| TRAFICANT, James A., Jr., |
Monday, October 12, 1998
Washington, D.C. – U. S. Rep. James A. Traficant, Jr. (D–OH) tonight offered on the House floor a privileged motion to have the House consider a resolution calling on the President to impose a one-year ban on steel imports from Japan, Russia or Brazil. Under the rules of the House, the House must consider Traficant's motion within three days. The Traficant resolution, which is non-binding, calls upon the President to:
- Immediately review for a period of ten days the entry into the customs territory of the United States of hot-rolled steel products or plate steel products that are the product or manufacture of Japan, Russia, or Brazil;
- Immediately impose a one-year ban on imports of hot-rolled steel products and plate steel products that are the product or manufacture of Japan, Russia, or Brazil, if, after the above referenced review period, the President finds that the governments of Japan, Russia, or Brazil are not abiding by the spirit and letter of international trade agreements with respect to dumping,
- Establish a task force within the Executive Branch to closely monitor U.S. imports of steel from other countries to determine whether or not international trade agreements are being violated with respect to dumping.
- Report to the Congress by no later than January 5, 1999, on any other actions the Executive Branch has taken, or intends to take, to ensure that all of the trading partners of the U.S. abide by the spirit and letter of international trade agreements with respect to the import into the United States of steel products.