A bill to extend trade benefits to certain tents imported into the United States.

Bill: 108-s-2875
Sponsor: Sen. Bond, Christopher S. [R-MO]
Introduced: 2004-09-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Access to health care
Afghanistan
Algeria
American investments
Arab-Israeli conflict
Armed Forces and National Security
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Boycott
Bribery
Camping
Capital
Central Asia
Child labor
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Claims
Collective bargaining
Commerce
Commercial blacklisting
Communist countries
Congress
Congress and foreign policy
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Democracy
Dispute settlement
Due process of law
Education
Egypt
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Employee rights
Environmental Protection
Equality before the law
Equipment and supplies
Europe
Expropriation
Families
Finance and Financial Sector
Forced labor
Foreign investments
Free enterprise
Free trade
Freedom of association
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
Government Operations and Politics
Health
Human rights
Imports
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Intellectual property
International Affairs
International cooperation
International environmental cooperation
Iraq
Iraq compilation
Israel
Kuwait
Labor and Employment
Labor unions
Law
Lebanon
Loans
Middle East and North Africa
Morocco
Nontariff trade barriers
Occupational health and safety
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinians
Peace
Pluralism (Social sciences)
Political participation
Poverty
President and foreign policy
Public corruption
Qatar
Religion
Religious liberty
Right of assembly
Right of property
Rule of law
Saudi Arabia
Secondary education
Small business
Social Welfare
South Asia
Sports and Recreation
State-sponsored terrorism
Tariff
Terrorism
Treaties
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen

Summary:
action_date: 2004-09-30
text: 
Directs the President to provide duty-free treatment for certain tents imported from Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, or Yemen (beneficiary countries).
 
Prohibits a country from being designated, and if designated, requires it to be withdrawn if it is: (1) listed by the U.S. Department of State as a state sponsor of terrorism; or (2) engaged in activities that undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.
 
Requires the President, after one year and annually thereafter, to review and determine if a basis exists for withdrawal of such duty-free treatment, taking into consideration: (1) whether or not each beneficiary country has established, or is making continual progress toward establishing, a market-based economy, the rule of law and the right to due process, political pluralism, and other specified economic and political goals; (2) the country's record on activities that undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, and support of a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; (3) whether it is a signatory of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, does not engage in gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, and is making continuing and verifiable progress on the protection of internationally recognized human rights; (4) the country's participation in the primary, secondary, or tertiary economic boycott of Israel; and (5) whether it otherwise meets specified eligibility criteria of the Trade Act of 1974. Requires the President to terminate the designation of any beneficiary country determined no longer to meet the requirements of this Act.
 
Authorizes the President to designate the Palestinian Authority or its successor political entity as a beneficiary political entity, which, if so designated, shall be eligible for the duty-free treatment under this Act as if it were a beneficiary country, if the Authority: (1) does not participate in acts of terrorism, takes active measures to combat terrorism, and cooperates fully in international efforts to combat terrorism; (2) does not engage in activities that undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests; (3) does not engage in gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, and is making continuing and verifiable progress on the protection of internationally recognized human rights; and (4) accepts Israel's right to exist in peace within secure borders. Requires the President to terminate the designation of the Authority if it is determined that the Authority no longer meets such requirements.
 
Requires the President to notify Congress concerning the withdrawal of a country's or the Authority's designation.
 
Prescribes the rule of origin for tents imported directly from beneficiary countries. Requires that the sum of the cost or value of the materials produced in one or more beneficiary countries, plus the direct cost of processing operations performed in such beneficiary country or countries, be at least 35 percent of the appraised value of such article at the time it is entered into the U.S. customs territory.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-09-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2004-09-30
text: Introduced in Senate