NEWSLINK: Top senator eager to clear Russia trade bill

(The Hill –  Vicki Needham – November 15, 2012 – http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/1005-trade/268385-top-senator-eager-to-clear-russia-trade-bill)

The Hill covers Congressional action on legislation normalizing U.S. trade relations with Russia and imposing sanctions on human rights violators.  One lawmaker wants to expand the human rights sanctions to make them global:

A top Senate Democrat said he is determined to jump the final hurdle and clear a bill that would normalize trade relations with Russia and punish human rights violators around the world.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), author of the Senate human rights legislation that covers wrong-doings around the globe, told The Hill on Thursday that he will push to expand the House measure beyond the scope of Russia.

“We are going to try to make it global,” he said.

The House bill, which is set for passage on Friday, includes identical language to the Senate’s measure repealing the obsolete Jackson-Vanik law, which would grant permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to Russia.

But the bill diverges on the human rights portion.

Cardin wants to expand the Magnitsky provision to make it more global:

The House opted to include the language approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that specifically calls for denying U.S. visas and freezing the assets of Russian officials involved in the 2009 death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, a much narrower focus than Cardin’s bill.

“I don’t think there’s a disagreement that the preferred route is global,” Cardin said.

“The House is doing Magnitsky specific so the question is what concerns do they have if it goes global, and they have not expressed that to us.”

So far, he hasn’t run into any opposition to make changes to the bill once is arrives in the Senate.

He said several senators have asked Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) take up the Senate measure, which was approved unanimously by the Senate Finance Committee in July.

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