Title 19 — Customs DutiesRelease 119-73
§4205 Implementation of trade agreements
Title 19 › Chapter CHAPTER 27— - BIPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL TRADE PRIORITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITY › § 4205
Summary
Requires the President to follow a set timetable and steps before a trade agreement can take effect for the United States. The President must notify Congress and publish notice at least 90 days before signing the agreement, post the agreement text on the USTR website at least 60 days before signing, and within 60 days after signing must tell Congress what U.S. laws would need to change. At least 30 days before sending Congress the full package, the President must give a draft of any administrative actions and the final legal text. Once both Houses of Congress are in session after signing, the President must send the final text, a draft bill to implement the agreement, a statement of any administrative action, and supporting information explaining legal changes, how the deal meets U.S. trade goals, how it affects past agreements and U.S. commerce, and how the bill meets required standards. The implementing bill must become law before the agreement takes effect for the United States, and the President must notify Congress no later than 30 days before the agreement enters into force that other parties have done what is needed on their end. Congress can block the special fast-track procedures if members say the President failed to notify or consult properly. Either House can introduce a procedural disapproval resolution; if both Houses agree within 60 days, trade authorities do not apply to the implementing bill. Committees handling these resolutions are Ways and Means and Rules in the House, and Finance in the Senate, and such resolutions may not be amended. If the Senate Finance Committee will not report an implementing bill favorably, it must report a resolution and the Senate can vote to stop fast-track treatment. In the House, a consultation and compliance resolution can be introduced and the Ways and Means Committee must act quickly (meeting within four legislative days and reporting by the sixth). By December 15, 2015, the Secretary of Commerce had to report on WTO dispute-settlement concerns; without that report, trade procedures do not apply to WTO-based deals. Trade procedures also do not apply to deals with countries listed as "tier 3" for trafficking in persons unless the President sends a public letter with evidence that the country has taken concrete corrective actions; if a country moves from tier 3 to the "tier 2 watch list" after 2014, the President must give Congress supporting evidence within 90 days (for a change shown in the 2015 report, within 90 days after February 24, 2016; for changes shown in 2016 or later, within 90 days after that report). Definitions used: “procedural disapproval resolution” and “consultation and compliance resolution” are the congressional resolutions alleging the President failed to notify or consult as required; “annual report on trafficking in persons,” “appropriate congressional committees,” “tier 2 watch list,” and “tier 3 country” refer to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act terms and the specific House and Senate committees named in the law.
Full Legal Text
Title 19, §4205
Customs Duties — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)Any agreement entered into under section 4202(b) of this title shall enter into force with respect to the United States if (and only if)—
(A)the President, at least 90 calendar days before the day on which the President enters into the trade agreement, notifies the House of Representatives and the Senate of the President’s intention to enter into the agreement, and promptly thereafter publishes notice of such intention in the Federal Register;
(B)the President, at least 60 days before the day on which the President enters into the agreement, publishes the text of the agreement on a publicly available Internet website of the Office of the United States Trade Representative;
(C)within 60 days after entering into the agreement, the President submits to Congress a description of those changes to existing laws that the President considers would be required in order to bring the United States into compliance with the agreement;
(D)the President, at least 30 days before submitting to Congress the materials under subparagraph (E), submits to Congress—
(i)a draft statement of any administrative action proposed to implement the agreement; and
(ii)a copy of the final legal text of the agreement;
(E)after entering into the agreement, the President submits to Congress, on a day on which both Houses of Congress are in session, a copy of the final legal text of the agreement, together with—
(i)a draft of an implementing bill described in section 4202(b)(3) of this title;
(ii)a statement of any administrative action proposed to implement the trade agreement; and
(iii)the supporting information described in paragraph (2)(A);
(F)the implementing bill is enacted into law; and
(G)the President, not later than 30 days before the date on which the agreement enters into force with respect to a party to the agreement, submits written notice to Congress that the President has determined that the party has taken measures necessary to comply with those provisions of the agreement that are to take effect on the date on which the agreement enters into force.
(2)(A)The supporting information required under paragraph (1)(E)(iii) consists of—
(i)an explanation as to how the implementing bill and proposed administrative action will change or affect existing law; and
(ii)a statement—
(I)asserting that the agreement makes progress in achieving the applicable purposes, policies, priorities, and objectives of this chapter; and
(II)setting forth the reasons of the President regarding—
(aa)how and to what extent the agreement makes progress in achieving the applicable purposes, policies, and objectives referred to in subclause (I);
(bb)whether and how the agreement changes provisions of an agreement previously negotiated;
(cc)how the agreement serves the interests of United States commerce; and
(dd)how the implementing bill meets the standards set forth in section 4202(b)(3) of this title.
(B)The President shall make the supporting information described in subparagraph (A) available to the public.
(3)In order to ensure that a foreign country that is not a party to a trade agreement entered into under section 4202(b) of this title does not receive benefits under the agreement unless the country is also subject to the obligations under the agreement, the implementing bill submitted with respect to the agreement shall provide that the benefits and obligations under the agreement apply only to the parties to the agreement, if such application is consistent with the terms of the agreement. The implementing bill may also provide that the benefits and obligations under the agreement do not apply uniformly to all parties to the agreement, if such application is consistent with the terms of the agreement.
(4)Any agreement or other understanding with a foreign government or governments (whether oral or in writing) that—
(A)relates to a trade agreement with respect to which Congress enacts an implementing bill under trade authorities procedures; and
(B)is not disclosed to Congress before an implementing bill with respect to that agreement is introduced in either House of Congress,
(b)(1)(A)The trade authorities procedures shall not apply to any implementing bill submitted with respect to a trade agreement or trade agreements entered into under section 4202(b) of this title if during the 60-day period beginning on the date that one House of Congress agrees to a procedural disapproval resolution for lack of notice or consultations with respect to such trade agreement or agreements, the other House separately agrees to a procedural disapproval resolution with respect to such trade agreement or agreements.
(B)(i)For purposes of this paragraph, the term “procedural disapproval resolution” means a resolution of either House of Congress, the sole matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the President has failed or refused to notify or consult in accordance with the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 on negotiations with respect to ________ and, therefore, the trade authorities procedures under that Act shall not apply to any implementing bill submitted with respect to such trade agreement or agreements.”, with the blank space being filled with a description of the trade agreement or agreements with respect to which the President is considered to have failed or refused to notify or consult.
(ii)For purposes of clause (i) and paragraphs (3)(C) and (4)(C), the President has “failed or refused to notify or consult in accordance with the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015” on negotiations with respect to a trade agreement or trade agreements if—
(I)the President has failed or refused to consult (as the case may be) in accordance with section 4203 and 4204 of this title and this section with respect to the negotiations, agreement, or agreements;
(II)guidelines under section 4203 of this title have not been developed or met with respect to the negotiations, agreement, or agreements;
(III)the President has not met with the House Advisory Group on Negotiations or the Senate Advisory Group on Negotiations pursuant to a request made under section 4203(c)(4) of this title with respect to the negotiations, agreement, or agreements; or
(IV)the agreement or agreements fail to make progress in achieving the purposes, policies, priorities, and objectives of this chapter.
(2)(A)Procedural disapproval resolutions—
(i)in the House of Representatives—
(I)may be introduced by any Member of the House;
(II)shall be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and, in addition, to the Committee on Rules; and
(III)may not be amended by either Committee; and
(ii)in the Senate—
(I)may be introduced by any Member of the Senate;
(II)shall be referred to the Committee on Finance; and
(III)may not be amended.
(B)The provisions of subsections (d) and (e) of section 2192 of this title (relating to the floor consideration of certain resolutions in the House and Senate) apply to a procedural disapproval resolution introduced with respect to a trade agreement if no other procedural disapproval resolution with respect to that trade agreement has previously been reported in that House of Congress by the Committee on Ways and Means or the Committee on Finance, as the case may be, and if no resolution described in clause (ii) of section 4204(b)(3)(B) of this title with respect to that trade agreement has been reported in that House of Congress by the Committee on Ways and Means or the Committee on Finance, as the case may be, pursuant to the procedures set forth in clauses (iii) through (vii) of such section.
(C)It is not in order for the House of Representatives to consider any procedural disapproval resolution not reported by the Committee on Ways and Means and, in addition, by the Committee on Rules.
(D)It is not in order for the Senate to consider any procedural disapproval resolution not reported by the Committee on Finance.
(3)(A)If, when the Committee on Finance of the Senate meets on whether to report an implementing bill with respect to a trade agreement or agreements entered into under section 4202(b) of this title, the committee fails to favorably report the bill, the committee shall report a resolution described in subparagraph (C).
(B)The trade authorities procedures shall not apply in the Senate to any implementing bill submitted with respect to a trade agreement or agreements described in subparagraph (A) if the Committee on Finance reports a resolution described in subparagraph (C) and such resolution is agreed to by the Senate.
(C)A resolution described in this subparagraph is a resolution of the Senate originating from the Committee on Finance the sole matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the President has failed or refused to notify or consult in accordance with the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 on negotiations with respect to _____ and, therefore, the trade authorities procedures under that Act shall not apply in the Senate to any implementing bill submitted with respect to such trade agreement or agreements.”, with the blank space being filled with a description of the trade agreement or agreements described in subparagraph (A).
(D)If the Senate does not agree to a motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to a resolution described in subparagraph (C), the resolution shall be committed to the Committee on Finance.
(4)(A)If—
(i)the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives reports an implementing bill with respect to a trade agreement or agreements entered into under section 4202(b) of this title with other than a favorable recommendation; and
(ii)a Member of the House of Representatives has introduced a consultation and compliance resolution on the legislative day following the filing of a report to accompany the implementing bill with other than a favorable recommendation,
(B)(i)Not later than the fourth legislative day after the date of introduction of the resolution, the Committee on Ways and Means shall meet to consider a resolution meeting the qualifications set forth in subparagraph (A).
(ii)After consideration of one such resolution by the Committee on Ways and Means, this subparagraph shall not apply to any other such resolution.
(iii)If the Committee on Ways and Means has not reported the resolution by the sixth legislative day after the date of its introduction, that committee shall be discharged from further consideration of the resolution.
(C)A consultation and compliance resolution—
(i)is a resolution of the House of Representatives, the sole matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the President has failed or refused to notify or consult in accordance with the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 on negotiations with respect to _____ and, therefore, the trade authorities procedures under that Act shall not apply in the House of Representatives to any implementing bill submitted with respect to such trade agreement or agreements.”, with the blank space being filled with a description of the trade agreement or agreements described in subparagraph (A); and
(ii)shall be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
(D)The trade authorities procedures shall not apply in the House of Representatives to any implementing bill submitted with respect to a trade agreement or agreements which are the object of a consultation and compliance resolution if such resolution is adopted by the House.
(5)Not later than December 15, 2015, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the United States Trade Representative, shall transmit to Congress a report setting forth the strategy of the executive branch to address concerns of Congress regarding whether dispute settlement panels and the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization have added to obligations, or diminished rights, of the United States, as described in section 4201(b)(16)(C) of this title. Trade authorities procedures shall not apply to any implementing bill with respect to an agreement negotiated under the auspices of the World Trade Organization unless the Secretary of Commerce has issued such report by the deadline specified in this paragraph.
(6)(A)The trade authorities procedures shall not apply to any implementing bill submitted with respect to a trade agreement or trade agreements entered into under section 4202(b) of this title with a country listed as a tier 3 country in the most recent annual report on trafficking in persons.
(B)(i)If the President submits to the appropriate congressional committees a letter stating that a country to which subparagraph (A) applies has taken concrete actions to implement the principal recommendations with respect to that country in the most recent annual report on trafficking in persons, the prohibition under subparagraph (A) shall not apply with respect to a trade agreement or trade agreements with that country.
(ii)A letter submitted under clause (i) with respect to a country shall—
(I)include a description of the concrete actions that the country has taken to implement the principal recommendations described in clause (i);
(II)be accompanied by supporting documentation providing credible evidence of each such concrete action, including copies of relevant laws or regulations adopted or modified, and any enforcement actions taken, by that country, where appropriate; and
(III)be made available to the public.
(C)If a country is listed as a tier 3 country in an annual report on trafficking in persons submitted in calendar year 2014 or any calendar year thereafter and, in the annual report on trafficking in persons submitted in the next calendar year, is listed on the tier 2 watch list, the President shall submit a detailed description of the credible evidence supporting the change in listing of the country, accompanied by copies of documents providing such evidence, where appropriate, to the appropriate congressional committees—
(i)in the case of a change in listing reflected in the annual report on trafficking in persons submitted in calendar year 2015, not later than 90 days after February 24, 2016; and
(ii)in the case of a change in listing reflected in an annual report on trafficking in persons submitted in calendar year 2016 or any calendar year thereafter, not later than 90 days after the submission of that report.
(D)It is the sense of Congress that the integrity of the process for making the determinations in the annual report on trafficking in persons, including determinations with respect to country rankings and the substance of the assessments in the report, should be respected and not affected by unrelated considerations.
(E)In this paragraph:
(i)The term “annual report on trafficking in persons” means the annual report on trafficking in persons required under section 110(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(1)).
(ii)The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(I)the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
(II)the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(iii)The term “tier 2 watch list” means the list of countries required under section 110(b)(2)(A)(iii) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(2)(A)(iii)).
(iv)The term “tier 3 country” means a country on the list of countries required under section 110(b)(1)(C) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(1)(C)).
(c)Subsection (b) of this section, section 4202(c) of this title, and section 4204(b)(3) of this title are enacted by Congress—
(1)as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively, and as such are deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, and such procedures supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent with such other rules; and
(2)with the full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the procedures of that House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as any other rule of that House.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a)(2)(A)(ii)(I) and (b)(1)(B)(ii)(IV), was in the original “this title”, meaning title I of Pub. L. 114–26, June 29, 2015, 129 Stat. 320, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title I to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 4201 of this title and Tables. The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, referred to in subsec. (b)(1)(B), (3)(C), and (4)(C)(i), is title I of Pub. L. 114–26, June 29, 2015, 129 Stat. 320, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title I to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 4201 of this title and Tables.
Amendments
2016—Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 114–125, § 914(f)(2), substituted “section 4201(b)(16)(C)” for “section 4201(b)(15)(C)”. Subsec. (b)(6)(A). Pub. L. 114–125, § 914(e)(2), substituted “listed as a tier 3 country in the most recent annual report on trafficking in persons” for “to which the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking are applicable and the government of which does not fully comply with such standards and is not making significant efforts to bring the country into compliance (commonly referred to as a ‘tier 3’ country), as determined in the most recent annual report on trafficking in persons submitted under section 110(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107(b)(1))”. Subsec. (b)(6)(B) to (E). Pub. L. 114–125, § 914(e)(1), added subpars. (B) to (E) and struck out former subpar. (B). Prior to amendment, text of subpar. (B) read as follows: “In this paragraph, the term ‘minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking’ means the standards set forth in section 108 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7106).”
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2016 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–125 effective as if included in the enactment of title I of Pub. L. 114–26, see section 914(g) of Pub. L. 114–125, set out as a note under section 4201 of this title.
Executive Documents
Delegation of Functions For delegation of functions of President under this section, see Ex. Ord. No. 13701,
July 17, 2015, 80 F.R. 43903, set out as a note under section 4201 of this title, and Memorandum of President of the United States,
May 24, 2016, 81 F.R. 35579, set out below. Delegation of Authority Under section 106 of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 Memorandum of President of the United States,
May 24, 2016, 81 F.R. 35579, provided: Memorandum for the Secretary of State By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby delegate to you the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 106(b)(6)(B) and (C) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–26, title I) (the “Act”), as added by section 914(e) of the Trade Facilitation and Trade
Enforcement
Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–125). In carrying out these functions, you will inform the United States Trade Representative at the earliest possible time of a decision to invoke an exception under section 106(b)(6)(B) of the Act. In exercising authority delegated by or performing functions assigned in this memorandum, you may redelegate authority delegated by this memorandum and may further assign functions assigned by this memorandum to officers of any other department or agency within the executive branch to the extent permitted by law. You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register. Barack Obama.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
19 U.S.C. § 4205
Title 19 — Customs Duties
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73