[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3204 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3204

 To reform the Trade Advisory Committee system to ensure that a broad 
 range of views are represented and accommodated in developing United 
                          States trade policy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 27, 2007

 Mr. Van Hollen (for himself and Mr. Waxman) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To reform the Trade Advisory Committee system to ensure that a broad 
 range of views are represented and accommodated in developing United 
                          States trade policy.

    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 ``Trade Advisory Committee Reform 
Act'' or the ``TAC Act''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL ADVISERS FOR TRADE POLICY AND NEGOTIATIONS.

    (a) Selection.--Section 161 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2211) is amended in subsection (a)--
            (1) in paragraph (1) by striking the first sentence and 
        inserting the following: ``The following members of Congress 
        shall be selected and designated as congressional advisers on 
        trade policy and negotiations: From the Committee on Ways and 
        Means of the House of Representatives, the chairman and ranking 
        minority member of the full committee, and the chairman and 
        ranking minority member of the Subcommittee on Trade; from the 
        Committee on Finance of the Senate, the chairman and ranking 
        minority member of the full committee, and the chairman and 
        ranking minority member of the Subcommittee on Trade.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) Of the total number of members from a House 
                of Congress selected as congressional advisers under 
                this paragraph, not more than half may be of the same 
                political party.''.
    (b) Expansion of Role.--Such section is further amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(d) Recommendations by Congressional Advisers on Trade Agreement 
Effects.--Each congressional adviser under subsection (a) shall, on an 
annual basis and at any other time the congressional adviser considers 
appropriate, transmit written recommendations to the covered executive 
branch officials on trade agreement effects. Each official to which 
recommendations are transmitted shall give due regard to the 
recommendations.
    ``(e) Appointments to Trade Advisory Committees.--
            ``(1) Number.--Every trade advisory committee, whether 
        established before, on, or after the date of the enactment of 
        this subsection, shall have a number of members the total of 
        which is evenly divisible by three.
            ``(2) Appointment.--For purposes of appointing the members 
        of a trade advisory committee, the congressional advisers under 
        subsection (a) shall be grouped by party affiliation. The group 
        with the greatest number of advisers shall appoint one-third of 
        the members; the group with the next-greatest number of 
        advisers shall appoint one-third of the members; and the 
        President (or the President's designee) shall appoint the 
        remaining members.
            ``(3) Consultation.--The congressional advisers are 
        encouraged to consult with other committees of Congress, 
        including but not limited to committees with jurisdiction over 
        health, environmental, labor, and consumer issues, in making 
        such appointments.
            ``(4) Interests represented.--The officials responsible for 
        appointing the members of a trade advisory committee shall 
        ensure that each trade advisory committee includes--
                    ``(A) at least 1 member from labor organizations;
                    ``(B) at least 1 member from consumer interest 
                organizations; and
                    ``(C) at least 1 member from public health 
                organizations.
            ``(5) Terms.--Each member of a trade advisory committee 
        shall serve a term of 2 years.
            ``(6) Other provisions superseded.--This subsection 
        supersedes any other provision of law to the extent that 
        provision is inconsistent with this subsection, whether enacted 
        before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this 
        subsection.
    ``(f) Reports to Congress by Trade Advisory Committees.--Before the 
President submits trade agreement legislation to Congress, each trade 
advisory committee that has advised with respect to that legislation 
shall submit to the congressional advisers under subsection (a) a 
report on the legislation. The report shall include an examination of 
the trade agreement effects of the legislation.
    ``(g) Reports to Congress by Executive Branch Officials.--Each 
covered executive branch official shall, on an annual basis, submit to 
Congress a report on the trade advisory process. The report shall 
identify the concerns raised by members of trade advisory committees on 
the effectiveness of the process and explain the steps taken by that 
official to address those concerns.
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Covered executive branch official.--The term `covered 
        executive branch official' applies to the following:
                    ``(A) The United States Trade Representative.
                    ``(B) The Secretary of Labor.
                    ``(C) The Secretary of Agriculture.
                    ``(D) The Secretary of Commerce.
                    ``(E) The Administrator of the Environmental 
                Protection Agency.
            ``(2) Trade advisory committee.--The term `trade advisory 
        committee' includes any advisory committee with respect to 
        United States trade policy, and specifically includes any 
        committee established under section 135.
            ``(3) Trade agreement effects.--The term `trade agreement 
        effects'--
                    ``(A) means the effects on the United States and 
                its trading partners of international trade agreements; 
                and
                    ``(B) includes effects in areas including but not 
                limited to public health, the environment, worker 
                rights, and consumer rights.''.

SEC. 3. PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRADE.

    Section 135(c)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155(c)(1)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: ``The President shall 
establish, among the committees established under this paragraph, a 
Public Health Advisory Committee on Trade.''.
                                 <all>