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GGD-00-199R 1 (2000-09-29)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptalnu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 



   I
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 ~GAO

         Accountability * Integrity * Reliability
United States General Accounting Office                                    General Govermnent Division
Washington, D.C. 20548





                 B-285298

                 September 29, 2000

                 The Honorable Frank R. Wolf
                 House of Representatives

                 The Honorable Dan Burton
                 Chairman, Committee on
                   Government Reform
                 House of Representatives

                 Subject: Federal Lobbying: China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) Lobbying
                 Activities and Costs

                 In response to your request, we have reviewed the efforts of the White House China Trade
                 Relations Working Group (Working Group) and selected agencies to garner support for
                 permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) for China. You were particularly concerned
                 whether such efforts violated the antilobbying provisions of 18 U.S.C. 1913 or any applicable
                 appropriations statutes. You also wanted to ascertain how much the administration has
                 spent on its efforts to garner support for China PNTR.

                 We previously provided you with two updates on our review. Our May 8, 2000, letter to you
                 described the types of information we had requested from the White House and selected
                 federal agencies and presented preliminary information related to staff resources for the
                 Working Group and travel by Working Group members in support of PNTR.' On May 22,
                 2000, we reported that we had identified one e-mail authored by a Working Group member
                 that, on its face, constituted a violation of the applicable antilobbying appropriation
                 provision. That violation involved a minimal expenditure of appropriated funds and did not
                 warrant further action on our part or a referral to the Justice Department. Enclosure I
                 contains a copy of our May 22 letter. This letter provides our final response to you on the
                 administration's efforts to garner support for the China PNTR legislation (H.R. 4444) that
                 passed in the House of Representatives on May 24, 2000, and in the U.S. Senate on September
                 19, 2000.

                 The stated role of the Working Group, which was established on February 1, 2000, pursuant
                 to the President's request, was to coordinate interagency activities associated with the

                 Federal Lobbying: China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) Lobbying Activities (GAO/GGD-00-130R, May 8, 2000).


GAO/GGD-00-199R China PNTR


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