[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 150 (Thursday, October 23, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S13142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DASCHLE (for Mr. Kerry):
  S. 1782. A bill to provide duty-free treatment for certain tuna; to 
the Committee on Finance.
  (At the request of Mr. Daschle, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)
 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I rise to introduce legislation that 
is designed to eliminate tariffs on certain tuna products imported into 
the United States from member nations of the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations (ASEAN).
  ASEAN is a force for stability and development in Southeast Asia and 
pursuit of cooperative economic policies is critical to the 
relationship. The ASEAN nations include countries such as the 
Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia that are valuable trading 
partners and important friends and allies in the ongoing fight against 
world terrorism.
  Several of the ASEAN nations import processed tuna imported into the 
United States. This includes pouch tuna, which is a relatively new 
product that uses an innovative process to vacuum pack tuna into easy 
to use and environmentally friendly airtight pouches for commercial and 
retail sale. A few creative companies, including Jana Brands, Inc. of 
Natick, Massachusetts, pioneered pouch tuna in the United States.
  Tuna imported from the ASEAN nations is subject to higher tariffs 
upon entry into the United States. A provision was included in the 
Trade Act of 2002 that gives duty-free treatment to pouch but not 
canned tuna imported from the beneficiary countries of the Andean Trade 
Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. I understand that the Andean Pact 
preferences are intended to increase production and trade with the 
United States in certain products and wean their economies away from 
any dependence on the production of crops used to make illegal drugs. I 
support the rationale behind the Andean Pact but it is also true that 
duty free treatment for pouch tuna imported from Andean countries puts 
pouch tuna imported from ASEAN member nations at a competitive 
disadvantage.
  To restore fair trade and to benefit U.S. consumers and workers, I am 
introducing the ``Fair Trade in Pouch Tuna Act of 2003''. This bill 
provides limited duty free treatment for tuna packed in airtight 
pouches imported from ASEAN nations that meet internationally 
recognized labor standards and environmental protections. The 
legislation requires that these imports come only from ASEAN nations 
that provide and enforce recognized worker rights and environmental 
protections.
  This legislation is just the first step. I look forward to working 
with the many parties that may be interested in this issue to craft a 
successful proposal.
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