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.