Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-2942
Sponsor: Rep. Ryan, Tim [D-OH-17]
Introduced: 2007-06-28 in the House
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: American investments
Commerce
Congressional reporting requirements
Countervailing duties
Currency devaluation
Developing countries
Development credit institutions
Federal advisory bodies
Foreign exchange
Foreign loans
Free trade
Government Operations and Politics
International Affairs
International agencies
International monetary system
Investment guaranty insurance
Sanctions (International law)
Subsidies
Trade agreements

Summary:
action_date: 2007-06-28
text: 
Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act of 2007 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to expand the authority of the administering authority or the International Trade Commission (ITC) to impose countervailing duties on products from a nonmarket economy country that have been provided a countervailable subsidy. Requires, when measuring subsidy benefits, the use of benchmarks outside of a nonmarket economy country when benchmarks in such a country are not available or are inappropriate.
 
Includes fundamental and actionable misalignment of a currency (undervaluation of a foreign currency) by a foreign country as a countervailable subsidy. 
 
 

 
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to: (1) report annually to Congress on international monetary policy and currency exchange rates (including fundamentally misaligned currencies); (2) analyze semiannually the prevailing real exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies and to designate fundamentally misaligned foreign currencies for priority action; and (3) seek bilateral consultations with fundamentally misaligned currency countries designated for priority action to eliminate such misalignment.
 
Requires the United States to inform the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of countries that fail to eliminate fundamentally misaligned currencies designated for priority action and to request the IMF Managing Director to consult with such countries regarding their observance of the IMF Articles of Agreement and to report the results of such consultations to the IMF Executive Board. Prohibits the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) from, and instructs multilateral banks to oppose, financing projects in countries that issue fundamentally misaligned currencies designated for priority action. 
 
Requires: (1) the Secretary to take certain actions with respect to countries that fail to eliminate fundamentally misaligned currencies designated for priority action; and (2) the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to request consultations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) with such countries regarding the consistency of their actions with regard the WTO Agreement.
 
Establishes an Advisory Committee on International Exchange Rate Policy.
 
Repeals the Exchange Rates and International Economic Policy Coordination Act of 1988.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-07-12
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
action_date: 2007-06-28
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-28
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-28
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-28
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-28
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-06-28
text: Introduced in House