[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 153 (Wednesday, November 3, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H11390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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

  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise 
to give notice of my intent to present a question of privileges of the 
House.
  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 negotiations topics and reopen debate over the 
     WTO's antidumping and antisubsidy rules;
       Whereas the Congress has not approved new negotiations on 
     antidumping or 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 its antidumping and antisubsidy laws 
     and to defend those laws in international negotiations;
       Whereas an important part of Congress' participation in the 
     formulation of trade policy is the enactment of official 
     negotiating objectives against which completed agreements can 
     be measured when presented for ratification;
       Whereas the current absence of official negotiating 
     objectives on the statute books must not be allowed to 
     undermine the Congress' constitutional role in charting the 
     direction of United States trade policy;
       Whereas, under present circumstances, launching a 
     negotiation that includes antidumping and antisubsidy issues 
     would effect the rights of the House and the integrity of its 
     proceedings;
       Whereas the WTO antidumping and antisubsidy rules concluded 
     in the Uruguay Round has 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 diversive 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 negotiations 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 (Mr. Kolbe). Under rule IX, a resolution that 
is 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 Pennsylvania (Mr. Doyle) will appear in the Record at 
this point.
  The Chair does not at this point determine whether or not the 
resolution constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will 
be made at the time designated for consideration of the resolution.
  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, I 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 from Pennsylvania (Mr. Doyle) 
will be notified at that time.

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