FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE UNITED STATES SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE TO HEAR SECRETARY KISSINGER In Finance Committee Press Release No. 55, Dated February 7, 1974, it was announced that the Honorable Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State, would appear before the Committee to present testimony on the Trade Reform Act (H. R. 10710) on March 4 and 5. Instead, Secretary Kissinger will be appearing on Thursday, March 7. The schedule of Administration witnesses who will appear on the Trade Reform Act is therefore revised as follows: Monday, March 4 and Tuesday, March 5 The Honorable George P. Shultz, Secretary of the Treasury The Honorable William D. Eberle, Special Representative The Honorable Peter M. Flanigan, Executive Director, Wednesday, March 6 The Honorable Earl L. Butz, Secretary of Agriculture Thursday, March 7 The Honorable Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State As was stated in the February 7 press release, due to the possibility that the Committee may have to take up emergency legislation on energy-related matters, public witnesses have not yet been scheduled to testify on H. R. 10710. However, Chairman Russell B. Long stated that it is his intention to schedule public witnesses at a later date once the Committee's work schedule becomes clearer. The hearings will begin at 10:00 a. m., March 4, 5, 6, and 7, and will be held in Room 2221, Dirksen Senate Office Building. PR #53 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 14, 1974 COMMITTEE ON FINANCE 2227 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. LONG REQUESTS ADMINISTRATION TESTIMONY ON TRADE Chairman Russell B. Long, (D., La.) asked today that administration witnesses testify before the Senate Finance Committee early in March on their negotiations to obtain compensation for an expected $1 billion in trade damage to the U. S. expected to result from the expansion of the European Common Market. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and other high administration officials are scheduled to appear before the Committee when it opens hearings on the House-passed Trade Reform Act of 1973. Long expressed concern over the lack of progress in negotiations with the Common Market under Article XXIV:6 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) to receive compensation for the injury to U. S. trade. This is expected to result from the extension of preferential tariffs and a common agricultural policy to the new member-countries, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland. This extension will increase the degree of discrimination against U.S. exports and cause an additional damage to U. S. trade of about $1 billion. The Common Market has offered to compensate the U.S. for only about $130 million. The Chairman cited President Nixon's recent International Economic Report, which said: "While the adoption of the Common External Tariff will result in the reduction of duties on some products exported to the new member-states, the EC has not yet offered the United States adequate compensating tariff reductions to offset their proposed withdrawals of concessions and duty increases." Long said the issue should be settled before the U. S. begins a new round of multilateral trade negotiations and expressed his hope that satisfactory co.npensation could be secured before the Senate begins its deliberations on the trade bill. Other administration officials who will testify before the Committee in the opening days of the hearings include: Treasury Secretary George P. Shultz; Special Trade Representative William D. Eberle; Peter M. Flanigan, Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy; Agriculture Secretary Earl L. Butz; Labor Secretary Peter J. Brennan and Commerce Secretary Frederick B. Dent. P. R. #56 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 26, 1973 CCMMITTEE CN FINANCE UNITED STATES SENATE CLARIFICATION OF DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN On December 14, the Finance Committee issued a press release which established January 11, 1974 as the deadline for requests to testify in the Committee's public hearings on the Trade Reform Act of 1973 (H. R. 10710). In the release, it was incorrectly indicated that the deadline for submission of written positions by witnesses not scheduled for oral testimony would also be January 11, 1974. Written statements by parties who do not wish to give oral testimony or who are not scheduled for such testimony must be submitted to Michael Stern, Staff Director, Committee on Finance, Room 2227, Dirksen Senate Cffice Building not later than the conclusion of public hearings on the Trade Reform Act of 1973. As indicated in the December 14 press release, the dates of the hearings will be announced at a later time. P. R. #49 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE JANUARY 11 DEADLINE SET FOR RECUESTS TO TESTIFY BEFORE The Honorable Russell B. Long (D., La.), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, today invited interested parties to submit written requests to testify in the Committee's public hearings on the Trade Reform Act of 1973 (H. R. 10710). Written requests to testify must be submitted no later than Friday, January 11, 1974, the Chairman emphasized. Chairman Long stated that the Finance Committee intends to begin public hearings on the bill shortly after the Congress returns, at a date to be announced. All persons or organizations who wish to testify on the bill are requested to observe the following guidelines: - Requests to Testify. Witnesses desiring to testify during the public hearings must submit written requests to testify to Michael Stern, Staff Director, Committee on Finance, 2227 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D. C. 20510, not later than Friday, January 11, 1974. Witnesses will be notified as soon as possible as to the time and date they are scheduled to appear. Once a witness has been advised of the time and date of his appearance, rescheduling will not be allowed. If a witness is unable to testify at the time he is scheduled to appear, he may file a written statement for the record of the hearing. - Consolidated Testimony. The Chairman also stated that the Committee urges all witnesses who have a common position or with the same general interest to consolidate their testimony and designate a single spokesman to present their common viewpoint orally to the Committee. This procedure will enable the Committee to receive a wider expression of views on the total bill than it might otherwise obtain. The Chairman praised witnesses who in the past have combined their statements in order to conserve the time of the Committee. And he urged very strongly that all witnesses exert a maximum effort, taking into account the limited advance notice, to consolidate and coordinate their statements. Legislative Reorganization Act. In this respect, the Chairman observed that the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, requires all witnesses appearing before the Committees of Congress "... to file in advance written statements of their proposed - 2. The statute also directs the staff of each Committee to prepare digests of all testimony for the use of Committee Members. Senator Long stated that in light of this statute and in view of the large number of witnesses who desire to appear before the Committee in the limited time available for the hearing, all witnesses who are scheduled to testify must comply with the following rules: (1) All statements must be filed with the Committee (3) The written statements must be typed on lettersize paper (not legal size) and at least 100 copies must be submitted to the Committee. (4) Witnesses are not to read their written statements to the Committee, but are to confine their ten-minute oral presentations to a summary of the points included in the statement. (5) Not more than ten minutes will be allowed for the oral summary. Witnesses who fail to comply with these rules will forfeit their privilege to testify. Those who have already requested to testify need not submit a second request. Written Statements. Witnesses who are not scheduled for oral presentation, and others who desire to present a statement to the Committee, are urged to prepare a written position of their views for submission and inclusion in the printed record of the hearings. These written statements should be submitted to Michael Stern, Staff Director, Committee on Finance, Room 2227, Dirksen Senate Office Building not later than Friday, January 11, 1974, P. R. # 48 30-229 - 74 - 2 |