Max Baucus: “I rise today to address a concern I have about the way we run our trade policy. Over a quarter century ago, Congress…”

“I rise today to address a concern I have about the way we run our trade policy. Over a quarter century ago, Congress passed the Trade Act of 1974. It was a monumental piece of legislation which laid the foundation for America's current trade policy operations. One of its features was a formal system of non-partisan advisory committees. These committees were designed to give the Executive Branch advice from the private sector on trade agreements. The Trade Act created two tiers of advisory committees. At the top is the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), composed of 45 people serving for a 2-year term. The members are officers of corporations, trade associations and labor unions. A parallel committee known as TEPAC provides advice on trade and the environment. The next tier contains the Industry Sector Advisory Committees and the Industry Functional Advisory Committees, known as ISAC's and IFAC's. The Trade Act gives the Executive Branch substantial leeway in creating them, chartering them, and choosing their members. Today there are more than two dozen ISAC's and IFAC's. Mr. President, the Clinton Administration announced last month that it was taking a hard look at the advisory committee process. I support that. In the past year, we've witnessed some unwelcome developments in the advisory committee system that call into question whether its operating in the way Congress intended.”