[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 152 (Tuesday, November 2, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H11303-H11304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO OFFER RESOLUTION RAISING QUESTION OF 
                        PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE

  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of House rule IX, I 
rise to give notice of my intent to offer a question of privileges of 
the House expressing the sense that its rights and integrity have been 
impugned.
  The form of the resolution is as follows:

     Calling on the President to abstain from renegotiating 
         international agreements governing antidumping and 
         countervailing measures.
       Whereas under Art. I, Section 8 of the Constitution, the 
     Congress has power and responsibility with regard to foreign 
     commerce and the conduct of international trade negotiations;
       Whereas the House of Representatives is deeply concerned 
     that, in connection with the World Trade Organization 
     (``WTO'') Ministerial meeting to be held in Seattle, 
     Washington, and the multilateral trade negotiations expected 
     to follow, a few countries are seeking to circumvent the 
     agreed list of negotiation topics and reopen debate over the 
     WTO's antidumping and antisubsidy rules;
       Whereas the Congress has not approved new negotiations on 
     antidumping or

[[Page H11304]]

     antisubsidy rules and has clearly, but so far informally, 
     signaled its opposition to such negotiations;
       Whereas strong antidumping and antisubsidy rules are a 
     cornerstone of the liberal trade policy of the United States 
     and are essential to the health of the manufacturing and farm 
     sectors in the United States;
       Whereas it has long been and remains the policy of the 
     United States to support antidumping and antisubsidy laws and 
     to defend those laws in international negotiations;
       Whereas, under present circumstances, launching a 
     negotiation that includes antidumping and antisubsidy issues 
     would affect the rights of the House and the integrity of its 
     proceedings;
       Whereas the WTO antidumping and antisubsidy rules concluded 
     in the Uruguay Round have scarcely been tested since they 
     entered into effect and certainly have not proved defective:
       Whereas opening these rules to renegotiation could only 
     lead to weakening them, which would in turn lead to even 
     greater abuse of the world's open markets, particularly that 
     of the United States;
       Whereas conversely, avoiding another divisive fight over 
     these rules is the best way to promote progress on the other, 
     far more important, issues facing WTO members; and
       Whereas it is therefore essential that negotiations on 
     these antidumping and antisubsidy matters not be reopened 
     under the auspices of the WTO or otherwise: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives calls upon the 
     President--
       (1) not to participate in any international negotiation in 
     which antidumping or antisubsidy rules are part of the 
     negotiating agenda;
       (2) to refrain from submitting for congressional approval 
     agreements that require changes to the current antidumping 
     and countervailing duty laws and enforcement policies of the 
     United States; and
       (3) to enforce the antidumping and countervailing duty laws 
     vigorously in all pending and future cases.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under rule IX, a resolution offered from the 
floor by a Member other than the majority leader or the minority leader 
as a question of the privileges of the House has immediate precedence 
only at a time designated by the Chair within 2 legislative days after 
the resolution is properly noticed.
  Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the 
gentleman from West Virginia will appear in the Record at this point.
  The Chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution 
constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will be made at 
the time designated for consideration of the resolution.
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, I would ask to be heard at the appropriate 
time on the question of whether this resolution constitutes a question 
of privilege.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will be notified.
  Mr. WISE. I thank the Speaker.

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