United States Agricultural Trade Act of 1999

United States Agricultural Trade Act of 1999 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the principal agricultural trade negotiating objectives of the United States for future multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations, including the World trade Organization (WTO), shall be to achieve, on an expedited basis, and to the maximum extent feasible, more open and fair conditions for trade in agricultural commodities by: (1) developing, strengthening, and clarifying rules for agricultural trade, including disciplines on restrictive or trade-distorting import and export practices; (2) increasing U.S. agricultural exports by eliminating barriers to trade (including transparent and nontransparent barriers) and other constraints to fair and more open markets access in foreign markets, such as export subsidies, quotas, and other non-tariff import barriers; (3) developing, strengthening, and clarifying rules that address practices that unfairly limit U.S. market access opportunities or distort agricultural markets to the detriment of the United States; (4) ensuring that there are reliable suppliers of agricultural commodities international commerce by encouraging countries to treat foreign buyers no less favorably than domestic buyers of the commodity involved; and (5) eliminating barriers for meeting the food needs of the world through the use of biotechnology by ensuring access to U.S. commodities derived from biotechnology that is scientifically defensible, opposing the establishment of protectionist trade measures disguised as health standards, and protecting continual delays by other countries in their approval processes which constitute nontariff trade barriers. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the President, if it is determined that the exemption of certain agricultural food programs should not apply to unilateral economic sanctions for reasons of foreign policy or national security, to include such programs in such sanctions. Requires the President to report to specified congressional committees if it is determined that such programs are not exempt from such sanctions. (Sec. 5) Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to establish a Congressional Oversight Group for Agricultural Negotiations that shall provide oversight and guidance with respect to agricultural trade policy and negotiation of agricultural trade issues. (Sec. 6) Expresses the sense of Congress that a certain amendment made to the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 was intended to allow the sale or barter of U.S. agricultural commodities included in U.S. food assistance only within the recipient country or countries adjacent to the recipient country, unless it: (1) is not practicable; and (2) will not disrupt commercial markets for the agricultural commodity involved. (Sec. 7) Directs the United States Trade Representative (USTR), not later than 30 days after the submission of the National Trade Estimate report, to identify those foreign countries that: (1) engage in unfair trade practices with respect to U.S. agricultural commodities, or unreasonably delay or preclude implementation of a report of a dispute panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO); or (2) are determined by the USTR to be priority foreign countries. Sets forth special rules with respect to such identification. Directs the USTR to report annually to specified congressional committees on actions taken under this Act to achieve fair and equitable market access for U.S. agricultural commodities. Authorizes the USTR with respect to those identified countries to: (1) take specified trade action; and (2) request that the secretary of Agriculture target the use of existing U.S. export programs that are administered within the Department of Agriculture to the commodity that is subject to the unfair trade practice by the priority foreign country. (Sec. 8) Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to declare that the Department of Agriculture shall be the lead agency for sanitary and phytosanitary issues that affect agricultural exports. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to identify sanitary and phytosanitary measures currently negatively affecting agricultural exports, by country and commodity, noting: (1) whether such measures are consistent with the WTO sanitary and phytosanitary agreement; and (2) whether issues arising from such measures are being addressed and resolved. Directs the Secretary to report the findings to Congress not later than July 31, 1999.

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on February 24, 1999. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

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