Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 102 Part 2.djvu/314

 102 STAT. 1318

PUBLIC LAW 100-418—AUG. 23, 1988

(2) promoting economic and political stability in the Caribbean and Central America is in the national security interests of the United States; (3) the economic and political stability of the nations of the Caribbean and Central America can be stengthened significantly by the attraction of foreign and domestic investment specifically devoted to employment generation; and (4) the diversification of the economies and expansion of exports, particularly those of a non-traditional nature, of the nations of the Caribbean and Central America is linked directly to fair access to the markets of the United States. (b) INTENT OF THE CONGRESS.—The Congress hereby expresses its intention to ensure that— (1) the trade elements of the Caribbean Basin Initiative be strengthened in a manner consistent with the promotion of economic and political stability in the Caribbean and Central America; (2) to the extent that Congress imposes changes that are intended to improve the competitive environment for United States industry and workers, such changes do not unduly affect the unilateral duty-free trade system available to the beneficiary countries designated under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act; and (3) generic changes in the trade laws of the United States do not discriminate against imports from designated beneficiary countries in relation to imports from other United States trading partners. (c) WITHDRAWAL OR SUSPENSION OF DUTY-FREE TREATMENT TO SPECIFIC ARTICLES.—Subsection (e) of section 212 of the Caribbean

Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.G. 2702(e)) is amended to read as follows: "(e)(1) The President may, after the requirements of subsection (a)(2) and paragraph (2) have been met— "(A) withdraw or suspend the designation of any country as a beneficiary country, or "(B) withdraw, suspend, or limit the application of duty-free treatment under this subtitle to any article of any country, if, after such designation, the President determines that as a result of changed circumstances such country would be barred from designation as a beneficiary country under subsection (b). President of U.S. "(2)(A) The President shall publish in the Federal R o i s t e r notice Federal of the action the President proposes to take under paragraph (1) at Register, least 30 days prior to taking such action. publication. "(B) The United States Trade Representative shall, within the 30day period b ^ i n n i n g on the date on which the President publishes under subparagraph (A) notice of proposed action— "(i) accept written comments from the public regarding such proposed action, "(ii) hold a public hearing on such proposed action, and Federal "(iii) publish in the Federal Register— Register, "(I) notice of the time and place of such hearing prior to publication. the hearing, and "(U) the time and place at which such written comments will be accepted.".

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