[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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