[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3943 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3943

     To extend nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations 
                  treatment) to the products of Laos.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2004

   Mr. Crane (for himself, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Houghton, Mr. Dooley of 
California, Mr. Weller, Mr. Case, Mr. Kolbe, Mr. Evans, Mr. Pitts, Mr. 
Crowley, and Mr. Larson of Connecticut) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To extend nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations 
                  treatment) to the products of Laos.

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

SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS TO LAOS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Lao People's Democratic Republic is pursuing a 
        broad policy of adopting market-based reforms to enhance its 
        economic competitiveness and achieve an attractive climate for 
        investment;
            (2) extension of normal trade relations treatment would 
        assist the Lao People's Democratic Republic in developing its 
        economy based on free market principles and becoming 
        competitive in the global marketplace;
            (3) establishing normal commercial relations on a 
        reciprocal basis with the Lao People's Democratic Republic will 
        promote United States exports to the rapidly growing southeast 
        Asian region and expand opportunities for United States 
        business and investment in the Lao People's Democratic Republic 
        economy;
            (4) United States and Laotian commercial interests would 
        benefit from the bilateral trade agreement between the United 
        States and the Lao People's Democratic Republic, signed in 
        2003, providing for market access and the protection of 
        intellectual property rights;
            (5) the Lao People's Democratic Republic has taken 
        cooperative steps with the United States in the global war on 
        terrorism, combating the trafficking of narcotics, and the 
        accounting for American servicemen and civilians still missing 
        from the Vietnam war; and
            (6) expanding bilateral trade relations that include a 
        commercial agreement may promote further progress by the Lao 
        People's Democratic Republic on human rights, religious 
        tolerance, democratic rule, and transparency, and assist that 
        country in adopting regional and world trading rules and 
        principles.
    (b) Extension of Nondiscriminatory Treatment to the Products of the 
Lao People's Democratic Republic.--
            (1) Harmonized tariff schedule amendment.--General note 
        3(b) of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States is 
        amended by striking ``Laos''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
        applies with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from 
        warehouse for consumption, on or after the effective date of a 
        notice published in the Federal Register by the United States 
        Trade Representative that a trade agreement obligating 
        reciprocal most-favored-nation treatment between the Lao 
        People's Democratic Republic and the United States has entered 
        into force.
                                 <all>