Speech #980084814

I rise in support of House Resolution 256. which would disapprove the Presidents recommendation to extend certain waiver authority under the Trade Act of 1974 with respect to Romania. My testimony has been consistently against granting a waiver to Romania since coming to the Congress. The waiver is supposed to be granted after the President has received assurances that the emigration practices of the country involved will lead substantially to the achievement of the objectives of section 402(c) of the act previously cited. The objective is free emigration. Does anyone know of a Communist country that has free emigration? I do not know of one. Yet year after year. since coming to the Congress. I have been witness to this charade as Romania twiddles with its emigration pipeline to learn how many people it has to let loose in order to gain another extension of its mostfavorednation status. Any scholar in the field of Communist affairs will tell you that the internal affairs of Romania are stricter and meaner than most any Communist nation in the world. Where else is there a law to register typewriters. together with a sample of its type? What other nation in the world would attempt to enforce a law that required you to pay back the entire cost of your education in convertible currency prior to emigrating? And remember that it is against the law to have any convertible currency in your possession in Romania. Romania is no slouch either when it comes to repression of religion.