ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

Subcommittee on Trade

Crane Announces Hearing on the Benefits of Trade
to the Medical Technology and Agriculture Sectors

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 field hearing on the importance of expanding trade and to identify the specific benefits free trade brings to the medical technology and agriculture industries as well as those who earn their livelihoods in these sectors. The field hearing will take place on Monday, May 14, 2001, in the Grand Ballroom at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Oral testimony at this field hearing will be from both invited and public witnesses. Invited witnesses will include Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, Art Collins, Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic, and other government and business leaders and economists specializing in the medical technology and agriculture industries. 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:

Minnesota is one of the leading exporting States in the country, and international trade is strongly supported by businesses, farmers and individuals throughout the State. Congressman Jim Ramstad's (R-MN) district contains over 300 medical technology companies and is a leader in the development and manufacture of medical technology. These companies face a vast array of non-tariff barriers overseas, which severely limit their ability to export their goods. In addition, Minnesota is the seventh largest exporting State for agriculture products and is dependent on open markets abroad.

The goals of this field hearing are to promote awareness of trade issues affecting the medical technology and agriculture industries and to examine the importance of international markets for both of these industries. Witnesses are expected to focus on significant trade issues such as challenging foreign-imposed non-tariff barriers on U.S. medical technology and agriculture products, the ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on services and agriculture, China's entry into the WTO, and long-standing trade dispute with the European Union over genetically modified organisms.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Crane stated: "Expanding trade opportunities for America's exporters is one of my top priorities. Minnesota's dynamic medical technology and agriculture industries are prime examples of the benefits that expanding market opportunities can bring to U.S. businesses, workers, and their families. I look forward to hearing testimony on priorities for trade policy from the producers and government officials who work to expand U.S. presence in international markets."

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The focus of the hearing is to examine the unique challenges faced by the medical technology and agriculture industries in expanding their market opportunities abroad and to understand the importance international trade plays in the Minnesota economy.

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 8, 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, c/o Office of Congressman Jim Ramstad, 1809 Plymouth Road South, Suite 300, Minnetonka, MN 55305, no later than Thursday, May 10, 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, Monday, May 29, 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, c/o Office of Congressman Jim Ramstad, 1809 Plymouth Road South, Suite 300, Minnetonka, MN 55305, by close of business on Friday, May 11, 2001.

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.