COMMITTEE REPORT

COMMITTEE HOSTS TRADE SEMINAR DURING SPRING FORUM

The Economic Development, Trade & Cultural Affairs Committee held a joint trade seminar with the National Association of Attorneys General at the NCSL Spring Forum, held April 14-16 in Washington, D.C. The seminar was an educational “primer” of trade issues and preemption concerns. The seminar was tremendously successful and materials are available on CD. For questions or the CD, please contact NCSL staff Nick Steidel at 202-624-8673 or nick.steidel@ncsl.org. The Committee also held sessions on tax incentives for businesses and the recent Cuno v. DaimlerChrysler before the Sixth Circuit Court, Supreme Court rulings regarding eminent domain and public use of private land, and regulation of government sponsored enterprises. The Committee considered policies jointly with the Budgets & Revenue Committee on Cuno, but no action was taken. Plenary sessions featured presentations from HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, Acting U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (Tennessee), and Congressman Michael Turner (Ohio).

NEXT UP: 2005 ANNUAL MEETING & EXHIBITION

Pre-registration for the NCSL 2005 Annual Meeting and Exhibition is now available online at www.ncsl.org/annualmeeting/. Themed “Strong States, Strong Nation,” the meeting will be held August 16-20 in Seattle, Washington. An early bird registration is available prior to May 15 with discounts of $35-85. Housing reservations must be secured by July 15 to receive conference rates. The Seattle host committee has made arrangements for pre and post-conference tours, which are not part of the meeting registration, including a 7-day Alaskan cruise at a reduced fare. Host committee information is online at www.ncslseattle.com/. 

NCSL UNDERSCORES CONCERNS ABOUT CAFTA PROVISIONS

NCSL joined forces with the National League of Cities and the National Association of Towns and Townships in writing to U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, to raise questions about the impact of the investment chapter of the proposed Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with respect to federalism. The letter notes that discussions are occurring with the U.S. Trade Representative but concerns have not been sufficiently answered. The letter is online at www.ncsl.org/standcomm/scecon/grassleyletter041205.htm.

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AIR CONCERNS ABOUT CAFTA

A number of members of Congress have recently voiced concerns about the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) because of potential impacts on the U.S. agriculture community. Senator Saxby Chambliss (Georgia), Chair of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, said that he is concerned about agriculture export benefits for all producers and will vote against CAFTA unless changes are made. The press release is online at http://agriculture.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=234478. Senator Conrad Burns and Congressman Denny Rehberg, both from Montana, and Idaho Congressmen Mike Simpson and Butch Otter wrote separate letters to the U.S. Trade Representative, stating opposition to CAFTA on the grounds that it would harm sugar production in those states. The CAFTA sugar provisions were discussed at length in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on April 13.

GSE REFORM LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS

On April 5,  Congressmen Michael Oxley (Ohio) and Richard Baker (Louisiana), Chair and Ranking Member of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, introduced the “Federal Housing Finance Reform Act.” The legislation would create an independent agency to regulate government-sponsored enterprises (GSE), such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. S. 190 has also been introduced in the U.S. Senate with similar provisions. Several hearings have been conducted in the last few weeks in Congress. Information and testimony in the Senate Banking Committee is online at http://banking.senate.gov/, and the House Financial Services information is at http://financialservices.house.gov/index.asp.