[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 103 (Monday, July 21, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S7779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       MONTANA WORLD TRADE CENTER

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, in today's world, trade doesn't 
stop at the borders. Whatever business you're in, and whether you 
operate a Fortune 500 company or a small family farm, every day you 
have more opportunities and more competitors overseas.
  That's why an organization like the Montana World Trade Center is so 
valuable to our State. We are a small business State. We have small 
timber mills, environmental technology firms, Indian manufacturing 
companies, and family farms.
  And, Mr. President, our Fortune 500 companies may well have all the 
information and all the connections they need to succeed in world 
trade. More power to them. But a small Montana farmer, or a specialized 
high-techology business, simply doesn't have the money and manpower to 
keep up with overseas opportunities.
  Even at the most basic logistical level, the paperwork and customs 
forms associated with imports and exports can be too much for a small 
business to handle. Additional burdens include finding foreign partners 
in faraway countries--and while Canada makes up about half our exports, 
other Montana markets range around the world, from Kuwait to the 
Philippines to Bangladesh.
  So our Montana farms, ranches, and businesses can gain a lot from the 
world marketplace. But they often need expert assistance in finding 
likely markets and partners abroad. And they need early warning when 
foreign competitors try to take advantage of them--as one firm found a 
Chinese company pirating its hunting decoy designs and advertising them 
in sportsmens' magazines.
  That is what the Montana World Trade Center provides. And the $2.5 
million grant included in this bill will help the center meet that 
goal. It will help Montanans compete in the world marketplace and 
export more effectively. That is critical to our State's economic 
future. So this grant is a good investment that will pay off in new 
exports and more jobs.
  I hope the Senate will approve it. 

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