FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, CONTACT: (202) 225-1721
March 31, 1997
No. TR-4
Congressman Philip M. Crane (R-IL), Chairman, Subcommittee on Trade of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on ways to expand U.S. trade with the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, April 29, 1997, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Oral testimony at this hearing will be heard from both invited and public witnesses. 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:
Sub-Saharan Africa consists of a diverse set of 48 countries, many of which have undergone significant political and economic change in recent years. Since 1990, more than 25 African nations have held democratic elections. At the same time, more than 30 countries have instituted programs to replace their centralized economies with free markets under the guidance of bilateral and multilateral donors such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Despite the fact that 33 of the 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), U.S. trade with Sub-Saharan African countries relative to overall U.S. trade levels remains low. In 1996, U.S. merchandise exports to the region were valued at $6.1 billion, while U.S. merchandise imports in return totaled $15.2 billion. Although virtually all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa qualify for duty-free entry on a wide range of products under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, GSP imports from the region equaled only $576.5 million in 1996, a figure representing only 3.4 percent of all U.S. GSP imports for the year.
In 1994, Congress passed the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, which contained aprovision requiring the President to produce a comprehensive trade and development policy for the countries of Africa. The first of the five reports called for by this legislation was submitted to Congress on February 5, 1996, and the second on February 18, 1997. Among other things, the President's reports set forth a policy framework structured around five basic objectives including: trade liberalization and promotion, investment liberalization and promotion, development of the private sector, infrastructure enhancement, and economic reform.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Crane stated: "In recent years, a number of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have undertaken the type of reforms that are necessary for them to attract investment, create jobs, and increase the standard of living for their citizens. At the same time, these reforms present many new trade and investment opportunities for U.S. exporters and workers. I believe that the United States must reach out to those countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that have taken steps to put their economies on the right track to help solidify these changes as these countries work to chart a new course for their future. I look forward to this opportunity to explore ways for the United States to expand and strengthen our trade relations with the region.
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
Witnesses are expected to address ways that the United States could develop closer trade relations with the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, including changes in the GSP program, granting other preferential trade benefits, the creation of foreign trade zones within individual Sub-Saharan African countries, or the negotiation of a free trade agreement with one or more countries in the region.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSIONS OF REQUESTS TO BE HEARD:
Requests to be heard at the hearing must be made by telephone to Traci Altman or Bradley Schreiber at (202) 225-1721 no later than the close of business, Thursday, April 17, 1997. 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 Subcommittee on Trade 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 Subcommittee on Trade staff at (202) 225-6649.
In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, the Subcommittee 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 of their prepared statement and a 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or ASCII format, for review by Members prior to the hearing. Testimony should arrive at the Subcommittee on Trade office, room 1104 Longworth House Office Building, no later than Friday, April 25, 1997. 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 at least six (6) copies of their statement and a 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or ASCII format, with their address and date of hearing noted, by the close of business, Tuesday, May 13, 1997, 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 Subcommittee on Trade office, room 1104 Longworth House Office Building, at least one hour before the hearing begins.
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 typed in single space on legal-size paper and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. At the same time written statements are submitted to the Committee, witnesses are now requested to submit their statements on a 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or ASCII format.
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, full address, a telephone number where the witness or the designated representative may be reached and a topical outline or summary of the comments and recommendations in the full statement. 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 202-225-1904 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.