[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 101 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 101

 Expressing the sense of the Senate on agricultural trade negotiations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 13, 1999

    Mr. Fitzgerald (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Roberts, and Mr. 
Ashcroft) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                          Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate on agricultural trade negotiations.

Whereas the United States is the world's largest exporter of agricultural 
        commodities and products;
Whereas 96 percent of the world's consumers live outside the United States;
Whereas the profitability of the United States agricultural sector is dependent 
        on a healthy export market; and
Whereas the next round of multilateral trade negotiations is scheduled to begin 
        on November 30, 1999: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate supports and strongly encourages the 
President to adopt the following trade negotiating objectives:
            (1) The initiation of a comprehensive round of multilateral 
        trade negotiations that--
                    (A) covers all goods and services;
                    (B) continues to reform agricultural and food trade 
                policy;
                    (C) promotes global food security through open 
                trade; and
                    (D) increases trade liberalization in agriculture 
                and food.
            (2) The simultaneous conclusion of the negotiations for all 
        sectors.
            (3) The adoption of the framework established under the 
        Uruguay Round Agreements for the agricultural negotiations 
        conducted in 1999 to ensure that there are no product or policy 
        exceptions.
            (4) The establishment of a 3-year goal for the conclusion 
        of the negotiations by December 2002.
            (5) The elimination of all export subsidies and tightening 
        of rules for circumvention of export subsidies.
            (6) The elimination of all nontariff barriers to trade.
            (7) The transition of domestic agricultural support 
        programs to a form decoupled from agricultural production, as 
        the United States has already done under the Agricultural 
        Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7201 et seq.).
            (8) The commercially meaningful reduction or elimination of 
        bound and applied tariffs, and the mutual elimination of 
        restrictive tariff barriers, on an accelerated basis.
            (9) The improved administration of tariff rate quotas.
            (10)(A) The elimination of state trading enterprises; or
            (B) the adoption of policies that ensure operational 
        transparency, the end of discriminatory pricing practices, and 
        competition for state trading enterprises.
            (11) The maintenance of sound science and risk assessment 
        for sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
            (12) The assurance of market access for biotechnology 
        products, with the regulation of the products based solely on 
        sound science.
            (13) The accelerated resolution of trade disputes and 
        prompt enforcement of dispute panels of the World Trade 
        Organization.
            (14) The provision of food security for importing nations 
        by ensuring access to supplies through a commitment by World 
        Trade Organization member countries not to restrict or prohibit 
        the export of agricultural products.
            (15) The resolution of labor and environmental issues in a 
        manner that facilitates, rather than restricts, agricultural 
        trade.
            (16) The establishment of World Trade Organization rules 
        that will allow developing countries to graduate, using 
        objective economic criteria, to full participation in, and 
        obligations under, the World Trade Organization.
                                 <all>