View source for Trade Agreements Act of 1979

{{Short description|United States federal law}}
{{Infobox U.S. legislation
| shorttitle        = Trade Agreements Act of 1979
| othershorttitles  =
| longtitle         = An Act to approve and implement the trade agreements negotiated under the Trade Act of 1974, and for other purposes.
| colloquialacronym =
| nickname          = Distilled Spirits Tax Revision Act of 1979
| enacted by        = 96th
| effective date    = July 26, 1979
| public law url    = http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-93/pdf/STATUTE-93-Pg144.pdf
| cite public law   = 96-39
| cite statutes at large = {{usstat|93|144}}
| acts amended    =
| acts repealed   =
| title amended   = [[Title 19 of the United States Code|19 U.S.C.: Customs Duties]]
| sections created = {{Usc-title-chap|19|13}} § 2501 et seq.
| sections amended =
| leghisturl      = http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d096:HR04537:@@@R
| introducedin    = House
| introducedbill  = {{USBill|96|H.R.|4537}}
| introducedby    = [[Jim Wright|James C. Wright, Jr.]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]–[[Texas|TX]])
| introduceddate  = June 19, 1979
| committees      = [[United States House Committee on Ways and Means|House Ways and Means]], [[United States Senate Committee on Finance|Senate Finance]]
| passedbody1     = House
| passeddate1     = July 11, 1979
| passedvote1     = 395-7
| passedbody2     = Senate
| passedas2       = <!-- used if the second body changes the name of the legislation -->
| passeddate2     = July 23, 1979
| passedvote2     = 90-4
| conferencedate  =
| passedbody3     =
| passeddate3     =
| passedvote3     =
| agreedbody3     = <!-- used when the other body agrees without going into committee -->
| agreeddate3     = <!-- used when the other body agrees without going into committee -->
| agreedvote3     = <!-- used when the other body agrees without going into committee -->
| agreedbody4     = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| agreeddate4     = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| agreedvote4     = <!-- used if agreedbody3 further amends legislation -->
| passedbody4     =
| passeddate4     =
| passedvote4     =
| signedpresident = [[Jimmy Carter]]
| signeddate      = July 26, 1979
| amendments      =
| SCOTUS cases    =
}}
The '''Trade Agreements Act of 1979''' ('''TAA'''), {{USStatute|96|39|93|144|1979|07|26}}, codified at {{usctc|19|13}} ({{usc|19|2501|2581}}), is an [[Act of Congress]] that governs trade agreements negotiated between the United States and other countries under the [[Trade Act of 1974]].  It provided the [[Treaty#Execution and implementation|implementing legislation]] for the Tokyo Round of the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]].

The stated purposes of the TAA are:
* Approve and implement the trade agreements negotiated under the Trade Act of 1974
* Foster the growth and maintenance of an open world trading system
* Expand opportunities for the commerce of the United States in international trade
* Improve the rules of international trade and to provide for the enforcement of such rules, and for other purposes<ref>[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/2502- 19 U.S.C. § 2502] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211004550/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/2502 |date=2024-02-11 }}, ''Congressional statement of purposes''</ref>

The TAA can restrict [[Government procurement|procurement of goods and services for federal contracts]], if the program management office decides to check TAA compliance. In many ways the TAA supersedes the [[Buy American Act]], because the TAA allows the President to waive the Buy American Act under certain conditions. [[Federal Acquisition Regulations]] (FAR) Subpart 25.4 includes guidance for TAA compliance.<ref>Federal Acquisition Regulations, [https://www.acquisition.gov/far/subpart-25.4 Subpart 25.4] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802122409/https://www.acquisition.gov/far/subpart-25.4 |date=2022-08-02 }}, ''Trade Agreements''</ref> In general, a product is TAA compliant if it is made in the United States or a "Designated Country". Designated Countries include:
* Those with a free trade agreement with the United States such as [[Canada]], [[Mexico]], [[Australia]], and [[Singapore]]
* Countries that participate in the [[World Trade Organization]] Government Procurement Agreement (WTO GPA), including [[Japan]] and many countries in Europe
* [[Least developed countries]] such as [[Afghanistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Laos]], and [[Ethiopia]]
* [[Caribbean Basin]] countries such as [[Aruba]], [[Costa Rica]], and [[Haiti]]

Notably absent from the list is the [[People's Republic of China]]. A full list of Designated Countries is in FAR 25.003.<ref>Federal Acquisition Regulations, [https://www.acquisition.gov/far/25.003 § 25.003] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531204809/https://www.acquisition.gov/far/25.003 |date=2022-05-31 }}, ''Definitions'' ("Designated country")</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* Federal Acquisition Regulations, [https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-25 Part 25 – Foreign Acquisition]

{{Presidency of Jimmy Carter}}
{{US tax acts}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trade Agreements Act Of 1979}}
[[Category:1979 in American law]]
[[Category:Foreign trade of the United States]]
[[Category:United States federal trade legislation]]
[[Category:1979 in international relations]]
[[Category:July 1979 events in the United States]]

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