19 USC 2503 - Approval of trade agreements

Collapse to view only § 2503. Approval of trade agreements

§ 2501. Short title
§ 2502. Purposes
§ 2503. Approval of trade agreements
§ 2504. Relationship of trade agreements to United States law

§ 2501. Short title

This Act may be cited as the “Trade Agreements Act of 1979”.

(Pub. L. 96–39, § 1(a), July 26, 1979, 93 Stat. 144.)

§ 2502. Purposes

The purposes of this Act are—

(1) to approve and implement the trade agreements negotiated under the Trade Act of 1974 [19 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.];

(2) to foster the growth and maintenance of an open world trading system;

(3) to expand opportunities for the commerce of the United States in international trade; and

(4) to improve the rules of international trade and to provide for the enforcement of such rules, and for other purposes.

(Pub. L. 96–39, § 1(c), July 26, 1979, 93 Stat. 146.)

§ 2503. Approval of trade agreements

(a) Approval of agreements and statements of administrative action

(b) Acceptance of agreements by the President

(1) In generalThe President may accept for the United States the final legal instruments or texts embodying each of the trade agreements approved by the Congress under subsection (a). The President shall submit a copy of each final instrument or text to the Congress on the date such text or instrument is available, together with a notification of any changes in the instruments or texts, including their annexes, if any, as accepted and the texts of such agreements as submitted to the Congress under subsection (a). Such final legal instruments or texts shall be deemed to be the agreements submitted to and approved by the Congress under subsection (a) if such changes are—

(A) only rectifications of a formal character or minor technical or clerical changes which do not affect the substance or meaning of the texts as submitted to the Congress on June 19, 1979, or

(B) changes in annexes to such agreements, and the President determines that the balance of United States rights and obligations under such agreements is maintained.

(2) Application of agreement between the United States and other countriesNo agreement accepted by the President under paragraph (1) shall apply between the United States and any other country unless the President determines that such country—

(A) has accepted the obligations of the agreement with respect to the United States, and

(B) should not otherwise be denied the benefits of the agreement with respect to the United States because such country has not accorded adequate benefits, including substantially equal competitive opportunities for the commerce of the United States to the extent required under section 2136(c) 1

1 See References in Text note below.

of this title, to the United States.

(3) Limitation on acceptance concerning major industrial countriesThe President may not accept an agreement described in paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (9), (10), or (11) of subsection (c), unless he determines that each major industrial country (as defined in section 2136(d) 1 of this title) is also accepting the agreement. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the President may accept such an agreement, if he determines that only one major industrial country is not accepting that agreement and the acceptance of that agreement by that country is not essential to the effective operation of the agreement, and if—

(A) that country is not a major factor in trade in the products covered by that agreement,

(B) the President has authority to deny the benefits of the agreement to that country and has taken steps to deny the benefits of the agreement to that country, or

(C) a significant portion of United States trade would benefit from the agreement, notwithstanding such nonacceptance, and the President determines and reports to the Congress that it is in the national interest of the United States to accept the agreement.

For purposes of this paragraph, the acceptance of an agreement by the European Communities on behalf of its member countries shall also be treated as acceptance of that agreement by each member country, and acceptance of an agreement by all the member countries of the European Communities shall also be treated as acceptance of that agreement by the European Communities.

(1) The Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (relating to customs valuation).

(2) The Agreement on Government Procurement.

(3) The Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures.

(4) The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (relating to product standards).

(5) The Agreement on Interpretation and Application of Articles VI, XVI, and XXIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (relating to subsidies and countervailing measures).

(6) The Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (relating to antidumping measures).

(7) The International Dairy Arrangement.

(8) Certain bilateral agreements on cheese, other dairy products, and meat.

(9) The Arrangement Regarding Bovine Meat.

(10) The Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft.

(11) Texts Concerning a Framework for the Conduct of World Trade.

(12) Certain Bilateral Agreements to Eliminate the Wine-Gallon Method of Tax and Duty Assessment.

(13) Certain other agreements to be reflected in Schedule XX of the United States to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, including Agreements—

(A) to Modify United States Watch Marking Requirements, and to Modify United States Tariff Nomenclature and Rates of Duty for Watches,

(B) to Provide Duty-Free Treatment for Agricultural and Horticultural Machinery, Equipment, Implements, and Parts Thereof, and

(14) The Agreement with the Hungarian People’s Republic.

(Pub. L. 96–39, § 2, July 26, 1979, 93 Stat. 147.)

§ 2504. Relationship of trade agreements to United States law

(a) United States statutes to prevail in conflict

(b) Implementing regulations

(1) Presidential determination

(2) Conditions for taking effect under United States lawNo such amendment shall enter into force with respect to the United States, and no such requirement, amendment, or recommendation shall be implemented under United States law, unless—

(A) the President, after consultation with the Congress under paragraph (1), notifies the House of Representatives and the Senate of his determination and publishes notice of that determination in the Federal Register,

(B) the President transmits a document to the House of Representatives and to the Senate containing a copy of the text of such requirement, amendment, or recommendation, together with—

(i) a draft of a bill to amend or repeal provisions of existing statutes or to create statutory authority and an explanation as to how the bill and any proposed administrative action affect existing law, and

(ii) a statement of how the requirement, amendment, or recommendation serves the interests of United States commerce and why the legislative and administrative action is necessary or appropriate to carry out the requirement, amendment, or recommendation, and

(3) Recommendations as to application

(4) Congressional procedures applicableThe bill submitted by the President shall be introduced in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c)(1) of section 2191 of this title, and the provisions of subsections (d), (e), (f), and (g) of such section shall apply to the consideration of the bill. For the purpose of applying section 2191 of this title to such bill—

(A) the term “trade agreement” shall be treated as a reference to the requirement, amendment, or recommendation, and

(B) the term “implementing bill” or “implementing revenue bill”, whichever is appropriate, shall be treated as a reference to the bill submitted by the President.

(d) Unspecified private remedies not created

(Pub. L. 96–39, § 3(a)–(c), (f), July 26, 1979, 93 Stat. 148–150.)