[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 27065]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              PASS THE AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT

  (Mr. ROYCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, this week the Senate is considering a bill 
that we passed out of this House in July. It is called the Africa 
growth and opportunity act, and this act says that the United States is 
not giving up on Africa, that there is a real need, a real opportunity, 
to bring Africa into the world economy. The Africa bill is an important 
step in promoting Africa's development, and it is good for America too 
to open these markets in Africa, to open these export markets for the 
United States.
  Trade between the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa has been growing for 
the last several years. We now have 100,000 U.S. jobs involved in 
exports to Africa at this time, and this bill is also good for my home 
State of California which is number five in exporting to Africa. We now 
take more of our oil from Africa than we do from the Persian Gulf, and 
this Africa bill is the most important trade legislation to pass this 
House in 5 years. It would be a major accomplishment if signed into 
law.
  Mr. Speaker, let us export the free market to Africa. It is a win for 
Africa and a win for America.

                          ____________________