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H.R. 2769 98th Congress House

Retirement Equity Act of 1983

Official title: A bill to promote economic revitalization and facilitate expansion of economic opportunities in the Caribbean Basin region.

Introduced: April 27, 1983 See on congress.gov
Foreign Trade and International Finance Agriculture and Rural AffairsAgriculture in foreign tradeAlcohol and Alcoholic BeveragesAlcoholic beverage industry
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Alcoholic beveragesAmerican SamoaAmericans in foreign countriesBeefBusiness and commerceCaribbean areaClothing industryCoffeeConferencesCongress and Members of CongressCongressional oversightDivorceEmployee benefit plansEnvironmental ProtectionExcise taxExportsFisheriesFlowersForeign Trade and InvestmentsFruit and fruit tradeGuamImport restrictionsImportsIncome taxInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLeather industryMaternity leavePetroleumPetroleum and petroleum productsPuerto RicoRetirementSeafood industriesShoe industrySugar and sugar tradeSurvivors' benefitsTariffTax deductionsTax havensTax treatiesTaxationTerritories (U.S.)Textile industry and fabricsTrade agreementsTreatiesTuna fisheriesVegetables and vegetable tradeVirgin IslandsWater pollution control
This bill died when the 98th Congress ended
It never became law before the 98th Congress (1983–1984) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 26 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 28, 1984
Rules Committee Resolution H.Res.543 Reported to House.
Jun 28, 1984
Committee on Rules Granted a Rule Providing that the House shall be Considered to Have Agreed to Senate Amendments to H.R.2769 with Amendments Printed in the Rule.
Nov 18, 1983
Passed Senate with amendments and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
Nov 18, 1983
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
Nov 18, 1983
Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
Oct 29, 1983
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 503.
Oct 29, 1983
Committee on Finance. Reported to Senate by Senator Dole with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title. With written report No. 98-285.
Oct 25, 1983
Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably. As approved by the committee, the amendment incorporates the text of S.1978.
Jul 26, 1983
Committee on Finance requested executive comment from OMB, International Trade Commission, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Treasury Department, State Department, Commerce Department, Agriculture Department.
Jul 19, 1983
Received in the Senate and read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Jul 14, 1983
Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 289 - 129 (Record Vote No: 250).
Jul 14, 1983
Passed/agreed to in House: Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 289 - 129 (Record Vote No: 250).
Jul 14, 1983
House Agreed to Amendments Adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
Jul 14, 1983
The Clerk Reported Committee Amendments.
Jul 13, 1983
Considered by House Unfinished Business.
Jul 13, 1983
Called up by House by Rule.
Jul 13, 1983
Rule Passed House.
Jun 29, 1983
Rules Committee Resolution H.Res.246 Reported to House.
Jun 28, 1983
Rule Granted Providing a Closed Rule with 2 Hours of Debate. Waiver of Points of Order.
Jun 24, 1983
Placed on Union Calendar No: 171.
Jun 24, 1983
Reported to House (Amended) by House Committee on Ways and Means. Report No: 98-266.
Jun 21, 1983
Ordered to be Reported (Amended).
Jun 21, 1983
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jun 9, 1983
Committee Hearings Held.
Apr 27, 1983
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means.
Apr 27, 1983
Introduced in House
 Amendments to this bill 1

Amendments propose changes to this bill. Members vote on amendments separately before the final bill vote. An agreed amendment becomes part of the bill; a failed amendment does not.

1 agreed to

AmendmentSponsorPurposeStatusLatest action
SAMDT 2,659 – Relating to joint and survivor annuities for spouses of participants who become disabled. Agreed to Nov 18, 1983
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 Latest action June 28, 1984

Rules Committee Resolution H.Res.543 Reported to House.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service
(Reported to House from the Committee on Ways and Means with amendment, H. Rept. 98-266)

Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act - Title I: Duty-Free Treatment - Authorizes the President to proclaim duty-free treatment for all eligible articles from Caribbean countries that the President designates as beneficiary countries. Requires the President to notify Congress before making such a designation. Prohibits the President from terminating such a designation unless both Houses of Congress are notified 60 days before the termination.

Requires the President to consider only specified countries and territories as beneficiary countries.

Prohibits the President from designating a country as a beneficiary country: (1) if it is a Communist country; (2) if it has nationalized or seized control, or effectively nationalized or seized control, of U.S. property, unless the President determines that a good faith effort is being made to compensate for such seizure; (3) if it fails to act in good faith in recognizing as binding or in enforcing arbitral awards in favor of U.S. citizens or corporations; (4) if it grants preferential treatment to the products of a developed country other than the United States which may have a significant adverse effect on U.S. commerce, unless the President reports to Congress that certain assurances have been made; (5) if it has a government-owned entity engaged in broadcasting copyrighted material belonging to U.S. copyright owners without their express consent; or (6) unless an extradition treaty exists between the United States and such country.

Permits the President to designate as a beneficiary country a Communist country, an expropriating country, or a country that fails to act in good faith with respect to an arbitral award if the President determines and reports to Congress that such designation will be in the national interest.

Lists factors the President should consider in determining whether to grant beneficiary designation.

Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to grant to imports from U.S. insular possessions, subject to specified provisions of this Act, duty treatment no less favorable than the treatment afforded such imports from a beneficiary country.

Directs the President to withdraw or suspend a country's beneficiary designation, if the President determines that changed circumstances in such country would prohibit such designation under the guidelines in this title.

Requires duty-free treatment to apply to any article imported from a beneficiary country, unless otherwise excluded from eligibility, if: (1) the article is imported directly from such country into U.S. customs territory; and (2) the sum of specified costs of the article is not less than 35 percent of its appraised value at the time of its entry.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prescribe regulations governing articles eligible for such duty-free treatment, including the requirement that such articles must be wholly the product of a beneficiary country or must be a new or different article of commerce which has been produced in the beneficiary country.

Prohibits this duty-free treatment from applying to: (1) textile and apparel articles which are subject to tariff agreements; (2) certain footwear, handbags, luggage, flat goods, work gloves, and leather wearing apparel; (3) tuna prepared or preserved in airtight containers; or (4) petroleum or certain petroleum products.

Directs the President to suspend duty-free treatment of sugar and beef products that are the products of a beneficiary country if: (1) the beneficiary country, within 90 days of its designation as a beneficiary country, does not submit a Stable Food Production Plan to the President for evaluation; (2) the President determines that the Plan of a beneficiary country does not meet specified criteria; or (3) as a result of the monitoring of the operation of the Plan, the President determines that a beneficiary country is not making a good faith effort to implement its Plan, or that the Plan, although being implemented, is not achieving its purposes. Requires the President, before suspending such duty-free treatment, to offer to consult with the country to formulate appropriate remedial action. Requires the President, biennially, to monitor the operation of the Plans implemented by beneficiary countries and to report to Congress.

Sets forth the manner of governing the importation and duty-free treatment of certain sugars, sirups, and molasses.

Authorizes the President to suspend the duty-free treatment provided by this title and to proclaim a duty for an eligible article if such action is taken pursuant to certain import relief or national security provisions.

Requires the International Trade Commission (ITC), in any report on a petition for import relief under the Trade Act of 1974, to state how its findings and recommendations apply to any duty-free article imported from beneficiary countries. Authorizes the President to reduce or end the application of import relief measures which apply to articles imported from beneficiary countries earlier than otherwise scheduled.

Requires the suspension of duty-free treatment provided by this title to be treated as an increase in duty for purposes of the import relief section of the Trade Act of 1974. Prohibits such a suspension of duty-free treatment unless the ITC finds that the harm caused by the imports results from its duty-free treatment by this title.

Authorizes the filing of petitions for import relief with the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary), as well as with the ITC, for injury from imports of perishable products from beneficiary countries. Directs the Secretary to recommend the granting or denying of such petition within 14 days of its filing. Requires the President to take emergency action or to publish a notice of determination not to take emergency action within seven days of receiving the Secretary's recommendation. Sets forth the limits on the duration of the emergency action. Defines perishable products to include certain live plants, certain fresh or chilled vegetables, fresh mushrooms, fresh fruit, and fresh cut flowers. Exempts from proclamations under this title certain fees imposed pursuant to the Agricultural Adjustment Act.

Provides for duty- free treatment of articles imported directly from Puerto Rico and the U.S. insular possessions, so long as foreign materials do not account for more than 70 percent of the total value of the articles (or more than 50 percent of the total value with respect to articles excluded from duty-free treatment under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act).

Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to increase to five liters (currently, four liters) the amount of duty-free liquor that may be brought into the United States. Provides that not more than four liters, of such five liter limit, may have been produced outside American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Authorizes the President to withdraw duty-free treatment on rum if the amount of excise taxes on rum that is paid into the treasuries of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands falls below the amount that would have been paid if the rum had been produced in Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Amends the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 to repeal the provision for protecting U.S. possessions against revenue losses caused by concessions granted by the United States in the Tokyo Round of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations.

Prohibits any action under this title from affecting a tariff imposed by Puerto Rico on coffee imported into Puerto Rico.

Requires the ITC to report to Congress and the President on the economic impact of this Act on U.S. industries and consumers during: (1) the two year period beginning with the enactment of this Act; and (2) each year afterwards, until duty-free treatment under this title is terminated. Sets forth assessments that the ITC shall make and factors to be considered in making those assessments.

Directs the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies, to report to Congress on the impact of the implementation of this title.

Directs the Secretary of State to prepare a study regarding the feasibility of establishing a Caribbean Trade Institute in New York City. Sets forth factors to be assessed in the study.

Terminates duty-free treatment to beneficiary countries under this title after FY 1995.

Title II: Tax Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require excise taxes on rum imported into the United States to be paid to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to negotiate and conclude an agreement for the exchange of information with any beneficiary country. Requires such exchange to consist of such information as may be necessary to carry out and enforce the tax laws of both the United States and the beneficiary country. Provides that such agreements shall be treated as income conventions for purposes of disclosures of tax return information.

Allows a tax deduction for attending a convention held in a beneficiary country, if such beneficiary country has a tax information agreement in effect with the United States.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to report to Congress within 90 days of of enactment of this Act on: (1) the level at which Caribbean Basin tax havens are being used and the effect on Federal revenues of such use; (2) the relationship of such use to drug trafficking and other criminal activities; and (3) current antitax haven enforcement activities of the Department of the Treasury.

 Related & companion bills 3
 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2769: Retirement Equity Act of 1983. 98th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/98-HR-2769/
MLA
"H.R. 2769: Retirement Equity Act of 1983." 98th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/98-HR-2769/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2769, 98th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/98-HR-2769/.
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[H.R. 2769: Retirement Equity Act of 1983](https://openamerica.io/bill/98-HR-2769/)
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