Paul Ryan's Climate Change language contains more than just climate change
Within SEC. 908. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL TRADE AND COMMERCIAL ENHANCEMENT (pp. 236--245), See COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS in p. 240-243: of this proposed amendment of H.R. 1314 — Trade Act of 2015 (Trade Promotion Authority - TPA "Fast-Track bill) that was the subject of the House Committee on Rules hearing Wednesday.
(c) PRINCIPAL TRADE NEGOTIATING OBJECTIVES OF THE UNITED STATES.—
(1) COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS.—Among the principal trade negotiating objectives of the United States for proposed trade agreements with foreign countries regarding commercial partnerships are the following:
(A) To discourage actions by potential trading partners that directly or indirectly prejudice or otherwise discourage commercial activity solely between the United States and Israel.
(B) To discourage politically motivated actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel and to seek the elimination of politically motivated non-tariff barriers on Israeli goods, services, or other commerce imposed on the State of Israel.
(C) To seek the elimination of state-sponsored unsanctioned foreign boycotts against Israel or compliance with the Arab League Boycott of Israel by prospective trading partners.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection takes effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and applies with respect to negotiations commenced before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) REPORT ON POLITICALLY MOTIVATED ACTS OF BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT FROM, AND SANCTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the President shall submit to Congress a report on politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel.
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A) A description of the establishment of barriers to trade, including non-tariff barriers, investment, or commerce by foreign countries or international organizations against United States persons operating or doing business in Israel, with Israeli entities, or in Israeli-controlled territories.
(B) A description of specific steps being taken by the United States to encourage foreign countries and international organizations to cease creating such barriers and to dismantle measures already in place and an assessment of the effectiveness of such steps.
(C) A description of specific steps being taken by the United States to prevent investigations or prosecutions by governments or international organizations of United States persons on the sole basis of such persons doing business with Israel, with Israeli entities, or in Israeli-controlled territories.
(D) Decisions by foreign persons, including corporate entities and state-affiliated financial institutions, that limit or prohibit economic relations with Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in Israeli controlled territories.
(e) CERTAIN FOREIGN JUDGMENTS AGAINST UNITED STATES PERSONS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no domestic court shall recognize or enforce any foreign judgment entered against a United States person that conducts business operations in Israel, or any territory controlled by Israel, if the domestic court determines that the foreign judgment is based, in whole or in part, on a determination by a foreign court that the United States person’s conducting business operations therein or with Israeli entities constitutes a violation of law.
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT FROM, AND SANCTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL.—The term ‘‘boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel’’ means actions by states, non-member states of the United Nations, international organizations, or affiliated agencies of international organizations that are politically motivated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with Israel or persons doing business in Israel or in Israeli-controlled territories.
Ryan: Define "affiliated".
Is that like "sympathizers" in Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798,
to strengthen POTUS in harassing aliens, feared to be French "sympathizers"?
Here's Another Human Rights Issue: Is Israel an ""apartheid state"; is Israeli military occupation of West Bank temporary or permanent? Trade Promotion Authority Bill (TPA), commonly known as “fast-track” trade authority, would make it a “principal trade negotiating objective” of the US to discourage campaigns of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel and corporations that profit from its human rights abuses of Palestinians.
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J Street urges to strike this counter-productive inclusion that applies to “territories controlled by Israel.”
Nine United States administrations recognize the West Bank as occupied territory and oppose the expansion and entrenchment of settlements there. Both Republican Democratic administrations opposed encroachment on Palestinian areas of East Jerusalem, which must be part of a future Palestinian capital if a two-state outcome is to be achieved.
While J Street does not participate in targeted boycott or divestment initiatives, we do not believe it is productive or appropriate for the United States government to spend time and resources preventing or reporting on such efforts. In fact, this legislation would actually put the US in the awkward position of making it easier—by reducing potential liabilities— for companies to conduct commercial or related activity in occupied territory that is expanding and deepening the very settlement enterprise that the US opposes.
The bill’s provisions related to U.S. Government prevention and reporting of private investigations into commercial activities also raise serious concerns about its constitutionality and compatibility with fundamental American concepts of liberty.
J Street therefore opposes this legislation and urges Members not to lend it their support.
Americans for Peace Now (APN) has said:
“As a pro-Israel, pro-peace organization and the sister organization to Shalom Achshav (Peace Now), Israel’s veteran grassroots, Zionist peace movement, Americans for Peace Now (APN) rejects and condemns efforts in Congress, backed by AIPAC, to legislate U.S. support for Israeli settlements. We urge Congress to recognize the danger and folly of this approach and to hold firm in its well-established support for Israel and its equally well established refusal to endorse Israeli settlements..."
"In reality, this legislation is ... about shielding Israeli settlements from pressure, seeking to codify in U.S. law the view that there is no distinction between Israel and the settlements."
"APN unequivocally opposes the efforts of the Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement to promote activism targeting Israel. At the same time, APN and Shalom Achshav strongly support and encourage activism and policies that draw a clear line at the 1967 border (aka “the Green Line”), targeting settlements and the occupation. Such activism and policies are the only real challenge to the global BDS movement, demonstrating that supporting Israel need not be synonymous with supporting settlements. Such activism and policies are unequivocally pro-Israel and pro-peace.
"These efforts by AIPAC and some in Congress will not insulate Israel from pressure over settlements. Rather, they will only put the U.S., along with Israel, further out of step with virtually the entire international community, including close allies of both the U.S. and Israel who are out of patience with Israeli governments who give lip-service to the two-state solution while forging ahead with actions on the ground that disclose a Greater Israel agenda. Likewise, this legislation will only fuel BDS targeting Israel, energizing activists – including those with a genuinely anti-Israel agenda – by bolstering their argument that settlements and Israel are one and the same."
Human Rights Watch (HRW), an independent, international organization, claims it defends the rights of people worldwide, scrupulously investigating abuses, exposing the facts widely, and pressuring those with power to respect rights and secure justice, working as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all.
HRW stated that:
Israel’s Supreme Court upheld key provisions of the country’s “anti-boycott law,” which makes it a civil offense for people or groups to advocate boycotting Israeli or settlement products, institutions, or individuals, and the advocacy has a reasonable chance of succeeding. The decision legitimizes violations of the rights to freedom of expression and association, and punishes advocacy urging businesses to respect international law.
The Israeli human rights and civil society groups that were the petitioners in the case argued that the law shuts down a legitimate form of nonviolent protest. The nine judges hearing the case agreed that the law “indeed infringes on freedom of expression,” but unanimously declared that the infringement was justified in the context of boycotts of the state of Israel. Four judges dissented, however, with respect to boycotts targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. One, Judge Uzi Vogelman, opined that the law’s prohibition of calling for boycotting settlements “is liable to silence political expression about the area [under Israel’s military control].”
Two days before the ruling, Human Rights Watch released a report, “Ripe for Abuse.” The report, which documents Palestinian child labor in Israeli agriculture settlements in the West Bank, finds that companies involved in settlement agriculture unavoidably contribute to or benefit from the violations of international human rights and humanitarian law associated with settlements. Human Rights Watch therefore urges commercial businesses to cease trading with settlements and governments to prohibit such trade in order to abide by their responsibilities not to contribute to or benefit from human rights abuses. We take no position on civil society initiatives to boycott Israel, but even this limited call makes us vulnerable under the anti-boycott law.
Instead of supporting human rights principles, the Israeli Supreme Court has approved a law that punishes those who do.
Jewish Voice for Peace (
www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org) is a national, grassroots organization inspired by Jewish tradition to work for a just and lasting peace according to principles of human rights, equality, and international law for all the people of Israel and Palestine. Jewish Voice for Peace has over 200,000 online supporters, over 65 chapters, a youth wing, a Rabbinic Council, and an Advisory Board made up of leading U.S. intellectuals and artists.
Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) strongly opposes proposed amendments to trade legislation intended to institutionalize support for the Israeli occupation and attempt to criminalize non-violent boycotts of Israel.
From South Africa to the grape boycott to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) tactics have been essential tools used to create a more just society. Rabbi Joseph Berman, JVP’s Federal Policy Organizer noted that, “This legislation, which actually encourages illegal settlement building while strengthening the far right in Israel, shows that BDS is an increasingly powerful means to challenge Israel's impunity when it comes to Palestinian rights. We urge Congress to reject this legislation."
The
policy implications of all this wrangling, and the possible
House Fast Track vote (online petition here) on FRIDAY are mind-boggling. Don't give multinational corporations unfair advantages; don't harm the environment; don't turn a blind eye to countries that abuse workers!
Plus, even the sea turtles are with us!
Sea Shepherd says this at https://www.stopfasttrack.com/
We oppose Fast Track because the economics of extinction must be reigned in.
The emphasis of these agreements must balance both economic and environmental priorities carefully without rush.
Read more
Summary:
A US negotiating objective is to block European trade restrictions against Israeli settlements in the West Bank. European (EU) efforts to uphold international law by limiting trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank are supported by millions and effect billions of people because of the ripple effects they produce. The ability of NGO's and national, even regional states, to act for justice must be protected from this frankly evil legislation. It comes at the cost of chilling and even criminalizing the same strategies and tactics used throughout U.S. history to raise the dignity of every human person...
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Up now on the House Rules Cmte. website are notices of these decisions (keep scrolling down 'til you see what you want:
Ryan (Way & Means Chairman) SUBSTITUTE: Establishes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), provides tools to streamline and facilitate legitimate trade, improve trade enforcement, and measure progress within CBP. Strengthens Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation and bolsters U.S.-Israel trade and commercial ties. Status: Considered As Adopted
Ryan (Way & Means Chairman) SUBSTITUTE: Improves the currency title by reducing the Administration's discretion and clearly directing action by the Administration to address unfair currency practices. Requires the Administration to issue clear guidance on how it intends to assess the objective criteria within 90 days of the Amendment's enactment. Status: Considered As Adopted
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 65
Motion by Mr. McGovern to amend the rule so that the Ryan amendments to H.R. 644 and H.R. 1295, as well as the Senate amendment to H.R. 1314, are all subject to amendment on the floor, and considered under an open process. Defeated: 4–9 Dem: 4-Yea GOP: 9-Nay
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 69
Motion by Mr. Polis to make in order and provide the appropriate waivers for amendments to H.R. 1314: amendment #3, offered by Rep. Polis (CO), which sets out limitations and exceptions to exclusive rights as principal negotiating objectives with regard to trade-related intellectual property; amendment #4, offered by Rep. Polis (CO), which amends the underlying bill to include the prohibition of illegal trade in wildlife, timber, and marine resources as a negotiating objective; amendment #5, offered by Rep. Polis (CO), which requires the President to study the impacts of any new free trade agreement on global greenhouse gas emissions; amendment #7, offered by Rep. Polis (CO), which clarifies that foreign investors do not receive greater rights than domestic investors in trade agreements; and amendment #8, offered by Rep. Polis (CO), which clarifies that no foreign corporation has the right to repeal state, federal or local laws, including laws pertaining to public health and safety; as well as amendment #5 to H.R. 644, offered by Rep. Polis (CO), which expresses the sense of congress that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) should encourage other nations to follow the lead of the U.S. by increasing de minimis values to a commercially meaningful level. Defeated: 4–9 Dem: 4-Yea GOP: 9-Nay
Rules Committee Record Vote No. 70
Motion by Ms. Foxx to report the rule. Adopted: 9-4 GOP: 9-Yea DEM: 4-NAY
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Rule Information
COMMITTEE ACTION: REPORTED BY RECORD VOTE of 9-4 on Thursday, June 11, 2015.
FLOOR ACTION ON H. RES. 305:
MANAGERS: Sessions/Slaughter
1. Provides for the consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 1314.
2. Makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Ways and Means or his designee that the House concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1314.
3. Waives all points of order against consideration of the motion.
4. Provides that the Senate amendment and the motion shall be considered as read.
5. Provides one hour of debate on the motion equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means.
6. Provides that the question on adoption of the motion shall be divided as follows: (1) concurring in section 212 of the Senate amendment (relating to Medicare); (2) concurring in the matter comprising the remainder of title II of the Senate amendment (TAA); and (3) concurring in the matter preceding title II of the Senate amendment (TPA). The first portion of the divided question shall be considered as adopted.
7. Provides that if any remaining portion of the divided question fails, then the House shall be considered to have made no disposition of the Senate amendment.
8. Section 2 provides for the consideration of the Senate amendments to H.R. 644 .
9. Makes in order a single motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Ways and Means or his designee that the House: (1) concur in the Senate amendment to the title; and (2) concur in the Senate amendment to the text with the amendment printed in part A of the Rules Committee report modified by the amendment printed in part B of the report.
10. Waives all points of order against consideration of the motion and provides that the motion is not subject to a demand for division of the question.
11. Provides that the Senate amendments and the motion shall be considered as read.
12. Provides one hour of debate on the motion equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means.
13. Provides that if the motion is adopted, the chair of the Committee on Ways and Means or his designee is then authorized to move that the House insist on its amendment to the Senate amendment to the text of H.R. 644 and request a conference with the Senate thereon.
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A Song by Florence Patton Reece
Sung here by Pete Seeger
Come all of you good workers
Good news to you I'll tell
Of how that good old union
Has come in here to dwell
Chorus
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
My daddy was a miner
And I'm a miner's son
And I'll stick with the union
Till every battle's won
They say in Harlan County
There are no neutrals there
You'll either be a union man
Or a thug for J.H. Blair
Oh, workers can you stand it?
Oh, tell me how you can
Will you be a lousy scab
Or will you be a man?
Don't scab for the bosses
Don't listen to their lies
Us poor folks haven't got a chance
Unless we organize