The 109th Congress passed legislation to grant Ukraine
permanent normal trade relations (PNTR), that is nondiscriminatory, trade status. The importance
of the issue had been elevated since the "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine that led to the election of
Viktor Yushchenko as President of Ukraine. The issue before Congress was whether to remove the
requirements of Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974, including the so-called Jackson-Vanik
amendment, and authorize the President to extend unconditional nondiscriminatory treatment to
trade with Ukraine. On March 8, 2006, the House passed (417-2) H.R. 1053, and the
Senate passed (unanimous consent) it on March 9, 2006. President Bush signed it (P.L. 109-205)
on March 23, 2006. This report will be updated as events warrant.