power of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate, respectively, and as such they are 
deemed a part of the rules of each House, re-
spectively, but applicable only with respect to 
the procedure to be followed in that House in 
the case of termination bill described in sub-
section (i), and they supersede other rules only 
to the extent that they are inconsistent there-
with; and 
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‘‘(B) with full recognition of the constitu-
tional right of either House to change the rules 
(so far as relating to that House) at any time, 
in the same manner and to the same extent as 
in the case of any other rule of that House. 
‘‘(2) INTRODUCTION AND REFERRAL.—A termi-
nation bill introduced in the House or the Senate 
with respect to a free trade agreement for which a 
determination of export disruption, labor disruption, 
or trade balance disruption has been received under 
subsection (g)(1) shall be referred by the Presiding 
Officers of the respective Houses to the appropriate 
committee, or in the case of a bill containing provi-
sions within the jurisdictions of two or more commit-
tees, jointly to such committees for consideration of 
those provisions within their jurisdiction. 
‘‘(3) AMENDMENTS PROHIBITED.—No amend-
ment to a termination bill shall be in order in either 
the House of Representatives or the Senate; and no 
motion to suspend the application of this subsection 
shall be in order in either House, nor shall it be in 
order in either House for the Presiding Officer to 
entertain a request to suspend the application of this 
subsection by unanimous consent. 
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‘‘(4) PERIOD FOR COMMITTEE AND FLOOR CON-
SIDERATION.— 
‘‘(A) Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
if the committee or committees of either House 
to which a termination bill has been referred 
have not reported it at the close of the 45th day 
after its introduction, such committee or com-
mittees shall be automatically discharged from 
further consideration of the termination bill and 
it shall be placed on the appropriate calendar. 
A vote on final passage of the termination bill 
shall be taken in each House on or before the 
close of the 15th day after the termination bill 
is reported by the committee or committees of 
that House to which it was referred, or after 
such committee or committees have been dis-
charged from further consideration of the ter-
mination bill. If prior to the passage by one 
House of a termination bill of that House, that 
House receives the same termination bill from 
the other House, then— 
‘‘(i) the procedure in that House shall 
be the same as if no termination bill had 
been received from the other House; but 
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‘‘(ii) the vote on final passage shall be 
on the termination bill of the other House. 
‘‘(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), in 
computing a number of days in either House, 
there shall be excluded any day on which that 
House is not in session. 
‘‘(5) FLOOR CONSIDERATION IN THE HOUSE OF 
REPRESENTATIVES.— 
‘‘(A) A motion in the House of Represent-
atives to proceed to the consideration of a ter-
mination bill shall be highly privileged and not 
debatable. An amendment to the motion shall 
not be in order, nor shall it be in order to move 
to reconsider the vote by which the motion is 
agreed to or disagreed to. 
‘‘(B) Debate in the House of Representa-
tives on a termination bill be limited to not 
more than 20 hours, which shall be divided 
equally between those favoring and those oppos-
ing the termination bill. A motion to further 
limit debate shall not be debatable. It shall not 
be in order to move to recommit a termination 
bill or to move to reconsider the vote by which 
a termination bill is agreed to or disagreed to. 
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‘‘(C) Motions to postpone, made in the 
House of Representatives with respect to the 
consideration of a termination bill, and motions 
to proceed to the consideration of other busi-
ness, shall be decided without debate. 
‘‘(D) All appeals from the decisions of the 
Chair relating to the application of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives to the procedure 
relating to a termination bill shall be decided 
without debate. 
‘‘(E) Except to the extent specifically pro-
vided in the preceding provisions of this sub-
section, consideration of a termination bill shall 
be governed by the Rules of the House of Rep-
resentatives applicable to other bills and resolu-
tions in similar circumstances. 
‘‘(6) FLOOR
CONSIDERATION
IN
THE
SEN-
ATE.— 
‘‘(A) A motion in the Senate to proceed to 
the consideration of a termination bill shall be 
privileged and not debatable. An amendment to 
the motion shall not be in order to move to re-
consider the vote by which the motion is agreed 
to or disagreed to. 
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‘‘(B) Debate in the Senate on a termi-
nation bill, and all debatable motions and ap-
peals in connection therewith, shall be limited 
to not more than 20 hours. The time shall be 
equally divided between, and controlled by, the 
majority leader and the minority leader or their 
designees. 
‘‘(C) Debate in the Senate on any debat-
able motion or appeal in connection with a ter-
mination bill shall be limited to not more than 
1 hour, to be equally divided between, and con-
trolled by, the mover and the manager of the 
bill, except that in the event the manager of the 
bill is in favor of any such motion or appeal, 
the time in opposition thereto shall be con-
trolled by the minority leader or his or her des-
ignee. Such leaders, or either of them, may, 
from time under their control on the passage of 
a termination bill allot additional time to any 
Senator during the consideration of any debat-
able motion or appeal. 
‘‘(D) A motion in the Senate to further 
limit debate is not debatable. A motion to re-
commit a termination bill is not in order. 
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‘‘(E) Consideration in the Senate of any 
veto message with respect to a termination bill, 
including consideration of all debatable motions 
and appeals in connection therewith, shall be 
limited to 10 hours, to be equally divided be-
tween, and controlled by, the majority leader 
and the minority leader or their designee. 
‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘termination bill’ means only a bill of either House 
of Congress that is introduced under subsection (h) with 
respect to a free trade agreement, or a section, chapter, 
or other portion of such trade agreement, with respect to 
which a determination by the Comptroller General of ex-
port disruption, labor disruption, or trade balance disrup-
tion has been received under subsection (g)(1) and that 
contains— 
‘‘(1) a provision terminating, within 6 months 
after the date of the enactment of the bill, such free 
trade agreement, or section, chapter, or other por-
tion of such trade agreement, with respect to specific 
goods or industries, to the extent that the deter-
mination of the Comptroller General applies only to 
such goods or industries; and 
‘‘(2) if changes in existing laws or new statu-
tory authorities are required to cancel such free 
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