[Ip-health] FW: GOP Senators' Concerns Cast Pall On Peru

[Aaron Boyle]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]




Congress Daily AM =96 September 19, 2007TRADE GOP Senators' Concerns Cast P=
all On Peru     Incensed that the Bush administration agreed to relax intel=
lectual property protections in bilateral trade deals, several Senate Finan=
ce Committee members led by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, have told lobbyists t=
hey might vote against the U.S.-Peru trade deal.     The Finance panel will=
 hold a nonbinding markup of the draft Peru agreement Thursday, Finance Cha=
irman Baucus announced. While the Peru pact is not in any danger of not pas=
sing the committee, supporters said the threats by GOP senators to vote aga=
inst it are troubling because they would exacerbate steadily declining supp=
ort in the Senate for trade deals in recent years.     Hatch's criticism of=
 the Peru deal centers mostly on intellectual property provisions that drug=
 companies say they rely on to be able to offer innovative medicines to peo=
ple in poor countries like Peru.     But in their agreement earlier this ye=
ar that set the stage for Congress to consider Peru and other trade deals, =
the administration agreed to several changes demanded by Democrats.     Tho=
se included limits on drug manufacturers' exclusive rights to clinical test=
 data that is needed for regulatory approval of drugs and more explicit lan=
guage ensuring developing countries can break patents to address health eme=
rgencies, as agreed to in the Doha Round.     Hatch and five other Finance =
Committee members complained to Trade Representative Schwab about the propo=
sed intellectual property rights changes in a May 24 letter -- days after s=
he announced the framework of an agreement with Democrats. The letter has p=
reviously not been made public.     "Given that intellectual property, as a=
 financial sector, is one of the United States' largest exports, we cannot =
understand why the United States would signal to our trading partners a wil=
lingness to weaken unilaterally our IPR laws," the GOP senators wrote.     =
They also criticized labor and environmental provisions in the administrati=
on-Democratic leadership deal.     "From our perspective, it does not make =
sense to undertake major renegotiations of trade agreements under these ter=
ms," according to the letter signed by Hatch, Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Ji=
m Bunning, R-Ky., Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and the late Sen. =
Craig Thomas, R-Wyo.     Finance ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, t=
old CongressDaily he was surprised in recent days to learn that two GOP sen=
ators -- who he declined to identify by name -- he normally relies on to su=
pport trade deals were considering opposing the Peru deal.     If those sen=
ators are hoping to win assurances that the changes on IPR will not be incl=
uded in other trade agreements with Panama and Colombia, Grassley said, the=
y are too late. "Except for Korea, the negotiations are done," he said.    =
 Business lobbyists working the Peru deal also said they could not see what=
 Hatch hopes to gain by his stand. "The train has left the station on this,=
" one lobbyist said.     Hatch could lodge a protest vote to signal that hi=
s support for future trade agreements will depend on changing the IPR and m=
edicine provisions. Calls to Hatch's office seeking comment were not return=
ed.     But it is unclear whether, if Hatch ultimately votes no, he will ta=
ke any of his Senate Finance GOP colleagues with him.     Bunning, Crapo an=
d Kyl told CongressDaily Tuesday they are leaning toward support for the de=
al; Kyl and Crapo said they were hoping for some improvements to the pharma=
ceutical provisions.     "I really want to vote for it . . . I'm leaning ye=
s," said Crapo.     The panel should approve the bill in an informal markup=
 Thursday by a margin of several votes. In addition to the Republicans ment=
ioned, Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine., is undecided.     On the Democratic si=
de, Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and John (Jay) Rockefeller of West V=
irginia are likely 'no' votes, while Sens. Kent Conrad of North Dakota and =
Charles Schumer of New York are question marks, sources said.     The level=
 of GOP support in the full Senate could determine whether the Peru bill hi=
ts a low-water mark for trade votes in this decade.     A majority of the e=
ight Senate Democratic freshmen are expected to vote against the pact.     =
House Ways and Means is expected to follow suit with its mock markup Tuesda=
y. That would pave the way for the White House to send up a final bill text=
, setting up House and Senate floor votes in October.    By Martin Vaughan
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