Fast Track

Fast Track
Author: Hal S. Shapiro
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2023-09-14
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9004509445

Fast Track is the story of the rise and fall of U.S. leadership in international trade. Fast Track authority is the process Congress devised to approve trade agreements, giving Congress input into negotiations in exchange for a timely up-or-down vote. Foes derided it as a procedural gimmick, but it helped forge a bipartisan consensus on trade policy. Despite its successes, it was also fragile. The bipartisan consensus has since frayed and Fast Track has lapsed, allowing other countries to fill the void. This book discusses how Fast Track worked and offers a path for rebuilding consensus in favor of its renewal.

What To Know About Fast-Track Trade Authority

What To Know About Fast-Track Trade Authority
Author: Nick Cardena
Publisher:
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre:
ISBN:

Fast track is an expedited procedure for Congressional consideration of trade agreements. It requires Congress to vote on an agreement without reopening any of its provisions while retaining the ultimate power of voting it up or down. Fast Track facilitated controversial pacts such as NAFTA and the World Trade Organization, which extend beyond traditional tariff-cutting to set constraints on domestic financial, energy, patents and copyright, food safety, immigration, and other policies. Because Fast Track's dramatic shift in the balance of powers between branches of government occurred via an arcane procedural mechanism, it obtained little scrutiny - until recently. This book explains how large multi-national corporations have gotten their way to the detriment of the people by ignoring local environmental and labor laws. The Trans-Pacific-Trade Partnership has been called "NAFTA on steroids."

Fast Track Trade Authority

Fast Track Trade Authority
Author: Colette Teto
Publisher:
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre:
ISBN:

Fast track is an expedited procedure for Congressional consideration of trade agreements. It requires Congress to vote on an agreement without reopening any of its provisions while retaining the ultimate power of voting it up or down. Fast Track facilitated controversial pacts such as NAFTA and the World Trade Organization, which extend beyond traditional tariff-cutting to set constraints on domestic financial, energy, patents and copyright, food safety, immigration, and other policies. Because Fast Track's dramatic shift in the balance of powers between branches of government occurred via an arcane procedural mechanism, it obtained little scrutiny - until recently. This book explains how large multi-national corporations have gotten their way to the detriment of the people by ignoring local environmental and labor laws. The Trans-Pacific-Trade Partnership has been called "NAFTA on steroids."

More Information On Fast Track Trade Authority

More Information On Fast Track Trade Authority
Author: Hollie Rassman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre:
ISBN:

Fast track is an expedited procedure for Congressional consideration of trade agreements. It requires Congress to vote on an agreement without reopening any of its provisions while retaining the ultimate power of voting it up or down. Fast Track facilitated controversial pacts such as NAFTA and the World Trade Organization, which extend beyond traditional tariff-cutting to set constraints on domestic financial, energy, patents and copyright, food safety, immigration, and other policies. Because Fast Track's dramatic shift in the balance of powers between branches of government occurred via an arcane procedural mechanism, it obtained little scrutiny - until recently. This book explains how large multi-national corporations have gotten their way to the detriment of the people by ignoring local environmental and labor laws. The Trans-Pacific-Trade Partnership has been called "NAFTA on steroids."

Fast-Track Authority

Fast-Track Authority
Author: Levent Çeli̊k (Ph.D.)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 65
Release: 2018
Genre: Commercial policy
ISBN:

A central institution of US trade policy is Fast-Track Authority (FT), by which Congress commits not to amend a trade agreement that is presented to it for ratification, but to subject the agreement to an up-or-down vote. We offer a new interpretation of FT based on a hold-up problem. If the US government negotiates a trade agreement with the government of a smaller economy, as the negotiations proceed, businesses in the partner economy, anticipating the opening of the US market to their goods, may make sunk investments to take advantage of the US market, such as quality upgrades to meet the expectations of the demanding US consumer. As a result, when the time comes for ratification of the agreement, the partner economy will be locked in to the US market in a way it was not previously. At this point, if Congress is able to amend the agreement, the partner country has less bargaining power than it did ex ante, and so Congress can make changes that are adverse to the partner. As a result, if the US wants to convince such a partner country to negotiate a trade deal, it must first commit not to amend the agreement ex post. In this situation, FT is Pareto-improving.

Crs Report for Congress

Crs Report for Congress
Author: Congressional Research Service: The Libr
Publisher: BiblioGov
Total Pages: 22
Release: 2013-11
Genre:
ISBN: 9781295251650

One of the major trade issues in the 107th Congress is whether or not Congress approves trade promotion authority (formerly called fast-track authority) for the President to negotiate trade agreements with expedited procedures for implementing legislation. Under this authority, Congress agrees to consider legislation to implement the trade agreements (usually nontariff trade agreements) under a procedure with mandatory deadlines, no amendment, and limited debate. The President is required to consult with congressional committees during negotiation and notify Congress at major stages. The President was granted this authority almost continuously from 1974 to 1994, but the authority lapsed and has not been renewed. A major issue in the first session of the 107th Congress was the role of labor and the environment as objectives in trade agreements. Differences were largely along party lines. On December 6, 2001, the House passed TPA bill H.R. 3005 by a vote of 215-214. The bill covers tariff and nontariff agreements entered into by June 1, 2005. For expedited procedures to apply to legislation to implement a trade agreement, the agreement would have to "make progress" toward meeting the outlined negotiating objectives and satisfy other specified conditions. The President would have to consult with congressional bodies, ...

Crs Report for Congress

Crs Report for Congress
Author: Congressional Research Service: The Libr
Publisher: BiblioGov
Total Pages: 22
Release: 2013-11
Genre:
ISBN: 9781294251989

One of the major trade issues in the 107th Congress was whether or not Congress would approve trade promotion authority (formerly called fast-track authority) for the President to negotiate trade agreements with expedited procedures for implementing legislation. Under this authority, Congress agrees to consider legislation to implement the trade agreements (usually nontariff trade agreements) under a procedure with mandatory deadlines, no amendment, and limited debate. The President is required to consult with congressional committees during negotiation and notify Congress at major stages. The President was granted this authority almost continuously from 1974 to 1994. After that, the authority lapsed. On December 6, 2001, the House passed trade promotion authority (TPA) bill H.R. 3005 by a vote of 215-214. An important issue was the designation of labor and the environment as negotiating objectives. On May 23, 2002, the Senate wrapped TPA into a comprehensive trade bill, H.R. 3009, "the Trade Act of 2002." The bill included TPA (in title XXI), reauthorization of Andean trade preferences, extension of the Generalized System of Preferences, and trade adjustment assistance (TAA). Two controversial differences with the House were: (1) the so-called Dayton-Craig amendment, which would allow the removal from an implementing bill any provisions to ...

Trade Promotion (Fast-Track) Authority

Trade Promotion (Fast-Track) Authority
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2001
Genre:
ISBN:

A major trade issue in the 107th Congress is whether or not Congress will approve authority for the President to negotiate trade agreements and submit the agreements for implementation under expedited legislative procedures (mandatory deadlines, limited debate, no amendment). The President must meet certain consultation and notification requirements. This authority, commonly called "fasttrack authority" or "trade promotion authority" (TPA), lapsed in 1994. This report analyzes a major TPA proposal, H.R. 3005, introduced by Representative Thomas, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and reported out of that Committee on October 16, 2001. Some comparisons are made between H.R. 3005 and the trade negotiating authority bill H.R. 3019, introduced by Representative Rangel, Ranking Member on the Ways and Means Committee. Congressional debate of fast-track/TPA legislation arrives at a period of growing global economic uncertainty and of a changing world trading system. Proposed TPA legislation reflects, in part, the shifting global trade environment. Sharp differences divide the 107th Congress on trade policy objectives. Both H.R. 3005 and H.R. 3019 are similar in their basic structure and in many provisions. However, they have major differences in their negotiating objectives, conditions for considering agreements under expedited procedures, congressional advisory bodies, and withdrawal of expedited procedures. Regarding labor provisions, H.R. 3005 aims to "promote respect for worker rights consistent with the International Labor Organization (ILO)," and to treat labor objectives "equally" with other negotiating objectives. H.R. 3019 aims to "promote enforcement of internationally recognized core labor standards by trading partners," and to provide for "all remedies to promote prompt and full compliance." H.R. 3005 gives greater attention to the environment than previous fast-track authority, and has some similarities with H.R. 3019. For example, both seek to ensure that parties do not fail to enforce environmental laws and to make failures subject to enforcement. Environmental provisions in H.R. 3019, however, are more extensive; e.g., the bill seeks clear exceptions from trade obligations for environmental measures (including those to implement multilateral environmental agreements). H.R. 3005 would establish the Congressional Oversight Group, a new body of congressional advisors on trade negotiations, and set out consultation and notification requirements for the executive branch. H.R. 3019 would not add a new body of advisors, but would require more consultation than H.R. 3005. Both bills would allow withdrawal of expedited procedures for an implementing bill, but under different circumstances. H.R. 3005 provides for withdrawal if the President fails to meet the consultation requirements. H.R. 3019 provides for withdrawal of expedited procedures before or during negotiations or before the President enters into an agreement, but does not require that a reason be specified.