A bill to amend the Trade Act of 1974 to consolidate and improve the trade adjustment assistance programs, to provide community-based economic development assistance for trade-affected communities, and for other purposes.
(Sec. 101) Sets forth certain data collection and reporting requirements with respect to the adjustment assistance program.
Provides for the eligibility certification of adversely affected secondary workers for trade adjustment assistance. Defines "adversely affected secondary worker" as a worker who is employed at a downstream producer (a firm that performs additional, value-added production processes to articles produced by another firm) or a supplier (a firm that produces component parts for the production process for articles).
Requires the Secretary of Labor to establish a program to provide adjustment assistance to domestic operators of motor carriers who are adversely affected by competition from foreign owned and operated motor carriers.
Authorizes a State to file on behalf of an adversely affected worker for the provision of certain supportive services (transportation, child care, and dependent care) that are necessary to enable such worker to participate in activities under the trade adjustment assistance program.
Directs the Secretary to establish a Wage Insurance Program under which a State uses funds provided to it for trade adjustment allowances to pay an adversely affected worker a wage subsidy of up to 50 percent of the difference between the wages received by such worker from reemployment and the wages received by the worker at the time of separation for a period not to exceed two years.
Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on all assistance provided by the Federal Government for workers facing job loss and economic distress. Authorizes a State to conduct a similar study of its assistance programs for such workers.
Increases the civil penalty for knowingly making a false statement, or knowingly failing to disclose a material fact, for the purpose of obtaining or increasing their payment of trade adjustment assistance under this Act.
Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 102) Establishes a self-employment training pilot program, to be administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), which shall provide training assistance and outreach to adversely affected workers. Directs the Administrator of the SBA to report quarterly to specified congressional committees on such Program.
Title II: Trade Adjustment Assistance For Firms - Reauthorizes the trade adjustment assistance program for firms adversely affected by import competition. Revises program eligibility requirements.
Title III: Trade Adjustment Assistance For Communities - Provides for trade adjustment assistance programs for communities adversely affected by import competition. Authorizes: (1) such communities, because of import competition, to develop strategic plans for economic adjustment and diversification; and (2) the award of grants to carry out economic development projects under such plans.
(Sec. 302) Establishes within the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce an Office of Community Trade Adjustment which shall be headed by a Director and provide, among other things, for a comprehensive Federal response to address economic dislocation in communities.
Requires an eligible community to establish a Community Economic Development Coordinating Committee.
Authorizes appropriations through FY 2006.
Title IV: Trade Adjustment Assistance For Farmers - Authorizes a group of agricultural commodity producers to petition the Secretary of Agriculture for a certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance. Sets forth certain eligibility requirements for the payment of such assistance to agricultural commodity producers adversely affected by import competition.
(Sec. 401) Provides limits on the payment of assistance. Sets forth penalties for fraud or false statements with respect to the provision of such assistance.
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, upon notification by the International Trade Commission of the commencement of an import competition investigation, to study whether the adjustment of the pertinent agricultural commodity producers to the import competition may be facilitated through existing programs.
Authorizes appropriations through FY 2006.
Title V: Trade Adjustment Assistance For Fishermen - Authorizes a group of producers (persons who are engaged in commercial fishing or who are U.S. fish processors) to petition the Secretary of Commerce for a certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance. Sets forth certain eligibility requirements for the payment of such assistance to producers adversely affected by import competition.
(Sec. 501) Sets forth similar provisions limiting the payment of assistance and penalties for fraud or false statements made with respect to the provision of such assistance.
Requires the Secretary of Commerce, upon notification by the International Trade Commission of the commencement of an import competition investigation with respect to a fish, to study whether the adjustment of the pertinent agricultural (sic) commodity producers to the import competition may be facilitated through existing programs.
Authorizes appropriations through FY 2006.
Title VI: Health Insurance Coverage Options For Individuals Eligible For Trade Adjustment Assistance - Establishes a program to provide 75 percent of the premium for COBRA continuation health coverage for workers (and their families) eligible for trade adjustment assistance. Sets forth certain program requirements.
(Sec. 601) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to Congress regarding the premium assistance program.
Authorizes appropriations through FY 2006.
(Sec. 602) Allows a State to elect to provide temporary coverage under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act for: (1) certain uninsured workers; and (2) for the unsubsidized portion of COBRA continuation premiums.
Title VII: Conforming Amendments and Effective Date - Sets forth conforming amendments and effective date. Terminates assistance under this Act on September 30, 2006.
Title VIII: Savings Provisions and Effective Date - Sets forth certain savings provisions and effective date.
Title IX: Customs Reauthorization - Customs Border Security Act of 2002 - Subtitle A: United States Customs Service - Amends the Customs Procedural Reform and Simplification Act of 1978 to authorize appropriations for FY 2003 for the U.S. Customs Service for: (1) noncommercial and commercial operations; and (2) the air and marine interdiction program. Earmarks certain funds for the automated commercial environment computer system. Requires the Commissioner of Customs to submit out-year budget projections annually to specified congressional committees by the time the President submits the annual budget proposal.
(Sec. 902) Earmarks amounts for: (1) the acquisition and deployment of antiterrorist and illicit narcotics detection equipment along the U.S.-Mexico border, the U.S.-Canada border, and Florida and Gulf Coast seaports; and (2) acquisition of technologically superior detection equipment.
(Sec. 903) Requires the Commissioner to establish performance goals and performance indicators, and comply with specified requirements with respect to certain activities, including those under subtitle B.
(Sec. 911) Authorizes appropriations for FY 2002 to carry out a program to prevent child pornography/child exploitation established by the Child Cyber-Smuggling Center of the Customs Service. Allocates a portion of such funds for operation of the Center's child pornography cyber tipline, and for increased public awareness of it.
(Sec. 921) Specifies funds available to hire approximately 285 additional Customs Service officers to address the needs of the offices and ports along the U.S.-Canada border.
(Sec. 922) Directs the Commissioner to study and report to specified congressional committees on: (1) current personnel practices of the Customs Service, including an overview of performance standards and the impact of the collective bargaining process on drug interdiction efforts; and (2) actions by the Customs Service to ensure that appropriate training is being provided to its personnel responsible for financial auditing of importers.
(Sec. 924) Directs the Commissioner to establish and implement, according to specified requirements, a cost accounting system for expenses incurred in both commercial and noncommercial operations of the Customs Service.
(Sec. 925) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the extent to which: (1) the Office of Regulations and Rulings of the Customs Service has made improvements to decrease the amount of time to issue importer-requested prospective rulings; and (2) the amount of each customs user fee is commensurate with the level of related services provided.
(Sec. 931) Sets forth requirements with respect to: (1) national emergency adjustments to offices, ports of entry, or staffing of the Customs Service; (2) mandatory electronic transmission of passenger, crew, and cargo manifest information by motor, air, or vessel carriers; and (3) border contraband searches of domestic mail going out of the United States.
(Sec. 934) Authorizes appropriations for reestablishment of Customs Service operations in New York, New York.
(Sec. 941) Directs the Comptroller General to audit and report to specified congressional committees on the Customs Service system to monitor textile transshipments.
States that transshipment has occurred when preferential treatment under any provision of law has been claimed for a textile or apparel article on the basis of material false information concerning the country of origin, manufacture, processing, or assembly of the article or any of its components.
(Sec. 942) Authorizes appropriations for FY 2002 for textile transshipment enforcement operations of the Customs Service.
(Sec. 943) Earmarks FY 2002 funds to provide specified technical assistance to help sub-Saharan Africa countries develop and implement effective visa and anti-transshipment systems as required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
Subtitle B: Office of the United States Trade Representative - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations through FY 2003 for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, including two additional legislative specialist employee positions within the Office of the Assistant United States Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs.
Subtitle C: United States International Trade Commission - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize appropriations through FY 2003 for the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Requires the ITC to submit out-year budget projections annually to specified congressional committees by the time the President submits the annual budget proposal.
Subtitle D: Other Trade Provisions - Increases from $400 to $800 the aggregate value of articles exempt from duty acquired abroad by U.S. residents.
(Sec. 972) Amends the Tariff Act of 1930, with respect to regulatory audit procedures, to require the Customs Service, when conducting an audit, to recognize and offset over-payments and over-declarations of duties, quantities, and values against underpayments and underdeclarations, if such over-payments and over-declarations were not made by the person being audited for the purpose of violating any law.
Subtitle E: Sense of Senate - Expresses the sense of the Senate that certain collected customs user fees may be used only for Customs Service operations and programs.
Title X: Miscellaneous Provisions - Requires: (1) retailers of perishable agricultural commodities, and fish and shellfish, to inform consumers, by means of a clear and visible label, sign, or placard at the final point of sale, of the country of origin of a covered commodity (perishable agricultural commodity, and fish or shellfish, and fillet, steak, nugget, or any other flesh from such fish or shellfish, whether fresh, chilled, frozen, canned, smoked, or otherwise preserved); and (2) any person engaged in supplying such commodity to retailers to provide retailers with country of origin information. Permits a retailer of a covered commodity to designate it as having a United States country of origin only if the commodity is exclusively harvested and processed (or in the case of farm-raised fish and shellfish, is hatched, raised, harvested, and processed) in the United States.
(Sec. 1001) Exempts food service establishments (restaurants, bars, food stands, etc.) selling to the public from such requirement. Sets forth penalties for violation of the requirements of this Act.
(Sec. 1002) Declares it to be U.S. policy: (1) to maintain the integrity of the tariff-rate quotas on sugars, syrups, and sugar-containing products by stopping circumvention as soon as it becomes apparent; and (2) that products not used to circumvent tariff-rate quotas, such as molasses used for animal feed or for rum, not be affected by actions taken pursuant to this Act.
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) identify imports of articles that are circumventing tariff-rate quotas on sugars, syrups, or sugar-containing products imposed under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States; and (2) report to the President such articles found to be circumventing such quotas. Directs the President, after receiving such report, to include by proclamation any article identified in the report in the appropriate tariff-rate quota provision of the Schedule.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7967-7969)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee on Finance. Reported by Senator Baucus with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 107-134. Additional and Minority views filed.
Committee on Finance. Reported by Senator Baucus with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 107-134. Additional and Minority views filed.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 313.
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