BIPARTISAN TRADE PROMOTION BILL WOULD ADDRESS LABOR, ENVIRONMENT

BIPARTISAN TRADE PROMOTION BILL WOULD ADDRESS LABOR, ENVIRONMENT    Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the House Wednesday that would grant President Bush trade promotion authority while addressing concerns about labor and environmental standards.
   The legislation was developed over the past two months, involving House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas, R-Calif.; and committee members Bill Jefferson, D-La.; Cal Dooley, D-Calif.; and John Tanner, D-Tenn.
   The bill's aim is to include enforceable labor and environmental standards into a trade promotion authority plan, while enabling the president to more easily negotiate trade agreements, Dooley said.
   “The compromise legislation would add an enforceable trade negotiating objective on labor on the environment, stating that U.S. trading partners may not fail to enforce their domestic labor and environmental standards in order to gain a trade advantage,” Dooley said in a statement. “The compromise also helps trading partners improve their labor and environmental enforcement through a variety of 'capacity building' measures, with the goal of promoting respect for core international standards.”
   The legislation would also add a negotiating objective on enforcement that would enforce all principal trade objectives with parity, including manufacturing, agriculture, labor and environment, Dooley said. The plan also allows for appropriate penalties to be imposed when trade agreements are violated.
   The plan would also create a bipartisan permanent Congressional oversight group, which would provide input on the substance of trade agreements throughout their negotiation.