[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H2181-H2183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRADE AGENCIES AUTHORIZATIONS

  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 1463) to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 
for the Customs Service, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 
and the International Trade Commission, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1463

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CUSTOMS AND TRADE AGENCY AUTHORIZATIONS FOR FISCAL 
                   YEAR 1998 AND 1999.

       (a) United States Customs Service.--
       (1) Authorization of appropriations.--Section 301(b) of the 
     Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification Act of 1978 (19 
     U.S.C. 2075(b)) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       ``(1) For noncommercial operations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated for the salaries and expenses of the 
     Customs Service that are incurred in noncommercial operations 
     not to exceed the following:
       ``(A) $668,397,000 for fiscal year 1998.
       ``(B) $684,018,000 for fiscal year 1999.
       ``(2) For commercial operations.--(A) There are authorized 
     to be appropriated for the salaries and expenses of the 
     Customs Service that are incurred in commercial operations 
     not less than the following:
       ``(i) $901,441,000 for fiscal year 1998.
       ``(ii) $930,447,000 for fiscal year 1999.
       ``(B) The monies authorized to be appropriated under 
     subparagraph (A) for any fiscal year, except for such sums as 
     may be necessary for the salaries and expenses of the Customs 
     Service that are incurred in connection with the processing 
     of merchandise that is exempt from the fees imposed under 
     section 13031(a) (9) and (10) of the Consolidated Omnibus 
     Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, shall be appropriated from 
     the Customs User Fee Account.
       ``(3) For air and marine interdiction.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated for the operation (including 
     salaries and expenses) and maintenance of the air and marine 
     interdiction programs of the Customs Service not to exceed 
     the following:
       ``(A) $95,258,000 for fiscal year 1998.
       ``(B) $98,226,000 for fiscal year 1999.''.
       (2) Submission of out-year budget projections.--Section 
     301(a) of the Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification 
     Act of 1978 (19 U.S.C. 2075(a)) is amended by adding at the 
     end the following:
       ``(3) By no later than the date on which the President 
     submits to the Congress the budget of the United States 
     Government for a fiscal year, the Commissioner of Customs 
     shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House 
     of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate 
     the projected amount of funds for the succeeding fiscal year 
     that will be necessary for the operations of the Customs 
     Service as provided for in subsection (b).''.
       (b) Office of the United States Trade Representative.--
       (1) Authorization of appropriations.--Section 141(g)(1) of 
     the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2171(g)(1)) is amended to 
     read as follows:
       ``(g)(1)(A) There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     Office for the purposes of carrying out its functions not to 
     exceed the following:
       ``(i) $22,092,000 for fiscal year 1998.
       ``(ii) $24,300,000 for fiscal year 1999.
       ``(B) Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
     subparagraph (A) for any fiscal year--
       ``(i) not to exceed $98,000 may be used for entertainment 
     and representation expenses of the Office; and
       ``(ii) not to exceed $2,500,000 shall remain available 
     until expended.''.
       (2) Submission of out-year budget projections.--Section 
     141(g) of the Trade Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the 
     end the following:
       ``(3) By no later than the date on which the President 
     submits to the Congress the budget of the United States 
     Government for a fiscal year, the United States Trade 
     Representative shall submit to the Committee on Ways and 
     Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
     Finance of the Senate the projected amount of funds for the 
     succeeding fiscal year that will be necessary for the Office 
     to carry out its functions.''.
       (c) United States International Trade Commission.--
       (1) Authorization of appropriations.--Section 330(e)(2) is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(2)(A) There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     Commission for necessary expenses (including the rental of 
     conference rooms in the District of Columbia and elsewhere) 
     not to exceed the following:
       ``(i) $41,980,000 for fiscal year 1998.
       ``(ii) $46,125,400 for fiscal year 1999.
       ``(B) Not to exceed $2,500 of the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated for any fiscal year under subparagraph (A) may 
     be used, subject to the approval of the Chairman of the 
     Commission, for reception and entertainment expenses.
       ``(C) No part of any sum that is appropriated under the 
     authority of subparagraph (A) may be used by the Commission 
     in the making of any special study, investigation, or report 
     that is requested by any agency of the executive branch 
     unless that agency reimburses the Commission for the cost 
     thereof.''.
       (2) Submission of out-year budget projections.--Section 
     330(e) of the Tariff Act of 1930 is amended by adding at the 
     end the following:
       ``(4) By no later than the date on which the President 
     submits to the Congress the budget of the United States 
     Government for a fiscal year, the Commission shall submit to 
     the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate 
     the projected amount of funds for the succeeding fiscal year 
     that will be necessary for the Commission to carry out its 
     functions.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois [Mr. Crane] and the gentleman from New York [Mr. Rangel] each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Crane].


                             General Leave

  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 1463.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1463, a bill to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for the U.S. Customs 
Service, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the International 
Trade Commission.
  I would first like to note that a full authorization for these three 
agencies has not been achieved since 1990, and that those 
authorizations expired in 1992. I was therefore pleased that the 
President's modest budget submission for 1998 for these agencies could 
be well received by the Committee on Ways and Means. This prudent 
approach allowed the committee to work in a bipartisan manner to 
authorize appropriations which matched the President's request.
  Passage of H.R. 1463 will send a strong message to our colleagues in 
the Senate to develop the same bipartisan view that the committees of 
jurisdiction must reassert their authorities over these agencies 
through the budget process. The bill will also provide a guideline for 
the appropriations committees as they consider the levels of funding 
necessary for these agencies to fulfill their statutory functions. H.R. 
1463 produces no increase in the Federal deficit.
  While H.R. 1463 does not exceed the President's overall budget 
submission, the Committee on Ways and Means has made one important 
amendment to the authorizations for the Customs Service. The gentleman 
from Florida [Mr. Shaw] has acted to allocate additional resources 
within the Customs budget to that agency's law enforcement profile by 
authorizing appropriations over the next 2 years for additional 
equipment and Customs special agents to fight the war on drugs.
  The role of the Customs Service, the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative and the International Trade Commission in advancing our 
bipartisan agenda for free and open trade should not be underestimated. 
I am proud to support H.R. 1463 and the statement it makes

[[Page H2182]]

in continuing the work of these agencies.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I too rise in support of H.R. 1463, as amended, to 
authorize fiscal year 1998 and 1999 appropriations for the U.S. Customs 
Service, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. 
International Trade Commission.
  As the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Crane], the subcommittee 
chairman, has reported, the bill came out of the Committee on Ways and 
Means by voice vote and is noncontroversial. It authorizes the funding 
levels requested by the President in his budget submission for each of 
these three major trade agencies.
  The gentleman from Florida [Mr. Shaw], with my support, had an 
amendment that passed successfully that reallocates $5 million of the 
Customs commercial operations to drug interdiction efforts. We hope 
that these additional resources will effectively counteract the 
increased threat of drug smuggling in the south Florida area, as well 
as continued interdiction along the Southwest border and Puerto Rico. 
The additional drug enforcement funds will also enable Customs to 
increase the number of special agents dedicated to counter-narcotics 
and anti-money laundering activities, including their relocation to 
high threat drug zones.
  H.R. 1463, as amended, provides the minimum funding levels necessary 
for the Customs Service, the U.S. Trade Representative, and the 
International Trade Commission to carry out their essential trade 
functions as mandated by the U.S. Congress. I urge support of this bill 
and urge my colleagues to pass it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the distinguished 
gentleman from California [Mr. Matsui], the ranking member on the 
Subcommittee on Trade, and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to 
yield time to other Members.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. Watkins].
  [Mr. WATKINS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.]
  Mr. WATKINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1463, and I thank 
the Speaker for allowing me the opportunity to come to the floor today 
as we debate this important legislation to reauthorize the Office of 
the U.S. Trade Representative, the Customs Service and the 
International Trade Commission. I would like to also thank Ambassador 
Barshevsky and also Deputy Trade Representative Lang, and the entire 
staff at the USTR's office for all the work they do on behalf of the 
American people.
  I am proud to come to the floor today and express my support for this 
legislation. H.R. 1463 will give the USTR's office the necessary 
resources to fight for fair treatment, and that is what we are asking 
for, fair treatment for American goods and services throughout the 
world.
  As many of my colleagues know, I am an outspoken, strong advocate for 
the U.S. cattle and beef industry in their fight for open markets 
overseas. Since 1989, the European Union has had in place a ban on beef 
treated with growth producing hormones. Since these hormones are used 
in virtually all U.S. beef, this is a ban on all of our cattle people.
  There is no scientific basis for this ban. These hormones have been 
proven safe in studies by the FDA, the Lamming Commission, the World 
Health Organization, and the EU's own Scientific Conference on Growth 
Promotion in Meat Production. This, Mr. Speaker, is merely a blatantly 
unfair economic trade barrier against our U.S. cattle people.
  This ban has been in place for 8 years now, and costs American 
cattlemen hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Currently this case 
is before the WTO, the World Trade Organization, and a ruling is 
expected any day. I am confident that the Dispute Settlement Panel will 
rule on the basis of sound science and will find in favor of the United 
States.
  However, I feel compelled to urge the USTR to remain vigilant in this 
case, to stay on guard. It is my understanding that even if the United 
States wins in this case, which it should based on all scientific 
evidence, it could take an additional 18 months or longer to end this 
dispute. This is wrong. This dispute has already drug on for some 10 
years. This unmerited ban, unfair ban, coupled with the past 2 years of 
economic distress of the livestock industry, is a hardship on our 
producers and makes it hard for them to enjoy continued economic 
prosperity.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the USTR's office to take two 
specific actions: First, to examine ways to speed up the WTO's dispute 
settlement process so that future disputes do not drag out for years 
and years at a time. I would like the USTR's office to come back to 
Congress, to the committee, with specific proposals to speed up the 
process, and will push for their adoption at the WTO. We in Washington 
must always remember that our failure to act promptly can do tremendous 
harm to the people we represent.

                              {time}  1430

  In many cases such as this one, justice delayed is justice denied.
  The second action, I would also urge the USTR's office to continue to 
seek input and recommendations from the private sector, private sector 
businesses, and industries and agricultures, when negotiating 
agreements. There should never have been accepted a ban, hormone ban, 
on U.S. beef that could be sold to Europe. After all, as we evaluate 
these bans, these are unfair trade practices against the people that we 
represent that are trying to make a living.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for their 
leadership and also the ranking members on the committee for their 
strong support of H.R. 1463. And I ask all the leaders of the USTR to 
take some bold action, some stern action, and let us do what is 
necessary to have fair trade practices and free trade practices for the 
business industry that are counted on in this country.
  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1463, as amended, to authorize 
fiscal year 1988-99 appropriations for the U.S. Customs Service, the 
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the U.S. International 
Trade Commission. The Committee on Ways and Means has a long tradition 
of strong bipartisan support for the work of these three major trade 
agencies within its jurisdiction. The bill recognizes and supports the 
essential functions and activities of these trade agencies by 
authorizing the funding levels requested by the President. The bill 
also reflects overall budgetary constraints by authorizing the minimum 
amounts necessary for each of these agencies to carry out their 
statutory responsibilities.
  The Customs Service has undergone a major reorganization, and it is 
modernizing its operations in order to carry out its main functions of 
trade law enforcement and revenue collections in addition to illegal 
drug interdiction and cargo and passenger processing in an effective 
and cost-efficient manner. The authorized funding increase for Customs 
is only about 3 percent, and it reflects these savings while providing 
additional resources to counteract drug smuggling and to update 
equipment.
  I might point out that the Customs Commissioner, George Weise, was 
formerly a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means staff. He 
was the staff director of the Subcommittee on Trade before resuming his 
role at the Customs Service, and Mr. Weise has announced recently that 
he will be retiring from that service, and we wish him the best of luck 
and obviously offer him all the congratulations for all the wonderful 
work he has done.
  The authorization for the Office of U.S. Trade Representative covers 
cost to maintain current services and current staffing levels. The 
amounts are modest and justified for an agency which Congress has 
granted the primary responsibility for developing and coordinating the 
Nation's trade policies and for conducting trade negotiations. The ITC 
has streamlined its operations by reducing staff by over 20 percent 
since 1992, consolidating offices and increasing productivity. A 3-
percent increase in authorization for the

[[Page H2183]]

fiscal year 1998 maintains a current level of services and staff levels 
for the ITC to conduct its investigatory functions under the various 
import statutes and to apply objective analysis and advisory reports of 
the President and the Congress.
  The bill also authorizes additional funds for the year 1999 requested 
by the ITC to cover the estimated costs to conduct so-called sunset 
reviews of 315 outstanding antidumping and countervailing duties orders 
as required by the Uruguay round implementation legislation of 1994. 
During the markup and also during the hearing on this particular 
matter, I indicated to the ITC officials that should they need more 
resources, given the fact that they have 315 antidumping and 
countervailing duty orders to review, they should come back to our 
committee because certainly we want to make sure that they complete 
these reviews in a timely manner.
  I would now conclude, Mr. Speaker, that the Subcommittee on Trade has 
held oversight hearings on the budget request and reviewed the 
activities of all three of these agencies as indicated by the gentleman 
from Illinois [Mr. Crane]. There is no known opposition to the 
authorization levels in the bill as reported by the committee, and I 
certainly urge passage of H.R. 1463.
  Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1463, the 
Trade Agencies Authorization Act.
  While this bill contains many worthy provisions, this legislation is 
especially deserving of support because it authorizes the resources 
necessary for the Customs Service to interdict the flow of illegal 
drugs into this country. As a Member of Congress from south Florida, I 
can attest that in my home State, the fight to keep illegal drugs from 
reaching our streets is an ongoing, daily battle, which we are losing.
  Mr. Speaker, there are three main reasons why the Customs Service's 
interdiction efforts must be bolstered, and especially in south 
Florida. First, in the past few years, Congress and the administration 
have poured resources into such interdiction efforts as Operation 
Hardline along the Mexican border, and Operation Gateway in Puerto 
Rico. These operations did help stem the flow of illegal drugs into 
those areas. However, these operations had one unintended side effect: 
Drug traffickers began to avoid those areas, and redirected their 
smuggling efforts toward another major gateway of drugs into our 
country, south Florida.
  Second, Customs agents in south Florida do not have the resources 
they need to effectively engage drug traffickers. Right now, smugglers' 
boats can outrun the older Customs Service vessels patrolling the 
waters off of Dade and Broward Counties. Simply put, Customs needs 
better and faster boats to combat this threat.
  Finally, the drug lords already have a distribution network in place 
in south Florida, which greatly eases the distribution of their deadly 
product. And with 2,276 miles of coastline, along with countless 
inlets, coves, and tiny keys, the topography of Florida makes it 
attractive to drug smugglers.
  For these reasons, during markup in the Ways and Means Committee of 
this bill, I offered an amendment that would redirect $10 million in 
the Customs Service budget toward interdicting drugs. My amendment 
transfers $5 million from the commercial account of the Customs Service 
budget equally per year to the noncommercial account, and the air and 
marine account. My amendment was enthusiastically supported by Mr. 
Rangel, and passed the Committee by voice vote.
  Furthermore, contained in the report accompanying H.R. 1463 is 
language making Customs aware that the purpose of my amendment is to 
shift funds toward rebuilding the marine interdiction program in south 
Florida, and to hire more special agents and intelligence officers 
dedicated to counternarcotics and money laundering. If the funds 
authorized in my amendment are fully appropriated and properly 
allocated, the Customs Service marine program in south Florida could 
return to its 1993 level--the year President Clinton took office.
  Mr. Speaker, this reallocation of funds sends a strong message to the 
Customs Service that Congress wants a greater focus on interdicting 
illegal drugs, especially in south Florida. I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 1463.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I also yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Snowbarger). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Crane] that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1463, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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