THE HONORABLE HOWARD COBLE

SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON H.R. 2100

THE "ANTITAMPERING ACT OF 1999"

OCTOBER 21, 1999

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"Good morning. The Subcommittee will come to order.

"Today we will conduct a legislative hearing on H.R. 2100, the 'Antitampering Act of 2000.' Authored by the Gentleman from the Roanoke Valley, Mr. Goodlatte, this is the successor bill to H.R. 3891 from last term. Members will recall that the legislation did not pass by the necessary two-thirds majority when it was considered on the House floor under suspension of the rules.

"The bill is intended to protect identification codes which manufacturers affix to their products. These codes enable a manufacturer to trace the routing of a product through the stream of commerce. By ensuring the integrity of product identification codes, H.R. 2100 will help law enforcement officials to solve crimes while advancing public health and safety efforts.

"That said, I am convinced that we will all benefit from a more thorough review of the legislation during this term. A criticism of the bill which apparently resonated on the House floor last year was that H.R. 3891 constituted a veiled attempt to inhibit the sale of "gray market" goods or parallel imports. In light of these developments, proponents must do a better job of explaining the economic consequences of enacting the bill.

"One final comment. I think the coalition supporting H.R. 3891 and Mr. Goodlatte made good-faith efforts to accommodate some of the concerns voiced last year. I would urge the critics of H.R. 2100 this year to work with the coalition and the majority and minority staffs to develop amendatory language, if necessary, to address further problems.

"We have a good panel of witnesses, and I am looking forward to their testimony. I now turn to my friend, the Ranking Member from California, Mr. Berman, for his statement."