109 HR 1213 IH: Caribbean Basin Trade Enhancement Act of 2005
U.S. House of Representatives
2005-03-10
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.Short title; table of contents
(a)This Act may be cited as the Caribbean Basin Trade Enhancement Act of 2005
.
(b)The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents
Title I—Center for Caribbean Basin Trade
Sec. 101. Findings
Sec. 102. Establishment
Sec. 103. Activities
Sec. 104. Administrative provisions
Sec. 105. Sense of Congress
Title II—Caribbean Basin skills-based training program
Sec. 201. Findings
Sec. 202. Establishment
Sec. 203. Activities
Sec. 204. Sense of Congress
Title III—General Provisions
Sec. 301. Report
Sec. 302. Definitions
Sec. 303. Authorization of appropriations
<enum>I</enum><header>Center for Caribbean Basin Trade</header>
<section id="HFEB03E778C06448BBB5556BC67265021"><enum>101.</enum><header>Findings</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Congress finds the following:</text>
<paragraph id="HAFEEBE760A53421388495DEC4047C55"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Increased globalization and economic integration are requiring countries throughout the world to rethink their competitiveness strategies and to take affirmative steps to improve their trade capacities.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H73756794EC244AA9881DE3B6F3CC9684"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Countries of the Caribbean Basin can benefit from assistance to improve their trade capacities.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HFB5E039979C340E8804359CC23E5B528"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Organization of American States (OAS) has relevant experience in developing trade capacity initiatives and programs of countries of the Western Hemisphere. In particular, the Office for Trade, Growth and Competitiveness of the OAS has successfully trained trade negotiators, particularly within the context of negotiations to conclude a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).</text></paragraph></section>
<section id="HA814E49492E1421983CCE9323D800397"><enum>102.</enum><header>Establishment</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary of State is authorized to make a voluntary contribution on a grant basis to the Organization of American States to establish a Center for Caribbean Basin Trade (hereinafter in this title referred to as the <quote>Center</quote>) in accordance with the provisions of this title.</text></section>
<section id="HDEBBD75A3DAB4E19BAD15F8E2F0282D"><enum>103.</enum><header>Activities</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Center shall carry out the following activities: </text>
<paragraph id="HC17C042548394344836E25D912B745D8"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Provide government officials of Caribbean Basin countries, including trade negotiators, with technical assistance in developing and implementing trade agreements.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H3D4114E0E16E4954A700D873ED7C7C94"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Assist government officials and private sector representatives of Caribbean Basin countries to further assist firms in developing export readiness, such as developing firms’ commitment, identifying primary target markets, selecting market entry strategies, developing an international market plan, and developing distribution networks in other countries.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HD598FB142DC647A68ED84D08217F61B7"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Provide training and consulting services to Caribbean Basin countries to upgrade port facilities, strengthen security measures, upgrade customs procedures, and modernize other infrastructure critical to trade.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H657E390D432C482FA0DD6DB8CA8195C"><enum>(4)</enum><text>Provide training and consulting services to government officials and private sector representatives of Caribbean Basin countries on import requirements of major trading countries for the Caribbean Basin region, including the United States, as well as financing mechanisms.</text></paragraph></section>
<section id="H488F80B3FF464F45957EE230352F97E7"><enum>104.</enum><header>Administrative provisions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary of State, acting through the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and the United States Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, shall work with the Organization of American States to determine the location, staffing requirements, programs, and working methodology of the Center.</text></section>
<section id="H122E84835C8D4859BB21399686F73820"><enum>105.</enum><header>Sense of Congress</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">It is the sense of Congress that a thorough study and analysis should be undertaken to determine a permanent location of the Center. </text></section>
<enum>II</enum><header>Caribbean Basin skills-based training program</header>
<section id="H272A633612FC41D48E00824936EC01B0"><enum>201.</enum><header>Findings</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Congress finds the following:</text>
<paragraph id="HB1A3118069484ED58B04A39DA7E07B3F"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Studies demonstrate that greater emphasis needs to be given to secondary education in countries of the Western Hemisphere, including Caribbean Basin countries, in order to bridge the widening educational and technology gap in such countries, which ultimately hinders job growth.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H50F27E92D2BF41379CD9127910702413"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Access to education is fundamental in helping to eradicate the poverty which limits economic growth in the countries of the Caribbean Basin.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H66A800C08B7D4F72AF9224AB1723D525"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Countries of the Western Hemisphere have consistently lagged behind the countries of Asia and other regions, suffering a self-perpetuating cycle of low-growth and increasing poverty.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H03ADE94A34D743F5BE20453800C530D2"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The community college system in the United States provides skills-based training for United States workers and is a useful model for a skills-based training system for Caribbean Basin countries.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H727F46D4D0EF4BE1BEF4ED708FC729CC"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">A skills-based training program established under the management of the Organization of American States (OAS) would be an effective means of addressing the needs of individuals and economic concerns in the Caribbean Basin region.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H5A072F3EBF45459CABC67BF7B7443EF1"><enum>(6)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Such a program would provide individuals with the skills required to improve their standard of living and, together with employers, would further facilitate the economic integration of the countries of the Western Hemisphere. </text></paragraph></section>
<section id="HD8D64F8432394C41B8F5CDAB09D591FC"><enum>202.</enum><header>Establishment</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary of State is authorized to make a voluntary contribution on a grant basis to the Organization of American States to establish a skills-based training program for Caribbean Basin countries (hereinafter in this title referred to as the <quote>program</quote>) in accordance with the provisions of this title.</text></section>
<section id="HBC0E5BA3EAFA4DA98E234CBCFFE14191"><enum>203.</enum><header>Activities</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The program shall carry out activities to support a productive workforce in Caribbean Basin countries.</text></section>
<section id="HC13F6F247EEE416299618883EAEBC5CA"><enum>204.</enum><header>Sense of Congress</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">It is the sense of Congress that the program should focus on mid-level technical education and training for the workforce in Caribbean Basin countries, utilizing existing educational facilities, cooperative private sector and government entities, and Internet-based training.</text></section>
<enum>III</enum><header>General Provisions</header>
<section id="H32019C1B49D64FFC92FFE556231754E0" commented="no"><enum>301.</enum><header>Report</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the implementation of this Act. </text></section>
<section id="HA81B92D0746A4F30A5BA8B6BA862E89E"><enum>302.</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In this Act:</text>
<paragraph id="H1736B0DCFB144D68B84CC200CA424FB2" commented="no"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Appropriate congressional committees</header><text>The term <quote>appropriate congressional committees</quote> means—</text>
<subparagraph id="HE5974B7015174E06B34DBC60E38F9347"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the Committee on International Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HC8616A27905D4DCDA3D41DA6995C2B03"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.</text></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H476DAA7B8FD840239B7C196BB94FC6E1" commented="no"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Caribbean basin countries; countries of the caribbean basin</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <quote>Caribbean Basin countries</quote> or <quote>countries of the Caribbean Basin</quote> means the countries and territories specified in the matter preceding paragraph (1) of section 212(b) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/19/2702">19 U.S.C. 2702(b)</external-xref>).</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H43569AF06C9D4F2683FE8B04935EFD89"><enum>(3)</enum><header>OAS</header><text>The term <quote>OAS</quote> means the Organization of American States.</text></paragraph></section>
<section id="HE70025BAD1AE436C87B354C1087C00C6" commented="no"><enum>303.</enum><header>Authorization of appropriations</header>
<subsection id="HC2926A9A16304A99B3E5D7641D26F0E9"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Authorization of appropriations</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State to carry out this Act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H5E8F06EF25344323A72D6100D2FF9F6"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Sense of congress</header><text>Of the amount appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a), it is the sense of Congress that up to $10,000,000 should be available to carry out title I of this Act and up to $10,000,000 should be available to carry out title II of this Act.</text></subsection></section>