TRADE Act of 2008
Latest action · Jun 4, 2008 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5044-5047)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 4, 2008
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Trade Reform, Accountability, Development, and Employment Act of 2008, or the TRADE Act of 2008 - Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to: (1) review certain free trade agreements (including Uruguay Round Agreements) between the United States and foreign countries; and (2) report to the Congressional Trade Agreement Review Committee regarding such agreements, including analyses of specified subjects and of each agreement, as well as whether the country has a democratic form of government that respects certain core labor rights and fundamental human rights, protects intellectual property rights, and enforces environmental laws.
Declares that implementing bills of new trade agreements shall be subject to a point of order in the Senate unless such agreements include certain standards with respect to: (1) labor; (2) environment and public safety; (3) food and product health and safety; (4) provision of services; (5) investment; (6) procurement; (7) intellectual property; (8) agriculture; (9) trade remedies and safeguards; (10) rules of origin; (11) dispute resolution and enforcement; (12) technical assistance; and (13) national security.
Requires the President to submit to Congress a plan to bring existing trade agreements into compliance with such standards.
Establishes a Congressional Trade Agreement Review Committee.
Expresses the sense of Congress that a certain process for U.S. trade negotiations should be followed when Congress considers legislation providing special procedures for implementing bills of trade agreements.
Cosponsors 6
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 4, 2008 to Jul 17, 2008, with 4 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-ND | Byron L. Dorgan | Original | Jun 4, 2008 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Original | Jun 4, 2008 |
| D-WI | Russell D. Feingold | Original | Jun 4, 2008 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | Jun 4, 2008 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Jul 16, 2008 | |
| D-WV | Robert C. Byrd | Jul 17, 2008 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 4, 2008Introduced in Senate
- Jun 4, 2008Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5044-5047)
- Jun 4, 2008Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5043-5044)
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 6180 | TRADE Act of 2008 | Related bill | Jul 2, 2008 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance.
- Agriculture and Food
- Agriculture in foreign trade
- American investments
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Commerce
- Congress
- Congress and foreign policy
- Congressional investigations
- Congressional joint committees
- Congressional reorganization
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Democracy
- Dispute settlement
- Employee rights
- Environmental law enforcement
- Environmental Protection
- Food safety
- Foreign investments
- Foreign Trade and International Finance
- Free trade
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government procurement
- Human rights
- Imports
- Intellectual property
- International Affairs
- Labor and Employment
- Legislation
- Nontariff trade barriers
- President and foreign policy
- Product safety
- Senate rules and procedure
- Standards
- Trade agreements
- Trade negotiations
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 4, 2008Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.