*EPF502 07/11/2003
Text: Rohrabacher Submits Measure to Deny Vietnam Trade Status
(H.J. Res. 64 sent to House Ways and Means Committee for action) (400)

Representative Dana Rohrabacher (Republican of California) introduced a measure July 9 that would disapprove a renewal of Vietnam's conditional normal trade relations (NTR) status with the United States.

House Joint Resolution 64 (H.J. Res. 64) would deny the President the authority to extend the current waiver of the Jackson-Vanik provisions of the Trade Act of 1974 with respect to Vietnam. Under those provisions, a bilateral trade agreement and certification of freedom of emigration are necessary for the United States to establish conditional NTR, formerly known as most-favored-nation (MFN) status, with non-market economies such as Vietnam. President Bush recommended a waiver extension for Vietnam May 29th.

The proposed resolution had no co-sponsors and was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee for action. A majority of the committee strongly favors trade with Vietnam, and that committee has negatively reported such resolutions to the full House in the past.

Rohrabacher is a member of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific as well as that committee's newly-created Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights.

He is a staunch opponent of Vietnam's communist rulers, and has submitted similar resolutions in the past on trade with the Hanoi regime that have all gone down to defeat.

The eight-term lawmaker is also the chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Science Committee.

Following is the text of House Joint Resolution 64 from the Congressional Record:

(begin text)

Introduced in House
HJ 64 IH
108th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. J. RES. 64

Disapproving the extension of the waiver authority contained in section 402(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 with respect to Vietnam.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 9, 2003

Mr. ROHRABACHER introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

JOINT RESOLUTION

Disapproving the extension of the waiver authority contained in section 402(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 with respect to Vietnam.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Congress does not approve the extension of the authority contained in section 402(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 recommended by the President to the Congress on May 29, 2003, with respect to Vietnam.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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