H.R. 9601 — CANADA Act

This section requires the United States Trade Representative to initiate, within 30 days of enactment, an investigation into whether any covered foreign country has restricted importation or distribution of U.S. alcoholic beverage exports in a manner actionable under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. It mandates consultations with affected U.S. manufacturers, the Secretaries of Commerce and State, the International Trade Commission, and relevant trade associations before any actionability determination, requires congressional notification and further stakeholder consultations before enforcement, and directs a written report to the appropriate congressional committees if the investigation yields a negative determination.

This section requires the United States Trade Representative to submit an initial report to the appropriate congressional committees within 90 days on the status of investigations into covered foreign countries’ policies on U.S. alcoholic beverage imports and distribution, and their impact on domestic manufacturers. It also directs quarterly reports for two years detailing consultations, section 301 enforcement actions, and trade engagements, plus a public summary that excludes confidential stakeholder information.

This section defines terms used throughout the Act. It defines "alcoholic beverage" by reference to section 203 of the Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act of 1988, "appropriate committees of Congress" as the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance, and "covered foreign country" as any foreign country with a free trade agreement with the United States, including Canada.