THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1985
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TEXTILE BILL MAY GO TO HOUSE
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THE TRADE DEPARTMENT HAS RECEIVED INFORMATION THAT THE TEXTILE BILL PASSED RECENTLY BY THE SENATE MAY GO TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TODAY (U.S. TIME).
+WE HAVE BEEN CLOSELY MONITORING DEVELOPMENTS AND IT SEEMS THAT THIS MOVE BY THE BILL'S PROPONENTS WILL REMOVE THE NEED FOR THE BILL TO GO TO A CONFERENCE STAGE BETWEEN THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DIRECTOR OF TRADE, MR HAMISH MACLEOD, SAID TODAY.
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSED THE BILL, KNOWN THERE AS THE JENKINS BILL, IN AN UNAMENDED FORM - WHILE IN THE SENATE, WHERE IT IS KNOWN AS THE THURMOND BILL, AN AMENDED VERSION WAS APPROVED.
MR MACLEOD EXPLAINED THAT THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT AVENUES IN THE U.S. POLITICAL SYSTEM THROUGH WHICH LEGISLATION COULD PROCEED.
INITIALLY IT HAD SEEMED THAT THE CONFERENCE STAGE WOULD BE NEEDED FOR THE TWO CHAMBERS TO AGREE TO A JOINT VERSION WHICH WOULD THEN BE SUBMITTED TO THE PRESIDENT.
+WE UNDERSTAND THAT AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED FOR THE HOUSE TO SIMPLY VOTE ON THE VERSION AS APPROVED BY THE SENATE. BOTH CHAMBERS WILL THEN HAVE APPROVED THE SAME BILL AND IT CAN THEN EE FORWARDED TO THE PRESIDENT WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A CONFERENCE STAGE, SAID MR MACLEOD.
+ IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO READ TOO MUCH INTO THIS AS IT IS MERELY ONE OF A NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVES. THE IMPORTANT THING NOW
IS WHETHER THE PRESIDENT WILL VETO THE BILL AND RECENT STATEMENTS BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO GIVE GROUNDS FOR CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM THAT HE WILL DO SO.+
THE DEPARTMENT HAS NOW EXAMINED A COPY OF THE LATEST SENATE VERSION OF THE BILL. THE EARLIER THURMOND REVISED VERSION PROVIDED FOR CUTBACKS OF NO MORE THAN 30 PER CENT IN ANY PARTICULAR CATEGORY. THIS NO LONGER APPLIES.
AVERAGE CUTBACKS OVERALL FOR HONG KONG WOULD THEREFORE BE ABOUT 12.4 PER CENT IN THE MFA SECTOR AND 70 PER CENT IN NON-MF A
THE SAME EFFECT FOR HONG KONG AS IN THE ORIGINAL JENKINS BILL.
IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER ANY FURTHER CHANGES ARE MADE BEFORE A FINAL VERSION EMERGES.
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