[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TARIFF CORRECTION BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2000

  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I introduced a miscellaneous 
tariff correction bill (H.R. 3715) that will be one tool to help keep 
the remaining cathode ray tube and computer display screen 
manufacturers in the United States.
  Monochrome glass envelopes are used to make cathode ray tubes that 
provide the ``light'' behind the computer monitor. When the tariff on 
monochrome glass envelopes was first proposed, there were American 
manufacturers of this product. But over the last few years, the final 
American manufacturer of monochrome glass envelopes decided to get out 
of the business. Thus, the tariff duty designed to provide a modest 
level of protection for U.S. makers of monochrome glass envelopes no 
longer serves its purpose. In fact, the import duty is now hurting the 
international competitiveness of U.S. cathode ray tube and computer 
display screen manufacturers.
  Other foreign competitors are able to purchase monochrome glass 
envelopes without this tariff. Thus, they are able to price their 
computer monitors in the U.S. more competitively than U.S. 
manufacturers of equivalent product. Mr. Speaker, there should not be a 
U.S.-government imposed incentive for Americans to buy foreign computer 
display screens! That's why I ask my colleagues to support the 
inclusion of H.R. 3715 into the comprehensive miscellaneous tariff 
correction bill to be taken up by the House later this year. We need to 
remove the import tariff on monochrome glass envelopes so that American 
manufacturers of cathode ray tubes and computer monitors can compete on 
a more equal footing with their foreign counterparts.

                          ____________________