[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 69 (Monday, April 10, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19043-19044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8743]


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TRADE DEFICIT REVIEW COMMISSION


Notice of Open Public Hearing

AGENCY: U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission.

ACTION: Notice of open public hearing.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following hearing of the U. S. 
Trade Deficit Review Commission.
    Name: Murray Weidenbaum, Chairman of the U.S. Trade Deficit Review 
Commission
    The Commission is mandated to report to the Congress and the 
President on the causes, consequences, and solutions to the U. S. trade 
deficit. The purpose of this public hearing is to take testimony on (1) 
agricultural trade: its importance, opportunities, obstacles, and 
challenges for U.S. farmers and rural communities as well as its 
impacts; (2) U.S.-Canada trade issues; and (3) international trade for 
small businesses in the United States: its importance, opportunities, 
challenges and impacts. Witnesses will also be invited to propose 
policy changes.
    Confirmed witnesses include Governor Mel Carnahan of Missouri and 
Governor Bill Graves of Kansas; Dr. Thomas M. Hoenig, President, and 
Dr. Alan Barkema, Vice President, of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas 
City; Leland Swenson, President of the National Farmers Union; Daniel 
Amstutz, President of the North American Export Grain Association; 
Roger Johnson, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner; Professors Neil 
Harl and Dermot Hayes, Iowa State University; Professor Susan Feinberg, 
University of Maryland; and Professor Peter K. Kresl, Bucknell 
University.

Background

    In fulfilling its statutory mission, the Commission is holding 
field hearings to collect input from industry and labor leaders, 
government officials, leading researchers, other informed witnesses, 
and the public. The Commission has already held hearings in Washington, 
D.C., Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, and New York on 
various aspects of our trade relations. Information on these hearings 
can be obtained from the USTDRC website www.ustdrc.gov.
    Professor Murray Wiedenbaum of Washington University, St. Louis, 
who is a former Chairman of the President's Council of Economic 
Advisors, chairs the Commission. The Vice Chairman is Professor Dimitri 
Papadimitriou, President of The Jerome Levy Economics Institute at Bard 
College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The Kansas City, MO, hearing 
will be chaired by Commissioner Wayne D. Angell, Chief Economist and 
Senior Managing Director of Bear Stearns & Co., Inc., who is a former 
Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve.

Purpose of Hearing

    In light of the ongoing massive trade and current account deficits 
incurred by the United States, progress in improving U.S. exporters' 
access to foreign markets is critically important. The failure of the 
WTO Ministerial in Seattle to come up with a negotiating agenda for a 
new round of multilateral trade negotiations highlights how the 
consensus on reducing barriers to trade has fractured. Rebuilding the 
consensus on trade issues in the United States is of critical 
importance in addressing the large U. S. trade deficits. The work of 
the Commission, by analyzing the U.S. trade deficits in a non-partisan 
manner with the input of leading experts, will provide a reasoned and 
informed answer on how to respond to the trade deficit and its 
consequences. The findings of the Commission, while not binding, will 
likely form the basis for Congressional consensus building on trade 
policy as we enter the new century.
    There will be two sessions, one in the morning and one in the 
afternoon, for presentations by invited witnesses on their views on the 
interrelationship between the trade deficit and the topics of the 
hearing. There will be a question and answer period between the 
Commissioners and the witnesses. Public participation is invited and 
there will be an open-mike session for public comment at the conclusion 
of the afternoon session. Sign-up for the open-mike session will take 
place in the afternoon and will be on a first come first served basis. 
Each individual or group making an oral presentation will be limited to 
a total time of 3 minutes. Because of time constraints, parties with 
common interests are encouraged to designate a single speaker to 
represent their views.

DATES AND TIMES: Wednesday, April 26, 2000, 9:00 AM-5:30 PM Central 
Standard Time inclusive.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held at the Federal Reserve Bank of 
Kansas City, located at 925 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri 
64198. Public seating is limited to approximately 50 seats and will be 
on a first come first served basis. Commercial public parking lots are 
available within the vicinity of the Bank.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS:  The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is a 
secure facility and everyone must abide by security procedures. 
Everyone entering the facility is required to have a picture 
identification.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information concerning the hearing or who wishes to submit oral 
or written comments should contact Kathy Michels, Administrative 
Officer for the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission, 444 North Capitol 
Street, NW, Suite 706, Washington, DC 20001; phone 202/624-1409; or via 
e-mail at: [email protected].

PROVIDING ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMENTS AT THE KANSAS CITY HEARING: Copies 
of the draft meeting agenda, when available, may be obtained from the 
U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission by going to the Commission's 
website at www.ustdrc.gov. The Commission requests that written public 
statements submitted for the record be brief and concise and limited to 
two pages in length. Written comments (at least 35 copies) must be 
received at the USTDRC Headquarters Office in Washington, DC by April 
17, 2000. Comments received too close to the hearing date will normally 
be provided to the Commission Members at its hearing.

[[Page 19044]]

Written comments may be provided up until the time of the hearing.

    Authority: The Trade Deficit Review Commission Act, Public Law 
No.105-277, Div. A, section 127, 112 Stat. 2681-547 (1998), 
established the Commission to study the nature, causes and 
consequences of the United States merchandise trade and current 
accounts deficits and report its findings to the President and the 
Congress. By statute, the Commission must hold at least 4 regional 
field hearings and 1 hearing in Washington, DC. This is the sixth in 
a series of field hearings to be conducted. The schedule of hearings 
is available at the US Trade Deficit Review Commission website 
www.ustdrc.gov>.

    For the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission.

    Dated at Washington, DC, April 4, 2000.
Allan I. Mendelowitz,
Executive Director, Trade Deficit Review Commission.
[FR Doc. 00-8743 Filed 4-7-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-46-P