Middle East Trade and Engagement Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1121
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2003-05-22 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Access to health care
Administrative procedure
Afghanistan
Age and employment
Algeria
American investments
Arab countries
Arab-Israeli conflict
Armed Forces and National Security
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Boycott
Bribery
Child labor
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Collective bargaining
Commerce
Commercial blacklisting
Communist countries
Conferences
Congress
Congress and foreign policy
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Customs unions
Democracy
Department of the Treasury
Diversification in industry
Due process of law
Economic development
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Egypt
Elementary and secondary education
Employee rights
Environmental Protection
Equality before the law
Europe
Executive orders
Expropriation
Families
Finance and Financial Sector
Forced labor
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Foreign investments
Free enterprise
Free trade
Freedom of association
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
Government Operations and Politics
Government ethics
Government ownership
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Health
Human rights
Imports
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Intellectual property
International agencies
International broadcasting
International cooperation
International environmental cooperation
Iraq
Iraq compilation
Israel
Job creation
Joint ventures
Jordan
Kuwait
Labor and Employment
Labor unions
Law
Lebanon
Loans
Middle East and North Africa
Morocco
Nongovernmental organizations
Nontariff trade barriers
Occupational health and safety
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinians
Peace negotiations
Planning
Pluralism (Social sciences)
Political persecution
Poverty
President and foreign policy
Price regulation
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Public corruption
Qatar
Recognition (International law)
Religion
Religious liberty
Right of assembly
Right of property
Rule of law
Saudi Arabia
Science, Technology, Communications
Slavery
Small business
Social Welfare
South Asia
State-sponsored terrorism
Subsidies
Sustainable development
Tariff
Tariff preferences
Terrorism
Trade agreements
Trade negotiations
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen

Summary:
action_date: 2003-05-22
text: 
Middle East Trade and Engagement Act of 2003 - Authorizes the President to designate any of 18 specified Middle Eastern countries as a beneficiary country if the country meets specified requirements, which focus on economic policy, the rule of law, political freedom, alignment with U.S. trade and foreign policy interests, the promotion of human rights, and combating terrorism. Authorizes the President to designate the Palestinian Authority as a beneficiary country if it satisfies specified requirements, including cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts and the acceptance of Israel's right to exist. 
 
Authorizes the President to designate articles from all beneficiary countries, including Israel and Jordan, as eligible for duty-free treatment, subject to rules of origin requirements and certain restrictions under existing law.
 
Requires the President to establish a United States-Middle East Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum.
 
Declares that bilateral free trade agreements should be negotiated with interested countries or political entities in the greater Middle East. Requires any country or political entity that desires to negotiate such an agreement with the United States to be a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) or working toward WTO membership and to satisfy the criteria for designation as a beneficiary country. Directs the President to develop a plan for negotiating and entering into trade agreements with interested beneficiary countries.
 
Terminates the preferential treatment extended to beneficiary countries under this Act on December 31, 2011.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-05-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced:  CR S7005-7007)
action_date: 2003-05-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7004-7005)
action_date: 2003-05-22
text: Introduced in Senate