See How Your Politicians Voted
Title: CAFTA Implementation Bill
Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to pass a bill implementing a free trade agreement between the United States, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Highlights:
- Stipulates that no provision of the Agreement shall have effect if inconsistent with U.S. law (Sec. 102).
- Establishes an office to help with settling disputes between participating nations (Sec. 105).
- Preserves U.S. duties on imports of sugar goods over a certain quota, and allows the U.S. to apply these duties to imports within the quota in exchange for providing compensation to participating nations' sugar exporters (Sec. 202).
- Progressively eliminates customs duties on all originating goods traded among the participating nations (Sec. 204).
- Removes duties on textile and apparel goods traded among participating nations (Sec. 205).
- Provides a procedure for import relief if the increased imports brought about by the Agreement seriously threaten a domestic industry (Sec. 313).
- Terminates participating nations' status as beneficiaries under the Caribbean Basin Initiative, but maintains U.S. obligations to them regarding duty-free importation of ethanol (Sec. 402).
- Recommends that each participating nation uphold the International Labor Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (Sec. 403).