[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 27979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 27979]]

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

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of House Rule IX, 
I rise to give notice of my intent to present a question of privilege 
to the House. The form of the resolution is as follows and relates to 
maintaining antidumping and countervailing measures as relates to our 
trade laws. It calls on the President to abstain from renegotiating 
international agreements governing antidumping and countervailing 
measures.

       We know the World Trade Organization is about to meet in 
     Seattle, and whereas under Article I, Section 8 of the 
     Constitution, the Congress has the 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 
     ministerial meeting to be held in Seattle, Washington, later 
     this month, and the multilateral trade negotiations expected 
     to follow, a few countries are seeking to circumvent the 
     agreed list of negotiation topics and reopen the debate over 
     the World Trade Organization's antidumping and anti subsidy 
     rules;
       Whereas the Congress has not approved new negotiations on 
     antidumping or antisubsidy rules and we have clearly, but so 
     far informally, signalled 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 here in our country;
       And whereas it has long been and remains the policy of the 
     United States to support antidumping and antisubsidy laws and 
     to defend those laws in international negotiations;
       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 U.S. trade policy;
       Whereas, under present circumstances, launching a 
     negotiation that includes antidumping and antisubsidy issues 
     would affect the rights of the House and the integrity of its 
     proceedings;
       Whereas the WTO antidumping and antisubsidy rules concluded 
     in the Uruguay Round have scarcely been tested since they 
     entered into effect and certainly have not proven effective 
     in view of our trade deficit;
       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, which has become the greatest dump 
     market in the world;
       Whereas conversely, avoiding another decisive fight over 
     these rules is the best way to promote progress on the other 
     far more important issues facing the World Trade Organization 
     Members;
       Whereas it is therefore essential that negotiations on 
     these antidumping and antisubsidy matters not be reopened 
     under the auspices of the World Trade Organization or 
     otherwise:
       Now, therefore, be it resolved that the House of 
     Representatives calls upon the President (1) not to 
     participate in any international negotiation 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) also calls upon the 
     President to enforce the antidumping and countervailing duty 
     laws vigorously in all pending and future cases.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under rule IX, a resolution 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 two legislative days 
after the resolution is properly noticed.
  Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the 
gentlewoman from Ohio will appear in the Record at this point.
  The Chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution 
constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will be made at 
the time designated for consideration of the resolution and the 
gentlewoman will be notified.

                          ____________________