UNITED STATES-PERU TRADE PROMOTION AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION ACT -- (House of Representatives - November 07, 2007)
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Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3688, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, and urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
I would like to thank Chairman RANGEL and Subcommittee Chairman LEVIN for their hard work on the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement. Through their leadership, for the first time in U.S. trade policy, the trade agreement we are considering today incorporates internationally recognized labor and environmental standards and other key priorities. This was a major achievement and I am pleased that this new Congress has pushed forward a trade policy that will expand and shape trade in ways that spread the benefits of globalization here and abroad by raising standards. Congress is resuming its proper role as an active and full participant in the development of U.S. trade policy.
Under these circumstances, a new approach to trade policy--one that better reflects American values and spreads the benefits of globalization broadly--is especially critical. This is the kind of approach that we have long espoused and will begin to implement with the Peru FTA. Once enacted into law, this FTA will lock in these gains and give us a basis to build on in the future.
Central among the changes to our current trade policy is a new bipartisan commitment to the inclusion of a fully enforceable commitment that countries adopt and enforce the five basic international labor standards in all future trade agreements. This includes the freedom of association; right to collective bargaining; elimination of forced and compulsory labor; abolition of child labor; and elimination of employment discrimination.
I think it is particularly important to note the importance of what we have established with this trade agreement by way of a labor template. The Peru FTA includes basic worker rights, because workers must be a key part of the trade equation. Accordingly, for the first time in any U.S. free trade agreement, the Peru FTA includes protections for the basic rights of workers in its core text. It also prohibits Peru from lowering its labor standards in the future. It also makes these labor obligations subject to the same dispute settlement processes and remedies as all other provisions in the FTA. If Peru fails to enforce fundamental labor rights, or fails to enforce its labor laws, the U.S. Government can sue Peru for not complying with the Agreement. These are the real labor standards that are applied by the International Labor Organization (ILO)--the exact standards we have sought for more than a decade. Notably, Peru has already changed its legal framework to comply with the FTA.
I urge my colleagues in joining me in voting ``yes'' for the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement.
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