[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4649 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4649

 To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to establish a transitional adjustment 
  assistance program for workers adversely affected by reason of the 
   extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations 
     treatment) to the products of the People's Republic of China.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 13, 2000

 Ms. Kaptur (for herself, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Hall of 
  Ohio, Mr. Norwood, and Mr. Kucinich) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to establish a transitional adjustment 
  assistance program for workers adversely affected by reason of the 
   extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations 
     treatment) to the products of the People's Republic of China.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS FOR CHINA TRANSITIONAL ADJUSTMENT 
              ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
U.S.C. 2271 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``Subchapter E--Normal Trade Relations For China Transitional 
                     Adjustment Assistance Program

``SEC. 250A. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRANSITIONAL PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Group Eligibility Requirements.--
            ``(1) Criteria.--A group of workers (including workers in 
        any agricultural firm or subdivision of an agricultural firm) 
        shall be certified as eligible to apply for adjustment 
        assistance under this subchapter pursuant to a petition filed 
        under subsection (b) if the Secretary determines that a 
        significant number or proportion of the workers in such 
        workers' firm or an appropriate subdivision of the firm have 
        become totally or partially separated, or are threatened to 
        become totally or partially separated, and either--
                    ``(A) that--
                            ``(i) the sales or production, or both, of 
                        such firm or subdivision have decreased 
                        absolutely,
                            ``(ii) imports from the People's Republic 
                        of China of articles like or directly 
                        competitive with articles produced by such firm 
                        or subdivision have increased by reason of the 
                        extension of nondiscriminatory treatment 
                        (normal trade relations treatment) to the 
                        products of China, and
                            ``(iii) the increase in imports under 
                        clause (ii) contributed importantly to such 
                        workers' separation or threat of separation and 
                        to the decline in the sales or production of 
                        such firm or subdivision; or
                    ``(B) that there has been a shift in production by 
                such workers' firm or subdivision to the People's 
                Republic of China of articles like or directly 
                competitive with articles which are produced by the 
                firm or subdivision by reason of the extension of 
                nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations 
                treatment) to the products of China.
            ``(2) Definition of contributed importantly.--The term 
        `contributed importantly', as used in paragraph (1)(A)(iii), 
        means a cause which is important but not necessarily more 
        important than any other cause.
            ``(3) Regulations.--The Secretary shall issue regulations 
        relating to the application of the criteria described in 
        paragraph (1) in making preliminary findings under subsection 
        (b) and determinations under subsection (c).
    ``(b) Additional Requirements.--The provisions of subsections (b) 
through (e) of section 250 shall apply to the administration of the 
program under this subchapter in the same manner and to the same extent 
as such provisions apply to the administration of the program under 
subchapter D.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents of the Trade Act 
of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2101) is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 250 the following:

     ``SUBCHAPTER E--NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS FOR CHINA TRANSITIONAL 
                     ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

        ``Sec. 250A.  Establishment of transitional program.''.
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