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Agricultural Trade Reform Act of 1999

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 19, 1999

Agricultural Trade Reform Act of 1999 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to clarify the definition of "domestic industry" to mean, for purposes of providing relief from injury caused by import competition, producers of a like or directly competitive perishable agricultural product, citrus product, or potato product in a specific U.S. geographic area whose collective production in such area of such article constitutes a significant proportion of the total domestic production of such article. Authorizes the International Trade Commission (ITC), when determining whether an article is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause (or threat) of serious injury to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with such imported article, to treat as the domestic industry only that portion of the production of the product located in the area in the case of one or more domestic producers: (1) who produce a like or directly competitive perishable agricultural product, citrus product, or potato product in a specific U.S. geographic area; (2) whose production of the product in such area constitutes a significant portion of the U.S. domestic industry; and (3) who primarily serve the market in such area. Revises provisional relief provisions to require the ITC to make a determination whether increased imports of such perishable agricultural products (including potato products) are a substantial cause of serious injury (or threat) to the domestic industry producing a like or directly competitive agricultural product (including whether either the serious injury is likely to be difficult to repair by reason of perishability of the like or directly competitive agricultural product, or the serious injury cannot be timely prevented through an ITC investigation) whenever a request made by the President or the USTR or a resolution adopted by specified congressional committees states that provisional trade relief with respect to such perishable agricultural imports may be necessary to prevent or remedy serious injury (or threat) to the domestic industry. Authorizes the ITC, in considering a petition or a request by the President or USTR or an adopted congressional resolution for provisional trade relief from injury caused by import competition, to waive the 90-day monitoring requirement with respect to the import of perishable agricultural products provided certain conditions are met.

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Who introduced it

Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME] · R–ME

Committees

  • Finance Committee
0 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

    Actions

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    1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

    2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S549-550)

    3. Introduced in Senate

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