[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 41 (Thursday, March 13, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3742-S3744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BAUCUS (for himself and Mr. Levin):
  S. 624. A bill to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory 
treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of the 
Russian Federation, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the U.S.-Russia 
Trade Act of 2003.
  This legislation would grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations to 
Russia. However--and I want to be very clear about this point--this 
legislation would also ensure that Congress retains proper oversight of 
negotiations to bring Russia into the World Trade Organization.
  Congress typically grants PNTR to a Jackson-Vanik country only when 
that country is about to join the WTO. This is, for example, exactly 
what Congress did when China joined the WTO.
  The Administration and some of my colleagues have suggested that 
Congress should grant PNTR to Russia

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prior to their joining the WTO. If we are going to do down this path, 
we must ensure that there is adequate Congressional oversight.
  This legislation would ensure Congressional involvement in the 
following way: after negotiations are completed, Congress would be 
guaranteed a vote on a resolution to disapprove of Russia's joining the 
WTO, if such a resolution is introduced.
  Congress has a key role to play in negotiating an agreement on 
Russia's entering the WTO. China's WTO accession demonstrates this. The 
Administration was able to obtain a better deal with China because of 
Congressional involvement.
  And there are some real concerns with Russia. The Russian government 
has announced that it plans to add additional restrictions on imports 
of U.S. agricultural products, including poultry, pork, and beef. 
That's unacceptable, and it is behavior that should not be rewarded.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that Congress 
continues to have an important role in Russia's accession to the WTO.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the legislation be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 624

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

        The Congress finds that--
       (1) the Russian Federation has adopted constitutional 
     protections and statutory and administrative procedures that 
     accord its citizens the right and opportunity to emigrate, 
     free of anything more than a nominal tax on emigration or on 
     the visas or other documents required for emigration and free 
     of any tax, levy, fine, fee, or other charge on any citizens 
     as a consequence of the desire of such citizens to emigrate 
     to the country of their choice or to return to the Russian 
     Federation;
       (2) the Russian Federation has been found to be in full 
     compliance with the freedom of emigration requirements under 
     title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 since 1994;
       (3) the Russian Federation has taken important steps toward 
     the creation of democratic institutions and a free-market 
     economy and, as a participating state of the Organization for 
     Security and Cooperation in Europe (in this Act referred to 
     as the ``OSCE''), is committed to developing a system of 
     governance in accordance with the principles regarding human 
     rights and humanitarian affairs that are set forth in the 
     Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in 
     Europe (also known as the ``Helsinki Final Act'') and 
     successive documents;
       (4) the Russian Federation is committed to addressing 
     issues relating to its national and religious minorities as a 
     participating state of the OSCE, to adopting measures to 
     ensure that persons belonging to national minorities have 
     full equality both individually and communally, and to 
     respecting the independence of minority religious 
     communities, although problems still exist regarding the 
     registration of religious groups, visa, and immigration 
     requirements, and other laws, regulations, and practices that 
     interfere with the activities or internal affairs of minority 
     religious communities;
       (5) the Russian Federation has enacted legislation 
     providing protection against discrimination or incitement to 
     violence against persons or groups based on national, racial, 
     ethnic, or religious discrimination, including anti-Semitism;
       (6) the Russian Federation has committed itself, including 
     through exchanges of letters, to ensuring freedom of 
     religion, equal treatment of all religious groups, and 
     combating racial, ethnic, and religious intolerance and 
     hatred, including anti-Semitism;
       (7) the Russian Federation has engaged in efforts to combat 
     ethnic and religious intolerance by cooperating with various 
     United States nongovernmental organizations;
       (8) the Russian Federation is continuing the restitution of 
     religious properties, including religious and communal 
     properties confiscated from national and religious minorities 
     during the Soviet era, facilitating the reemergence of these 
     minority groups in the national life of the Russian 
     Federation, and has committed itself, including through 
     exchanges of letters, to continue the restitution of such 
     properties;
       (9) the Russian Federation has received normal trade 
     relations treatment since concluding a bilateral trade 
     agreement with the United States that entered into force on 
     June 17, 1992;
       (10) the Russian Federation is making progress toward 
     accession to the World Trade Organization, recognizing that 
     many central issues remain to be resolved, including removal 
     of unjustified restrictions on agricultural products of the 
     United States, commitments relating to tariff reductions for 
     goods, trade in services, protection of intellectual property 
     rights, reform of the industrial energy sector, elimination 
     of export incentives for industrial goods, reform of customs 
     procedures and technical, sanitary, and phytosanitary 
     measures, and inclusion of trade remedy provisions;
       (11) the Russian Federation has enacted some protections 
     reflecting internationally recognized labor rights, but 
     serious gaps remain both in the country's legal regime and 
     its enforcement record;
       (12) the Russian Federation has provided constitutional 
     guarantees of freedom of the press, although infringements of 
     this freedom continue to occur; and
       (13) the Russian Federation has demonstrated a strong 
     desire to build a friendly and cooperative relationship with 
     the United States.

     SEC. 2. TERMINATION OF APPLICATION OF TITLE IV OF THE TRADE 
                   ACT OF 1974 TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

       (a) Presidential Determinations and Extensions of 
     Nondiscriminatory Treatment.--Notwithstanding any provision 
     of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2431 et 
     seq.), the President may--
       (1) determine that such title should no longer apply to the 
     Russian Federation; and
       (2) after making a determination under paragraph (1) with 
     respect to the Russian Federation, proclaim the extension of 
     nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations 
     treatment) to the products of that country.
       (b) Termination of Application of Title IV.--On and after 
     the effective date of the extension under subsection (a)(2) 
     of nondiscriminatory treatment to the products of the Russian 
     Federation, chapter 1 of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 
     shall cease to apply to that country.

     SEC. 3. POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES.

       It is the policy of the United States to remain fully 
     committed to a multifaceted engagement with the Russian 
     Federation, including by--
       (1) urging the Russian Federation to ensure that its 
     national, regional, and local laws, regulations, practices, 
     and policies fully, and in conformity with the standards of 
     the OSCE--
       (A) provide for the free emigration of its citizens;
       (B) safeguard religious liberty throughout the Russian 
     Federation, including by ensuring that the registration of 
     religious groups, visa and immigration requirements, and 
     other laws, regulations, and practices are not used to 
     interfere with the activities or internal affairs of minority 
     religious communities;
       (C) enforce and enhance existing Russian laws at the 
     national and local levels to combat ethnic, religious, and 
     racial discrimination and related violence;
       (D) expand the restitution of religious and communal 
     properties, including by establishing a legal framework for 
     the timely completion of such restitution; and
       (E) respect fully freedom of the press;
       (2) working with the Russian Federation, including through 
     the Secretary of Labor and other appropriate executive branch 
     officials, to address the issues described in section 1(11); 
     and
       (3) continuing rigorous monitoring by the United States of 
     human rights issues in the Russian Federation, including the 
     issues described in paragraphs (1) and (2), providing 
     assistance to nongovernmental organizations and human rights 
     groups involved in human rights activities in the Russian 
     Federation, and promoting annual discussions and ongoing 
     dialog with the Russian Federation regarding those issues, 
     including the participation of United States and Russian 
     nongovernmental organizations in such discussions.

     SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

        The reports required by sections 102(b) and 203 of the 
     International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
     6412(b) and 6433) shall include an assessment of the status 
     of the issues described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of 
     section 3(1).

     SEC. 5. CONTINUED ENJOYMENT OF RIGHTS UNDER THE JUNE 17, 
                   1992, BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT.

       (a) Finding.--The Congress finds that the trade agreement 
     between the United States and the Russian Federation that 
     entered into force on June 17, 1992, remains in force between 
     the 2 countries and provides the United States with important 
     rights, including the right to use specific safeguard rules 
     to respond to import surges from the Russian Federation.
       (b) Applicability of Safeguard.--Section 421 of the Trade 
     Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2451) shall apply to the Russian 
     Federation to the same extent as such section applies to the 
     People's Republic of China.

     SEC. 6. EXERCISE OF CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OVER WTO 
                   ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS.

       (a) Notice of Agreement on Accession to WTO by Russian 
     Federation.--Not later than 5 days after the date on which 
     the United States has entered into a bilateral agreement with 
     the Russian Federation on the terms of accession by the 
     Russian Federation to the World Trade Organization, the 
     President shall so notify the Congress, and the President 
     shall transmit to the Congress, not later than 15 days after 
     that agreement is entered into, a report that sets forth the 
     provisions of that agreement.
       (b) Resolution of Disapproval.--
       (1) Introduction.--If a resolution of disapproval is 
     introduced in the House of Representatives or the Senate 
     during the 30-day

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     period (not counting any day which is excluded under section 
     154(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2194(b)), 
     beginning on the date on which the President first notifies 
     the Congress under subsection (a) of the agreement referred 
     to in that subsection, that resolution of disapproval shall 
     be considered in accordance with this subsection.
       (2) Resolution of disapproval.--In this subsection, the 
     term ``resolution of disapproval'' means only a joint 
     resolution of the two Houses of the Congress, the matter 
     after the resolving clause of which is as follows: ``That the 
     Congress does not approve the agreement between the United 
     States and the Russian Federation on the terms of accession 
     by the Russian Federation to the World Trade Organization, of 
     which Congress was notified on __.'', with the blank space 
     being filled with the appropriate date.
       (3) Procedures for considering resolutions.--
       (A) Introduction and referral.--Resolutions of 
     disapproval--
       (i) in the House of Representatives--

       (I) may be introduced by any Member of the House;
       (II) shall be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
     and, in addition, to the Committee on Rules; and
       (III) may not be amended by either Committee; and

       (ii) in the Senate--

       (I) may be introduced by any Member of the Senate;
       (II) shall be referred to the Committee on Finance; and
       (III) may not be amended.

       (B) Committee discharge and floor consideration.--The 
     provisions of subsections (c) through (f) of section 152 of 
     the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2192(c) through (f)) 
     (relating to committee discharge and floor consideration of 
     certain resolutions in the House and Senate) apply to a 
     resolution of disapproval to the same extent as such 
     subsections apply to resolutions under such section.
       (c) Rules of House of Representatives and Senate.--
     Subsection (b) is enacted by the Congress--
       (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of 
     Representatives and the Senate, respectively, and as such are 
     deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, and 
     such procedures supersede other rules only to the extent that 
     they are inconsistent with such other rules; and
       (2) with the full recognition of the constitutional right 
     of either House to change the rules (so far as relating to 
     the procedures of that House) at any time, in the same 
     manner, and to the same extent as any other rule of that 
     House.
                                 ______