[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3832 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3832

  To clarify and extend the commitment of the United States to pursue 
economic cooperation with Costa Rica and other nations in the Caribbean 
                     Basin, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 15, 2007

   Mr. Grijalva (for himself and Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To clarify and extend the commitment of the United States to pursue 
economic cooperation with Costa Rica and other nations in the Caribbean 
                     Basin, 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 ``U.S. and Costa Rica Trade 
Cooperation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States and Costa Rica have a strong economic 
        relationship built on mutual trust and respect for each other's 
        laws and political systems.
            (2) It is the sovereign decision of Costa Ricans whether or 
        not to ratify the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) 
        in their historic popular referendum.
            (3) The United States will fully respect whatever decision 
        the Costa Rican people make on the CAFTA referendum.
            (4) It is the official position of the United States that 
        no entity of the U.S. Government be allowed to interfere in 
        Costa Rica's referendum on the Central American Free Trade 
        Agreement (CAFTA).
            (5) Almost all of Costa Rica's duty free U.S. market access 
        is already permanent under U.S. law.
            (6) The Constitution clearly provides Congress with the 
        responsibility of establishing U.S. trade policy. The 
        statements made by United States Trade Representative Susan 
        Schwab on October 4, 2007, regarding the U.S. trade 
        relationship with Costa Rica do not reflect U.S. trade policy.
            (7) Regardless of the outcome of the historic referendum on 
        whether or not to ratify the Central American Free Trade 
        Agreement (CAFTA), the U.S. will continue to extend all current 
        trade benefits to Costa Rica.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY PROVISION TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRADE 
              BENEFITS TO CERTAIN BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES UNDER THE 
              CARIBBEAN BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT.

    Section 213(b) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 
U.S.C. 2703(b)) is amended--
            (1) in subclauses (II)(cc) and (IV)(dd) of paragraph 
        (2)(A)(3)(iii), by striking ``through September 30, 2008'' each 
        place it appears; and
            (2) in paragraph (5)(D), by striking ``ends on the earlier 
        of'' and all that follows through ``the date on which'' and 
        inserting ``ends on the date on which''.
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