January 15,1999

COMMITTEE TO HOLD FIRST TRADE HEARINGS OF 106TH CONGRESS

WASHINGTON -- To continue the trade policy review begun by the Finance Committee in the 105th Congress, Chairman William V. Roth, Jr. (R-DE), today announced a series of trade hearings.

The purpose of these hearings will be to hear from a wide range of witnesses on issues of concern relating to US trade policy. The specific issues raised will assist in the development of a comprehensive agenda for the United States to take to both the upcoming WTO ministerial, which will be held in the United States in November of this year, and future WTO negotiations in agriculture, services and other areas. These hearings should also serve to build a record to form the basis for action on future trade legislation, including potential consideration of a comprehensive trade bill that includes a grant of presidential trade negotiating authority.

The Committee will meet on January 26th, 27th and 28th. All the Committee hearings will be held in 215 Dirksen. Start time and witness lists will be announced in the near future.



The schedule of hearings is as follows:



January 26th

Administration witnesses will discuss the Administration's trade negotiating agenda, international economic agenda generally and its export promotion programs. Testimony will also be solicited on the trade adjustment assistance program and on the administration of unfair trade laws.



January 27th

A broad range of private sector witnesses -- including representatives from the agricultural, service and manufacturing sectors -- will discuss specific issues of concern and how they relate to the US trade agenda. A second panel of witnesses will discuss specific issues facing the US steel industry during the global financial crisis.



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January 28th

Witnesses will testify on their international agendas in the areas of labor and environmental standards and the nexus of these issues to the US trade policy. Testimony will be received from the Administration and from representatives of labor unions, environmental groups and the private sector.





Written Statements: Any individuals or organizations wanting to present their views on these hearings to the Committee are urged to submit a typewritten, single-spaced statement, not exceeding 10 pages in length, for inclusion in the hearing record. The date and subject of the hearing must appear on the first page of the statement. Five copies of the statement should be mailed to the Editorial Section, United States Senate, Committee on Finance, Washington, D.C. 20510, and also to Mr. Mark A. Patterson, Minority Staff Director, United States Senate, Committee on Finance, Washington D.C. 20510. Statements must be received no later than noon on February 5, 1998. Written statements must also be submitted on diskette in a format that can be read by personal computers (plain ASCII text is preferred; other formats will be accepted -- please identify format).

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