[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 140 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                  S. 140

  To authorize negotiation for the accession of United Kingdom to the 
      North American Free Trade Agreement, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 22, 2001

   Mr. Gramm introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize negotiation for the accession of United Kingdom to the 
      North American Free Trade Agreement, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United Kingdom-NAFTA Accession 
Act''.

SEC 2. ACCESSION OF UNITED KINGDOM TO THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE 
              AGREEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Subject to section 3, the President is authorized 
to enter into an agreement described in subsection (b) and the 
provisions of section 151(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2191(c)) shall apply with respect to a bill to implement such agreement 
if such agreement is entered into on or before December 31, 2003.
    (b) Agreement Described.--An agreement described in this subsection 
means an agreement that--
            (1) provides for the accession of United Kingdom to the 
        North American Free Trade Agreement; or
            (2) is a bilateral agreement between the United States and 
        United Kingdom that provides for the reduction and ultimate 
        elimination of tariffs and other nontariff barriers to trade 
        and the eventual establishment of a free trade area between the 
        United States and United Kingdom.

SEC. 3. INTRODUCTION AND FAST-TRACK CONSIDERATION OF IMPLEMENTING BILL.

    (a) Introduction in House and Senate.--When the President submits 
to Congress a bill to implement a trade agreement described in section 
2, the bill shall be introduced (by request) in the House and the 
Senate as described in section 151(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
U.S.C. 2191(c)).
    (b) Restrictions on Content.--A bill to implement a trade agreement 
described in section 2--
            (1) shall contain only provisions that are necessary to 
        implement the trade agreement; and
            (2) may not contain any provision that establishes (or 
        requires or authorizes the establishment of) a labor or 
        environmental protection standard or amends (or requires or 
        authorizes an amendment of) any labor or environmental 
        protection standard set forth in law or regulation.
    (c) Point of Order in Senate.--
            (1) Applicability to all legislative forms of implementing 
        bill.--For the purposes of this subsection, the term 
        ``implementing bill'' means the following:
                    (A) The bill.--A bill described in subsection (a), 
                without regard to whether that bill originated in the 
                Senate or the House of Representatives.
                    (B) Amendment.--An amendment to a bill referred to 
                in subparagraph (A).
                    (C) Conference report.--A conference report on a 
                bill referred to in subparagraph (A).
                    (D) Amendment between houses.--An amendment between 
                the houses of Congress in relation to a bill referred 
                to in subparagraph (A).
                    (E) Motion.--A motion in relation to an item 
                referred to in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D).
            (2) Making of point of order.--
                    (A) Against single item.--When the Senate is 
                considering an implementing bill, a Senator may make a 
                point of order against any part of the implementing 
                bill that contains material in violation of a 
                restriction under subsection (b).
                    (B) Against several items.--Notwithstanding any 
                other provision of law or rule of the Senate, when the 
                Senate is considering an implementing bill, it shall be 
                in order for a Senator to raise a single point of order 
                that several provisions of the implementing bill 
                violate subsection (b). The Presiding Officer may 
                sustain the point of order as to some or all of the 
                provisions against which the Senator raised the point 
                of order.
            (3) Effect of sustainment of point of order.--
                    (A) Against single item.--If a point of order made 
                against a part of an implementing bill under paragraph 
                (2)(A) is sustained by the Presiding Officer, the part 
                of the implementing bill against which the point of 
                order is sustained shall be deemed stricken.
                    (B) Against several items.--In the case of a point 
                of order made under paragraph (2)(B) against several 
                provisions of an implementing bill, only those 
                provisions against which the Presiding Officer sustains 
                the point of order shall be deemed stricken.
                    (C) Stricken matter not in order as amendment.--
                Matter stricken from an implementing bill under this 
                paragraph may not be offered as an amendment to the 
                implementing bill (in any of its forms described in 
                paragraph (1)) from the floor.
            (4) Waivers and appeals.--
                    (A) Waivers.--Before the Presiding Officer rules on 
                a point of order under this subsection, any Senator may 
                move to waive the point of order as it applies to some 
                or all of the provisions against which the point of 
                order is raised. Such a motion to waive is amendable in 
                accordance with the rules and precedents of the Senate.
                    (B) Appeals.--After the Presiding Officer rules on 
                a point of order under this subsection, any Senator may 
                appeal the ruling of the Presiding Officer on the point 
                of order as it applies to some or all of the provisions 
                on which the Presiding Officer ruled.
                    (C) Three-fifths majority required.--
                            (i) Waivers.--A point of order under this 
                        subsection is waived only by the affirmative 
                        vote of at least the requisite majority.
                            (ii) Appeals.--A ruling of the Presiding 
                        Officer on a point of order under this 
                        subsection is sustained unless at least the 
                        requisite majority votes not to sustain the 
                        ruling.
                            (iii) Requisite majority.--For purposes of 
                        clauses (i) and (ii), the requisite majority is 
                        three-fifths of the Members of the Senate, duly 
                        chosen and sworn.
    (d) Applicability of Fast Track Procedures.--Section 151 of the 
Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2191) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``section 3 of the United Kingdom-
                NAFTA Accession Act,'' after ``the Omnibus Trade and 
                Competitiveness Act of 1988,''; and
                    (B) by amending subparagraph (C) to read as 
                follows:
                    ``(C) if changes in existing laws or new statutory 
                authority is required to implement such trade agreement 
                or agreements or such extension, provisions, necessary 
                to implement such trade agreement or agreements or such 
                extension, either repealing or amending existing laws 
                or providing new statutory authority.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ``or under section 3 
        of the United Kingdom-NAFTA Accession Act,'' after ``the 
        Uruguay Round Agreements Act,''.
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