[Pages H5640-H5644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

EXTENDING CERTAIN TRADE PROGRAMS

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 5986) to amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act to extend
the third-country fabric program and to add South Sudan to the list of
countries eligible for designation under that Act, to make technical
corrections to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
relating to the textile and apparel rules of origin for the Dominican
Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, to approve
the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and
Democracy Act of 2003, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 5986

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS TO AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT.

(a) Extension of Third-Country Fabric Program.--Section
112(c)(1) of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (19
U.S.C. 3721(c)(1)) is amended--
(1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``2012'' and
inserting ``2015'';
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``2012'' and inserting
``2015''; and
(3) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``2012'' and
inserting ``2015''.
(b) Addition of South Sudan.--Section 107 of that Act (19
U.S.C. 3706) is amended by inserting after ``Republic of
South Africa (South Africa).'' the following:
``Republic of South Sudan (South Sudan).''.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 102(2) of that Act (19
U.S.C. 3701(2)) is amended by striking ``48''.
(d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO TEXTILE AND APPAREL RULES OF ORIGIN
FOR THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-CENTRAL AMERICA-
UNITED STATES FREE TRADE AGREEMENT.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agreement.--The term ``Agreement'' has the meaning
given the term in section 3(1) of the Dominican Republic-
Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement
Implementation Act (Public Law 109-53; 19 U.S.C. 4002(1)).
(2) CAFTA-DR country.--The term ``CAFTA-DR country'' has
the meaning given the term in section 3(2) of the Dominican
Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement
Implementation Act (Public Law 109-53; 19 U.S.C. 4002(2)).
(3) HTS.--The term ``HTS'' means the Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States.
(4) Trade representative.--The term ``Trade
Representative'' means the United States Trade
Representative.
(b) Modifications to the Textile and Apparel Rules of
Origin.--
(1) Interpretation and application of rules of origin.--
Subdivision (m)(viii) of general note 29 of the HTS is
amended as follows:
(A) The matter following subdivision (A)(2) is amended by
striking the second sentence and inserting the following:
``Any elastomeric yarn (except latex) contained in the
originating yarns referred to in subdivision (A)(2) must be
formed in the territory of one or more of the parties to the
Agreement.''.
(B) Subdivision (B) is amended--
(i) in the matter preceding subdivision (B)(1), by striking
``exclusive of collars and cuffs where applicable,'' and
inserting ``exclusive of collars, cuffs and ribbed waistbands
(only if the ribbed waistband is present in combination with
cuffs and identical in fabric construction to the cuffs)
where applicable,'';
(ii) in subdivision (B)(2), by inserting ``or knit to shape
components'' after ``one or more fabrics'';
(iii) by amending subdivision (B)(3) to read as follows:
``(3) any combination of the fabrics referred to in
subdivision (B)(1), the fabrics or knit to shape components
referred to in subdivision (B)(2), or one or more fabrics or
knit to shape components originating under this note.''; and
(iv) in the matter following subdivision (B)(3), by
striking the last sentence and inserting the following: ``Any
elastomeric yarn (except latex) contained in an originating
fabric or knit to shape component referred to in subdivision
(B)(3) must be formed in the territory of one or more of the
parties to the Agreement.''.
(C) Subdivision (C) is amended--
(i) in subdivision (C)(2), by inserting ``or knit to shape
components'' after ``one or more fabrics'';
(ii) by amending subdivision (C)(3) to read as follows:
``(3) any combination of the fabrics referred to in
subdivision (C)(1), the fabrics or knit to shape components
referred to in subdivision (C)(2) or one or more fabrics or
knit to shape components originating under this note.''; and
(iii) in the matter following subdivision (C)(3), by
striking the second sentence and inserting the following:
``Any elastomeric yarn (except latex) contained in an
originating fabric or knit to shape component referred to in
subdivision (C)(3) must be formed in the territory of one or
more of the parties to the Agreement.''.
(2) Change in tariff classification rules.--Subdivision (n)
of general note 29 of the HTS is amended as follows:
(A) Chapter rule 4 to chapter 61 is amended--
(i) by striking ``5401 or 5508'' and inserting ``5401, or
5508 or yarn of heading 5402 used as sewing thread,''; and
(ii) by inserting ``or yarn'' after ``only if such sewing
thread''.
(B) The chapter rules to chapter 61 are amended by
inserting after chapter rule 5 the following:
``Chapter rule 6: Notwithstanding chapter rules 1, 3, 4 or
5 to this chapter, an apparel good of chapter 61 shall be
considered originating regardless of the origin of any
visible lining fabric described in chapter rule 1 to this
chapter, narrow elastic fabrics as described in chapter rule
3 to this chapter, sewing thread or yarn of heading 5402 used
as sewing thread described in chapter rule 4 to this chapter
or pocket bag fabric described in chapter rule 5 to this
chapter, provided such material is listed in U.S. note 20 to
subchapter XXII of chapter 98 and the good meets all other
applicable requirements for preferential tariff treatment
under this note.''.
(C) Chapter rules 3, 4, and 5 to chapter 62 are each
amended by striking ``nightwear'' each place it appears and
inserting ``sleepwear''.
(D) Chapter rule 4 to chapter 62 is amended--
(i) by striking ``5401 or 5508'' and inserting ``5401, or
5508 or yarn of heading 5402 used as sewing thread,''; and
(ii) by inserting ``or yarn'' after ``only if such sewing
thread''.
(E) The chapter rules to chapter 62 are amended by
inserting after chapter rule 5 the following:
``Chapter rule 6: Notwithstanding chapter rules 1, 3, 4 or
5 to this chapter, an apparel good of chapter 62 shall be
considered originating regardless of the origin of any
visible lining fabric described in chapter rule 1 to this
chapter, narrow elastic fabrics as described in chapter rule
3 to this chapter, sewing thread or yarn of heading 5402 used
as sewing thread described in chapter rule 4 to this chapter
or pocket bag fabric described in

[[Page H5641]]

chapter rule 5, provided such material is listed in U.S. note
20 to subchapter XXII of chapter 98 and the good meets all
other applicable requirements for preferential tariff
treatment under this note.''.
(F) Tariff classification rule 33 to chapter 62 is amended
to read as follows:
``33. A change to pajamas and sleepwear of subheadings
6207.21 or 6207.22, tariff items 6207.91.30 or 6207.92.40,
subheadings 6208.21 or 6208.22 or tariff items 6208.91.30,
6208.92.00 or 6208.99.20 from any other chapter, provided
that the good is cut or knit to shape, or both, and sewn or
otherwise assembled in the territory of one or more of the
parties to the Agreement.''.
(G) Chapter rule 2 to chapter 63 is amended--
(i) by striking ``5401 or 5508'' and inserting ``5401, or
5508 or yarn of heading 5402 used as sewing thread,''; and
(ii) by inserting ``or yarn'' after ``only if such sewing
thread''.
(H) The chapter rules to chapter 63 are amended by
inserting after chapter rule 2 the following:
``Chapter rule 3: Notwithstanding chapter rule 2 to this
chapter, a good of this chapter shall be considered
originating regardless of the origin of sewing thread or yarn
of heading 5402 used as sewing thread described in chapter
rule 2 to this chapter, provided the thread or yarn is listed
in U.S. note 20 to subchapter XXII of chapter 98 and the good
meets all other applicable requirements for preferential
tariff treatment under this note.''.
(3) Effective date.--
(A) In general.--The amendments made by this subsection
apply to goods of a CAFTA-DR country that are entered, or
withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the
date that the Trade Representative determines is the first
date on which the equivalent amendments to the rules of
origin of the Agreement have entered into force in all CAFTA-
DR countries.
(B) Publication of determination.--The Trade Representative
shall promptly publish notice of the determination under
subparagraph (A) in the Federal Register.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AND RENEWAL OF IMPORT RESTRICTIONS UNDER
BURMESE FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2003.

(a) Extension of Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of
2003.--Section 9(b)(3) of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy
Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-61; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) is
amended by striking ``nine years'' and inserting ``twelve
years''.
(b) Renewal of Import Restrictions.--
(1) In general.--Congress approves the renewal of the
import restrictions contained in section 3(a)(1) and section
3A (b)(1) and (c)(1) of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act
of 2003.
(2) Rule of construction.--This section shall be deemed to
be a ``renewal resolution'' for purposes of section 9 of the
Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.
(c) Effective Date.--This section and the amendment made by
this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment
of this Act or July 26, 2012, whichever occurs first.

SEC. 4. TIME FOR PAYMENT OF CORPORATE ESTIMATED TAXES.

Notwithstanding section 6655 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986--
(1) in the case of a corporation with assets of not less
than $1,000,000,000 (determined as of the end of the
preceding taxable year), the amount of any required
installment of corporate estimated tax which is otherwise due
in July, August, or September of 2017 shall be 100.25 percent
of such amount; and
(2) the amount of the next required installment after an
installment referred to in paragraph (1) shall be
appropriately reduced to reflect the amount of the increase
by reason of such paragraph.

SEC. 5. EXTENSION OF CUSTOMS USER FEES.

Section 13031(j)(3) of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1985 (19 U.S.C. 58c(j)(3)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``August 2, 2021'' and
inserting ``October 22, 2021'';
(2) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ``December 8,
2020'' and inserting ``October 29, 2021''; and
(3) by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D).

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Camp) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.

General Leave

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. CAMP. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation to strengthen trade
and investment ties with Africa and the CAFTA-DR countries and support
well-paying jobs in the United States. The legislation also extends the
President's authority to impose the import ban on products from Burma
for an additional 3 years and reauthorizes the actual imposition of the
import sanctions for 1 year. The legislation has broad bipartisan
support and is supported by all stakeholders.
AGOA has succeeded in deepening trade and investment ties with sub-
Saharan Africa and underscoring U.S. commitment to the region. The
apparel industry has been a major driver of employment growth in Africa
under AGOA. In Lesotho alone, jobs in the textile and apparel industry
have more than doubled--growing from 19,000 to 45,000--because of AGOA.
This bill extends the third-country fabric provisions which are vital
to ensuring the continued success of the AGOA program and ensures that
the new Republic of South Sudan is eligible to benefit from AGOA.
Under the CAFTA-DR trade agreement, trade has grown substantially.
And since the implementation of this agreement, the trade deficit the
United States previously had with these countries has turned into a
trade surplus. Today's legislation builds upon that success by further
improving the agreement's textile rules of origin. These changes
encourage greater use of U.S. inputs in the CAFTA-DR countries, which
supports U.S. jobs and improves trade integration in our hemisphere.
In 2003, Congress passed the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, which
included an import ban on products of Burma renewable once a year for a
total of 3 years. The law has been extended twice. This legislation
extends the President's authority to impose the import ban for an
additional 3 years and reauthorizes the actual import sanctions for 1
year.
Now, I want to acknowledge the positive developments in Burma over
the last year, but much work remains ahead with respect to political
and economic reforms, human rights, the release of political prisoners,
freedom of speech, press, association, as well as religion, and the
treatment of ethnic groups within the country--all factors required for
full termination of the import sanctions and other restrictions in the
2003 law.
I encourage the Burmese Government to continue its current reforms
and commence others to fully address the concerns that led Congress to
pass the 2003 law. For all of these reasons, we urgently need to pass
this important legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support this
bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which
extends expiring provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act,
adds the country of South Sudan to a list of countries eligible for
trade preferences, implements technical fixes for the CAFTA agreement,
and renews the Burma sanctions.
The expiring third-country fabric provision is the cornerstone of
AGOA and one of the most valuable parts of our trading relationship
with Africa. Tens of thousands of workers and hundreds of companies
depend on this provision.

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It is critical that we extend it now before it expires next month. We
have delayed this extension for a year, and this unnecessary delay has
cost thousands of jobs and millions in investment. It has hurt progress
in Africa. We could have avoided these senseless job losses here and in
Africa.
I introduced this legislation to extend third-country fabric and add
South Sudan over a year ago. The delay was just politics. We are,
unfortunately, in an era when commonsense things can't get done. As
usual, the political games accomplished nothing.
AGOA itself was truly bipartisan. We all worked together to
compromise it and get a good thing done. That was a different era. At
least today's vote will reflect some of the bipartisanship that has
been a hallmark of AGOA from the start.
The bill also adds South Sudan to the list of AGOA-eligible
countries. South Sudan deserves every opportunity and

[[Page H5642]]

every vote of confidence we can muster.
This package also contains important technical fixes for CAFTA
textiles--that's from Central America--the fixes that businesses and
workers have been waiting for since February of last year.
I also am pleased that we are renewing our evolving policy on Burma.
Burma has made important steps in the last 18 months, but there's still
a long way to go.
I'm particularly pleased with the investment transparency measures
that the State Department has put forward. They are innovative, common
sense, and exactly what investors and the American public need and
expect.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
distinguished chairman of the Trade Subcommittee, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Brady).
Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in strongly
supporting passage of this important bipartisan legislation to deepen
trade ties with sub-Saharan Africa and the Central American-Dominican
Republic countries and renew sanctions on Burma. As Chairman Camp
pointed out, this legislation is strongly supported by America's
textile industry and will help build more integrated supply chains
between the United States and both Africa and Central America,
maximizing the benefits of the agreements we describe as AGOA and
CAFTA-DR.
These provisions support well-paying U.S. jobs and jobs in sub-
Saharan Africa and Central America.
I was honored to help lead with Chairman Camp the effort to pass
CAFTA-DR, and I'm pleased now to see this successful agreement be
further improved through the legislation we are considering today.
This bill also extends the President's authority to continue the
import ban under the 2003 Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act. I am not
normally a fan of unilateral sanctions, but I believe these programs
must be evaluated carefully to determine their effectiveness and
implications for America's economy, and this does. I also recognize
that as the sole remaining superpower, we have the responsibility to
show our disapproval of rogue states and human rights abusers. The
sanctions regime under the 2003 law is a model in this regard, and I
can say that recent developments in Burma confirm the need for
continuous evaluation.
Although the Burmese Government has taken many positive steps, these
reforms must continue and grow so the citizens of Burma can gain true
political and economic freedom--the goals very much at the heart of the
original 2003 law. For that reason, I believe we should continue the
current sanctions regime as the international community keeps a
watchful eye on developments.
At the end of the day, this is a jobs bill, and a bipartisan one at
that. I urge my colleagues to support this essential legislation.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel).
Mr. RANGEL. Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure hearing the
word knocked around here, ``bipartisanship,'' and well there should be.
I hope we can explain what it means to some of the newer Members.
As I was talking with Jim McDermott, whose ideas first created this
legislation, some on the other side were Mr. Crane from Illinois, who
was the cosponsor; Speaker Gingrich who was the first witness for this
bill as I introduced it; and, of course, President Clinton, who took a
bipartisan group of Members to Africa not only to help these African
countries but to help American industry and the textile industry. But
more importantly than anything, the United States became a symbol of
being able to help people not just by handouts but by teaching them
exactly what has to be done.
Oh, yes, Jim McDermott is right that when it comes to picking up the
pieces and moving forward in terms of expiration dates and people not
knowing how to invest. But let's face it, Jim, in today's climate, this
is some sort of legislative miracle.
And it was completed with the help of Karen Bass, who came here and
she worked the devil out of people on the other side of the aisle. They
got so annoyed with her that I had to come in and to let the committee
members know that she's new here, but when she gets involved in
something, that the Senate, the other body, doesn't mean that much. I
got a call from Bob Menendez saying it was his idea all along to get
this thing through. And we have done it.
I do hope, Chairman Camp, that we might snatch what this means in
bipartisanship. It may be long and difficult before this session ends
to find something else. But I know that those who played a role in this
over a decade ago and see that we are moving forward in that bipartisan
way with the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Ways and Means Committee,
that we all leave here as better legislators.
Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I just have one remaining speaker, so I'm
going to reserve. But before I do that, I just want to acknowledge Mr.
Rangel's remarks and acknowledge his leadership on this issue over many
years. He was at the forefront of making this AGOA agreement a reality,
and I want to thank him for that and for all of his hard work over a
very long period of time.
At this time, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
New York, Joe Crowley.
Mr. CROWLEY. I thank my friend and colleague from Washington for
yielding his time, and I want to thank all those involved in bringing
this important legislation to the floor and doing it, albeit maybe a
little late in some components, but getting it here all the same. And I
understand it was not necessarily the House of Representatives that was
the reason for the holdup, but I am very pleased to be here today.
I also want to make note of the baby steps we may be taking here in
terms of bipartisanship, Chairman Camp, as well as my colleagues on my
side of the aisle. I think those watching today may see a little
glimmer of hope that more can be accomplished in the weeks to come
before the elections. I, for one, am not necessarily holding my breath,
but I want to make the offer that I'm interested in seeing that happen.
But even though they are baby steps, it should not diminish the
importance of the legislation that we have before us today.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bipartisan measure.
Part of the legislation is a provision that I introduced to maintain
the ban on imports from Burma for 1 additional year. Its passage will
demonstrate America's ongoing commitment to the advancement of human
rights.

When I traveled to Burma last January, I was the first Member of
Congress to officially travel to that country in 12 years. I saw the
possibilities for change with my own eyes. I saw the families of
political prisoners hoping for a genuine and permanent freedom. I saw
ethnic minority leaders expressing the belief that reconciliation was
possible. And I saw the tremendous courage of Aung San Suu Kyi, a
leader so dedicated to her people that she was undeterred for nearly
two decades of house arrest.
No, she did not demand that this bill be passed into law. In fact,
Aung San Suu Kyi has urged a decrease in international pressure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. McDERMOTT. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
Mr. CROWLEY. Aung San Suu Kyi has urged a decrease in international
pressure on Burma. But by renewing this bill today and keeping this
measure on the books even as we are open to new flexibilities, we will
help send a strong signal to those in Burma that the United States will
continue to focus on the need for the immediate release of all
political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, an end to violence
against all minorities, including the Kachin and the Rohingya, and the
adoption of genuine democratic reform in Burma.

{time} 1020

I stand in strong support of this bill, and I urge its immediate
adoption.
Mr. CAMP. At this time I yield such time as he may consume to the
distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I was one of the original authors of this
measure,

[[Page H5643]]

along with Jim McDermott and Charlie Rangel, and I know how much work
over the last week has gone into this in terms of the work by Chairman
Dave Camp, by Karen Bass, and by others who have worked to get this
bill out of the Senate.
I wanted to make a few observations on this measure and the impact it
has had. I chaired the Africa Subcommittee when we passed the African
Growth and Opportunity Act. It was bipartisan. It was historic.
Before, Africa policy was just aid policy. With AGOA, we created a
trade policy for Africa. With AGOA, we have seen exports and imports
double into sub-Saharan Africa. And I have had the opportunity to see
this program's benefits, hundreds of thousands of jobs, most held by
women, created in the apparel sector, boosting very poor countries in
Africa.
And AGOA has also strengthened the rule of law in Africa because
that's one of the conditions, that when we wrote this bill and marked
it up, we put that conditionality on, that eligibility criteria.
And I just wanted to remind the Members for a minute, and this is
testimony from Jas Bedi, chairman of the African Cotton and Textile
Industry Federation, the eligibility criteria of AGOA compelled most
African countries to embrace the rule of law, to allow for political
pluralism, and respect democracy and basic human rights. Those were
requirements. And the move toward independent judges and independent
judicial systems separate of the government in order to enforce the
rule of law was very, very important across the continent.
And if we didn't act today, because today is the last day to extend
the third-country provision, these jobs would have shifted to Asia. And
that's what we were told in the hearings that we held on both the House
and Senate sides on this issue. Already, a number of jobs have been
lost to Asia because of uncertainty over whether Congress would act.
There's a second provision that I think is very important, and that's
the South Sudan eligibility. South Sudan became an independent country
in July of 2011. And for those of us who have visited South Sudan and
have been in Sudan to see the situation, it's very important that South
Sudan get this opportunity.
Prior to its independence, exporters in South Sudan were eligible for
AGOA benefits as part of Sudan, and this legislation ensures that these
exporters continue to be eligible for AGOA benefits, very important to
the new economy in that new country.
Both bodies must act today. Both bodies must do this so that we can
put this bill on the President's desk. We have worked, over the years,
our coalition, with both President Clinton and President Bush. We have
traveled to Africa with the former President in order to help sell him
on this idea and to sell our colleagues on this concept.
Today, with the changes that we're seeing, with the economic growth
that we're seeing across sub-Saharan Africa, I think we can be jointly
proud of this bipartisan effort. So I think it is a lesson in doing the
right thing.
And I, again, want to congratulate Chairman Dave Camp and his staff
and our friends on the other side of the aisle, especially Karen Bass,
for the flurry of activity over the last 72 hours with our meetings
with our Senate colleagues in order to get this done.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume
to the gentlewoman from California, (Ms. Bass).
Ms. BASS of California. I want to thank the gentleman from Washington
State (Mr. McDermott) for his leadership, and I also want to
acknowledge Congressman Rangel for his historic commitment to AGOA.
But, in addition, I want to thank, as I stand here next to two men
who I consider giants in the House of Representatives, I want to thank
them for their patience and their guidance with me as a new Member
here. It's been pretty amazing to work with my colleagues on both sides
of the aisle--Mr. Royce, Mr. Camp, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Rangel--as they
all worked with me to make sure that we were able to be here this
moment and pass AGOA.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of African growth and
opportunity legislation, H.R. 5986. Passage of today's legislation
comes as a result of strong and widespread bipartisan and bicameral
support. It's been a pleasure to work alongside Mr. Royce in this
bipartisan effort, and I also want to thank my friend from the Senate,
Senator Coons, who has been a stalwart advocate.
I want to acknowledge the African Diplomatic Corps. Thousands, if not
hundreds of thousands, of African jobs will be saved as a result of
your efforts.
Mr. Speaker, Africa is on the rise. Today, six of the world's fastest
growing economies are in Africa. Opportunities abound, and we see
increased political stability.
Today's House vote on the extension of AGOA's fabric provision is, by
all measures, a success for the U.S. and Africa alike. But we must not
stop here. Let us take a moment to acknowledge this accomplishment, but
also prepare ourselves for AGOA's reauthorization in 2015.
Africa, a continent of opportunity, for too long has been
overshadowed and ignored. While humanitarian, governance, and health
challenges remain, we are the observers of remarkable growth and
stability across the continent that exemplify positive strides that
Africans themselves have made.
Africa, and its many nations, stand on the critical precipice of
extraordinary change. Increasingly, Africa's resource mineral wealth
attracts investments by countries like China, Brazil, and India. We
must, in the United States, increase our investment. We cannot allow
our Nation to be left behind.
Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the distinguished chairman of
the Rules Committee, who's been active in trade issues his entire
career in Congress.
(Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, many of us have enjoyed saying over the past
several years that if we don't shape the global economy, we will be
shaped by it. And we also have, as we all know, so much attention
focused on divisions that exist in this institution. We know that the
media like to cover pictures, mistakes and conflict. And, obviously,
conflict here is something that the media like to focus attention on.
Well, here we are, Democrats and Republicans, coming together under
the great leadership of my friend Dave Camp, the chairman of the Ways
and Mean Committee, we have the ranking member of the Trade
Subcommittee, Mr. Brady, was here earlier, the chairman of the Trade
Subcommittee, working to focus on this notion of our shaping the global
economy.
As I look over and see my friend from New York, Mr. Rangel, I'm
reminded of December 1999. He and I were with President Clinton in
Seattle, Washington, at the ministerial meeting of the World Trade
Organization. You know, that meeting itself turned out to be an abject
failure. The meeting itself was an abject failure.
In fact, I'll never forget, the week after that ministerial meeting
in 1999, the cover of the Economist magazine said: ``Who Lost in
Seattle?'' And the photograph was a starving baby in Bangladesh.
But the good thing that did emerge from that meeting in Seattle that
we attended back in 1999 was the fact that we were vigorously pursuing
the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act; and we had laid the groundwork,
again, working in a bipartisan way, to say that pursuing trade, not
aid, was the best thing for everyone.

{time} 1030

Now, Mr. Camp was testifying before the Rules Committee the other
day, and we were talking about this issue of a zero sum game when it
comes to taxes. We also have to recognize, when it comes to the issue
of trade, it is not a zero sum game. It is a win-win for us if you look
at all of the issues covered in this measure--whether it's the African
Growth and Opportunity Act, whether it's focusing on our great friends
to the south, the Central American countries and the Dominican
Republic, whether it's looking at the area where I'm going to be next
week.
Next week, I'm headed to Burma, and I'm so enthused about the changes
that are taking place. We need to encourage that, and I believe that
the actions we

[[Page H5644]]

are taking here can play a role in continuing to encourage the positive
reforms that we are seeing take place in Burma. We're not there yet--
that's why we need to take this action--but we are moving in the right
direction.
My fellow Californian Mr. Royce mentioned South Sudan--the newest
country in the world. Last month, I was there when they marked their
first anniversary of existence. This is a country that is seeking to
get its sea legs. I was pleased to be there with my colleague Mr.
Price, who cochairs our House Democracy Partnership. We are looking at
the idea of possibly putting together a partnership between this new
parliament, with a very impressive speaker, in South Sudan and the
United States House of Representatives. The idea of incorporating South
Sudan as part of the African Growth and Opportunity Act is again an
indication that we very much want to strengthen ties with new and
reemerging democracies around the world, not just politically but
commercially as well.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this effort, and I congratulate my
friends on both sides of the aisle who are making it happen. I
especially express appreciation to my very, very good friend Mr. Camp,
who has championed this and so many other important issues. He and I
will be together again this afternoon when we get to, I hope, put
together a strong bipartisan effort to implement the notion of bringing
about real meaningful tax reform.
Mr. McDERMOTT. May I inquire as to how much time remains.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Marchant). The gentleman from Washington
has 10\1/2\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from Michigan has 6\1/2\
minutes remaining.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Does the gentleman from Michigan have any more
speakers?
Mr. CAMP. I have no further requests for time.
Mr. McDERMOTT. I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, many people played a part in all of this. Nothing in
Congress ever gets done by one person. Nothing ever gets done by one
side or the other, and the good things that happen here always happen
on a bipartisan basis. I'm sorry Ed Royce left, because Ed Royce and I
worked together.
One day, he called me. He said, Jim, I'm going out to Africa to look
at some of the places in which the AGOA Act is working. Will you go
with me?
I said, Why?
Well, he said, I need a Democrat on the trip.
That kind of relationship is rare around here, unfortunately, and I
think that people need to recognize that it is still going on--that
this place runs on trust.
Very early on in this session, I said to Dave Camp, When are you
going to bring up the AGOA Act?
He said, It's going to come up.
I've asked him many times since, and he has said it's going to come
up. So I told all of my African friends, It's going to come up because
Dave Camp said it's going to come up.
I'm really pleased to acknowledge that he kept his word, because what
this place runs on is trust. If you don't trust somebody in here, then
you don't do business with him. If you trust him, even if it takes him
a long time and you have to poke him a bunch of times, you know that
ultimately he's going to do what he said he was going to do. I want to
acknowledge Chairman Camp for that because I think it is reflective of
what can make it possible for us to do tax reform in this House.
It is something that took a long time the last time they did it, but
it was built on the trust between Reagan and Rostenkowski and Tip
O'Neill. It took a bit of time, but it will happen again if we learn to
act on the behalf of the American people.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CAMP. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank the ranking member of the Trade Subcommittee for his
kind comments and for his leadership as well over the years. This
really was a team effort. A lot of people on both sides of the aisle
came together to make this a reality.
I'll just briefly say that this is bipartisan legislation that does
deepen our trade and investment ties with Africa and with the CAFTA-DR
countries. It also supports well-paying jobs here in the United States
as well as in other countries, as Mr. Dreier stated. This is not a zero
sum game. This will help both of our nations as well as Africa. Also,
this legislation reauthorizes the import ban on Burmese products.
I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 5986.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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