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Sanders Amendment Update and Roll C



SANDERS/ROHRABACHER AMENDMENT PASSES OVERWHELMINGLY!

WAIT FOR ANNOUNCEMENT OF SIMILAR RESOLUTION TO BE INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE

1. Update
2. Journal of Commerce article
3. Roll Call

1. Update

The Sanders/Amendment passed the House of Representatives on Friday,
September 26 on a decisive vote of 356-64. There are now moves to introduce
a similar amendment in the Senate. The amendment will probably be dropped
in the House-Senate conference committee unless a similar amendment is
passed by the Senate.

The amendment secures $1 million in funding for the US Trade Representative
(USTR) with the explicit conditions that the USTR use the funding to
identify and defend national, state and local laws that are adversely
affected by international trade and investment agreements.

In the floor debate proponents of the amendment cited several laws under
challenge by the World Trade Organization, such as the Clean Air rules, the
Dolphin Protection Act and the Massachusetts Burma selective purchasing law.

I would specifically like to thank all of you who called your US
Representatives to urge them to defend the Massachusetts Burma law by
supporting this amendment.

To continue to build your relationship with your House Members, call to
thank (or criticize) them for their vote. Specifically ask your House
Member's office to send you a copy of the Congressional Record of the
debate on the amendment on Septembter 25, 1997 (pages D1009 through D1010
and pages H7870 through H7877). 

Congressional Switchboard: (888) 723-5246

Simon Billenness
* for the New England Burma Roundtable *
Franklin Research & Development
711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423 6655 x 225
(617) 482 6179 fax
sbillenness@xxxxxxxx
www.frdc.com///nebrt.htm
==========================

Journal of Commerce
Monday, September 29, 1997
House favors US laws in WTO disputes

BY TIM SHORROCK
JOURNAL OF COMMERCE STAFF
                        
WASHINGTON -- Opponents of President Clinton's free trade policies won a
victory last week when the House voted to shield U.S. federal and local
laws from being threatened by the World Trade Organization.

The 356-64 vote occurred late Thursday on a spending bill amendment
sponsored by Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and supported by an unusual
left-right coalition of Democrats and Republicans.

"If I was a proponent of fast track, I would not be happy with the vote I saw
yesterday," Mr. Sanders said at a press briefing Friday. He said the
support for his amendment shows there is strong opposition to President
Clinton's request for new trade negotiating authority, which will be
considered by Congress on a fast track without amendments.

The Sanders amendment will provide $1 million to the U.S. Trade
Representative's office to report to Congress and local and state
governments every time a foreign government initiates an action in the WTO
that could force the repeal or modification of U.S. laws.

It reflects congressional and public anger at recent attempts by foreign
governments to challenge local laws, such as a Massachusetts ordinance
denying state contracts to companies that invest in the military
dictatorship of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

In addition, under the WTO, Venezuela has challenged provisions in the
Clean Air Act, Mexico has objected to U.S. laws protecting dolphins and
Malaysia and Indonesia have complained about U.S. environmental
restrictions on shrimp imports.

"This amendment is a right to know for the American people," said Rep. Bob
Ney, R-Ohio. "It is good public policy that has overwhelming support."

"People voting on this are saying there is no compelling reason to give
away our national sovereignty in the name of global trade," said Rep.
Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. "Last night, the WTO got a vote of no-confidence."
Mr. Sanders said state and local laws were a key factor in influencing U.S.
corporations to pull out of South Africa during the period of apartheid.
"To lose that right would be absolutely unacceptable," he said.

The amendment also requires the USTR to inform Congress and appropriate
local governments when it enters new negotiations that could force changes
in U.S. laws.
=======================================================

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
AMENDMENT PROCESS FOR H.R. 1127, NATIONAL MONUMENT FAIRNESS ACT OF 1997
(House of Representatives - September 25, 1997) 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMENDMENT NO. 22 OFFERED BY MR. SANDERS

RECORDED VOTE

The CHAIRMAN. A recorded vote has been demanded. 

A recorded vote was ordered. 

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 356, noes 64,
not voting 13, as follows: 

Roll No. 452

[Roll No. 452]

AYES--356

Abercrombie
Ackerman
Aderholt
Allen
Andrews
Armey
Bachus
Baesler
Baldacci
Barcia
Barr
Barrett (WI)
Bartlett
Barton
Bass
Becerra
Bentsen
Berman
Bilirakis
Bishop
Blagojevich
Bliley
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonior
Bono
Borski
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady
Brown (CA)
Brown (FL)
Brown (OH)
Bryant
Bunning
Burr
Burton
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Canady
Capps
Cardin
Carson
Castle
Chabot
Chambliss
Chenoweth
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Coble
Coburn
Combest
Condit
Conyers
Cook
Cooksey
Costello
Cox
Coyne
Cramer
Crapo
Cummings
Cunningham
Danner
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Deal
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Dellums
Deutsch
Diaz-Balart
Dingell
Dixon
Doggett
Doolittle
Doyle
Duncan
Edwards
Ehlers
Ehrlich
Emerson
Engel
English
Ensign
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Ewing
Farr
Fattah
Fazio
Filner
Foley
Forbes
Ford
Fowler
Fox
Frank (MA)
Franks (NJ)
Frost
Furse
Gallegly
Ganske
Gejdenson
Gephardt
Gillmor
Gilman
Goode
Goodlatte
Goodling
Gordon
Graham
Green
Greenwood
Gutierrez
Gutknecht
Hall (OH)
Hall (TX)
Harman
Hayworth
Hefley
Hefner
Herger
Hill
Hilleary
Hilliard
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoekstra
Holden
Hooley
Hostettler
Hulshof
Hunter
Hutchinson
Inglis
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Jenkins
John
Johnson (WI)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kasich
Kelly
Kennedy (MA)
Kennedy (RI)
Kennelly
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kim
Kind (WI)
Kingston
Kleczka
Klink
Klug
Kucinich
LaFalce
Lampson
Lantos
Largent
LaTourette
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas
Luther
Maloney (CT)
Maloney (NY)
Manton
Markey
Martinez
Mascara
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDade
McDermott
McGovern
McHale
McHugh
McInnis
McIntosh
McIntyre
McKeon
McKinney
McNulty
Meehan
Meek
Menendez
Metcalf
Mica
Millender-McDonald
Miller (CA)
Minge
Mink
Moakley
Mollohan
Moran (KS)
Murtha
Myrick
Nadler
Neal
Neumann
Ney
Northup
Norwood
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Owens
Pallone
Pappas
Parker
Pascrell
Pastor
Paul
Paxon
Payne
Pease
Pelosi
Peterson (MN)
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Pombo
Pomeroy
Portman
Poshard
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Quinn
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Rangel
Redmond
Regula
Reyes
Riggs
Riley
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roemer
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Rush
Ryun
Sabo
Salmon
Sanchez
Sanders
Sandlin
Sawyer
Saxton
Scarborough
Schaefer, Dan
Schaffer, Bob
Schumer
Scott
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Shadegg
Shays
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuster
Sisisky
Skaggs
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (OR)
Smith (TX)
Smith, Adam
Smith, Linda
Snowbarger
Solomon
Souder
Spence
Spratt
Stabenow
Stark
Stearns
Stenholm
Stokes
Strickland
Stump
Stupak
Sununu
Talent
Tanner
Tauscher
Tauzin
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Thompson
Thornberry
Thune
Thurman
Tiahrt
Tierney
Torres
Towns
Traficant
Turner
Upton
Velazquez
Vento
Visclosky
Walsh
Wamp
Waters
Watkins
Watt (NC)
Watts (OK)
Waxman
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Wexler
Weygand
Whitfield
Wicker
Wise
Wolf
Woolsey
Yates
Young (FL)


NOES--64

Archer
Baker
Ballenger
Barrett (NE)
Bateman
Bereuter
Berry
Bilbray
Callahan
Campbell
Cannon
Christensen
Crane
Cubin
Davis (VA)
DeLay
Dickey
Dicks
Dooley
Dreier
Dunn
Everett
Fawell
Frelinghuysen
Gekas
Gilchrest
Goss
Granger
Hamilton
Hastert
Hastings (WA)
Horn
Houghton
Hoyer
Hyde
Johnson (CT)
King (NY)
Knollenberg
Kolbe
LaHood
Latham
Leach
Levin
Livingston
Manzullo
Matsui
McCrery
Miller (FL)
Moran (VA)
Morella
Nethercutt
Nussle
Oxley
Packard
Pickett
Porter
Rogers
Roukema
Sanford
Shaw
Skeen
Snyder
Thomas
White


NOT VOTING--13

Bonilla
Collins
Flake
Foglietta
Gibbons
Gonzalez
Hansen
Hastings (FL)
Lazio
Rogan
Schiff
Wynn
Young (AK)

Messrs. PACKARD, SNYDER, DICKS, CANNON, WHITE, KENNEDY of Massachusetts,
and Mr. HOYER changed their vote from `aye' to `no.' 

Messrs. BUNNING, EHLERS, TALENT, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. BLUNT, and Mr. GREENWOOD
changed their vote from `no' to `aye.' 

So the amendment was agreed to. 

The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. 
===========================================