[CTC] Small businesses not served by Korea FTA

[Arthur Stamoulis]

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/1005-trade/289935-hatch-offers-fast-track-consolidation-amendments

Hatch offers fast-track, trade agency consolidation amendments
By Vicki Needham	- 03/22/13 04:50 PM ET

The top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee is planning to  
offer several amendments to a Senate budget resolution that would  
smooth congressional approval of trade agreements and streamline  
federal agencies handling trade issues.
Senate Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has filed  
three trade-related amendments — trade promotion authority, creating a  
new position to oversee intellectual property negotiations and  
consolidating trade agencies, except those at the Cabinet level such  
as the U.S. Trade Representative.
The Hatch amendment seeks to create deficit-neutral reserve funds for  
the amendments, which allows the Budget Committee chairman to adjust  
the budget resolution’s allocations to account for future legislation  
that may be considered and avoid triggering a budget point of order.  
The legislation can breach those limits but can't increase the deficit.
Hatch, who has been pressing the White House to move forward with fast- 
track authority, intends to offer an amendment that calls for  
implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is  
expected to be completed this year, along with a U.S.-European Union  
trade deal, which is set to begin talks in June, and any other  
potential free-trade agreements to be done under trade promotion  
authority (TPA).
There are a couple of other amendments calling for trade promotion  
authority, including one by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a former U.S.  
Trade represenative.
Senators have started their first batch of votes, which are expected  
to last until around 8 p.m.
In a Thursday letter, Hatch told acting U.S. Trade Representative  
Demetrios Marantis that he is looking "forward to the negotiations we  
have ahead of us to developing a sound process with strong negotiating  
objectives that will yield the highest standards in our trade  
agreements, giving U.S. businesses and farmers the best opportunities  
abroad."
During a Tuesday hearing before the committee, Marantis told Hatch  
that the administration is prepared to begin talks on TPA.
Hatch and others have argued that TPA is needed to ensure Congress has  
a say in defining the objectives for trade agreements while assuring  
potential trading partners that the United States will follow through  
and ratify the deals.
In another amendment he called for an international trade agency  
reorganization, except for those agencies within the Executive Office  
of the President, such as the USTR.
More than a year ago, President Obama called on lawmakers to give him  
the authority to consolidate business and trade agencies with the  
aiming of to saving billions of dollars. Any recommendations would be  
sent to Congress for final approval. He has suggested merging the  
Small Business Administration and five other trade and business  
offices, including USTR, into a single agency that would replace the  
Commerce Department.
But the idea hasn't gained any traction and some business groups have  
said they are wary of any plan that would remove the U.S. Trade  
Representative form the Cabinet.
The third amendment would create of an office of chief intellectual  
property rights negotiator at the USTR, always a major issue in  
working out trade deals.
This story was updated at 6:30 p.m.


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