ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

Thomas Announces Hearing on
President Bush’s Trade Agenda

Congressman Bill Thomas (R-CA), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Committee will hold a hearing on President Bush's trade agenda. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, March 7, 2001, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The sole witness at this hearing will be United States Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

The U.S. economy is increasingly international in focus with more than 25 percent of our $8 trillion economy tied to foreign trade and 15 million American jobs supported by sales in foreign markets. The unprecedented economic growth experienced in recent years is in part a direct result of expanded international trade.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Thomas stated: "The Committee is committed to moving quickly to consider new Trade Promotion Authority so that the United States can reclaim its historic leadership role in global and regional trade discussions. Our Committee will actively examine the President's agenda. The hearing will offer Ambassador Zoellick the opportunity to discuss the early outlines of President Bush's strategy on trade."

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing is expected to examine current trade issues such as: (1) extension of trade promotion authority, (2) prospects for an agreement to establish a FTAA, (3) progress on the WTO "built-in agenda," (4) the status of preparations to launch a new round of multilateral trade negotiations in the WTO, (5) implementation of the bilateral trade agreement with Jordan, (6) approval of the bilateral "Jackson-Vanik" trade agreement with Vietnam, (7) progress in negotiations to establish trade agreements with Singapore, Chile and other nations in the Pacific Rim region, (8) the functioning of the WTO dispute settlement system, and (9) whether to extend and expand the Andean Trade Preference Act.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

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, Wednesday, March 21, 2001, to Allison Giles, 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.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://waysandmeans.house.gov.

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.