[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 997 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 997

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding unfair 
and discriminatory practices of the Government of Japan in its failure 
  to apply its current and planned extension of the Government's Eco-
 friendly Vehicle Purchase and scrappage program to imported vehicles 
                        made by U.S. automakers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 2010

             Ms. Sutton submitted the following resolution

                            January 12, 2010

  Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding unfair 
and discriminatory practices of the Government of Japan in its failure 
  to apply its current and planned extension of the Government's Eco-
 friendly Vehicle Purchase and scrappage program to imported vehicles 
                        made by U.S. automakers.

Whereas the President of the United States approved on June 24, 2009, the United 
        States ``Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save'' (CARS) Act to 
        jumpstart auto sales and increase motor fuel savings nationwide by 
        providing incentives to registered owners of high polluting automobiles 
        and replace such automobiles with new fuel efficient and less polluting 
        automobiles, otherwise referred to as the ``Cash for Clunkers Program'';
Whereas the U.S. CARS program was launched by the U.S. Department of 
        Transportation on July 27, 2009, with an initial appropriation of $1 
        billion and extended on August 6, 2009, with an additional sum of $2 
        billion;
Whereas when it ended on August 25, 2009, a total of 677,842 new vehicles were 
        incentivized and purchased through the program, all of which improved 
        the U.S. economy and provided jobs in the automobile industry;
Whereas, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation data, the share of 
        transactions by manufacturers of the total number of new vehicles 
        incentivized included: 120,507 Toyotas, 90,135 Fords, 87,585 Hondas, 
        86,354 Chevrolets, 58,700 Nissans, 48,780 Hyundais, 24,119 Dodges, 
        16,144 Mazdas, 12,418 Volkswagens, 9,033 Chryslers, and 3,663 Lexuses, 
        for a total of over 319,000 Japanese brand automobiles, which clearly 
        demonstrates that the U.S. ``Cash for Clunkers'' program was open to all 
        automobile manufacturers doing business in the U.S.;
Whereas the Japanese Government in April 2009, as part of its ``economic crisis 
        measures'', adopted as its version of the U.S. CARS program an ``Eco-
        friendly Vehicle'' program, which the Japanese Auto Dealer Association 
        on April 10, 2009, described as a subsidy to achieve effective 
        environmental and economic measures by promoting purchase of new 
        vehicles with high levels of environmental performance, leading to 
        stimulation of the Japanese auto industry;
Whereas the Japanese Government is planning to extend the current Japanese 
        automobile scrappage and subsidy program as early as January 2010;
Whereas, unlike the U.S. CARS program of 2009, the current Japanese Eco-friendly 
        Vehicle Purchase Program is not open and available to all imports of 
        U.S. automobile manufacturers because the Japanese program is only 
        available to automobile models that use a full Government procedure 
        called ``Type Approval'' of each model that generates an official fuel 
        economy rating;
Whereas as U.S. automobile importers use a more cost efficient Preferred 
        Handling Procedure (PHP), which is accepted by the Japanese Government 
        for imported vehicles sold in Japan;
Whereas even though many U.S. imported automobiles have comparable or better 
        fuel efficiency than Japanese vehicles, they do not qualify for the Eco-
        friendly Vehicle Purchase Program;
Whereas the House of Representatives strongly believes that the current Japanese 
        Government's Eco-friendly Vehicle program is unfair and discriminatory 
        in its implementation and its failure to apply to low volume automobile 
        imports of U.S. automobile manufacturers by excluding fuel efficient 
        U.S.-made automobiles that meet the same fuel economy requirements of 
        the United States that automobiles of Japanese manufacturers met in 2009 
        under the U.S. Cash for Clunkers program in qualifying for U.S. 
        incentives for their automobiles; and
Whereas such exclusion amounts to the Japanese Government engaging in unfair and 
        discriminatory practices contrary to international treaty requirements 
        of the World Trade Organization: Now therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the President shall direct the United States Trade 
        Representative with support, assistance, and cooperation of the 
        Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, and as 
        appropriate, other Federal agencies to immediately initiate 
        discussions with the Government of Japan to identify and remedy 
        violations of Japan's trade obligations under applicable World 
        Trade Organization requirements for its discriminatory policies 
        and practices in regards to not applying incentives for United 
        States automotive imports under Japan's Eco-friendly Vehicle 
        Purchase Program, and if no adequate relief is promptly 
        forthcoming to file appropriate measures and complaints to 
        initiate dispute resolution actions under authority of the 
        World Trade Organization;
            (2) any such action should include a detailed analysis of 
        the financial costs and other impacts on the economy of the 
        United States which were incurred by the implementation of the 
        U.S. CARS incentives program in regards to Japanese 
        manufactured automobiles that received subsidies; and
            (3) the Secretary of State with the cooperation and 
        assistance of the Secretary of Transportation, the United 
        States Trade Representative, and other relevant Federal 
        officials should take immediately diplomatic and other measures 
        to ensure that any extension by the Japanese Government of the 
        Eco-friendly Vehicle Program is fair and not discriminatory in 
        regard to U.S. manufactured automobile imports to Japan.
    Sec. 2.  The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit a 
copy of this resolution to the President.
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