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The fast track negotiating authority for trade agreements is the authority of the President of the United States to negotiate international agreements that Congress can approve or disapprove but cannot amend or filibuster. Also called trade promotion authority (TPA) since 2002, fast track negotiating authority is a temporary and controversial power granted to the President by Congress. The authority was in effect from 1975 to 1994, pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974, and from 2002 to 2007 by the Trade Act of 2002. Although it expired for new agreements on July 1, 2007, it continued to apply to agreements already under negotiation until they were eventually passed into law in 2011. In 2012, the Obama administration began seeking renewal of the authority. In June 2015, TPA passed Congress and was signed by the President. This final approval to legislation granted President Obama "enhanced power to negotiate major trade agreements with Asia and Europe." ==Enactment and history== Congress started the fast track authority in the Trade Act of 1974, § 151–154 (). This authority was set to expire in 1980, but was extended for eight years in 1979.〔Trade Agreements Act of 1979, , 〕 By that grant of authority and procedure, Congress then enacted implementing legislation for the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Area, the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement. It was further renewed in 1988 for five years to accommodate negotiation of the regional North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the initiation of the global Uruguay Round, being conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).〔Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, 〕 By that grant of authority and procedure, Congress ultimately enacted NAFTA's implementing legislation. It was then extended to 16 April 1994,〔, enacted July 2, 1993, codified at 〕 which was one day after the Uruguay Round concluded in the Marrakech Agreement, which was to transform the GATT (as an organization) into the World Trade Organization (WTO). And pursuant to that grant of authority and procedure, Congress then considered and passed the implementing legislation, the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. In the second half of the 1990s, fast track authority languished due to opposition from House Republicans.〔Steve Charnovitz, "Archer Slow on Fast Track," ''Journal of Commerce'', June 4, 1997.〕 Republican Presidential candidate George W. Bush made fast track part of his campaign platform in 2000.〔http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/George_W__Bush_Free_Trade.htm〕 In May 2001, as president he made a speech about the importance of free trade at the annual Council of the Americas in New York, founded by David Rockefeller and other senior U.S. businessmen in 1965. Subsequently, the Council played a role in the implementation and securing of TPA through Congress.〔Council of the Americas role in securing the TPA – see David Rockefeller's ''Memoirs'', 2002, (p.438).〕 At 3:30 a.m. on July 27, 2002, the House passed the Trade Act of 2002 narrowly by a (215 to 212 vote ) with 190 Republicans and 27 Democrats making up the majority. The bill passed the Senate by a (vote of 64 to 34 ) on August 1, 2002. The Trade Act of 2002, § 2103–2105 (), extended and conditioned the application of the original procedures. Under the second period of fast track authority, Congress enacted implementing legislation for the U.S.–Chile Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.–Singapore Free Trade Agreement, the Australia–U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.–Morocco Free Trade Agreement, the Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.–Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.–Oman Free Trade Agreement, and the Peru–U.S. Trade Promotion Agreement. The authority expired on July 1, 2007. In October 2011, the Congress and President Obama enacted into law the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, the South Korea–U.S. Free Trade Agreement, and the Panama–U.S. Trade Promotion Agreement using fast track rules, all of which the George W. Bush administration signed before the deadline.〔 In early 2012, the Obama administration indicated that renewal of the authority is a requirement for the conclusion of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which have been undertaken as if the authority were still in effect. In July 2013, Michael Froman, the newly confirmed U.S. Trade Representative, renewed efforts to obtain Congressional reinstatement of "fast track" authority. At nearly the same time, Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned Froman about the prospect of a secretly negotiated, binding international agreement such as TPP that might turn out to supersede U.S. wage, safety, and environmental laws. Other legislators expressed concerns about foreign currency manipulation, food safety laws, state-owned businesses, market access for small businesses, access to pharmaceutical products, and online commerce. In early 2014, Senator Max Baucus and Congressman Dave Camp introduced the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014,〔 (【引用サイトリンク】title=Baucus, Hatch, Camp Unveil Bill to Bring Home Job-Creating Trade Agreements )〕 which sought to reauthorize trade promotion authority and establish a number of priorities and requirements for trade agreements.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Overview of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014 )〕 Its sponsors called it a "vital tool" in connection with negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and trade negotiations with the EU.〔 Critics said the bill could detract from "transparency and accountability". Sander Levin, who is the ranking Democratic member on the House Ways and Means committee, said he would make an alternative proposal.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fast track (trade)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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