FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, CONTACT: (202) 225-1721
March 20, 2000
FC-19
Congressman Bill Archer (R-TX), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Committee will hold a hearing to review future prospects for U.S. participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO), particularly in light of the expected accession of China and Taiwan to the WTO later this year. The hearing will take place on Thursday, March 30, 2000, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Oral testimony at this hearing will be from both invited and public witnesses. Invited witnesses will include Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. Also, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee or for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
The Uruguay Round was the eighth round or series of multilateral trade negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). These negotiations to expand trade, which date back to the establishment of the GATT in 1948, were a response to the Great Depression and the political upheaval and conflicts of the 1930s, which deepened as a result of protectionist policies such as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. Work under the GATT system aimed at raising living standards and promoting international economic growth through the opening of world markets has spanned six decades.
The trade agreements reached at the end of 1994 during the Uruguay Round were noteworthy in that they greatly expanded coverage of GATT rules beyond manufactured goods trade to include agricultural trade, services trade, trade-related investment measures, intellectual property rights, and textiles. The most visible accomplishment of this multilateral trade round was to establish the WTO to administer the GATT agreements and to settle disputes among WTO members.
Sections 124-125 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) (P.L. 103-465) require the President to submit a special report on U.S. participation in the WTO every five years from the date the United States first joined the WTO. Congress received the first of these five-year reports on March 2, 2000. Included in the "2000 Trade Policy Agenda and 1999 Annual Report of the President's Trade Agreements Program" is the President's review of the WTO, including highlights and accomplishments that took place during the last five years such as: (1) expanded market access, (2) intellectual property rights protection, (3) a sound and effective system to settle disputes, (4) expansion of the rule of law, (5) historic agreements governing financial services, basic telecommunications services, and information technology, (6) progress on the so-called "built-in" agenda to continue to liberalize agriculture and services, (7) progress on negotiations on electronic commerce, (8) growing membership from 119 nations in 1995 to 135 in 1999, and (9) the anticipated accession of China and Taiwan, two countries comprising over 21 percent of the world's population.
Issues related to the future operation of the WTO include: moving forward with the built-in agenda on agriculture and services, and addressing new issues such as biotechnology, electronic commerce, trade and labor, and trade and environmental protection.
H. J. Res. 90, a joint resolution which would withdraw approval of the United States from the Agreement establishing the WTO, was introduced March 6, 2000, by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and others and will be considered by the Committee on Ways and Means within 45 session days pursuant to the requirements of sections 124-125. On March 8, 2000, the President submitted legislation to amend the so-called "Jackson-Vanik" amendment to the Trade Act of 1974 to grant China Permanent Normal Trade Relations treatment, so that U.S. firms, workers, and farmers can take advantage of the trade concessions associated with China's agreement to join the WTO.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Archer stated: "Although the recent breakdown at the WTO meeting in Seattle was a missed opportunity to kick-off a new round of trade talks to further reduce barriers to U.S. exports, there have never been more compelling reasons for the United States to continue to have a seat at the table of international trade. For decades, the WTO, and the GATT system before it, have stood guard over the integrity of trade rules, allowing American-made goods and services to compete in virtually every corner of the world and leading to the prosperity we enjoy today. As China prepares to enter the WTO, American farmers, workers and businesses are once again prepared to compete and win in the international marketplace. We must not miss this historic opportunity."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The focus of the hearing will be to examine: (1) overall results of U.S. membership in the WTO and the GATT, (2) whether future participation of the United States in the WTO and the multilateral trading system can be expected to benefit Americans, and (3) prospects for increased economic opportunities for U.S. farmers and workers associated with Chinese membership in the WTO and the normalization of trade relations between the United States and China.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSIONS OF REQUESTS TO BE HEARD:
Requests to be heard at the hearing must be made by telephone to Traci Altman or Pete Davila at (202) 225-1721 no later than the close of business, Thursday, March 23, 2000. The telephone request should be followed by a formal written request to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. The staff of the Committee will notify by telephone those scheduled to appear as soon as possible after the filing deadline. Any questions concerning a scheduled appearance should be directed to the Committee staff at (202) 225-1721.
In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, the Committee may not be able to accommodate all requests to be heard. Those persons and organizations not scheduled for an oral appearance are encouraged to submit written statements for the record of the hearing. All persons requesting to be heard, whether they are scheduled for oral testimony or not, will be notified as soon as possible after the filing deadline.
Witnesses scheduled to present oral testimony are required to summarize briefly their written statements in no more than five minutes. THE FIVE-MINUTE RULE WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED. The full written statement of each witness will be included in the printed record, in accordance with House Rules.
In order to assure the most productive use of the limited amount of time available to question witnesses, all witnesses scheduled to appear before the Subcommittee are required to submit 200 copies, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, of their prepared statement for review by Members prior to the hearing. Testimony should arrive at the Committee office, room 1102 Longworth House Office Building, no later than Tuesday, March 28, 2000. Failure to do so may result in the witness being denied the opportunity to testify in person.
WRITTEN STATEMENTS IN LIEU OF PERSONAL APPEARANCE:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Thursday, April 13, 2000, to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Committee office, room 1102 Longworth House Office Building, by close of business the day before the hearing.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.