ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

Subcommittee on Trade

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 the outcome of the Summit of the Americas held in Quebec City, Canada, April 20-22, 2001, and the prospects and timing for achieving the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Members will also consider proposals to expand trade with Andean countries through the extension and expansion of the Andean Trade Preference Act which expires on December 4, 2001. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, May 8, 2001, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Oral testimony at this hearing will be from both invited and public witnesses. Invited witnesses will include United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Zoellick, representatives from the business community, and other interested groups. 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:

During the Trade Subcommittee hearing held March 29, 2001, concerning whether the United States should negotiate more free trade agreements, the Subcommittee heard testimony from small and large companies on the urgent need for the United States to pursue trade agreements to expand trade in this hemisphere. At this hearing, witnesses are expected to expand on that premise, address the advancements in the free trade agenda accomplished at the Summit of the Americas meeting held April 20 - 22, 2001, and discuss issues related to extension and expansion of the Andean Trade Preference Act.

The FTAA negotiations were officially launched at the Second Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile, in April 1998. Leaders of 34 Western Hemisphere nations have committed to completing negotiations by 2005. The goal is to establish an agreement that would reduce barriers to trade region-wide, allowing all countries to trade and invest with each other under the same rules.

The 1991 Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA), P.L. 102-182, grants Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru tariff preferences on certain goods for 10 years in an effort to help those countries fight narcotics trafficking. Several categories of import sensitive products, including textiles and apparel are excluded from the program. The ATPA has proven a valuable weapon in the war against drugs by creating economic incentives to encourage the Andean countries to move out of the production and shipment of illegal drugs and into legitimate products. The four beneficiary countries have requested that ATPA be extended, and benefits be expanded to include other products such as textiles, apparel, and tuna.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Crane stated: "President Bush has indicated that a Free Trade Area of the Americas is one of his top trade priorities. The FTAA would open markets for U.S. farmers, producers and service providers, help the U.S. economy rebound from the current slump, and foster free and open societies in countries struggling to establish and maintain democratic roots. While we are moving toward hemispheric free trade, I would like to continue our Andean preference program and expand it to create more economic incentives for these countries to move away from drug production."

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

Witnesses are asked to address the trade commitments made at the Summit of the Americas meeting in Quebec City and prospects for the FTAA negotiations, and to offer trade proposals to assist Andean countries in their fight against drug production.

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, Tuesday, May 1, 2001. The telephone request should be followed by a formal written request 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. 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, 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 Subcommittee on Trade office, room 1104 Longworth House Office Building, no later than Thursday, May 3, 2001. 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, Tuesday, May 22, 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 Subcommittee on Trade office, room 1104 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.