Legislature(2003 - 2004)
05/08/2003 05:10 PM House EDT
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| * | HJR 28 | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND TOURISM
May 8, 2003
5:10 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Cheryll Heinze, Chair
Representative Pete Kott
Representative Vic Kohring
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Harry Crawford
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Lesil McGuire, Vice Chair
Representative Nancy Dahlstrom
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 28
Urging the United States Congress to support the granting of
official Observer Status to the Republic of China at the World
Health Assembly Annual Conference to be held at Geneva,
Switzerland, in May 2003, and to support negotiation of a free
trade agreement with the Republic of China.
- MOVED HJR 28 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: HJR 28
SHORT TITLE:TAIWAN: TRADE & WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S)HEINZE
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
05/07/03 1415 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME -
REFERRALS
05/07/03 1415 (H) EDT
05/08/03 (H) EDT AT 0:00 AM FAHRENKAMP 203
WITNESS REGISTER
HELEN BEDDER, M.D., Staff
to Representative Cheryll Heinze
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions on HJR 28.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 03-12, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIR CHERYLL HEINZE called the House Special Committee on
Economic Development, International Trade and Tourism meeting to
order at 5:10 p.m. Representatives Heinze, Kott, Kohring,
Cissna, and Crawford were present at the call to order.
HJR 28-TAIWAN: TRADE & WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
CHAIR HEINZE announced that the only order of business would be
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 28, Urging the United States Congress
to support the granting of official Observer Status to the
Republic of China at the World Health Assembly Annual Conference
to be held at Geneva, Switzerland, in May 2003, and to support
negotiation of a free trade agreement with the Republic of
China. [Chair Heinze was sponsor of the resolution.]
Number 0011
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked what "support negotiation" means and
what the process is.
Number 0019
HELEN BEDDER, M.D., Staff to Representative Cheryll Heinze,
Alaska State Legislature, said it is defined on page 2, lines
18-22, which she asserted says that "the Alaska State
Legislature will send a letter encouraging the United States
Congress to authorize the United States and/or the President and
his administration to request presence of Taiwan at the World
Health Organization and free trade."
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA alluded to line 23 and said when she sees
the word "negotiate", she assumes there is something more to
free trade, such as agreements relating to the idea that the
door has been opened to countries, for example, and that certain
conditions would be required in order to have goods come into
[the United States], such as lack of health hazards from the
goods or perhaps that children aren't the workers who make the
items. She said it is important to know whether this is a term
of art.
DR. BEDDER said she thinks there are standards of agreement for
free trade with various countries. She offered to find out by
the following day.
Number 0065
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING moved to report HJR 28 out of committee
with individual recommendations and what he said he assumed was
a zero fiscal note.
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD announced his intention of making an
amendment.
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING withdrew his motion.
Number 0076
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD moved to adopt a conceptual amendment to
change "free" to "fair" throughout the resolution where it says
"free trade agreement".
Number 0082
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING objected and asked how Representative
Crawford defines "fair".
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD said this is in order to negotiate, as
Representative Cissna had said, limits on child labor or slave
labor, for instance. Free trade agreements basically do away
with tariffs, he suggested, whereas fair trade has more to do
with other conditions.
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA indicated her staff was obtaining an
economics book that may have a definition.
Number 0102
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING maintained his objection. He said he
doesn't want to see child or slave labor, either, but expressed
concern that [the change in language, unless "fair" could be
further defined] might carry it too far and result in imposition
of restrictions on the free-market process that could be
detrimental to profitable operations or trade between nations.
Number 0123
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD withdrew his amendment.
Number 0128
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING again moved to [report HJR 28 out of
committee] with individual recommendations and a zero fiscal
note. There being no objection, HJR 28 was reported from the
House Special Committee on Economic Development, International
Trade and Tourism.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Economic Development, International Trade
and Tourism meeting was adjourned at 5:18 p.m.
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