Bill to Withdraw NTR from Countries Not Maintaining Freedoms Introduced
On February 8, 2011, Representative McCotter (R) introduced the Freedom Trade Act (H.R. 554), a bill to withdraw normal trade relations treatment from the products of foreign countries that do not maintain acceptable standards of religious freedom and worker rights.
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Bill Would Deny NTR Treatment to Countries Violating Certain Freedoms, Etc.
According to a CRS summary, the bill would amend the Trade Act of 1974 to deny nondiscriminatory treatment (NTR treatment; column 1 rates of duty) of the products of a foreign country that:
- engages in violations of religious freedom;
- restricts the freedom of workers to associate and to organize and bargain collectively; or
- prohibits or limits the functioning of free and independent labor unions.
(McCotter introduced an identical bill (H.R. 3347) in the 111th Congress on July 27, 2009. See ITT’s Online Archives or 07/28/09 news, 09072855, for BP summary.)
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 02/10/11 news, 11021071, for previous BP summary announcing the bill was introduced.)
The text of H.R. 554 is available here.
CRS summary of H.R. 554 is available here.
McCotter’s press release on the bill being introduced is available here.