OHIO STEEL COUNCIL BACKS HOUSE RESOLUTION ON STEEL IMPORTS, WITH WEST CHESTER REPRESENATATIVE GARY CATES AS SPONSOR

COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 4, 1998) –  Backing a House resolution co-sponsored by Rep. Gary Cates, the Ohio Steel Council is redoubling its demand for swifter enforcement of international trade laws concerning unfairly traded steel imports.

Maintaining that the United States is deficient in enforcing trade law, the Ohio House passed the resolution Dec. 2. In a rarely used procedure, House members, rather than voting electronically, stood up for steel to cast their votes for the resolution.

The resolution calls for a special presidential task force to monitor steel imports. It also argues for a one-year ban on steel imports from countries found to be in violation of international trade agreements.

The Ohio Steel Council is joining with Cates, R-West Chester, a sponsor of the House resolution, in demanding tough, immediate action in Washington, D.C. The same resolution was passed Nov. 17 in the Ohio Senate, where Sen. Gary Suhadolnik, R-Strongsville, was one of the sponsors. Cates and Suhadolnik are members of the Ohio Steel Council.

"As a leading steel producing state, Ohio is obligated to push hard for definitive action in Washington. We cannot stand by while our steel industry's economic well-being is destroyed by unfairly traded foreign steel," said George Manos, vice president of business processes at USS/KOBE Steel Co. in Lorain and co-chair of the Ohio Steel Council.

The Ohio Steel Council, appointed in 1991 by Gov. George V. Voinovich, is a public-private partnership designed to strengthen ties among the steel industry, the state of Ohio and its citizens. The Council's member organizations are AK Steel Corp., Armco Inc., CSC Ltd., LTV Steel Co., Washington Steel, North Star Steel Ohio, Republic Engineered Steels Inc., The Timken Company, USS/KOBE Steel Co., WCI Steel, Inc., Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., the United Steelworkers of America, the Ohio Legislature, Ohio Department of Development, The Ohio State University and Youngstown State University.