[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1947 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1947

   To establish the Trade Agreements Enforcement Trust Fund to take 
actions to enforce free trade agreements to which the United States is 
                    a party, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 22, 2015

   Mr. Blumenauer (for himself, Mr. Kind, Mr. Neal, Mr. Thompson of 
    California, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. Linda T. Saanchez of 
California, and Mr. McDermott) introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish the Trade Agreements Enforcement Trust Fund to take 
actions to enforce free trade agreements to which the United States is 
                    a party, 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 ``Supplemental Trade Review, 
Oversight, Noncompliance and General Enforcement Resources Act of 
2015'' or ``STRONGER Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. TRADE AGREEMENTS ENFORCEMENT TRUST FUND.

    (a) Establishment; Source of Funds.--There is established in the 
Treasury of the United States a trust fund, to be known as the Trade 
Agreements Enforcement Trust Fund (hereinafter in this section referred 
to as the ``Trust Fund''), consisting of such amounts as are 
transferred to the Trust Fund under subsection (b), any interest earned 
on investment of amounts in the Trust Fund, and any proceeds from the 
sale or redemption of any obligations held in the Trust Fund under 
subsection (c).
    (b) Transfer of Countervailing and Antidumping Duties to Trust 
Fund.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall transfer to the Trust 
        Fund for each fiscal year that begins on or after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act an amount equal to $15,000,000 of the 
        countervailing duties and antidumping duties received in the 
        Treasury for such fiscal year.
            (2) Limitation.--The total amount of funds in the Trust 
        Fund may not exceed $30,000,000.
    (c) Investment of Amounts; Interest and Proceeds.--
            (1) Investment of amounts.--The Secretary shall be 
        responsible for investing such portion of the Trust Fund as is 
        not, in the judgment of the Secretary, required to meet current 
        withdrawals. Such investments shall only be made in interest-
        bearing obligations of the United States or in obligations 
        guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United 
        States.
            (2) Interest and proceeds.--The interest on, and the 
        proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obligations held 
        in Trust Fund shall be credited to and form a part of the Trust 
        Fund.
    (d) Frequency of Transfers; Adjustments.--
            (1) Frequency of transfers.--The Secretary shall transfer 
        amounts required to be transferred to the Trust Fund under 
        subsection (b) at least quarterly from the general fund of the 
        Treasury to the Trust Fund on the basis of estimates made by 
        the Secretary.
            (2) Adjustments.--The Secretary shall make proper 
        adjustment in the amounts subsequently transferred to the Trust 
        Fund to the extent prior estimates were in excess of or less 
        than the amounts required to be transferred to the Trust Fund.

SEC. 3. AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS FROM TRUST FUND.

    (a) In General.--The President is authorized to make available such 
sums as are available in the Trust Fund, including any amounts not 
obligated in previous fiscal years, to--
            (1) the United States Trade Representative to take the 
        actions described in subsection (b)(1); and
            (2) the United States Trade Representative, the Secretary 
        of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
        International Development, the Secretary of Labor, and the 
        heads of other departments and agencies with relevant 
        expertise, as appropriate, to take the actions described in 
        subsection (b)(2).
    (b) Actions.--
            (1) Relating to enforcement.--The actions described in this 
        paragraph are the following:
                    (A) To seek to enforce and resolve any 
                inconsistencies with the provisions, commitments, and 
                obligations of any party made pursuant to any free 
                trade agreement with the United States.
                    (B) To monitor the implementation of commitments 
                and obligations of any party made pursuant to any free 
                trade agreement with the United States for purposes of 
                systematically assessing, identifying, investigating, 
                or initiating steps to address inconsistencies with 
                such commitments and obligations.
                    (C) To investigate and respond to petitions 
                pursuant to section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
                U.S.C. 2411).
                    (D) To seek to enforce and resolve inconsistencies 
                with the provisions, commitments, and obligations of 
                World Trade Organization member countries under the WTO 
                Agreement (as defined in section 2(9) of the Uruguay 
                Round Agreements Act) and the agreements annexed to 
                that Agreement (as specified in section 101(d) of the 
                Uruguay Round Agreements Act).
            (2) Relating to implementation assistance and local 
        capacity building.--The actions described in this paragraph are 
        the following:
                    (A) To ensure capacity-building efforts undertaken 
                by the United States pursuant to any free trade 
                agreement prioritize and give special attention to the 
                timely, consistent, and robust implementation of any 
                labor and environmental commitments and obligations of 
                any party to that free trade agreement.
                    (B) To ensure capacity-building efforts undertaken 
                by the United States pursuant to any free trade 
                agreement are self-sustaining and promote local 
                ownership.
                    (C) To ensure capacity-building efforts undertaken 
                by the United States pursuant to any free trade 
                agreement include performance indicators against which 
                the progress and obstacles for implementation of 
                environmental and labor commitments can be identified 
                and assessed within a meaningful timeframe.
                    (D) To monitor and evaluate United States capacity-
                building efforts described in subparagraphs (A), (B), 
                and (C) in a manner consistent with section 4.
    (c) Limitation.--Amounts made available in the Trust Fund may not 
be used to negotiate any new free trade agreements on or after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 18 months following the entry into 
force of any new free trade agreement, the United States Trade 
Representative, together with the other parties taking actions under 
section 3(b)(2) pursuant to that free trade agreement shall issue a 
report to Congress detailing those actions.

SEC. 4. COORDINATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

    (a) Interagency Committee.--
            (1) In general.--The President shall establish a permanent 
        interagency committee to ensure actions taken under section 
        3(b)(2) are effectively prioritized, targeted, coordinated, and 
        implemented.
            (2) Members.--The committee shall consist of the following:
                    (A) The Deputy United States Trade Representative 
                of the Office of the United States Trade 
                Representative, who shall serve as the chair of the 
                committee.
                    (B) The Under Secretary for Economic Growth, 
                Energy, and the Environment of the Department of State.
                    (C) The Assistant Administrator for Economic 
                Growth, Education, and Environment of the United States 
                Agency for International Development.
                    (D) The Deputy Undersecretary for International 
                Affairs of the Department of Labor.
                    (E) Such senior representatives from other 
                departments and agencies with relevant expertise, as 
                appropriate, to be appointed by the chair of the 
                committee.
            (3) Ad hoc members.--The United States ambassador to any 
        country receiving United States assistance by reason of actions 
        taken under section 3(b)(2) shall serve as an ad hoc member of 
        the committee for the period of time during which the planning, 
        budgeting, and implementation of such assistance is carried 
        out.
            (4) Consultation.--The head of any department or agency 
        that is taking actions under section 3(b)(2) shall consult with 
        the committee during the drafting of any action plan, program, 
        or effort led by the United States for purposes of taking such 
        actions.
    (b) Accountability.--The United States shall promote aid 
effectiveness and accountability through transparency, monitoring, 
evaluation, and learning, and fostering local ownership and 
implementation of U.S. assistance carried out pursuant to section 
3(b)(2) in the following manner:
            (1) Increase transparency.--The interagency committee 
        established under section 4(a) shall publish timely, 
        comprehensive, and detailed information regarding the 
        implementation assistance and local capacity building described 
        in section 3(b)(2) on a quarterly basis in IATI XML format, 
        consistent with the United States commitment to full compliance 
        with the International Aid Transparency Initiative.
            (2) Strengthen evaluation.--The interagency committee 
        established under section 4(a) shall conduct evaluations that 
        are independent, methodologically rigorous, made public in 
        their entirety, and transmitted to the International Aid 
        Transparency Initiative Registry as appropriate.
            (3) Promote learning.--The interagency committee 
        established under section 4(a) shall develop and implement 
        procedures for ensuring that data and evaluation results inform 
        decisionmaking and lead to the revision and promotion of best 
        practices among relevant executive branch agencies.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Antidumping duty.--The term ``antidumping duty'' means 
        an antidumping duty imposed under section 731 of the Tariff Act 
        of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1673).
            (2) Countervailing duty.--The term ``countervailing duty'' 
        means a countervailing duty imposed under section 701 of the 
        Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1671).
            (3) Secretary.--Except as otherwise provided, the term 
        ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Treasury.
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