[Federal Register: April 10, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 69)]
[Notices]
[Page 19043-19044]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10ap00-140]
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TRADE DEFICIT REVIEW COMMISSION
Notice of Open Public Hearing
AGENCY: U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission.
ACTION: Notice of open public hearing.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following hearing of the U. S.
Trade Deficit Review Commission.
Name: Murray Weidenbaum, Chairman of the U.S. Trade Deficit Review
Commission
The Commission is mandated to report to the Congress and the
President on the causes, consequences, and solutions to the U. S. trade
deficit. The purpose of this public hearing is to take testimony on (1)
agricultural trade: its importance, opportunities, obstacles, and
challenges for U.S. farmers and rural communities as well as its
impacts; (2) U.S.-Canada trade issues; and (3) international trade for
small businesses in the United States: its importance, opportunities,
challenges and impacts. Witnesses will also be invited to propose
policy changes.
Confirmed witnesses include Governor Mel Carnahan of Missouri and
Governor Bill Graves of Kansas; Dr. Thomas M. Hoenig, President, and
Dr. Alan Barkema, Vice President, of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas
City; Leland Swenson, President of the National Farmers Union; Daniel
Amstutz, President of the North American Export Grain Association;
Roger Johnson, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner; Professors Neil
Harl and Dermot Hayes, Iowa State University; Professor Susan Feinberg,
University of Maryland; and Professor Peter K. Kresl, Bucknell
University.
Background
In fulfilling its statutory mission, the Commission is holding
field hearings to collect input from industry and labor leaders,
government officials, leading researchers, other informed witnesses,
and the public. The Commission has already held hearings in Washington,
D.C., Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, and New York on
various aspects of our trade relations. Information on these hearings
can be obtained from the USTDRC website www.ustdrc.gov.
Professor Murray Wiedenbaum of Washington University, St. Louis,
who is a former Chairman of the President's Council of Economic
Advisors, chairs the Commission. The Vice Chairman is Professor Dimitri
Papadimitriou, President of The Jerome Levy Economics Institute at Bard
College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The Kansas City, MO, hearing
will be chaired by Commissioner Wayne D. Angell, Chief Economist and
Senior Managing Director of Bear Stearns & Co., Inc., who is a former
Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve.
Purpose of Hearing
In light of the ongoing massive trade and current account deficits
incurred by the United States, progress in improving U.S. exporters'
access to foreign markets is critically important. The failure of the
WTO Ministerial in Seattle to come up with a negotiating agenda for a
new round of multilateral trade negotiations highlights how the
consensus on reducing barriers to trade has fractured. Rebuilding the
consensus on trade issues in the United States is of critical
importance in addressing the large U. S. trade deficits. The work of
the Commission, by analyzing the U.S. trade deficits in a non-partisan
manner with the input of leading experts, will provide a reasoned and
informed answer on how to respond to the trade deficit and its
consequences. The findings of the Commission, while not binding, will
likely form the basis for Congressional consensus building on trade
policy as we enter the new century.
There will be two sessions, one in the morning and one in the
afternoon, for presentations by invited witnesses on their views on the
interrelationship between the trade deficit and the topics of the
hearing. There will be a question and answer period between the
Commissioners and the witnesses. Public participation is invited and
there will be an open-mike session for public comment at the conclusion
of the afternoon session. Sign-up for the open-mike session will take
place in the afternoon and will be on a first come first served basis.
Each individual or group making an oral presentation will be limited to
a total time of 3 minutes. Because of time constraints, parties with
common interests are encouraged to designate a single speaker to
represent their views.
DATES AND TIMES: Wednesday, April 26, 2000, 9:00 AM-5:30 PM Central
Standard Time inclusive.
ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held at the Federal Reserve Bank of
Kansas City, located at 925 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri
64198. Public seating is limited to approximately 50 seats and will be
on a first come first served basis. Commercial public parking lots are
available within the vicinity of the Bank.
SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is a
secure facility and everyone must abide by security procedures.
Everyone entering the facility is required to have a picture
identification.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing
further information concerning the hearing or who wishes to submit oral
or written comments should contact Kathy Michels, Administrative
Officer for the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission, 444 North Capitol
Street, NW, Suite 706, Washington, DC 20001; phone 202/624-1409; or via
e-mail at: kmichels@sso.org.
PROVIDING ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMENTS AT THE KANSAS CITY HEARING: Copies
of the draft meeting agenda, when available, may be obtained from the
U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission by going to the Commission's
website at www.ustdrc.gov. The Commission requests that written public
statements submitted for the record be brief and concise and limited to
two pages in length. Written comments (at least 35 copies) must be
received at the USTDRC Headquarters Office in Washington, DC by April
17, 2000. Comments received too close to the hearing date will normally
be provided to the Commission Members at its hearing.
[[Page 19044]]
Written comments may be provided up until the time of the hearing.
Authority: The Trade Deficit Review Commission Act, Public Law
No.105-277, Div. A, section 127, 112 Stat. 2681-547 (1998),
established the Commission to study the nature, causes and
consequences of the United States merchandise trade and current
accounts deficits and report its findings to the President and the
Congress. By statute, the Commission must hold at least 4 regional
field hearings and 1 hearing in Washington, DC. This is the sixth in
a series of field hearings to be conducted. The schedule of hearings
is available at the US Trade Deficit Review Commission website
www.ustdrc.gov>.
For the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission.
Dated at Washington, DC, April 4, 2000.
Allan I. Mendelowitz,
Executive Director, Trade Deficit Review Commission.
[FR Doc. 00-8743 Filed 4-7-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-46-P