Trade and Tariff Act of 1984 (P.L. 98-573) clarified the conditions under which unfair trade cases under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-618) can be pursued. It also provided bilateral trade negotiating authority for the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement, and set out procedures to be followed for congressional approval of future bilateral trade agreements.
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| Other short titles |
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|---|---|
| Long title | An Act to amend the trade laws, authorize the negotiation of trade agreements, extend trade preferences, change the tariff treatment with respect to certain articles and for other purposes. |
| Nicknames | Omnibus Tariff and Trade Act of 1984 |
| Enacted by | the 98th United States Congress |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub. L. 98–573 |
| Statutes at Large | 98 Stat. 2948 |
| Codification | |
| Titles amended | 19 U.S.C.: Customs Duties |
| Legislative history | |
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The H.R. 3398 bill was sponsored by Democrat Sam Gibbons representing the Florida's 7th congressional district.[1] The Act of Congress was enacted into law by 40th President of the United States Ronald Reagan on October 30, 1984.[2][3]
Congressional gatekeeping
editA key feature of the legislation was its modification of the 1974 Trade Act's Fast track authority, incorporating a "committee gatekeeping" device. Congress opted to adapt the fast-track procedure to possible bilateral free-trade agreements with nations other than Israel.[4] Going forward, the procedure provided that if a country other than Israel requested free-trade negotiations with the United States, the President would be required to notify two "gatekeeper" committees – the House Ways and Means and the Senate Finance committees – and to consult with those committees for a period of 60 legislative days before giving the statutorily required 90-day notice of his intent to sign an agreement. If neither committee disapproved of the negotiations during this 60-day committee consultation period, any subsequently negotiated agreement would receive fast-track legislative consideration. The 1984 Act thus greatly increased the influence of Congress in negotiating trade agreements. For example, the 60-day pre-negotiation consultation period with the two committees secured their involvement in the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement negotiations months before formal talks began, allowing Congress to extract concessions from the President as a condition of letting negotiations proceed.
References
edit- ^ "H.R. 3398 (98th): Omnibus Tariff and Trade Act of 1984" - Bills. GovTrack.us. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ Reagan, Ronald (October 30, 1984). "Remarks on Signing the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984 - October 30, 1984". HathiTrust Digital Library. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service. pp. 1682–1684.
- ^ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Ronald Reagan: "Remarks on Signing the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984" October 30, 1984". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
- ^ Harold Hongju Koh, History of the Fast-Track Approval Mechanism"
This article incorporates public domain material from Jasper Womach. Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition (PDF). Congressional Research Service.