Senate passes CAFTA legislation

Senate passes CAFTA legislation    The U.S. Senate passed legislation Thursday evening to extend free-trade benefits to five Central American countries and one Caribbean country.
   The controversial Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) bill (S. 1307), passed by a 54-45 vote, The legislation, introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
   The House is expected to vote on the legislation after the July 4 recess.
   The Bush administration said Thursday it’s confident the congressional votes are there to pass CAFTA. To appease opposition, the administration promised financial aid to help CAFTA countries enforce labor laws and to assist small farmers in the region who are displaced by U.S. products. In addition, the administration said it has held discussions with U.S. sugar producers who strongly oppose CAFTA.