The WTC Trade Policy Advocacy Council ("Council") is a resource for members of the WTC Denver. The Council endeavors to provide timely and objective information about actions, policies and proposals of the federal, state and local governments that may affect conditions for international trade, commerce and investment by companies and entrepreneurs located in Colorado. Consistent with that mission, the Council provides this report regarding bills and resolutions under consideration by the 111th Congress and the 2009 Colorado General Assembly that might be of interest to WTC Denver members. If you are interested in a bill or resolution listed below, or, if you are interested in adding a bill or resolution to the list, please email the WTC Denver at wtcdenver@att.net
This information was last updated on September 22, 2009. |
| Bill or Resolution No. |
Colorado General Assembly To view more information on any Bill or Resolution, please click on their number. |
| HB 1328 |
In many legislative sessions, our Colorado General Assembly does not address bills affecting international business and trade. However, during the 2009 Legislative Session, HB 1328 was introduced and considered in committee. This Bill would require all public projects to purchase steel products made in the US. Although some may view this preference as beneficial to our State, enactment of such protectionist legislation could hurt Colorado's efforts to attract direct foreign investment in Colorado and promote international trade and global business. For that reason, WTC staff and the Council attended hearings on the bill and raised concerns with the sponsors and members of the involved Committees. HB 1328 died in committee. |
The Senate and House of Representatives have continued to consider and debate numerous bills and resolutions regarding immigration, nationality and illegal aliens. The Council has concentrated on bills and resolutions that affect the business side of our international community, especially international trade from and to Colorado. The bills and resolutions being monitored include:
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| Bill or Resolution No. |
111th Congress To view more information on any Bill or Resolution, please click on their number. |
| S.Res.76 |
Title/Synopsis: Resolution expressing that U.S. and China should work together to reduce or eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in clean energy and environmental goods and services. Latest Major Action: 3/18/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| S.Res.77 |
Title/Synopsis: Resolution expressing that the US and China should negotiate a bilateral agreement on clean energy cooperation. Latest Major Action: 3/18/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. |
| S.Res.136 |
Title/Synopsis: A bill expressing the sense of the Senate that the U.S. should initiate negotiations to enter into a free trade agreement with the country of Georgia. Related Bills: H.Res.414 Latest Major Action: 5/7/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to Committee on Finance. |
| S.Res.206 |
Title/Synopsis:A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should immediately implement the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. Latest Major Action: 06/25/09 Status: Introduced in the Senate, 06/25/09 |
| S.Res.311 |
Title: No title given.
/Synopsis: A resolution encouraging the U.S. Trade Representative to pursue a free trade agreement between the U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Last Action Date: 10/13/09 Status: Introduced in the Senate 10/13/09 |
| S.363 |
Title/Synopsis: Bill to make determinations by the US Trade Representative under Title III of the Trade Act of 1974 reviewable by the Court of International Trade and to ensure that the US Trade Representative considers petitions to enforce US trade rights. Latest Major Action: 2/2/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to Committee on Finance. |
| S.587 |
Title/Synopsis: Bill to establish the Western Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Forum to establish partnerships with interested countries in the hemisphere to promote energy security through the development of sustainable biofuels production and energy alternatives, research and infrastructure. Latest Major Action: 3/12/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. |
| S.594 |
Title/Synopsis: Bill to require report on invasive agricultural pests and diseases and phytosanitary barriers to trade before initiating negotiations to enter into any free trade agreement. Latest Major Action: 3/12/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| S.780 (also HR 1837) |
Title/Synopsis: Bill to amend the Andean Trade Preference Act to add Paraguay to the list of countries that are eligible to be designated as beneficiary countries and ATPDEA beneficiary countries. Latest Major Action: 4/1/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| S.1043 |
Title/Synopsis: A bill to require the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate a remed for the equitable border tax treatment on goods and services within the WTO by January 1, 2010 and for other purposes. Latest Major Action: 5/14/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| S.1089 |
Title/Synopsis: A bill to facilitate the export of U.S. agriculture commodities and products to Cuba as authorized by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, to establish an agricultural export promotion program with respect to Cuba, to remove impediments to the export to Cuba of medical devices and medicines, to allow travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens and legal residents, to establish an agricultural export promotion program with respect to Cuba, and for other purposes. Latest Major Action: 5/20/09 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| S.1141 |
Title/Synopsis: A bill to extend certain trade preferences to certain least-developed countries, and for other purposes. Latest Major Action: 5/21/09 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| S.1196 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to amend the Small Business Act to improve the Office of International Trade, and for other purposes Latest Major Action: 6/8/2009 Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. |
| S.1208 |
Title/Synopsis: A bill to amend the Small Business Act to improve export growth opportunities for small businesses, and for other purposes Latest Major Action: 6/8/2009 Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. |
| S.1466 |
Title/Synopsis: A bill to establish the position of Deputy United States Trade Representative for Trade Enforcement and a Trade Enforcement Division in the Office of the United States Trade Representative, to establish a Chief Manufacturing Negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative, to strengthen enforcement of United States intellectual property rights at United States borders, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) Latest Major Action: 7/16/09 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. |
| S.1616 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to authorize assistance to small and medium sized businesses to promote exports to the People's Republic of China, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Latest Major Action: 8/6/09 Introduced in the Senate. Status: 8/06/09 Introduced in the Senate. |
| S.1631 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to reauthorize customs facilitation and trade enforcement functions and programs, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max (MT) Latest Major Action: 10/20/09 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: 10/20/09 Committee on Finance. Hearings held. |
| S.1665 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to amend the Andean Trade Preference Act to add Paraguay and Uruguay to the list of companies that are eligible to be designated as beneficiary countries and ATPDEA beneficiary countries, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Latest Major Action: 9/14/09. Status: Introduced in the Senate, 9/15/09 . |
| S.1671 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to enhance the reporting requirements on the status of the Arab League trade boycott and other trade boycotts of Israel. Sponsor: Latest Major Action: 9/15/09 Introduced in the Senate. Status: 9/15/09 Introduced in the Senate. |
| S.1766 |
Title: Reciprocal Market Access Act of 2009 Synopsis: A bill to enhance reciprocal market access for U.S. domestic producers in the negotiating process of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade agreements. Proposed Date: 10/8/09 Latest Action Date: 10/08/09 Introduced to the Senate. |
| S.1982 |
Title: Trade Enforcement Priorities Act Synopsis: A bill to renew and extend the provisions relating to the identification of trade enforcement priorities, and for other purposes. Proposed Date: 10/28/09 Last Action Date: 10/28/09 Introduced in the Senate. |
| S.2598 |
Title: No Official Title Given Synopsis: A bill to suspend temporarily the duty on imports of certain handheld moving coil dynamic microphones. Proposed Date: 10/30/09 Last Action Date: 10/30/09 Introduced to the Senate. Status: 10/30/09 Introduced in the Senate 10/30/09. |
| S.2821 |
Title: No Official Title Given Synopsis: A bill to require a reveiw of existin trade agreements and renegotiation of existing trade agreements based on the review, to establish terms for future trade agreements, to express the sense of the Congress in making trade policy should be strengthened, and for other purposes. Proposed Date: 12/01/09 Last Action Date: 12/01/09 Introduced to the Senate. Status: Introduced in the Senate 12/01/09. |
| H.J.RES. 56 |
Title/Synopsis:Approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Joseph Crowley (NY-7) Related Bills: S.J.RES.17 Status: Became Public Law (P.L. 111-42), July 27, 2009 |
| HCR 132 |
Title/Synopsis:Insists upon freedom, democracy, and human rights, including the release of all political prisoners, the legalization of political parties, free speech and a free press, and supervised elections, before increasing U.S. trade and tourism to Cuba. Sponsor: Status: Introduced in the House on May 20, 2009 |
| H.R. 414 |
Title/Synopsis:Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. should initiate negotiations to enter into a free trade agreement with the country of Georgia. Related Bills: S.Res.136 Latest Major Action: 5/7/09 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means |
| H.R. 496 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to amend US trade laws to eliminate foreign barriers to exports of US goods and services, to restore rights under trade remedy laws, to strengthen enforcement of US intellectual property rights and health and safety laws at US borders. |
| H.Res. 887 |
Title/Synopsis:A resolution recognizing the World Trade Organization member, Chinese Taipei's, accession to the Government Procurement Agreement on July 15, 2009, and extending hope and good faith that this will promote its domestic economy and position in the global economy. Proposed Date: November 3, 2009 Last Action Date: November 3, 2009 Status: Introduced in the House, November 3, 2009 |
| HRS 934 |
Title: No official title given. Synopsis: A resolution calling on the Government of the Republic of Korea to end unfair trade practices as such practices relate to the automotive industry, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that it should take into account such unfair trade practices of the Republic of Korea when the House of Representatives considers the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, and for other purposes. Date of Introduction: November 19, 2009 Last Action Date: November 19, 2009 Status: Introduced in the House, November 19, 2009 |
| H.R.947 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish and collect a fee based on the fair market value of articles imported into the US and articles exported from the US in commerce and to use amounts collected from the fee to make grants to carry out transportation projects in the transportation trade corridors for which the fee is collected. Latest Major Action: 2/5/09 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism. |
| HRS 987 |
Title: No official title given.
Synopsis: A resolution recognizing the importance of trade to the U.S. economy and the importance of passing free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama. Proposed Date: 12/16/09 Latest Action Date: 12/16/09 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Introduced in the House, 12/16/09. |
| H.R.1530 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to lift the trade embargo on Cuba. Latest Major Action: 3/16/09 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, the Judiciary, Financial Services, Oversight and Government Reform, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. |
| H.R.1531 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to facilitate export of agricultural products, medical devices, and medicines to Cuba and establish agricultural export promotion programs with respect to Cuba. Latest Major Action: 3/16/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Agriculture, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. |
| H.R.1737 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to facilitate the sale of agricultural products to Cuba. Latest Major Action: 4/28/2009 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Executive Comment Requested from USDA. |
| H.R.1875 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to establish an emergency commission to end the trade deficit. Latest Major Action: 4/2/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. |
| H.R.2310 |
Title: United States-China Market Engagement and Export Promotion Act
Synopsis: To authorize assistance to small and medium sized businesses to promote exports to the People's Republic of China, and for other purposes. Latest Major Action: 5/7/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Small Business, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. |
| H.R.2742 |
Title/Synopsis: A bill to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Azerbaijan. Latest Major Action: 6/4/2009 Status: Introduced in the House, June 4, 2009. |
| H.R.2927 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to authorize the imposition of a tax on imports from any country that employs indirect taxes and grants rebates of the same upon export and to authorize compensatory payments to eligible United States exporters to neutralize the discriminatory effect of such taxes paid by such exporters if United States trade negotiating objectives regarding border tax treatment in World Trade Organization negotiations are not met. Latest Major Action: 6/17/09 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
| H.R.3012 |
Title/Synopsis:A bill to require a review of existing trade agreements and renegotiation of existing trade agreements based on the review, to set terms for future trade agreements, to express the sense of the Congress that the role of Congress in trade policy making should be strengthened, and for other purposes. Latest Major Action: 6/24/09 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. |
| H.R.3276 |
Bill Title: American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009 Synopsis: A bill to promote the production of molybdenum-99 in the U.S. for medical isotope production, and to condition and phase out the export of highly enriched uranium for the production of medical isotopes. Proposed Date: 7/21/09 Last Action Date: 12/103/09 Status: Introduced in the House, July 21, 2009.
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| H.R.3284 |
Title: Reduce Iranian Cyber-Suppression Act Synopsis: A bill to prohibit the heads of executive agencies from entering into or renewing procurement contracts wtih persons that export certain computer or telecommunications technologies to Iran, and for other purposes. Latest Major Action: 7/21/09 Status: 7/21/09 Introduced in the House Related Bils: S 1475, Introduced in the Senate, July 20, 2009 |
| H.R.3347 |
Title/Synopsis: To withdraw normal trade relations treatment from the products of foreign countries that do not maintain acceptable standards of religious freedom and worker rights. Sponsor: Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (MI-11) Latest Major Action: 7/27/09 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
| H.R.3515 |
Title: Export Control Improvements Act Synopsis: A bill to make improvements in the electronic filing of export data, to strengthen enforcement authorities with respect to the Export Administration Regulations, and for other purposes. Proposed Date: July 31, 2009 Last Action Date: July 31, 2009 Status: 7July 31, 2009, Introduced to the House. |
| H.R.3786 |
Title: Reciprocal Market Access Act of 2009 Synopsis: A bill to enhance reciprocal market access for U.S. domestic producers in the negotiating process of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade agreements. Proposed Date: 10/8/09 Latest Action Date: 10/08/09 Introduced to the House. |
| H.R.3840 |
Title:No Official Title Given Synopsis: A bill to strengthen certain provisions relating to arms export licenses, and for other purposes. Proposed Date: 10/15/09 Last Action Date: 10/15/09 Introduced to the House. |
| H.R.4046 |
Title:No Official Title Given Synopsis: A bill to enhance the reporting requirements on the status of the Arab League trade boycott of Israel and other trade boycotts of Israel. Proposed Date: 11/06/09 |
| H.R.4101 |
Title:New Partnership for Trade Development Act of 2009 Synopsis: A bill to amend the African Growth and Opportunity and the Trade Act of 1974 to provide improved duty-free treatment for certain articles from certain least-developed countries, and for other purposes. Proposed Date: 11/18/09 Last Action Date: 11/18/09 Status: 11/18/09 Introduced to the House. |
| H.R.4259 |
Title:Employment Benefit Act Synopsis: A bill to facilitate foreign investment by permanently reauthorizing the EB-5 regional center program, and for other purposes. Proposed Date: 12/10/09 Last Action Date: 12/10/09 Status: 12/10/09 Introduced to the House. |
| H.R.4284 |
Title:No Official Title Given Synopsis: A bill to extend the Generalized System of Preferences and the Andean Trade Preference Act, and for other purposes. Proposed Date: 12/11/09 Last Action Date: 12/15/09 Status: 12/14/09 Introduced to the House, Considered in the House 12/14/09, Passed in the House 12/14/09 |
Skyline photo courtesy Bob Ashe for Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
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